BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Pagan Misunderstanding Paganism

Neo-Pagan and Pagan faiths in general are a minority in the world and are often misunderstood. Take a look at some of the common misperceptions about Paganism.

Misunderstanding Paganism

ouch smak i never looked at the bible in that exact light. but i am glad that i am not the only one that connects God and AVON lol!!! and I AM a CHristian lol

That is a great "article" (for lack of a better word). I'm not super familiar with the Bible. The Adam & Eve story always did strike me as odd/gross. I mean, if they really were the only people on earth, there would have to be a WHOLE LOT of inbreeding going on. The inbreeding was my explanation for why the world is a bit messed up now... I guess I can't use that anymore!!

I've met the author, and his real point is, most Pagans are just fine and happy and healthy that way, despite many attempts by some to tell us that we are not.

He made some great points about that. I know that not all Christians are like the ones in his story, but I wish more people could have a live and let live to people in general. The world would be a much happier place.

When I get confronted over being Pagan, and refuse to engage in verbal or written arguments with whoever it is that's giving me a hard time, they often get really angry that I won't fight with them. And then they start hurling really nasty and personal insults, trying to get me to interact with them. And this behavior is coming from people who insist they are coming from a space of love, and that they are only acting with my best interests at heart.

I find it both hypocritical and sad, really.

I experienced a sort of bad reaction by a quilt group I belonged to. I did try and talk to them but that was a huge mistake on my part. The ring leader called me at home and told me how ashamed of myself I should be and that it's a wonder that my child has not been taken from me (no I'm not kidding about this). To be honest I was really shocked. But being the smart alec that I am I did ask her if she gave the same "courtesy call" to other new comers after she finds out what religion or spiritual path they are. For my sons sake, I make it a sort of personal rule to not discuss religion/spiritual paths with people we do not know. I don't want my son to be put in a bad position just because of our beliefs. I am not really sure how it would be viewed here.

I haven't had an experience as such yet. I believe it will come along sooner or later, though. My course of action is as Rae has done in the past. Do not engage! If the person is genuinely trying to figure out what it means, then I'll tell them the basics while keeping it short. Otherwise, I can figure out pretty quickly when someone is asking questions for ammo purposes.

I have to say, being the editor of this topic has really educated me when it comes to these sorts of situations. I was never outright attacked for my beliefs until I took this position.

However, my decision to become the editor here was also a part of my finding a very strong and wonderful real world spiritual community, so I've always had a fantastic human support system to help me though the rough spots. I still practice as a solitary in my day-to-day life, but I have a network of like-minded persons who I can call or email at any time for connection.

I have only ever received one bad reaction, from an ex-boyfriend. Most people seem really turned off by the word Pagan, though...as if you're going to sprout horns and start throwing around hexes on the spot! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I tend to say I'm non-christian/agnostic and if I'm asked more questions I'll go into details (divine feminine, Goddess, etc.)

I have to say that I really think there is a shift happening. I'm meeting more and more women who are coming into contact with/realizing that there is this Divine Feminine concept, more women who are embracing themselves as women. It's really quite wonderful!

P.S. Very excited to find this forum, as a woman and a Pagan!

Merry Meet, Canita!

You'll find there's a wide variety of folks here. As we say at my fire circles, it's starting to get nice and juicy!

Thank you! I'm so excited to meet people here. I'm also super excited because I'm participating in my very first ever circle this weekend with five other wonderful ladies. Fourteen years on the Pagan path and it's my first time! LOL <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Welcome to the BellaOnline forums Canita! HAve a wonderful ritual this weekend!

My Ex husband said to me - after I first determined I was Wiccan- "What am I supposed to do? Go around telling everyone my wife is a witch?"

my response...

"why? did you go around telling everyone I was Catholic before?"

Like Rae, I didn't have many problems with people reacting badly until I became an Editor here.

Excellent link, Rae. Thanks for posting that.

The negativity doesn't bother me, because it is so hypocritical.

Too funny and too true. I also don't see any reason to bring up my faith with others who would be combative, but love to talk with those who are understanding/like minded. I love these forums (Wicca & Pagan) thank you so much Rae & Fiona!! Keep up the good work! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ditto, MeSheWolf!

I have found that it is very difficult for many people with non-Earth-Based/Pagan beliefs to accept religious differences outside the mainstream.
It is human nature to be fearful of the unknown.
It is a shame that there is such extreme fear and paranoia attached to this for so many.(Not all.)

I have never found the need to broadcast my beliefs, working from the "To keep Silent" concept. Those who are supposed to know, seem to come to that realization on their own, with no verbal nudging, proselytizing or use of any other energy or communication of my spiritual inclinations.

It actually makes me smile in a sad way when newbies seem to succomb to the deep need to 'let the world know".
I and many others like me have enjoyed lifelong spiritual privacy. Not that I have a 'deadbolt on the broom closet', but I don't feel compelled to heatedly argue something that I have studied, worked for and attained for myself nor do I feel the need to be a Pagan 'missionary'.
All along, I have shared knowledge with those I felt I should, and if asked for help, I do so, if it causes no harm.
Guess what I am saying is that the C.A.W. site resonated on alot of levels....and that the times I have felt pushed into a corner when associated with my beliefs is when some Christians or Pseudo-Christians come hauling baggage - filled with hatred and judgement and ignorance and wrongly-based preconceived ideas about what Earth-Based/Pagan belief is.
When they find out that I am the 'me' I have always been, and that nothing about me has changed but their perception, the fear seems to evaporate.

Merrily..... <img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

You are so right! I find that just (generally) quietly going about my life--neither hiding nor broadcasting--works best for me. If the subject comes up, I am honest about my spiritual beliefs, but don't go into detail unless someone seems genuinely interested. I hope I am an example of the beautiful values I hold dear as a Pagan, & that my example helps knock down false assumptions.

There have been confrontations, but not many. I try to deflect them as peacefully as possible. When someone gets obnoxious about trying to convert me, I tell them firmly to back off & go away. That generally leads to them talking ABOUT me rather than TO me--which suits me fine <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I think as a christian we are raise that our whole idenite is Christianity and there is little else we are good worker, wivies and anything else because we are christians but we (women) feel like we will never measure up because of PROVERBS 31 i think where it talks about the PERFICT woman she is super human and no body could EVER be her!!! but we think if we tell everyone we are christian and GOD SAVES and WE do not have to BE PREFECT because GOD forgives... then some bend twist and otherwise muniplate the bible to justify bad habits or put down other then we feel better be cause we have SPEAD THE GOOD NEWS and reasured our selves that we are GOOD CHRISTIAN WOMEN!!!
And the church has gotting to the point that women are aloud to hold office but we have to do all the work and it plays on our self esteem and in born nature to want to do the right thing and if we dont we our bad christians so it adds full to the fire until one day we wake up and say hey I love Jesus and the Holy spirit and God but take this church and....you see where im going with this right??

I don't understand.
Please explain to me how this relates to the topic, ??

- when I hear the "title" placed on someone: "Good Christian anything" - a red flag goes up.

I was just trying make a logical excuse to explain why some christians are the way they are. we are told that any other religions are evil and people NEED to be saved by God (read us)!!! sents I have been posting on this site you would not believe some of the reactions i have goten!!! first people think IM DOING THE LORDS WORK AND SHAREING THE GOOD NEWS (well if you ask for what i believe yes but cram it down someones throat no) then there is the devil is leading me astray and i NEED to stop and get reSAVED. From the age of 4 till i was 20 i asked God to forgive and save me everyday and more then once I think God would strike me dead if i asked on more time just to shut me up so He would not thave to leason to the same prayer topic!!!
anyway thats why i posted. Just thought id give you all a different outlook!!! sorry if ioffened any one!!!

freebubbles... I have to say, I have no idea where you were going with all that.

I'm in the midst of reading a book called MAAT MAGICK, which was written by a woman named Nema. Maat was the Egyptian goddess who was the personification of Truth. I think this book is fascinating and I'm working to get a review of it up very soon.

There's a really interesting statement about humility in it, one that I feel really shows the difference between Christian and Pagan viewpoints.



In many ways, the Pagan and Christian world view are opposites, however in Paganism, duality is already a component of the worldview, which tends to be why Pagans and Neo-Pagans can accept and tolerate Christians, but it seems to be much harder for the Christians to accept or tolerate the Pagans.

I find that in much of the Neo-Pagan world, the phrase "Good Christians" tend to mean those who follow the Christian faith and who are fine with the existence of Pagans, and conversely, "Bad Christians" is a term often used to refer to those who are fundamentalist and who rail against anyone who doesn't believe what they believe. I think it's kind of interesting how Pagans have staked a bit of a claim on the phrase and how they tend to use it.

Having been brought up the daughter and grand-daughter of Southern Baptist Ministers,I understand (firsthand) the Ultra Right Wing Fundalmentalist spin on "spreading the good news".

(Just for the record - thanks to my grandmother's Fam Trad teachings from toddlerhood and her passing on to me her rich legacy, I 'escaped' the fundamentalism many years ago!)

At least in the area where I live, the "Good Christian Man or Woman" label sends up a red flag for me because when someone needs or merits that label, in my personal experience, it usually means that they are something in the area of a 'True Defender of the Faith" - meaning that they rabidly and blindly challenge anything different or spiritually/socially diverse.

Freebubbles2, I took no offense at your post, was just perplexed.
Glad that you seem to be open to other people's ways of belief.....it's a shame that can't be the "good news".

My hope is that you really are as open minded/open hearted as you seem.

In Love and Light - <img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

What a great article. Thanks for posting it. It's so nice to have a forum like this to read and discuss similar beliefs.

Rae, I think Nema has put her finger on it exactly. I also, personally, believe that it is very dangerous to drill a sense of worthlessness (ie, without being saved by god one is "nothing", or - worse - "evil") into children and people as a means of controlling them. I think this has been one cause of a lot of problems, crime, and wars. On one hand you have some people who fear that others will "go to hell" if they don't save them, or that they will get extra heaven points for saving more souls, and in other extreme cases you have people who say "to hell with it - if I'm already "evil" then I'm going to show the world what evil means."

This is why I find Paganism so comforting. We just "are", with no need to "save" ourselves or others. Perhaps that's where some misunderstanding or fear comes in - it is far easier to just be, than it is to try to follow the many and often contradictory rules of trad religions. And they can't have that. So they have to ensure their followers would be too afraid of paganism to go exploring it and accidentally discover the truth about their own religion.

Has anyone been on any of these tours and how did you find their service? Thanks a lot. http://www.neolithictours.com

I somewhat disagree with this statement regarding Paganism. Though saving probably isn't the right word, I feel like through this religion we have a responsibility to better ourselves and take responsibility for our actions. I think the lack of those two things have brought about a lot of crime in more recent years.

Many Christians (or many people in general) have the idea that they or there bad children will be saved. That god (or that nothing is their fault) will take care of them, when one really needs to take care of themselves and their situation instead of relying on someone else to step in. If you are poor and desperate, letting this idea take over in your life while you are on a downward spiral could be a very bad thing.

I think I see this a little differently than you... to me this means that Paganism isn't about where you go when you die, it's about how you live NOW, in the moment, in your day to day life. We aren't trying to "save" our souls.

We definitely have the responsibility you talk about, but its about taking that responsibility in the here and now.

I find that in much of the Neo-Pagan world, the phrase "Good Christians" tend to mean those who follow the Christian faith and who are fine with the existence of Pagans, and conversely, "Bad Christians" is a term often used to refer to those who are fundamentalist and who rail against anyone who doesn't believe what they believe. I think it's kind of interesting how Pagans have staked a bit of a claim on the phrase and how they tend to use it.

I am a bit disturbed by this statement. It is a bit arrogant, don't you think, that Pagans can sit in judgement and make such a broad determination about Christians in general? This would never be tolerated if a Christian made the same kind of sweeping comment.

I, too, never faced the kind of criticism I have faced since writing here until I "went public" with my beliefs.

I just want to be accepted for what I believe, TOO. My experience has been that it is a "crime" for a Christian to go into a Pagan or Wiccan forum and debate religious issues, but I am expected to be tolerant. It's not that I am NOT respectful, I just want the same respect for my views as is expected of me for yours.

Do I think all Pagans/Wiccans or New Agers are damned? I don't know, I'm not God. I know what it says in His Word, but I also know the He says the judgement is the Lord's. Not mine.

I hate being called a "fundie" or "xian" just because I choose to subscribe to the Bible as my SOP for life. I hate being called narrow minded or intolerant because I disagree. I hate being told I am prothelizing when I am offering my perspective.

I hate that the only verse SOME pagans/wiccans know from the Bible is the one about judging others...

I wish that more of us could actually have decent conversations about the differences and the similarities of our spiritual beliefs and how we came to our personal spiritual determination in life. But, I don't think this could ever happen.

I think Paganism is just as misunderstood by Christians as Christianity is misunderstood by Pagans. It's as old as time. I also think the only way this could change is if we came together and decided that religous affiliation does not stop us from being human.

Well, Jenna, my own feelings are that we all tend to be shaped by our experiences more than anything. All that I think or feel about Christians comes from what has been said to me by people online who openly identified by that term and made it clear it was part of the reason behind why they were chosing to engage me, or from instances where I related with them in my personal life. I've had experiences in both realms that were wonderful and a few that were downright awful. Sort of like the rest of life in general.

Sorry, my post wasn't very clear. I was talking about how instead of basing *this* life on ensuring one's place in the *next* life, I find it more comforting to put my best effort into *this* life. And I agree completely that includes being the best human being I can, taking responsibility for my actions, etc. But because (as I see it) there is no secret ritual for being saved that others may not know about, there is no pressure to spread the information around as there is with some religions where the belief is that one has to take a specific action/decision in order to be saved.

Jesus practiced the art of witchcraft. If you look at the similarities, they are quite real. He had a coven (of "disciples"), practiced divination, magic and energy work, healing, meditation and prayer. Christian holidays also have their roots in pagan origins. The list goes on and on. I find it quite fascinating that the majority of christians just have not made this connection.

Jesus did not practice witchcraft. The similarities are that both are supernatural but Jesus would tell you that the source was different. Christian holidays were superimposed over pagan holidays as a means of supplanting them.Not that they are related. Just that Christianity deposed them. Christins will tell you that there is a spiritual war going on and using the holidays of the enemy is the equivalent of using the enemy's weapons against him. Quite common in warfare.

To say that religion is a type of warfare is disgusting.

Gang, this is Rae, the Pagan forum editor/moderator here. I just want to let people know that after last year's several-months-long period where everyone attacked each other over their religious beliefs, I won't stand for such behavior in these forums. I will lock threads down if it comes to mudslinging in public, and I will delete posts if it comes to threats and impolite language.

You wanna have a huge argument with someone? That's fine, but it has to be in private emails to each other, not here on the public boards.

Thanks!

(Rae, please delete this comment if you feel it's not appropriate or exascerbates the situation)

I just wanted to add that these individual forums are a haven for each group who uses them. They are not intended for those who object to a belief to come in and try to convert others. That is why there are various Christian-focused forums and many other forums taking specific viewpoints shared by many but also not shared by others - otherwise there would be one forum only for "Religious discussion and/or debate".

I am not saying that someone who does not share the beliefs of a specific forum are not welcome in that forum: if you are interested in having a productive, fair, and open-minded interaction, you will be met with equal courtesy and respect regardless of your stand.

Elle - That's the sort of message I was going to post next if things escalated.

Everybody - I'd also like to say explicitly in case anyone hasn't figured this part out yet, but this is not a place for Pagans/Wiccans/Witches/Whatever-We-Are to start mudslinging and name calling back in the other direction either. That sure as heck doesn't solve anything.

The comment was made that Jesus practiced witchcraft. Being a Christian, I responded. I was explaining, that's all.

And I'm just posting gentle reminders about forum conduct because that's my job as moderator.

Fair enough.

Interesting signature there, texasdave.

A few years ago, in a college course on World Religions, a Buddhist monk came as a guest speaker. In the room were busts of Jesus, Buddha,Kwan Yin, Moses, and Isis. We had been studying the tenets of spiritual belifs and our prof wanted to display visual images.

In order for the speaker to set up his podium he had to move two busts which happened to be the ones of Jesus and Isis. He bowed respectfully before each one before moving them, handling each bust with reverence.

At the end of class, he put them back in the front of the room and this time, besides bowing with respect in front of Isis and Jesus, he bowed to all the other representations offering a prayer for peace and harmony. Smiling at our professor, he said,
"The Divine comes in many forms."

That has stayed with me and that is how I treat others' beliefs. I ask only that my own Pagan beliefs be respected as well.

"The Divine made all, and all, though different, are blessed.
The eagle is as important as the dolphin." CK

Kristen--
I think that is one of the truest and most beautiful statements I have heard in a while. I am a Christian/Wiccan so try my best to honor all faiths to the best of my ability. God/dess bless

Kristin,
do you think that a priest, Monk or representative of other religions would have done the same?
I am not asking because I am being argumentative.
I am just curious of your opinion.
I have belonged closely to two religions in my life, and have decided to follow a Buddhist devotion...
Because there is no fixed deity, I think Buddhism is more able to embrace the Divine in all. In my view, many other religions are largely forgetting this.

But it's just a comment, i mean no offence.

Kristin, that is a good sentiment exactly. It is one that I think people have forgotten, that while we don't all believe in the same manner, we should be respectful of all's beliefs because if we expect to have our belief respected, we have to respect those not like us.

I consider myself a mystic jew with world belief tendencies... or as a friend of mine calls me... a pagan buddhist jew.

LOL I like that Pagan Buddist Jew!!!

The crazy thing is that it fits me so well LOL

LOL

I am not trying to be rude, or to start an argument in any manner. My statements were simply statements of fact, not on supposition of what a spiritual being might say if he were standing here : )

There is also the point of the oneness of all humanity here. I see no issue in relating the works of Jesus to a way of life that he had most likely been heavily exposed to as he grew up, after all, there were no christians before him and he obviously learned from his predecessors, at least as stated in ancient texts.

It seems that embracing the reality of the oneness of us all, regardless of who we choose to believe in, is the only reality.

We all breathe, eat, bleed, and sleep.

No one has ever been harmed by a little healthy debate. No harm intended.

Absolutely. Thank you for responding. It was just to add to comment, and I too meant no offense....!

We are so unoffensive!!

LoL... Yes, we are. That's what happens when we know what we know.

Course, we all have our moments...

Don't we just...!
I guess that is just one of the fun parts of being human!
We make good effort to think the good thoughts, say the good things and do the good deeds...but sometimes, would it not be just wonderful to let someone's tyres down....?? *Wicked smile*!!

Oh hush me!!

LOL... you are so right.

I haven't posted her in a while so bear with me. It has been a travel summer.

To answer your question, no. I believe clergy from other religions would not have bowed to what they consider Pagan.

I am Pagan with a deep love of Buddhism and Native American beliefs. I see God and the Goddess all around me. But that's just me. I can't believe in a condemning God or in an all male Deity.

"The Divine made all, and all, though different, are blessed.
The eagle is as important as the dolphin." CK
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