Paganism

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Paganism

What is Paganism? Paganism is the oldest religion known to humanity. The word paganism is derived from the Latin word "paganus," which means "country dweller or civilian", and "pagus" which means "village." People who choose the Paganism religion, believe in more than one god, also known as Polytheism. However, you will still find Pagans who are monotheistic which means believing in one god, and atheistic who are disbelievers and non-religious. Most believers of Paganism find Paganism to be a religion within itself, where as others see Paganism as a belief system, which can be assimilated into other religions such as Wicca or Druidism. Historical Paganism was a religion of place, or a native religion. All Pagan religions are typically based on a connection and worship toward nature. Modern Paganism also known as "Neo-Paganism" is practiced among the Native Americans in the west, descends from Celtic origins, and is still based on the worshiping of nature.

What Do Pagans Believe In ? ? Pagans respect and worship nature through rituals or ceremonies. Pagans who reside from the west celebrate at least eight festivals or sabbats per year. Sabbats are periods of the hunt and are not practiced by all Pagans. Pagans also study the four solar quarters which are the two solstices and the two equinoxes . Other Pagans study the wheel of the year also known as the wheel of life.

The wheel of life is a circular shaped calendar that the Pagans use as a guideline to their relig...

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... By taking this women and religion class I feel I was introduced to many different religions, not by just hearing the name, but hearing presentations about rituals and the history of the religion itself.

When looking up the history of Paganism, I was disappointed to find out that there is not actual date in which paganism was created, even though I know there has to be a distinct time period, I assume it was just not documented. After researching paganism I came to the conclusion that Paganism was used as a stepping stone and a door opener to many other religions that are studied and practiced today.

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