Ask a Pagan, Part 2

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just read wikipedia on “pagan” very interesting

quote for you from pagan from another world “live long and prosper”
 
duneman said:
just read wikipedia on “pagan” very interesting

quote for you from pagan from another world “live long and prosper”
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You might also try the term “Neopaganism” which is sometimes used to differentiate ancient Pagan religions from their modern counterparts.
 
vsedriver said:
So being neo-pagan is no different from being an atheist.
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Perhaps I should have phrased it as:
  • The neo-pagans that are atheists tell the Gods what to do.
  • The neo-pagans that are polytheist ask the Gods to do the thing.
 
duneman said:
yea but pagan’s worship things like goat heads
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That was what the Knight’s Templar were accused of worshipping.

The goat’s head is used to represent Baphomet, which originated in medieval France, as a corruption of “Mohammad”. Baphomet was popularized by Éliphas Lévi in the mid 19th century. (Incidently, Lévi was a Catholic priest.)
is pagan totally atheist or can they worship things planets or whateer
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Pagan covers an extremely broad range of theology. and consequently religious beliefs and prctices.

Neo-pagans, which is what Lokabrenna and most of the other people that self identify as pagans technically are, tend to have a reverence of nature, as part of their path.
so pagans are people with no beliefs
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Pagans have beliefs. Some of them have very strong beliefs. Their beliefs tend to be practiced, and lived, rather than verbally expressed.

Amber
 
fred_conty said:
…no retribution. no worry. no conscience.
not fear. no nothing. feedom for license to do anything my little heart desires. Now I can
focus on me, me, me, and only me. Now I can experience the “good life” even at the
expense of that other fellow, because this works best for me. And the gods really could
care less because they have their own set of problems to solve. Yepee!
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I would also like to respond to this and say that if you’re only ethical because you fear retribution from a deity, you probably need to reexamine your ethical framework.
 
amber_lux said:
  • The neo-pagans that are atheists tell the Gods what to do.
  • The neo-pagans that are polytheist ask the Gods to do the thing.
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Hm, how do you call neo-pagans then who think the gods are the embodiment of what is done? Or is happening?
 
AnAtheist said:
Hm, how do you call neo-pagans then who think the gods are the embodiment of what is done? Or is happening?
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Well, an atheist by definition is “someone who doesn’t believe in god(s)” so I think it would all come down to whether you believe that the gods have some sort of independent existence outside of one’s head. Are they “real” in some sense, or merely what we humans have used to explain natural processes?
 
Lokabrenna said:
Well, an atheist by definition is “someone who doesn’t believe in god(s)” so I think it would all come down to whether you believe that the gods have some sort of independent existence outside of one’s head.
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Well, “believe” in a religious context means more than “thinks this or that may be a fact”.
Are they “real” in some sense, or merely what we humans have used to explain natural processes?
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In Popper’s 3-World-Theory which I regard as a valid model as long as worlds #2 and #3 are coded within world #1, they are very real.
 
AnAtheist said:
Well, “believe” in a religious context means more than “thinks this or that may be a fact”.

In Popper’s 3-World-Theory which I regard as a valid model as long as worlds #2 and #3 are coded within world #1, they are very real.
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Hm, I don’t actually know if there’s a label for that. However, just because there isn’t one doesn’t mean you can’t invent a label for yourself!
 
Andromedus said:
You just have to love age of mythology! 😃
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I’ve been meaning to play that game! Just one more incentive to play it. adds it to her ever-growing wish list Although I do have a certain fondness for her depiction in Valkyrie Profile.
 
Lokabrenna said:
I’ve been meaning to play that game! Just one more incentive to play it. adds it to her ever-growing wish list Although I do have a certain fondness for her depiction in Valkyrie Profile.
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Well, I really like the game but Freyja isn’t in the game that much… actually you only see her in that picture… but you should still buy it 🙂
 
Loka,
I got another question for you. Does your religion have a creation myth? Did one of your gods create the world?
 
samiam1611 said:
Loka,
I got another question for you. Does your religion have a creation myth? Did one of your gods create the world?
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Most Pagan mythologies have a version of how the world was created (Egypt had several which varied from city-state to city-state). In my tradition, the text Völuspá recounts a creation myth in which the gods (specifically Odin, Vili, and Ve) create the nine worlds from the body of Ymir (a frost giant). They also create humans (Ask and Embla) from trees. There are obvious parallels to both Greek and Judeo-Christian creation stories.

I personally don’t know of anyone who takes the story literally, though. (Now, I know of some who take the story of Ragnarok literally, but that’s a whole other issue.)
 
Lokabrenna said:
Most Pagan mythologies have a version of how the world was created (Egypt had several which varied from city-state to city-state). In my tradition, the text Völuspá recounts a creation myth in which the gods (specifically Odin, Vili, and Ve) create the nine worlds from the body of Ymir (a frost giant). They also create humans (Ask and Embla) from trees. There are obvious parallels to both Greek and Judeo-Christian creation stories.

I personally don’t know of anyone who takes the story literally, though. (Now, I know of some who take the story of Ragnarok literally, but that’s a whole other issue.)
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nine worlds?

Also, did you have to learn another language to study your religion? (what language is it?)
 
samiam1611 said:
nine worlds?
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That’s right, according to Norse cosmology, there are nine worlds:

Asgard
Vanaheim (both Asgard and Vanaheim are where the gods live)
Jotunheim (home of the giants)
Alfheim (home of the elves)
Svartalfheim (home of the dwarves/dark elves)
Midgard (this would be our world, it’s actually right in the middle)
Niflheim (land of ice)
Muspellheim (land of fire)
Hel (home of the dead)

All of these worlds are connected by Yggdrasil, which means “Ygg’s (Odin’s) steed” and is also known as the World Tree.
Also, did you have to learn another language to study your religion? (what language is it?)
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It’s not necessary, but some try and learn Old Norse, Old English, and other related languages so they can read the Prose Edda, Poetic Edda, and the sagas in their original languages (some even use it in ritual) but it’s not a requirement. I personally don’t think you should need a PhD to practice a religion. Many do collect different translations of the texts because each scholar puts their own spin on the translation. I don’t have the money to buy several translations of the eddas, so I just bought the cheapest ones and I use online sources as needed. Some see studying the texts as a sacred act in itself, but I’m a big fan of doing less studying and more actually doing religion, although I think studying is still great.
 
Lokabrenna said:
That’s right, according to Norse cosmology, there are nine worlds:

Asgard
Vanaheim (both Asgard and Vanaheim are where the gods live)
Jotunheim (home of the giants)
Alfheim (home of the elves)
Svartalfheim (home of the dwarves/dark elves)
Midgard (this would be our world, it’s actually right in the middle)
Niflheim (land of ice)
Muspellheim (land of fire)
Hel (home of the dead)

All of these worlds are connected by Yggdrasil, which means “Ygg’s (Odin’s) steed” and is also known as the World Tree.

It’s not necessary, but some try and learn Old Norse, Old English, and other related languages so they can read the Prose Edda, Poetic Edda, and the sagas in their original languages (some even use it in ritual) but it’s not a requirement. I personally don’t think you should need a PhD to practice a religion. Many do collect different translations of the texts because each scholar puts their own spin on the translation. I don’t have the money to buy several translations of the eddas, so I just bought the cheapest ones and I use online sources as needed. Some see studying the texts as a sacred act in itself, but I’m a big fan of doing less studying and more actually doing religion, although I think studying is still great.
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curiously close to name of english planets ???
 
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