Pagan, Paganism: Pagan Paganism Dictionary II on Pagan, Paganism

Pagan, Paganism:

Originally from the Latin “paganus,” meaning “villager,” “country dweller,” or “hick.” The Roman army used it to refer to civilians. Early Roman Christians used “pagan” to refer to everyone who preferred to worship pre-Christian divinities and who were unwilling to enroll in “the Army of the Lord.” Eventually, “pagan” became simply an insult, with the connotation of “a false religion and its followers.”

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the word’s primary meanings became a blend of “atheist,” “agnostic,” “hedonist,” “religionless,” etc., (when referring to an educated, white, male, heterosexual, non-Celtic European) and “ignorant savage and/or pervert” (when referring to everyone else on the planet).

“Paganism” is now a general term for polytheistic, nature-centered religions, old and new, with “Pagan” used as the adjective as well as the membership term. It should always be capitalized just as other religious noun/adjective combinations are, such as “Buddhist,” “Hindu,” “Christian,” etc.

See Paleopaganism, Mesopaganism, Neopaganism.

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For more articles on Pagan, Paganism , see: Pagan, Paganism , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary

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The definition and meaning of Pagan, Paganism is extrcted from the home page of Isaac Bonewits, A Pagan Glossary of Terms 4.1 or "Useful Words and Phrases for the Interdimensional Traveler".

"The following is a list of technical words  and phrases taken from the first three editions of Real Magic. This will  be continuously updated to incorporate new terms and definitions,  as well as polytheological vocabulary, with internal hyperlinks  activated, and will eventually grow into A Polytheological Dictionary for Neopagans. Readers should remember that  many of these definitions and coinages are my own, and that other  authorities may disagree with me. All definitions should be taken,  regardless of the source, as tentative approaches to complex  realities."

Please visit http://www.neopagan.net for more information..

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