Spirituality The Paganism etc thread.

[Muggle]

This is branched out from this thread: http://forum.veggieviews.com/threads/the-atheist-agnostic-freethought-humanist-skeptic-thread.819/
From about post 60.

As part of that I started a thread on a pagan forum to get views on creation and creator gods, that thread is here: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6832-How-do-you-believe-the-universe-was-created-Do-you-believe-in-creator-god(s)
(I checked with a mod (HeartShadow) there if it was ok to put a link to that thread on here)

But yeah, if there's anything you want to ask me, shoot. I can't guarantee you'll understand my answers though as I struggle to put my beliefs into words.

Also, my answers will just be about my beliefs. I'm not speaking for all pagans. Oh and how I define paganism is the same as how they define it on The Cauldron:

Paganism is a blanket term for most, if not all, religions that do not worship in a monotheistic fashion. The word is derived from the Latin, pagus, which was a name given to the country folk who remained heathen after the Christianizing of the Roman Empire.

The generally accepted definition for a pagan religion in this board's culture is a Pagan religion is a religion that is not Jewish, Christian, or Islamic and self-identifies as Pagan.

http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showwiki.php?title=Paganism

(The self-identifies is the really important bit. )

So yeah, fire away if you want to.

 

[Amy SF]

I've read about people who were raised in a monotheistic religion but who are not completely pagan. Their religious beliefs combine elements of whatever religion they were raised in with paganism/witchcraft. They call themselves Jewitch or Christian Pagan or some such. Theory is that they're uncomfortable with being "just" pagan or "just" a witch or they see nothing wrong with combining two different kinds of religions.

What do you make of this?

 

[mlp]

Annia, in your own personal belief, what are the gods, and what makes them gods?

 

[beancounter]

Do you consider these gods to be actual beings, or just the personification of nature?

 

[Muggle]

I've read about people who were raised in a monotheistic religion but who are not completely pagan. Their religious beliefs combine elements of whatever religion they were raised in with paganism/witchcraft. They call themselves Jewitch or Christian Pagan or some such. Theory is that they're uncomfortable with being "just" pagan or "just" a witch or they see nothing wrong with combining two different kinds of religions.

What do you make of this?

If it works for them, then so be it. They're not harming anybody by it. Oh and witchcraft by itself isn't a religion, it's a practise. Now you can have religious witchcraft (Wicca is the most well-known branch of this but by no means are all religious witches Wiccan), and you can have atheist witches. Or there's people who are witches but don't really involved their religion into it.

Annia, in your own personal belief, what are the gods, and what makes them gods?

Supernatural entities which interact with humans.

Do you consider these gods to be actual beings, or just the personification of nature?

Actual beings.

EDIT: OK I know I said I would expand on this post but my space bar is still being a pain and I don't have the patience to type much more with it tonight. So sorry for the short answers.

 

[Chryssie]

What kind of a witch are you?

 

[Muggle]

What kind of a witch are you?

Hedgewitch although that has so many meanings. This is pretty close to what I do: http://www.scottishpf.org/hedgewitch.html