Ask a pagan

[RiverStone]

Hey there everyone I want to start off by saying I’m not here to start arguments or offend anyone. I’m here because I have a lot of questions about Christianity. I’m young and enjoy learning about different religions, points of view on different issues but I figure before I start going around asking my questions I want to give people the opportunity to ask me questions. Anything about paganism you have ever wondered about or something that makes you uncomfortable? Feel free to ask! .

 

[drac16]

Cool. Thanks for being open about your faith.

Are you a wiccan? which deity/deities do you believe in?

 

[Weissystems]

Thanks! The question that I want to ask you is Do you want the true Faith?
If you don’t then keep on stumbling along in life.
If you do then you have come to the right place to find out about the true Faith the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith.
www.catholicprayergroup.net

 

[RiverStone]

I decided my personal believes before I went looking for the label of a religion so I don’t really fall under any specific tittle like Wiccan.
When it comes to deities I hold the belief of one ultimate god or energy as I like to think about it, with specific deities being more of a way to better channel my specific intentions (or prayers) to that one energy that is essentially everything.
I personally do not have a strong connection to any specific deities at this point but I am actively working to create some.
Question for you: How do Christians feel about other religions or people that believe in one ultimate power? Do you think it could be the same god just with different ways of worship?
As for finding the “true faith” I’m not really sure. I grew up in a catholic home and it’s not an uncommon thing for people who convert to paganism in high school to return to Christianity. I’m not saying that’s what I’m looking to do but I do have a lot of questions so maybe there’s something I’m not understanding that will change my entire view.

My whole thing is that I believe no one should ever be judged based on what they believe and I personally try to get as much information as possible before making judgments or assuming things about people and that is why I’m here. To learn

 

[JRKH]

Welcome Riverstone…Glad to have you here.

I decided my personal believes before I went looking for the label of a religion so I don’t really fall under any specific tittle like Wiccan.
When it comes to deities I hold the belief of one ultimate god or energy as I like to think about it, with specific deities being more of a way to better channel my specific intentions (or prayers) to that one energy that is essentially everything.
I personally do not have a strong connection to any specific deities at this point but I am actively working to create some.

I like that you are approaching this in an open way rather than just jumping into a specific set of beliefs. I also agree with your (current) thinking on the ultimate God.
I think that - in this regard - you might find THIS to be quite interesting.

You will readily see that Fr Barron has many videos on YouTube and they are all quite good.

Question for you: How do Christians feel about other religions or people that believe in one ultimate power? Do you think it could be the same god just with different ways of worship?

None of us can say how “Christians” feel about this. The best that we can do is to either share what the Church teaches or how we as individual Christians might view this.
In regards to the former I suggest going HERE and reading Part One Section One of the Catechism and also Part One Section Two Chapter Three. This will give you some insight, answer some questions and possibly raise some new ones.

As for my personal take on your question…It is going to depend on how they describe that “ultimate power”. I invite you to read in the Bible, 1 John 4:7-8 as well as the Gospel passages, John 13:34-35 and Matthew 22:36-40.
Contained in these (and others) you will find that the Christian concept of God as Love - Agape (A deep and profound brotherly/familial Love). If another calls this God by some other name…He still remains, as He has always been “I am who AM”.
However - in so far as a person worships a god that is not Agape…in all it’s goodness…then that person is not worshiping the same God.

As for finding the “true faith” I’m not really sure. I grew up in a catholic home and it’s not an uncommon thing for people who convert to paganism in high school to return to Christianity. I’m not saying that’s what I’m looking to do but I do have a lot of questions so maybe there’s something I’m not understanding that will change my entire view.

Yes - it is not uncommon for teens to change their faith - to explore - to challenge - even to rebel.
I did and was away from the Church for some 35 years, though I never classed myself as “pagan” (though now I sometimes refer to those as my “heathen days”)
In a biblical sense we might call this the “Prodigal son” syndrome - or even our “40 days” in the desert. It is a time of testing and exploring.

My whole thing is that I believe no one should ever be judged based on what they believe and I personally try to get as much information as possible before making judgments or assuming things about people and that is why I’m here. To learn

It is not my intent to judge anyone - but that must not be construed as saying I will not make judgement on what you believe. I hope you recognize the difference here.
There is an old saying, “Hate the sin, but Love the sinner”. The same thing is true with regards to beliefs. I can like, respect, even love a person and still hold (judge) that some of what they believe is in error.

The most important thing to remember as you move forward on this journey is to test the spirit that guides you. Is that spirit of God or not? Is this a spirit of Love or not?
But be careful…for some spirits can seem loving (at first) but then will try to corrupt that love - that Agape - little by little. One of the great things about “church” is the guidance it can give in discerning such spirits.

May God Bless you on your journey.

Peace
James

 

[JustaServant]

What do ya’ll have against livestock?

 

[Zachary]

What do you hope to learn from the questions you’re asked here?
If you’ve not specific belief, how do you know your a pagan and not a lost Catholic?

 

[Lasting_faith]

What do you hope to learn from the questions you’re asked here?
If you’ve not specific belief, how do you know your a pagan and not a lost Catholic?

Sorry Zachary, but I think that was a bit harsh. Here we have one honest pagan who want to know things we know and have faith in. Who knows, we may learn something new as well, if not about faith but maybe about our self. To answer a pagan is not a sin. My daughter and my son is both atheists, but I still love them as much as before so I know something about this and how easy it is to lose faith.

 

[peace2u2]

Question for you: How do Christians feel about other religions or people that believe in one ultimate power? Do you think it could be the same god just with different ways of worship?
As for finding the “true faith” I’m not really sure. I grew up in a catholic home and it’s not an uncommon thing for people who convert to paganism in high school to return to Christianity. I’m not saying that’s what I’m looking to do but I do have a lot of questions so maybe there’s something I’m not understanding that will change my entire view.

My whole thing is that I believe no one should ever be judged based on what they believe and I personally try to get as much information as possible before making judgments or assuming things about people and that is why I’m here. To learn

1.Have you ever read the Bible or do you read Sacred Scripture as a way of understanding the Catholic, Protestant and/or Jewish faiths or as a way of understanding your own religion?

I agree that we shouldn’t judge each other. I also think that this can be really hard sometimes especially when we don’t understand. I do admit that sometimes I fall into temptation and I am quick to judge unfairly. When I find that I’m doing this, I quickly ask Jesus to show me how to love the way that He does, because I know that I cannot do anything without His help. Which leads me to my next ?:

1. When you pray, who are you praying to or what are you praying to? Is there a certain image you hold in your mind? Do you have traditional prayers that you recite or are your prayers spontaneous?
2. When you converted to Paganism, did someone introduce you to paganism or did you simply just read about it? Are your parents Pagans as well or are they still Catholic? Was your family a devout, practicing Catholic family or lukewarm or indifferent to their Catholic faith? If their still Catholic, what do they think of your religion?
3. Do pagans gather for rituals and prayer services as a community or privately? If so, where? Do you have a place that you gather like we Catholics gather in Church for communal worship of God?
4. Is Paganism considered today to be a New Age practice?

What are some things that you would like to know about my religion?

Thanks, Peace.

 

[Kallisto]

I’m surprised to see this topic. I was gone for a few days, does anyone know why the other AaP thread was closed?

 

[Skadi]

Hey there everyone I want to start off by saying I’m not here to start arguments or offend anyone. I’m here because I have a lot of questions about Christianity. I’m young and enjoy learning about different religions, points of view on different issues but I figure before I start going around asking my questions I want to give people the opportunity to ask me questions. Anything about paganism you have ever wondered about or something that makes you uncomfortable? Feel free to ask! .

Restarting my thread I see

 

[Skadi]

I’m surprised to see this topic. I was gone for a few days, does anyone know why the other AaP thread was closed?

Some choice words were thrown about, lets hope thats not repeated.

 

[RiverStone]

First off thank you for the links and sources Can I ask, JRKH what made you return to the religion?

Actually JustaServant I’m a vegetarian like a lot of other pagans I know!

Zachary, I guess I don’t know that for sure and that’s why I’m here. I consider myself pagan because my personal beliefs match up best with religions that are pagan. A lot of my practices involve nature and meditation, magic, reincarnation… things that don’t typically fit in too well with Christianity.

Peace2u2, I grew up going to catholic schools so I have read the bible but the education system isn’t always the greatest and teachers are often torn between what they personally believe and what they are suppose to teach. That naturally leads to contradictions and questions.
Normally when I pray it’s spontaneous, like a conversation and it’s normally to the god(dess). To me it’s like communicating with the world. Mother Nature, or the soul of out planet. Like I said I have yet to form a real connection with any specific deities so the image in my head is one similar to ones idea of mother nature. I know in my heart that if I work with the energies of the world they will react. That’s also the idea behind magic.
My fathers side of the family are pretty devote Catholics aside from my aunt who is wiccan and myself. I guess that’s where the idea first came from. It also has a lot to do with my best friend who has identified as a shamanistic pagan since he was really young. I learned from him and when my faith with Jesus started to shake it was him and this whole new way of thinking that was there to catch me. I fell in love with it. My grandma really didn’t take the whole conversion thing well but she puts aside her own feelings because she loves me. My mom’s side isn’t a part of any religion.
Some pagans do get together in groups. I personally would love to but live in a very Catholic part of Canada so I’m really the only pagan in town Normally covens gather at people’s houses or in open fields or parks to be as close with nature as possible. They are normally a lot smaller then the size of an average congregation and it’s more like a family.
That last question is tricky and I’m not sure how to go about answering it since paganism isn’t a religion it’s self but an umbrella term for a bunch of different belief systems. Some have been around for a long long (like shamanism or druid) time while others are considered more new age (like neo-wiccan).

A big question I have that right now is with some of the contradictions that seem to come up with social justice issues such as gay marriage. I understand what the bible says, that’s not where my question lies. It’s in the idea that god says we have to love everyone but some people go around saying “god hates fags” and things like that. If you don’t believe in gay marriage that’s perfectly ok but why do people go to the time and energy to display this hate that god apparently has for his creation?
Something else I’ve always wondered is if Jesus was born sometime in march… why is Christmas in December I’m sorry if that seems like a silly question.

 

[RiverStone]

I’m very new to the site so i didn’t know if anything like this had been done before and I really want this thread to stay as respectful and calm as possible

 

[Kallisto]

Some choice words were thrown about, lets hope thats not repeated.

Ah, that’s unfortunate. Hopefully things will fare better second time 'round. Thanks.

 

[Kallisto]

I’m very new to the site so i didn’t know if anything like this had been done before and I really want this thread to stay as respectful and calm as possible

No worries. Was just curious as I’d went to respond to a post and found the thread closed.

Carry on!

 

[Skadi]

What do ya’ll have against livestock?

They are just so delicious!!!

 

[Skadi]

Not directed to me, but Paganism is a broad group encompassing many different religions, so may as well give answers from different viewpoints.

1.Have you ever read the Bible or do you read Sacred Scripture as a way of understanding the Catholic, Protestant and/or Jewish faiths or as a way of understanding your own religion?

Yes I went to Catholic HS and alwase did pretty well in Theo class, Ive read most of the bible at some point or another. There’s even a Army issue new testament somewhere in my old room from a boy scout camp out.

1. When you pray, who are you praying to or what are you praying to? Is there a certain image you hold in your mind? Do you have traditional prayers that you recite or are your prayers spontaneous?

I dont pray much if at all, but I alwase keep the gods in mind and honor them. Personally I think the gods want me to honor them and to live honorably, kind of like living a prayer I guess. Ive only ever realy prayed on holidays. Its normally to either Tyr or Skadi.

1. When you converted to Paganism, did someone introduce you to paganism or did you simply just read about it? Are your parents Pagans as well or are they still Catholic? Was your family a devout, practicing Catholic family or lukewarm or indifferent to their Catholic faith? If their still Catholic, what do they think of your religion?

peace2u2;10925550:

I was doing a project for my world religions class in HS and did mine on Germanic paganism. I liked my project so much I wound up going twice the required length and didnt even notice. The girl after me did Wicca, and I started reading around.

My family is creaster Catholic, and although ive never bothered to tell them, I think they have to have seen some of the books I have in my room.

1. Do pagans gather for rituals and prayer services as a community or privately? If so, where? Do you have a place that you gather like we Catholics gather in Church for communal worship of God?

Yes, Wiccans usually meet on the 8 Sabbats, which are solar holidays based on the Equinoxes (Midsummer was just a week or so ago) and on full moons. Some also hold additional meetings called Esbats.

Other pagan faiths have their own holidays, which may match up with or even be the same as Wiccans sense Wicca is based on a mix of Druidism, Bryton/Celtic paganism, And the Anglo-Saxon branch of Germanic paganism.

The Asatru (Norse Pagans) also have feasts to honor historic pagan figures, Such as Hakkon the Good, Lief Erickson the Lucky, and Arminius/Herman the Cheruscan.

1. Is Paganism considered today to be a New Age practice?

For the most part yes. There would be reconstructionists who would argue against this, because the ideas of old Paganism and even Wicca predate the New Age movement, but there is a VERY heavy amount of New Age influence and thought in the larger community.

 

[itsjustdave1988]

I believe no one should ever be judged based on what they believe

I grew up in Northern Idaho, where a minority claimed to be a part of the Aryan Nations Church. They believed in persecuting Jews as part of God’s will. Consequently, while I agree I have no authority to judge the eternal disposition of any person’s soul, I do believe we have a right and responsibility to judge between doctrines which are true and good, and doctrines which are false and evil. I believe instead we are to “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess 5:21). Otherwise, you may end up in a suicide cult like those who believed that if they killed themselves, they would join Jesus on his spaceship located in the tail of a comet. [see Heaven’s Gate beliefs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven’s_Gate_(religious_group)”]here]

 

[JRKH]

First off thank you for the links and sources Can I ask, JRKH what made you return to the religion?

Sure you can ask…However, there is not really a simple answer.
Essentially my journey brought me “full circle”. Like you, I went to Catholic School (in the 1960’s) and all of my extended family were cradle Catholics…Yet there seemed to be a fair amount of contradiction. I married at 18 and drifted away from the Church. I explored other ideas over the years though not really in any sort of coordinated search. Mostly I was busy just living my life and having fun.
Yet as time went on I discovered more and more that I was missing something. It turns out that what I was missing was the mass and Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist.

I still had a number of erroneous beliefs even when I returned to the sacraments…but as I began looking into the issues (and CAF was a huge help) I discovered that the Catholic faith really had it’s act together…If one takes what is truly the best parts of other faith traditions, one finds that these revolve around Love, and mercy and all things good.
And this is the core of Christianity.
Please note here that my belief and adherence to the Catholic faith is not about people. We’ve had our great saints and great sinners. It’s about the core and it’s about building out from that core. it all makes sense.

A big question I have that right now is with some of the contradictions that seem to come up with social justice issues such as gay marriage. I understand what the bible says, that’s not where my question lies. It’s in the idea that god says we have to love everyone but some people go around saying “god hates fags” and things like that. If you don’t believe in gay marriage that’s perfectly ok but why do people go to the time and energy to display this hate that god apparently has for his creation?

Those who are spouting things like “god hates gays” are worshiping the wrong god. It really is as simple as that. The Catholic Church does not teach that, Jesus does not teach that. The CCC (Catholic Church Catechism) has this to say on the matter… 2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. (bolding mine)

Something else I’ve always wondered is if Jesus was born sometime in march… why is Christmas in December I’m sorry if that seems like a silly question.

Not a silly question. It comes up regularly around here - generally closer to Christmas.
The truth is that no one knows when Jesus was born. Some have made the suggestion that it was most likely in the spring because the shepherds were in the the fields etc. and they may well be right.
That said, Christmas is the “feast of the nativity” and while it is generally and popularly thought of as “Jesus birthday” - it is simply a date chosen to celebrate the birth of teh incarnation. The choice of the date actually has more to do with the winter solstice than anything else. Christmas comes right after the shortest day of the year…thus from this point forward the sun moves north, the days get longer and so forth. In many cultures this time of year was celebrated as symbolizing the returning of life. Thus it made perfect sense for the Church to choose this time of year to celebrate the coming of the light of Christ in the incarnation.

Peace
James