This is one definition you can find for Pagan. In fact, it is one of many. How many can you find? What is common in their definitions, and how do they differ?
The branches of Paganism are many, and it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with as many as you can ahead of our meeting on Feb. 20. To start, here are some web resources to check out:
Pagan Federation
with straightforward descriptions of pagan beliefs.
An academic
discussion of the basics of paganism, with historical references.
A British
perspective on Paganism.
I'd suggest using Wikipedia to look up the following terms, and at least skim the information you will find there. (There is a lot of writing on these topics, and the Wiki Editors have flagged much of it as "not being up to the Quality Standards of Wikipedia." What does that mean?)
Paganism
Polytheism
Pantheism
Animism
Idolatry
Nordic religions
Germanic Paganism
Neopaganism
Wicca
As you read through these try and pick up on a couple of key elements:
1. When did this particular religion start? What are the earliest records of it? (Hint: several started quite recently.)
2. Are any of these compatible with modern Christian beliefs?
3. When did the word "idolatry" first show up in the lexicon? What was it intended to mean? Who used it, and why? Are idols a part of paganism? If yes, what to they represent?
4. Is any pantheistic religion pagan? How about polytheistic?
5. Would a person from the ancient world who saw gods in everything around them call themselves pagan?
Were the Greeks pagan, with the gods living on Mount Olympus, and Zeus as their leader? How about the Romans, with Jupiter and his panoply of minions?
Is the phrase Pagan just a big bucket into which we can dump a lot of religions that don't fit into modern Christian thinking?
