First, I want to say that my own personal beliefs are non-christian.... I suppose this makes me a pagan, by the general definition. The philosophy I follow is very similar to ancient mother Earth practices and Native North American practices. I do not worship or follow or honor any deities, though I do not consider myself atheist. While I know that mother Earth philosophy, and most Native philosophies are nature-based, my beliefs are reflective of the fact that I live in an urban surrounding. In a nutshell, I remember to be thankful and grateful for the things in my life that are good, and I attempt to rectify the things in my life that are not. I believe that what goes around comes around, and try to make sure my actions reflect that.
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Originally Posted by Strange Famous
I dont know that anyone's religion is exactly a choice. I think you have to believe in what makes sense and is logical to you, while taking into account social and cultural pressures exerted by organised religions and cults of belief.
For me, I dont have a strong understanding of paganism, but I have always understood it to be a religion that values nature and imbues plantlife and the earth itself with great value and sentience. For myself, I view "nature" as frightening, alien, barren and in term of higher meaning, meaningless. Wide open spaces make me feel vulnerable, the sea strikes me as violent and ugly, the stars often make me feel empty due to their frightening smallness and short lifespan. All wild animals and domestic animals make me nervous, I dislike tree's, fields, woods, heathland, and so on. I like cities, concrete on every side of you hemming you in making you safe and protected.
Which while this is, I am aware, strange to most people, obviously makes me disinclined to follow a religion which I see as giving undue value to nature - which I think it does not have. Whether my feelings come from an untrue understanding of Pagan religions (and I also though that Pagan was a word used to describe almost all non-Christian religions by the early church - so technically believe in the Ancient Roman Gods, Egyptian Gods, Wicca, Norse mythology, or anything else could be described as paganism, but I took my understanding from what I know of British paganism) or from an unnatural and unhealthy dislike of the non-human world, I cant say. But that is why I am not a pagan, which isnt the same question, I know.
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I have pagan friends who consider themselves to be Wiccan who have had a similar problem with it that you do. They have formed their own coven and started their own tradition that celebrates the modern life they lead, that moves away from the nature based worship and focuses instead on the individual and the path she takes in her life. It seems fascinating, though I'm still not interested in a tradition that follows deities.
Ultimately, its about what feels right for you, what makes you feel in touch with the world around you, whatever that world looks like.