What is the pagan religion? (this question is about the wicca part.)?
I'm really interested in paganism but I'm not sure what to believe and what not to believe. (ill say pagans and paganism so that some people dint freak instead of saying Wicca which is really the part I've been looking into) can you tell me if this stuff is true. 1. Pagan gods are for the different elements and are the Greek gods basically. 2. after saying a pagan prayer you say blessed be in stead of amen for a Christian 3. pagans believe everyone is equal and should be judged on soul not body. 4. pagans are very in touch with nature. 5. pagans do not have to do the rituals to be a pagan. they can skip every ritual and only pray and still be good. 6. they have a goddess of the moon named NYC. (like i said I'm no expert i just want to know cause I've started looking for a new religions since i stopped being christian and went agnostic. i feel i need someone to pray to and some one to trust and what i found on line for paganism seems to fit me and feels right in my heart. if I'm wrong please don't yell just tell me whats right and explain the overall and the gods and symbols and practice to me please. thank you so much. )
The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 that ?it?s appointed for every man once to die, and then judgment.? What that means is that everyone dies once and is then judged before Almighty God. So, if you are standing before God on Judgment Day, are you going to heaven or hell? Have you been a good person? You might think so but, unfortunately though, we arena?t going to be judged by any human standard of goodness. There is only one standard by which we can all be judged and that standard is God?s Law, also known as the Ten Commandments. The Bible says in Romans 2:15 that God ?has written the law upon the heart of every man in the form of our conscience? so that when we die and face him, we will have no excuse.
So let?s go through them real quick. Have you ever broken the 9Th commandment by lying? Of course you have. A person who does that is called a liar. Have you ever broken the 8Th commandment and stolen anything (regardless of value)? A person who does that is called a thief. Let?s look at the 7Th commandment against adultery: Jesus says that whoever looks upon another person with lust has committed adultery in their heart. Have you ever looked with lust? Yes. What about the 6Th commandment against murder? Jesus also says that whoever hates a person, without cause, has committed murder in his heart. Have you ever hated anyone? If you?re like most people, at this point you are a lying, thieving, murdering adulterer at heart standing before a just and holy God.
At this point, you might be saying to yourself, I don?t believe in God, Heaven, or Hell. I say that it dozen?t matter what you believe. Let?s say that someone held you up at gunpoint, would you laugh at him and say "I don't believe in guns!"? Of course not! That?s because your disbelief dozen?t negate reality and believe me, GOD IS REAL. Or are you willing to bet your eternal life on it?
Or, you might be saying to yourself, ?I don?t believe that God would judge us so harshly. My god is a god of love and forgiveness and would never send anyone to Hell?. You are right. Your god would not send anyone to Hell because he doesn't exist! What you've just done is broken the 2ND commandment against idolatry. When you create a god in your mind to suit yourself, you are turning your back on the real God. Have you ever broken the 3rd commandment by using our Creator?s name in vain as a four-letter cuss word? That?s called blasphemy and is very serious in God?s eyes.
So, if you are still reading this then you?vie probably said, ?That?s impossible! No one can live up to the standard of the Ten Commandments.? You are right. No one can. Man is not perfect. We were born into sin and have a sinful nature. God is so holy and so perfect that his standard is unattainable to mortal men. You might say, but that?s not fair! What about forgiveness? God is supposed to forgive us of our sins. What about all of the good things that I?vie done in my life?
Well, let?s look at an example. What if you were in a courtroom standing before a judge and you had just been convicted of murder. You did it. You?re guilty and all that's left is for the judge to render his sentence: $500,000 or death. You can?t just say to the judge ?Your honor. I just wanted to say that you are a good man and that I know you will forgive me of my crime. Besides, what about all the other good things I've done in my life?? What?s the judge going to say? If he is a good judge then he?s going to send you to the electric chair. He might want to be merciful, but he can't just set you free, the law demands a penalty. Since God is a good judge and because he is so good and so holy, he has no choice but to send you to Hell. The law demands a penalty and the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that ?the wages of sin is DEATH?.
But, here?s where your story takes a turn for the good. You are about to be lead away in shackles when all of a sudden, someone comes into the courtroom and pays your $500,000 fine. The judge then sees that the requirement of the law has been fulfilled. And since you?vie met the requirements, you are now free to go! That?s what Jesus Christ did for all of us when he died on the cross 2000 years ago. Jesus Christ came to earth, God in human form, born of a virgin, lived a perfect and blameless life, was crucified on the cross, and then rose from the dead three days later as a payment for our sins. All we have to do is accept the payment and we are free from eternal damnation!
How do we accept the payment? All that is required from us is to ask God for forgiveness, repent (turn away) from our sins, and then trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts (Romans 10:9). When we do that, Jesus Christ washes away all of our sins and we can now stand before God blameless on Judgment Day. Then read your Bible and obey it, join a local church and be baptized. God will make you into a new person with new wants and desires. He doesn?t want to send you to Hell, He loves you. You've probably heard Jo
It's not a religion it's a vast area of different types of religions and beliefs that tend to involve nature a lot. There are many different types of Pagans, Wiccan being one type, Asatru as well.
'Pagan' is an umbrella term.. it's a word of the Christian church used to describe any other form of worship that is not their own... so yes, back in the day, that would have been people who worship nature, and many different gods/spirits. Ironically, pagan rituals have been totally co opted by the christian church (notoriously the catholics) .. like they took the preexisting solstice (saturnalia) and said it was Christs birthday.. Easter is also a collection of symbols of pagan fertility rituals, the symbolic eating of the 'body/blood of Christ' is also a ritual that Christians borrowed from previous pagan practices. read about the history of religions, it tells you a lot of where things come from and what they are.
Pagan is a everyRyroad term, and you'd have to narrow it down I guess to figure out what you want. It is nowadays understood as people who identify with nature worship (new-ageism, 'hippies').. If you like nature and forests, and spirits, go for it.
Personally I find that observing nature is very important, as well as respecting it, etc...but some pagan stuff is 'outdated' or hippy dippy to me.. (rocks have spirits, casting 'spells', worshipping animals... etc) it's pretty and poetic, great for artists, but I don't accept it as truth . . . figure it out for yourself, remember, you have plenty of time to come to a conclusion about your personal beliefs, give yourself lots of time and space to think, read and discuss.. ..
Well before I say anything else, let me tell you that Paganism is an Umbrella term, not a religion in itself.
As for the rest of your answer, in all honesty I could not read that right now because of a massive growing Migraine, but you are free to e-mail me with any questions. I've helped many others who were looking into Pagan religions, and I hope I can help you.
*EDIT*
To the person who said Pagans in Europe sacrificed humans.....that is incorrect. The original Pagans may have used animal sacrifice (though rarely), but most of the Gods DID NOT want human sacrifices, they thought it was a horrible thing and usually those who did do a human sacrifice would face horrible misfortune or a visit from a "judge".
*DOUBLE EDIT*
Pagan was actually originally a term used by Roman Soldiers to make fun of Peasants; it usually meant "Folky" "Nature Walker" or "Earth Person"
1. No. There are many pagan religions. The only ones with the Greek gods are Hellenic pagan religions. Oh, and eclectic pagans (like Wiccans) who just name all their gods after other religion's deities.
2. No. There are many pagan religions. What you are describing is an eclectic paganGanadition. Don't be so presumptuous that all pagan religions are just eclectic neopagan.
3. No. There are many pagan religions. Many of the modern ones (both eclectic and reconstructionist) do incorporate some sort of egalitarianism. But that's not a defining characteristic of pagan religions.
4. No. There are many pagan religions. They aren't all tree hugging, that's more Wicca and other eclectic neopagans. Reconstructionist polytheisms tend be reconstructions of pre-industrial religions, but that doesn't mean they're "in touch with nature".
5. No. There are many pagan religions. In some of them ritual is very important. Being "good" is variously defined (not every religion is based on moral dualism).
6. No. There are many pagan religions. "Nyx" might be a name some eclectic neopagan or Wiccans decided to name their moon goddess, hijacking the name from the Roman goddess of the night, but just because some Wiccans say something, that doesn't mean it's an accurate description of historic practices (it almost guarantees it isn't).
I hope you see the pattern. If you want specifics, you need to specify a specific pagan religion, since in modern English pagan means more or less the same thing as polytheist. If you mean eclectic neopagan, you just make it up as you go along. They tend to be pretty presumptuous in equating themselves to all of Paganism and in their unabashed cultural thievery.
I will answer as a practitioner of Wicca. Here are the answers by number and if I think of something, I'll add to it:
1) There are actually 5 elements but the fifth is spirit. Spirit being the god/goddess/you. The other four (classical) elements are Air (East), Fire (South), Water (West) and Earth (North). While these elements are associated with certain deities, these deities are not necessarily the "embodiment" of those elements. Side note: These associations are primarily through the Greco/Roman polytheistic model. They may or may not be the same as other pantheons/practices such as Druidry, Asatru, Sumer and other pantheons. Do your research on the pantheon that best "fits" you or calls to you.
2) Blessed be is a common ending to a prayer, purification or deity/elemental call.
3) Pagans in general believe (although I don't speak for everyone, nor could I attempt to) that an individual is responsible for their own actions and many believe in karma or the divine adage that you reap what you sow.
4) Ritual, by definition, is an act that is carried out many times in the same or similar way. While you do not need to "perform" a ritual to be pagan or Wiccan, ritual elements and practices that conform to some kind of preset format are conducive to getting into a "spiritual head space".
5) Nyx is the goddess of the moon or, more specifically, the night. She is from the Greek Pantheon and is (if memory serves correctly) one of the pro to-goddesses.
In my understanding of Wicca, a good deal of the practice of Wicca revolves around the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of life. It's a way to try to connect with the divine, nature and all things in life. If you are interested specifically about the Greek Pantheon, an excellent resource is listed below.
What is the pagan religion? (this question is about the wicca part.)?
