Question by Daniel Dawning: Fellow Pagans, do you believe people are Christian to conform with society?
I hear some people on here talk about Paganism as choosing we’re choosing to “rebel” against something, which I generally disagree with, the opposite end of that coin is of course that Christians are conformists. Is this true?
Best answer:
Answer by -FYOP- Ruler Of None -1111-
Hey I know where that “rebel” thing came from … lol 😉
I believe most people become, and stay, Christian out of Fear of the alternative which they believe to be hell …
Being raised Catholic it was always fear that kept me pinned …
I began to follow Pagan traditions out of my love of the earth and the people that currently occupy it …
What do you think? Answer below!
Very true
The superstitious cultist does not fear the fact god does not exist. He fears the attacks of friends and family if he were to accept the truth.
Depends on the person your talking to. All religions could fit into this argument. Personally, I’m a christian because that’s what I feel is right and it makes sense to me. What you heard about Paganism was just someone else’s opinion. It’s not every ones opinion.
The Christians are so egotistical they think the world should be them. Dumb and ignorant. But they show every symptom of being insane. They believe they have an invisible friend. They get self defensive if their beliefs are challenged. And aggressive when given logical and factual arguments to disprove their fantasy world.
Practicing Shaman… quantum physics rocks.
For some Christians that is true. For some other Christians it isn’t true. Perhaps they have strayed and examined other religions and decided Christianity is the best choice for them, just as you have decided Paganism is the best choice for you.
Others may choose Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Wicca, etc. or an extremely unique “smorgasboard” (borrowing what s/he likes from different religions )
Paganism isn’t to rebel… It’s a path that someone found fit to their beliefs… But I do think that society influences peoples decision to believe in Christianity.
they often say that pagans are rebelling, however, i was raised atheist – how do you rebel against non beliefs? lol
many people do conform to christianity, you see it with new immigrants, especially chinese immigrants – most of china is not religious, but when they come here, christianity gives an immediate sense of community and belonging, it’s a great way to fit in.
that’s not a bad thing, but it’s not necessarily a good thing either
No. I think there may be a small percentage of Christians who are just trying to conform but it seems to me that most of them genuinely believe in their religion.
Well, I find many Christians do not know the pagan origins of their own faith and do not wish to know them. I don’t know a single Christian personally who even knows what `pagan’ means, what that word actually means, and always react with bizarre concern for me when the topic comes up. I don’t know if it’s that they’re conforming so much as that they seem to be too lazy and complacent to inform themselves on spirituality. The old `God Said It – I Believe It – And That Settles It’ mentality is pretty much all I ever hear from them, just phrased differently. I like to think there are intelligent, sensitive Christians who take spirituality seriously and look into questions of faith, read the Bible for themselves, but I’ve only met two like that in my entire life and one was more of a Hellenistic Pagan than Christian and the other is no longer a Christian at all.
I haven’t met any pagan who’s into it to `rebel’ against anything. I have met a lot of those who call themselves Wiccan into the rebellion scene and perhaps Christians are confusing the two.
Tahuti, People who are serious about the Faith which they follow are RARELY “rebelling” against something else. It takes hard WORK to follow a Religion thoroughly. It does not matter which Religion it is, either, to be a Wiccan is WORK, to be a Christian is WORK, to be a Muslim is WORK. Folks who rebel tend to be into the new Faith or social order because it is EASY, easier than remaining as they are.
The people who CLAM to be Wicca because they have rebelled against Christianity tend to be Wicca in name ONLY. They seldom do the real WORK that is involved. People who were other Religions before they became Christian and rebelled against that former Religion are, generally, Christian in NAME only and really do the WORK that is involved with BEING a true Christian.
A person can CALL him or her self a Neurosurgeon, but if he/she doesn’t do the WORK required to LEARN Anatomy and how to do the careful work of Neurosurgery then they are just blowing hot air.
Now, that is the way that I see it.
Brightest Blessings,
Raji the Green Witch
While I thinks some Christians (and Muslims, Hindus etc) just go with the flow of what their family or society believes, I don’t imagine many really active Christians (as opposed to those who just tick that particular box on survey forms and such) believe to conform.
As for the ‘rebel’ thing, I think a lot of people see kids dressed as goths or for metal concerts with black clothes and skull T shirts and assume they are pagans/Witches/ Satanists. So some of them simply can’t imagine that someone over the age of 17, with a job, a family and voting rights would follow such a path.
Which is a long winded way of saying ‘no’!
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Like Raji said, that can go both ways. It depends on the person and the reason or how they “converted”, in a sense. If you have a person in the family that is adamant about their belief and with due diligence and maybe some constant banter, may push others to follow their lead. But, on the other hand, there are those that go towards their belief out of wanting to conform or be part of a community.
I believed I was “pagan” since I was young, but, I did conform to the community, trying to be Christian, because I thought it was the right thing to do. When I finally decided that no church or denomination of Christian faith saw divinity and spirituallity as I saw it, I gave it up for good. Many people have their different reasons for choosing which spiritual path they wish to lead. Some do it to conform, some do it out of need, some do it out of force and fear, and others just don’t at all.
We all are rebeling against something, What that is I don’t think anyone knows.
Paganism isn’t a choice about rebelling against society, it’s a way of life. The majority of Pagans I know chose to become Pagans because they had gone through the gamut of other religions and were never satisfied with any. Most describe learning about Paganism, no matter what Tradition they follow, as “coming home” and being freed. For me, it took many years of studying various religions. When I “found” Paganism and spent over a year studying some of the basics, I felt like I had been Pagan all my life without knowing what name to put to it. For me, it’s much more satisfying and freeing than any other belief system I’ve ever studied.
I don’t know about others, but I view many of the Christians as being conformists due to the fact that they base their beliefs on feelings rather than fact. Many of them grew up in families that practiced a form of Christianity. Instead of taking the time to research why they believe the way they do, they just go along with the crowd. I know, I used to be one.
I believe that *those Christians* who claim people are Pagan to “rebel” view their own practice of Christianity as conforming to the norm.
No. I think they believe it, just as we believe in Paganism. But it is very wrong of them to accuse us of only having our dearly held beliefs because we don’t like them. How arrogant of them!
I think it depends.
There are some Christians who follow their faith because they were “trained” with it, and see no other way
There are some who follow because of deeply held beliefs and soul searching that led them to their paths.
I also have to agree with Raji, there ARE people who claim the title of Wicca or Pagan only to rebel, there are fakes in all faiths, and people who come to religion (of all varietys) for the wrong reasons.
as a side note, I really hate it when people claim to know the reasoning behind any ones faith, i am not “in rebellion against god” nor do i “hate god” i have my OWN reasons for my faith, and no one “knows” my reasoning without asking me and talking to me about it.
No, I think some Christians do just go with the flow, but most I believe are sincerely devoted to their beliefs.
Same thing with Pagans– some do it to either rebel, or go with the flow of their group of friends, but most are sincerely devoted to their beliefs.
I don’t see any reason to doubt other people’s sincerity. May I never be so egotistical that I think the only reason anyone would believe differently than I did was because they had to have some alterior motive.
No… society is Christian to conform with people.