|
hizgeorgiapeach -> RE: Meshing of Religion (12/31/2008 8:51:25 PM)
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Aszhrae
Would slaveboyforyou prefer the word witch and the practitioner of witchcraft more suitable?
Only one problem with that, Aszhrae - not everyone who practices an alternative, non-conventional, nature based, or polytheistic based religion is a witch, practioner, or holds any desire to become either of those things. While many of us are, by no means is it All of us. Just as we are not all specifically Wiccan simply because we practice one of those polytheistic mostly pre-christian religions.
When I personally use the term "pagan" I use it to mean "non-conventional, non-christian/islamic/jewish/other form of world recognized ultra organized religion."
Slaveboy - you are both correct and incorrect concerning the use of the term "Pagan." It was, indeed, originally used as a derogatory term - indicating, specificially, someone who was from the countryside rather than a city area. The equivalant of calling someone a Hick these days. It was actually a term from the slightly pre-christian Romans - coined prior to Christianity becoming the offiicial State religion of the Roman Empire just before it's split and final fall. As those in the considerably more rural areas were exposed to religions such as Christianity, Judaeism, or Islam much later than those who dwelt in the (relatively) large population city centers, they were more likely to continue to cling to Country/Nature Based practices much longer than the citified folk who were mocking them.
You are also incorrect in thinking that it does - or should - mean only Polytheists, or Any non-Christian. The Islamic faith is certainly non-Christian - and yet it is Monotheistic, and in fact worships the same Diety (albeit by a different name) as Judaeism and Christianity - the god of Abraham. A diety, btw, which was Originally part of a Polytheistic system, and was in fact nothing more than a Minor war diety of one particular nomadic tribe - a hugely Sucessful tribe, when it came to conquoring and converting those they happened to stumble across while looking for better feeding grounds for their various flocks of herdable domestic animals. It was not until relatively late that it became a Monotheistic system - the time of Moses, by which point the tribe/family had grown to number in the Thousands as interrelated clans - a few hundred years after the advent of said diety making covenant with Abraham to be the family/clan patron diety. Or is it that you consider Muslems and Jews to be "pagans" - or those who practice Buddism, Zoroastrianism (which is also a Monotheistic system predating Christianity, just like Judaeism predates Christianity) or Tao, or Zen or Hinduism (though it IS a polytheistic system) - as much as you do those who practice Wiccca, Native American beliefs, or the Polytheistic systems of Norse derivative, and those who mix comfortable elements of many of those?
|
|
|
|
