What about "wiccan"?
pagan (pâ´gen) noun 1. One who is not a Christian, Moslem, or Jew; a heathen. 2. One who has no religion. 3. A non-Christian. 4. A hedonist. adjective 1. Not Christian, Moslem, or Jewish. 2. Professing no religion; heathen. Middle English, from Late Latin pâgânus, from Latin, country-dweller, civilian, from pâgus, country, rural district.
So, thus far, pagans are country-dwelling folk who are non-Christian and profess no religion. Well, looking at the origins of the word, at that time, country-dwelling folk mainly referred to the common folk. Serfs, peasants; the lower class, if you wish. Simple people. Workers. Farmers. So they are commoners. Hmmm...but what about this word "heathen" ? It sure sounds icky. Wonder what that means ?
heathen (hê´then) noun plural heathens or heathen 1. a. One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. b. Such persons considered as a group; the unconverted. 2. a. One who is regarded as irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened. b. Such persons considered as a group.
(enlighten (èn-lìt´n) verb, transitive enlightened, enlightening, enlightens 1. To give spiritual or intellectual insight to. 2. To give information to; inform or instruct. - enlight´ener noun)
Ah-ha ! Wait a second, heathen simply means one who does not acknowledge
the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. Where does that leave everyone
else ? How come this list is so exclusive ? And why are you un-enlightened
if you aren't on the list ? Many pagans were/are herbalists, natural healers,
and very spiritual people. Hardly what I would consider un-enlightened.
I disagree with that part, so I'm discounting it as bunkum. (Look that
up for yourself !) So now we have commoners who don't subscribe to a fairly
short and restrictive list of Gods. Interesting. Now it really doesn't
sound so bad, does it ? Just people whose beliefs are different than people
who write dictionaries, as far as I can tell.
What about "wiccan"?
Wicca (wîk´e) noun 1. A pagan nature religion having its roots in pre-Christian western Europe and undergoing a 20th-century revival, especially in the United States and Great Britain. 2. A group or community of believers or followers of this religion.
A commoners nature religion that doesn't acknowledge the Gods of Judiasm,
Christianity, or Islam. Wow. Not a scary child-sacrificing, hate-mongering,
devil-worshipping cult of sick-o types, it would appear. What do ya know.
Now hands up all of you who were surprised by this. I thought so.
Okay, maybe Pagans and Wiccans aren't what you expected them to be. But you still seem a little leery of this ~ what about their practices ? Don't they do "rituals" ? Don't they profess to using magick ? ("Are you sure there is no devil-worship ? I could have sworn that Geraldo said...") Unfortunately, most people get their info about Wiccans, Witches, Pagans, etc, from the wrong source: Hollywood. Not that I'm knocking it, I am a massive movie fan, and I have even been known to watch TV. But the images used in Hollywood to portray pagans is for shock-value alone, most of the time. All throwing curses and scaring people. Green skin and pointy hats, warts and eye of newt. Puh~leeese. Ready for the REAL story ? Check it out below !
Wanna take a closer look ? These links will be active very soon. Be sure to come back, now, y-hear ?
Wiccan Basics : An Overview
Rituals, Holidays, and Other
Mysteries
Tools of The Trade
What
if my Child, Friend, Significant Other, Sibling, etc, Says They Are Wiccan
?
How About Legalities ?
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