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Originally Posted by irateplatypus
what are some essential characteristics of a pagan? if someone were not a christian (or a monotheist at all), and not an atheist... what would separate that remaining block of people into pagans and non-pagans? of course, i mean the word "pagan" to imply a religious/spiritual approach to life... not in the meaning that it encompasses all non-christian peoples.
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well, here's the answer as i understand it (through instruction and my own interpretation). if you say you are, you are.
much like christianity has denominations, pagans can be divided into various groups as well. for example, wiccans are pagans but not all pagans are wiccan. some people find a path and identify themselves with it (wiccan, druid, whatever). other people create their own and rather than identify with a group, they simply consider themselves to be pagan. a lot of these people may tell you that they consider themselves spiritual rather than religious. they have beliefs, they just don't stem from any one particular set of teachings.
typically, pagans are very accepting of other beliefs. i compare it to light shining through a prism. if the truth is the light source, then various religious and spiritual paths are the colors you see when the light is shined through the prism. each represents a part of the truth, so none of them are wrong, but since they are only part of the truth, they aren't quite right either. i strive to connect with the source, rather than the fragments of light i've found in organized religions.
hopefully that made some sense, i'm not feeling particularly articulate just now
