What is a Pagan?

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LDNCatholic

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I am not asking for an explaination on neopaganism, wicca or anything else like that.

My question is: in the Catholic definition, what is a pagan? For example:

Are Muslims pagan? The Catechism tells us they worship the same God as us.
Are Hindus pagan? They claim belief in only one God too.
Are Sikhs pagan? They are also monotheistic but their religion is quite alien compared to the Abrahamic faiths.

I need to know this as I was recently asked by a Sikh kid how I define pagan and it made me wonder.
 
I think the term is vague enough to be pretty useless. When would we, today, use the term “pagan”?
 
In modern usage, a pagan is a person who follows a religion that is not one of the five major religions…Hindu, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or Islam.

When I was raised Catholic, pagan meant anyone of a non-Christian faith, but not Jews. We used to collect money to “buy” pagan babies, and have them christened and raised in the faith. From the countries those children came from, I’m pretty sure some of them were Hindu or Muslim.

That was 30 years ago, I’m not sure if that still holds. At that time we did consider Muslims pagan, but the world has changed a great deal since then, so I’m not sure if that is still the case.
 
LDNCatholic said:
I am not asking for an explaination on neopaganism, wicca or anything else like that.

My question is: in the Catholic definition, what is a pagan? For example:

Are Muslims pagan? The Catechism tells us they worship the same God as us.
Are Hindus pagan? They claim belief in only one God too.
Are Sikhs pagan? They are also monotheistic but their religion is quite alien compared to the Abrahamic faiths.

I need to know this as I was recently asked by a Sikh kid how I define pagan and it made me wonder.
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I been a catholic all my life and we always call pagan those who are not baptized in the name of the Trinity. therefore children or adults who are not baptized we considered them to be pagans.

:bowdown2: :signofcross:
 
wisdomseeker said:
I been a catholic all my life and we always call pagan those who are not baptized in the name of the Trinity. therefore children or adults who are not baptized we considered them to be pagans.

:bowdown2: :signofcross:
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So if I am baptized but no longer practice or believe in Christianity, am I a pagan or not, or does baptism negate the possibility of me ever being pagan? And are Jews pagan as well?
 
the origin of the word is someone who does not live in the city (literally a country bumpkin, uneducated, not taught to worship the Roman gods and fulfill their civic duties). since those country dwellers especially pastoral workers, shepherds etc. were thought to mostly worship nature and the great god Pan, pagan comes from Pan, literally meaning nature is god and god is nature. So pagan can apply, literally, to new agers who have adopted this view.
 
cheddarsox said:
So if I am baptized but no longer practice or believe in Christianity, am I a pagan or not, or does baptism negate the possibility of me ever being pagan?
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No, you cannot ever be a pagan. You will be a baptized Christian until the day you die - just a really bad one, from the sound of things.
And are Jews pagan as well?
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No, Jews are in their own category, because they are initiated into the Mosaic/Abrahamic Covenant by means of circumcision.
 
jmcrae said:
No, you cannot ever be a pagan. You will be a baptized Christian until the day you die - just a really bad one, from the sound of things.
Interesting responses…since I have never been baptized in water, am I a “pagan”? I’m sure if the answer is in the affirmative, it would thrill my Wiccan friends. 🙂
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jmcrae said:
Yep! 😉 (Technically.)

Most of whom, I suspect, are probably baptized. 😃
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THAT was funny, I never thought about that, but you are correct, the few Wiccans I know personally are former Christians.

Wow…I’m on the “outside” of the “outsiders”!!!🙂
 
LDNCatholic said:
I am not asking for an explaination on neopaganism, wicca or anything else like that.

My question is: in the Catholic definition, what is a pagan? For example:

Are Muslims pagan? The Catechism tells us they worship the same God as us.
Are Hindus pagan? They claim belief in only one God too.
Are Sikhs pagan? They are also monotheistic but their religion is quite alien compared to the Abrahamic faiths.

I need to know this as I was recently asked by a Sikh kid how I define pagan and it made me wonder.
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In IRAQ they call all US Troops pagans.
 
cheddarsox said:
So if I am baptized but no longer practice or believe in Christianity, am I a pagan or not, or does baptism negate the possibility of me ever being pagan? And are Jews pagan as well?
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i would say no. your baptism should not be invalidated because you renounced the faith. you will become an apostate though.
the Jews are still the people of God and only the Lord determines their fate. according to the SS the jews some day they will come to know the Lord. the jews still have the circuncision and christians have the baptism.

:bowdown: :gopray2: :angel1:
 
Yes, I know I am apostate. It was unclear to me if pagan is used, in Catholicism to describe a state of being (unbaptised non Jew) or a state of faith.

It seems to be a state of being. So I am a Christian, due to my baptism even though I practice a non Christian faith.

In other circles, I am referred to as a pagan due to my faith.
 
What is a " pagan"?

It is derived from the Latin word “paganus” which meant a yokel or an ignorant hick.:cool:

Paul
 
LDNCatholic said:
I am not asking for an explaination on neopaganism, wicca or anything else like that.

My question is: in the Catholic definition, what is a pagan? For example:

Are Muslims pagan? The Catechism tells us they worship the same God as us.
Are Hindus pagan? They claim belief in only one God too.
Are Sikhs pagan? They are also monotheistic but their religion is quite alien compared to the Abrahamic faiths.

I need to know this as I was recently asked by a Sikh kid how I define pagan and it made me wonder.
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Hi LDNCatholic;

Here is a short excerpt from the **New Advent **web page:

Paganism, in the broadest sense includes all religions other than the true one revealed by God, and, in a narrower sense, all except Christianity, Judaism, and Mohammedanism. The term is also used as the equivalent of Polytheism.

It is derived from the Latin pagus, whence pagani (i.e. those who live in the country), a name given to the country folk who remained heathen after the cities had become Christian. Various forms of Paganism are described in special articles (e.g. Brahminism, Buddhism, Mithraism); the present article deals only with certain aspects of Paganism in general which will be helpful in studying its details and in judging its value…

Full discussion of the topic can be found at New Advent here
 
Latin.

Milites Christi = Soldiers of Christ

Pagus Christi = Non-soldiers of Christ

A Pagan is sombody who is not a soldier of Christ. ie. not a Christian.
 
cheddarsox said:
So if I am baptized but no longer practice or believe in Christianity, am I a pagan or not, or does baptism negate the possibility of me ever being pagan? And are Jews pagan as well?
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You are no faith until you choose the faith, and you should only choose a faith if you find truth in it, and are guided to it. You can be what you want
 
cheddarsox said:
Yes, I know I am apostate. It was unclear to me if pagan is used, in Catholicism to describe a state of being (unbaptised non Jew) or a state of faith.

It seems to be a state of being. So I am a Christian, due to my baptism even though I practice a non Christian faith.

In other circles, I am referred to as a pagan due to my faith.
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Also, being baptized is a choice made by your parents, as a teen you would have chosen to be confirmed if you chose the faith, as you did not, you are no longer a catholic, or any faith. You can be pagan wiccan muslim. If you wanted to be muslim they would not turn you away because you have been baptised, thats ridiculous. They would welcome you open arms because it would be seen to them that you had chosen with your own adult mind to be a muslim because their god had called to you.
 
=Aime;6742221]You are no faith until you choose the faith, and you should only choose a faith if you find truth in it, and are guided to it. You can be what you want
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While one can has never meant that One Should!

The first commandment is: I am the Lord thy God;""You shall have no other gods before me.” Exo. ch. 20.

Mark 12: 28 From the mouth of Jesus Himself: "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

One who can and does deny God has no complaint then God does the same for them:eek:
 
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