Question by lostfan52: Do Pagans generally believe in evil spirits or something similar?
I heard that most pagans don’t believe in any sort of devil or judgment, but do they still believe in evil spirits and that type of thing? I’m pretty sure the pentagram was used to protect yourself from evil. So if there is no devil, then where did this evil originate? And what do pagans say of the balance (yin-yang)?
Best answer:
Answer by Bo??s
I don’t.
Good and evil are all relative anyways.
Give your answer to this question below!
I don’t believe in evil as an entity. I do believe people can be evil, but i believe it has nothing to do with a driving supernatural force. It has to do with upbringing, social influences, genetics, chemical imbalance etc.
There is good and bad in this world. Good people have the ability to do bad, and vice versa.
I suppose some say you need bad in the world to ‘balance’ or at least, let you learn from mistakes and such. I wish that wasn’t true, but it is.
Pagans believe in spirits but they do not think they are good or evil. That is something completely different altogether.
We protect ourselves from evil intentions – either from angered deities or from other Witches.
Yin-yang was derived in oriental countries…and does mean balance…the purpose of Witches is to maintain nature’s balance, so as a symbol I would use it in my spells. Of course, I use many symbols, triangles, circles, pentagrams, elven stars…etc….
Just my personal thoughts,
Good luck!
Anyone and everyone is “good” and “evil” ( I quote those for a reason) there is really no difference that is the balance of nature. A balanced person will require both sides of the polarity. An imbalance is not at all natural and causes faults. The pentagram when pointed up gives off energy to the cosmos when pointed down it brings energy down onto the Earth.
I don’t like to rule out the possibility of spirits in general, and the way I understand the concept of “evil” has more to do with the actions and intentions behind the actions of individuals than an inherently bad nature. So basically, if there are spirits who are conscious beings that can control their actions, they could choose to act in an evil or malicious way.
The pentagram was used my ceremonial magicians in ways that are different than the way many modern Pagans, including myself, use it. Since I don’t attempt to raise demons I really wouldn’t need protection from them.
Evil originates from the same place that good originates. Anyone could choose to do evil, we hardly need a devil to manifest evil into the world. Imo, if more people take responsibility for their everyday actions, and stopped blaming the devil for everything they don’t like, there would be far less evil in the world.
I strive for balance in my everyday life. Most of the time I miss the mark, but it’s a work in progress. Balance between male and female, light and dark, seasonal changes, and life and death are all common themes, although every tradition will have different practices.
Evil is in the hearts of people, not in the out-there.
depends on the pagan
youd have to ask each person
i beleive in the balance yes (ying yang to the ancient chinese budhists)
i believe in negative and positive energy (the balance) and yes thing there is a probable ‘evil’ scale, at least what we call evil, its just negative at the low end of the scale to me
evil /negative energy is just a fact of existence, same as positive/good energy is
pentacles and pentagrams have many symbolic and religious meanings, protection is one of them
i respect and acknowledge the balance, i dont have to like it to respect it and acknowledge it