Question by The Poor Widow: Pagans: If you don’t mind, I am curious. What do you believe, and how did you come to your beliefs?
Please understand, although I am a Christian, I have no intention of trying to convert anyone. I am interested in finding out more about other systems of belief, in an effort to understand.
Most folks who own a computer, and especially folks in a forum like this one have obviously already heard the gospel at least once or twice, and have already decided what they think about it. There is no reason for me to preach at anybody here, comprenez-vous?
Let there be love and understanding between us!!
How very sad that anyone would choose their religion based on how it views homosexuality! I like food…alot…but I would never choose a different religion because mine believes that gluttony is a sin, for instance.
Best answer:
Answer by Citizen CoR WBH TFS
I’m just a newbie Pagan, but my beliefs are Pantheistic. I came to them when I realized that atheism was just about what I was not (supernatural deity believer) not what I was (awed and inspired by the natural universe and wanting to revere and connect to it as divine and sacred.)
Give your answer to this question below!
This is a VERY good question and I appreciate your openness about the subject. However, its a very LARGE question as well. I am willing to answer your questions, but I think you may need to email me to do it. Feel free if you wish. The short answer is that I beleive all life is sacred and that divintiy is expressed in all of us and in the natural world. I came by these beliefs through life experience and much of what some christians would call a calling.
oui, je le comprends. Since paganism is someone not of an Abrahamic religion, i fall under this umbrella too. I believe in the Norse pantheon and i came to this belief 2 years ago, then i became an atheist and now i am back to the Norse pantheon
rabbi are gods…but the GOD are above…..
me a hinduism…btw the greatest god are shiva….
god generate…..brahma..
god operate……wisnu….
destroyer god…are shiva…..
coz my father are hinduism…there also balinese culture that dalem ped are superior god….
I was raised Christian but never seemed to fit in or understand (or believe.) I prayed, I asked, I begged, I tried for 15 years to get some kind of answer in Christianity, to make it fit. I only felt lonely and out of place. The doubts and questions weren’t answered logically and I never felt “saved”. I never reached the level of belief. I became an adult and kept trying with no success.
I reread the Bible, listened to preachers condemning me and saying AIDS was God’s punishment on homosexuals and studied the bible. Studying the bible did it finally. I decided that wasn’t for me. I couldn’t worship the deity in Christianity. I never found the “loving” god so I stopped trying and looked elsewhere. Alcohol didn’t work and only messed up my life so that ended quick.
I was Wiccan for 10 years and that was MUCH closer to what I was looking for but not quite it. Having gods and goddesses made perfect sense to me. Eclectic paganism had been close but not exactly what I was looking for.
I began exploring my ethnic roots (going through Native American traditions, Celtic paganism and then I found heathenism. It took 10 years before I found the deities and religion waiting for me. From the moment that I picked up a book on heathenism I knew what I had been missing. I continued reading what little was available (two good ones, a couple of miserable ones) and it was like a lightbulb going on in my head and life. Now I have that challenge, love, acceptance, and encouragement I was looking for in Christianity without the threats of hell or requiring me to change my orientation.
Heathenism sings to my very nature.
As part of a Reconstruction religion, it’s exciting because we question everything and that’s welcomed. New information is found every year that lends insight into the religion of our ancestors. Personal insight and experience also is welcome in the religion but is taken with “a grain of salt”.
Everything is questioned until verified or it remains in a nebulous state in the religion.
My deities don’t want me to grovel to them or turn the other cheek to an enemy. They want me to live honorably and always question, seeking knowledge and honor them, my family, my friends, my ancestors and my self.
Freedom, Tolerance, Boldness/Courage, Self Rule, Moderation, Steadfastness, Generosity/Hospitality, Truth, Equality/Justice, Family Responsibility/ Community, Honor, Strength, Troth/ Loyalty, Self Reliance, Wisdom
I believe in the old Celtic gods, who were created at the same time as the uniiverse, and the sidhe, both of whom care for the planet and the aspects of it under their care. They also care for the people under their care, but only the ones under their care, those who believe in them and/or have a genetic tie to them. I believe that when I leave this plane of existence and enter another where I dwell with them and my ancestors in a separate but parallel plane. I believe, such as it is, that our ancestors deserve honour and respect, but that is not worship. This is the part that it is most often confused with ancestor worship, when it is merely reverence.
the same as everybody else that believes in religious c r a p, religion was used to control the masses back in old europe, its about money and control,the same holds true for those people that read that pagan c r a p,, its just somebody trying to sell their books at barnes and noble, people get hooked on it then follow it,,
I believe that energy flows in all living things. That this beautiful Earth we live on is to be reverred above all else since it is she that is nurturing us and keeping us alive on a daily basis. I have dabbled some in Wicca and think they get allot of things right that speak to me but not 100% so, I remain an ecclectic pagan who is in awe of the wonderful world around me.
Greetings! 🙂
I wasn’t raised with any type of religion. What saved me from deep depression and teenage suicidal thoughts, was a book written on Wicca by Scott Cunningham. I immediately felt a sense of peace and when I went out on the back deck and sat in the Sun, I tried to feel the presence of the God shine down on me and I cried. Then a blue hummingbird came up to my face and just looked at me, tilting his head from side to side. When he flew away, I felt a huge release and joy filled me. I just knew that everything was okay and that God was all around me, in nature, in the Sun and the Moon etc. It was what I had always thought as a child, I just didn’t know that they were spiritual thoughts.
Later, I found online that the hummingbird is my birthday animal totem.
The God and Goddess have never left me or failed to help me. They have always taken care of me, even when I did stupid things that would have (should have) gotten me hurt…maybe even killed.
I have spent many years studying religion. I also believe deeply in the Angels and they have also supported me without fail.
I think that all God’s are One. Each of us has a different pathway but I feel that it all leads to the same God.
Brightest Blessings to you!
good question…
i am an eclectic pagan with celtic tendencies…lol
i follow the triple goddess – maiden, mother, crone.
when i need male energy i call on cernunnos – the horned god.
i believe that we should honor the earth. i don’t worship it.
i believe that all paths are valid.
i believe in reincarnation…we come here to learn and to grow as spiritual beings.
we are here to help each other, and to take care of the earth.
i think that i’ve always been pagan, although i did try to be a christian at one time. it was more for my mom than me.
“there is room in the universe for every way. you travel yours, and should you need it, i will help you as i travel mine.”
i love that quote.
bright blessings to you
I was raised Methodist but as I entered my teenage years and started thinking for myself I couldn’t find a reason to hold Christianity above other beliefs.
I investigated a number of faiths over several years and kept coming back to Wicca. It was the only one that made intellectural sense to me i.e. it described a world that reflected how I experience the world. It also didn’t require me to think everyone else as being wrong in their faiths (just because I’m right doesn’t mean no one else isn’t also right!), which seems more likely to me than the Christian model. Finally, I was able to experience things through my Wiccan practices that I never experienced as a Christian. I know my gods exist through personal experience with them. That seems like a good reason to believe. I have no equivilent experience in Christianity. (Which is not to say the Chirstians do not have a god: merely that I have no reason to specifically believe in it, much less follow it)
Some of the things I believe:
There are multiple gods
The physical and spiritual worlds are intimately connected and affect one another
We are a part of the universe and acting in harmony with that universe is a good thing
Understanding the universe helps us to understand the gods (because the two are connected)
Understanding the unverse helps us to understand ourselves and vice versa (macrocosm vs. microcosm)
Balance is preferable over extremism
People can (and do) interact with the spiritual world
The world is the product of interactions between complementary opposites
Good and evil come from free will. Nothing is inherently good or evil.
There are many paths to the truth, although that doesn’t guarantee all paths are true. No one has the complete truth because mortals cannot comprehend the complete truth of divinity.
I am a heathen. To you I guess I would be asatru.
I don’t really feel like it’s a belief so much as a culture/lifestyle. The extremely watered down version is that I feel I exist by the grace of the land and the blessing of my ancestors. I honor both in gratitude for the pleasure of living both by living the way I can best honor them and offering small sacrifices.
I see the gods as kind of the oldest, most powerful, well known of all ancestors. On a daily (even monthly) basis I don’t have much contact with them and it’s fine with me, I’d usually rather talk to my ancestors as they have a lot more personal investment whereas the gods have an investment in the entire community. Though honestly, once I realized that everything I have is a blessing, I was no longer “spiritually needy” anymore, I do not feel the need to ask anyone not of this world for anything.
I came across it while researching spirtual paths my husband might be interested in. I was pretty much agnostic, I guess. I was born into a catholic family, my mother stopped practicing when I was young, I bounced through some christian churches for the vacation bible school, but never really fit in. By 13 I was looking for something else. My sister got into it first, then my husband, then me. We all enjoy getting together and talking about our very different interperetations of asatru and how we like to live it differently.
Thanks for your question.
My story goes along much like Frau’s, only I’m straight. But I watched what was being said and done to my friends who were not. That was one qualm about Christianity among many. Why have I settled on atheistic eclectic neo-Paganism? It resonates with me. I also considered my ancestors as I learned, but it was not a deciding factor. The respect given to women was. The openness to modern thought and respect to other belief systems was as well. Respect for ourselves and our surroundings also appeals to me. The treatment of sex as holy and joyous, rather than wicked or corrupt also seemed more natural and reasonable an approach to the subject. I find small local rituals provide a feeling of connectedness. I keep a small alter in my home. The items on it are a daily reminder of what is most important to me.
There are so many labels that apply to my beliefs and at the same time, they mean little to me. You could probably also call me an atheist pantheist. I’ve often used the term Witch. I like the personal responsibility, independence, assertiveness and attitude it implies. It has been a journey. In 10 years, I may be in another place, mentally and spiritually. I do not see that as a bad thing. I don’t care to become static, nor do I think I know all there is to know. I do not believe in a “one true path”. I am inspired by Buddhism, but do not even begin to consider myself Buddhist. To me, gods are archetypes we created to better understand our environments and ourselves. While I do not believe in gods as literal, all powerful beings; earth based religion/spirituality still has an important place in my life. It helps me express my gratitude for every day. It encourages me to take time to notice my surroundings and see myself as a part of the natural world and its cycles. I’ve learned a lot that way. I find I can appreciate myths more fully when I am not asked to take them literally. I enjoy critical analysis of such stories. Unlike in mainstream Christianity, Paganism encourages historical and scientific knowledge. This suits me because I believe learning should never stop. What others see as magic, or spell work, I see as effective personal programming and a tool to focus my thoughts and will on a given issue. My beliefs about things like energy work, like Reiki are not solidified and may never be. I’ve briefly studied biofeedback and nursing theories that deal with human energy fields. I did not find the information sufficient for a conclusion. Instead, I feel that if it works for others and hurts no one, I don’t really care if it is psychosomatic medicine or not. My thoughts on ghosts and such are that it is impossible and even ridiculous to think the souls of the dead inhabit closets, attics and basements. I do not actually believe in immortal souls.
I like that within most Pagan communities and philosophies, there is room for differing thought and exploration. That makes sense to me. While each camp may scoff at one another, there is no bitter debate. No one believes the other deserves eternal punishment for their thoughts on any given matter. You don’t get turned away from the dinner table of a Pagan friend or family member for disagreeing with them about such things. Everything is open for discussion and disagreement, as it should be.
I’m already rambling and I have not even gotten to morality yet. Basically I look at what actions do the most good, not only which ones to the least harm. I do not believe I can avoid all moral mishaps, but I think I can make a lesson from any mistakes I make if I at least live an examined life. I believe in being the change I want to see in the world. I believe charity does begin at home…I believe all aspects of society begin at home. I believe inspiration is a powerful force. A saying I remind myself of in hard a time is: Bread and water can so easily become toast and tea.
You only ever been respectful and kind, dearheart.
I am Heathen, and can claim Asatruar since I lean heavily Norse/Icelandic. We believe in not only the gods of pre-Christian Europe, but the lore and the stories and the worldview. It’s a sense of community and celebration for what we have and what we are trying to regain. 🙂
It’s reconstructive for the most part, meaning we do things the way they WERE done, not how we think they should be. We’re arrogant to a fault and fiercly protective of our practices and beliefs from “other pagans”. Snotty sounding I know, but we are what we are.
Family is everything. Honor is everything. If you have these, you can’t go wrong. 🙂
Heathen Crusader is my sister and I was actually called after getting info for her husband. It just picked at my brain until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. When I accepted the gods I heard clear as day “You belong to us, welcome home.”
When Frigga speaks, you tend to listen….
I wasn’t raised in any particular belief system. My family believes in spirits, and the ability to speak with them. I haven’t been able to hear them but that’s ok.
I believe that Spirit comes to us with the energy we need. If we feel we need a feminine touch, that’s what we get. If we need the male then we get that. I believe in many Gods and Goddesses. I believe that they represent those things we need in our lives. I believe we have abilities to speak with animals and other things. I believe that there is really no time and that we have locked ourselves into this space we are in because of our fear of letting go.
I’m a Norse Pagan. In a nutshell I honor and revere the Norse Gods and Goddesses and live my life in a way as close to the way ancient Pagans did as is reasonable in modern times.
I basically just heard a calling and followed it.
I believe in the Irish Gods and Goddesses.
I have probably been a polytheist since childhood,but I wasn’t aware people actually still believed in the old Gods. I started reading about it, and though I wanted to so badly, I was afraid people(family) would not accept me in this non-conventional religion. But, I couldn’t let it go. Though, I tried going to church to fit what I thought I should do, I kept going back to the idea of polytheism. I wanted something else, I didn’t feel like I was getting the close spiritual relationship I wanted.
Once I decided I had to follow my heart, there was really never any question to Whom I belonged. I took the plunge and have never been happier.
I subscribe to the Nine Pagan Virtues
*Courage
*Piety(honoring the Gods)
*Honor
*Moderation
*Vision(this only means to look to broaden one’s perspective, not have psychic visions)
*Hospitality
*Perserverance
*Wisdom(using good judgement, seeking knowledge, holding your tongue when you know not, are just a few)
* Fertility(not meaning to have tons of babies, but to lead fruitful endeavors in mind, body, and spirit).
Many times these are harder than they seem!