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'''Paganism''' is a group of religions in which practitioners worship a deity, or deities, usually based on the earth or nature, and not [[Christian]], [[Muslim]], or [[Jewish]]. The adherents worship a deity or deities that are not related to the Abrahamic God. Paganism, from Latin paganus, literally means (as a noun) "country dweller." Alternatively, pagan is used as a pejorative to describe anyone not of a certain faith, similar to the pejorative '[[heathen]]'. Originally to term Pagan was used by the romans to describe those living in provincial regions of the Roman Empire, unsophisticated country folk, their religious practices later came to represent the main focus of this.<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan merriam-webster.com]</ref>
'''Paganism''' is a group of religions in which practitioners worship a deity, or deities, usually based on the earth or nature, and not [[Christian]], [[Muslim]], or [[Jewish]]. The adherents worship a deity or deities that are not related to the Abrahamic God. Paganism, from Latin paganus, literally means (as a noun) "country dweller." Alternatively, pagan is used as a pejorative to describe anyone not of a certain faith, similar to the pejorative '[[heathen]]'. Originally to term Pagan was used by the romans to describe those living in provincial regions of the Roman Empire, unsophisticated country folk, their religious practices later came to represent the main focus of this.<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan merriam-webster.com]</ref>
==Subdivisions==
==Subdivisions==
The terms may be spelled with or without hyphens after the prefixes.
The terms may be spelled with or without hyphens after the prefixes.
Some consider Voodoo or Santeria to be Pagan however they are generally not accepted as such by the Pagan community who recognize Voodoo and Santeria to be their own separate and distinct belief systems that are independent from the Pagan classification.
Some consider Voodoo or Santeria to be Pagan however they are generally not accepted as such by the Pagan community who recognize Voodoo and Santeria to be their own separate and distinct belief systems that are independent from the Pagan classification.
Pagans have no central leader, spiritual texts, or official houses of worship and beliefs may vary from person to person. No one Pagan can correctly claim to speak for or represent all Pagans due to the wide variety of beliefs. The majority of Pagans are polytheistic in nature, often worshiping a dual god and goddess.
Pagans have no central leader, spiritual texts, or official houses of worship and beliefs may vary from person to person. No one Pagan can correctly claim to speak for or represent all Pagans due to the wide variety of beliefs. The majority of Pagans are polytheistic in nature, often worshiping a dual god and goddess. Core belief concepts can be shared among Pagans but different interpretations abound; for Pagans the importance is on living a good life and not on the end of life.
Contrary to popular opinion, Pagans do not worship Satan as Satan is a Christian deity and as such is not recognized by the majority of Pagans. Pagans are also encouraged to live by what has come to be called the Rede. The Rede states very simply "As long as no one is harmed, do what you will" with harm being generally defined as something that an individual would not want done to them. This may sound like license to engage in reckless behavior but in reality it is a very confining rule as "no one" includes the Pagan him/herself.
Contrary to popular opinion, Pagans do not worship Satan as Satan is a Christian deity and as such is not recognized by the majority of Pagans. Pagans are also encouraged to live by what has come to be called the Rede. The Rede states very simply "As long as no one is harmed, do what you will" with harm being generally defined as something that an individual would not want done to them. This may sound like license to engage in reckless behavior but in reality it is a very confining rule as "no one" includes the Pagan him/herself.