I am Wiccan, which is a religion of present day witchcraft. My mother’s family is shaman; my father’s side of the family is Roman Catholic. Wicca has many divisions and subdivisions from Quaker Wicca to Hoodoo Wicca and from Shaman Wicca to Pagan Wicca. It’s as though Wicca absorbed, immersed, other religions and cultural traits. But, looking at Christianity, it seems like that religion absorbed other religions and cultural traits as well.
Such reflection was noted in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol with examples that were really shocking to read. “Don’t tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh…And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.”
A conquering religion often retains some of the subjugated religion’s traditions to make the conversion easier. An example of such blending is hidden in the text of Beowulf by the Beowulf Poet (translated by Burton Raffel). From the beginning, Beowulf held Pagan and Christian traditions. “There in the harbor was a ring-prowed fighting ship…and there they brought the beloved body of their ring-giving lord…They heaped up treasures…then sadly let the water pull at the ship, watched it slowly sliding to where neither rulers so nor heroes nor anyone can say whose hands opened to take that motionless cargo” (Line 32-Line 52, Prologue).
To send their king out to sea with treasure on a ship lit on fire, to send him to the afterlife in water and fire…it gives the impression to be more Pagan based upon my research of the religion. When things became bleak, “…sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods, made...
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...after death. Note the contrasting between Christian holidays and Pagan ones. Note their wavering loyalty between Almighty God and ‘the old stone gods’ that they sacrificed to and made heathen vows to when things became desolate. In conclusion, Christianity is made up of more than its own traditions and, back then, the transition sometimes faltered. Sometimes, people would fall back to what they knew before: Paganism.
Works Cited
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("Christmas." Date of Christmas. 17 Mar 2004: n. page. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. )
Celtic Paganism agrees that those around us should be treated and cared for the way we would want to be treated and cared for. This means stopping for the half beaten person on the side of the road and caring for the leper. Celtic Paganism and Christianity also agree that you should not lie, cheat, steal, murder, or lust after another person’s spouse, to name a few examples of behaviors. Christianity, however, argues there is only one God. Celtic Paganism argues there are many Gods and Goddesses. They do agree that there is a Trinity; however, Christianity believes their Trinity is God, Son, and Holy Spirit. Celtic Paganism has the Triple Goddess Trinity: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Christianity also views witchcraft as something to be avoided because it does not reflect the Kingdom of God (Galations 5: 18-21). Celtic Paganism has spells and rituals (essentially prayers) that are performed to heal, bring abundance and wealth, and other whatever other desires a person may have. Celtic Paganism actively practices witchcraft. There are two big disagreements between Christianity and Celtic Paganism. Christianity feels that to be Pagan means they worship the Devil. This misconception, while understandable because the Christian faith feels any ungodly act is that of Satan, is a sore spot for many Pagans simply because they do not believe in the Christian Devil (Satan) and thus cannot be a devil worshipper. The pentagram is another sore spot between Christians and Celtic Pagans. Many Christians feel the pentagram is the sign of a satanic cult. However, the pentagram is simply a sign of protection for Pagans and can also be seen throughout Christianity as a symbol as
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During the bronze age, the religion was not very different then what it is today. People believe in their god and worship them without any care as to what others thought. Most people believe what they were raised to believe; For example, someone raised in a cathol...
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To distinguish the changeover from the two religions (Paganism and Christianity) it is unquestionably vital to understand what Paganism actually is. “Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed/offerings to idols, swore oaths/that the killer of souls might come to their aid/and save the people. That was their way,/their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts/they remembered hell.” (Heaney 170-180). The Danes engaged in several pagan practices such as idol...
In the textbook, “Experiencing the World’s Religions”, writer Michael Molloy organizes the 1st chapter “Understanding Religion” to explain the term religion and people’s tendency to pursue a kind of religion through history. The writer starts with stating that as human beings we see ourselves perfect, but our perfectness is so small when it’s compared to how much more great the universe is. Since this is the situation, people start to ask such questions as what is the purpose of life, how is the universe created, or what will happen to us/the universe one day. Most religions provide answers to those kind of questions;therefore, through history people practice some form of religion. In other words, curiosity of people directs people to believe in a kind of religion because people not always are able to answer those questions through their ability to think, and believing in a religion just make it easier to answer their questions. Then, the writer expands the term religion by saying that there is not specific
Even though the grandmother brings up Jesus a lot with The Misfit, she does not seem as deeply devoted in a religious way. The reader can suppose this due to the fact that she never mentions it in the story, and only brings Jesus when she is in need of savior. As she grew up religion had place in her live due to the social classes and rules of being a lady. This is because due to her notions, a respectable lady like her had to believe in a merciful God. Even supposing she was a lady the reader can notice that her faith is not very devoted. O'Connor provides us with an example in regardless to the grandmothers faith. When she writes,Well whatever faith she has is shattered by the fact that she is in shock of what is happening in her surroundings.
The pagan and Christ share a great deal in common, particularly from a metaphysical perspective, and the profound influence of pagan philosophy on Christian theology and mysticism is well documented. Nevertheless, this essay will attempt to identify a few basic differences between pagan and Christian religion and religious practice. We will begin with a brief overview the pagan, using Plotinus as our exemplar, and then we will offer an account of how Christ fundamentally differed from the pagans.
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