what exactly do pagans believe in?

Question

my aunts boyfriend is pagan and im christian but am still very interested in what other religions and people believe in. so he said he basically believes in the earth and that everything is connected. then my aunt pulled out a dagger (she is not pagan btw) and pointed it at me jokingly. So whats the dagger for is it just something that alot of pagans have (like a cross or the Star of David for other religions) or does he use it im just curious.

Answer 1

What Nightwind & Mackenzie said.



The only thing all pagans have in common is that they're not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. Pagan is commonly referring to someone who follows a polytheistic religion - but then there are many polytheistic religions, all with differing beliefs and practices.



"he basically believes in the earth" - That's a ridiculous statement. I don't know how anyone could not believe in the earth. Are you sure that's what was said? Or was it more like, "believes in the gods of the earth/nature" or "reveres nature" or something like that?



If this dagger that your aunt pulled out to joke with belonged to her boyfriend and he considers it one of his spiritual ceremonial tools, then I'd say what your aunt did was highly disrespectful.



Wiccans use these daggers, called athames, for directing energy - not for cutting anything. Perhaps other types of pagans do as well.



Honestly, you'd have to ask him more specific questions, because "pagan" is too broad a term, and we obviously don't know him so we can't tell you what he believes and what he does with his personal possessions.

Answer 2

I don't know why your aunt would have a dagger, Pagan or not. Some people just like knives.



Pagan is not actually a religion in itself; it's a category that many religions fall under. They can be very different from each other because they're basically non-Abrahamic religions.



A lot of modern Pagans feel a connection to nature and such; but that doesn't mean every Pagan religion must share such beliefs.



(I don't know why people say they bellieve in the earth-- I mean, who doesn't? Are there people who think the planet is a myth?).

Answer 3

Paganism is not a single religion. It's a very large group of religions. As such, different pagans can have vastly different beliefs.



For *some* pagans, a dagger is a ceremonial tool primarily used for the direction of energy such as the casting of a circle. It is also strongly associated with male energies. It's not a symbol of paganism like a cross or Star of David.

Answer 4

Paganism is a wide category of religions. It can be hard to define but generally is seen as being any religion that either is non-Abrahamic (not Jewish, Christian, Muslim etc), is polytheistic or is based on pre-Christian European traditions. There are many pagan religions including Wicca, Druidry, Thelema and various reconstructionist faiths among many others. Some can be vastly different than others while some share many similarities.



The dagger might be his "athame" (ah-tha-may). It's a ritual blade used to direct energy and create ritual space. It is considered rude to handle someone's ritual tools without permission or play "pretend" with them. If it were me, I would have been offended if my husband had taken my ritual blade and actually pretended to threaten violence upon someone with it. That, to me, would be like taking a churches eucharist chalice and bringing it to a kegger party to be used to dispense beer to drunken frat boys. I hope your aunt shows more respect in the future.



The blade is not a tool of violence or harm. It is meant to cut through time and space, not through anything solid or living, and some people actually have a taboo about cutting anything with it.

-Scarlet

Answer 5

It relies upon on the pagan. to categorise pagans as believing interior the comparable element could be like herding cats. There are hundreds of pagan religions and concept platforms, and there are theories that there must be greater. yet there are some commonalities. Pagan religions are pre-christian/pre-christian reconstructionist, earth/nature primary, and many times polytheistic. some pagans have faith interior the gods/goddesses as actually entites, some as figuratively or symbolically, and a few in no way. maximum pagans have faith in spirits and nature spirits, yet returned, that relies upon on the pagan. Pagans oftentimes have not got faith in demons because of the fact demons are function of Abrahamic religions. no longer all pagans prepare witchcraft. yet, all witches are pagan because of the fact our ideals and practices come from pre-Christian supplies. actually, for greater element, your terrific guess is to google paganism or pagan religions. There only isn't adequate space in this little block. remarkable question, however. solid success on your seek.

Answer 6

Pagans are a title given to those the worship multiple gods. It is a term that monotheists use to insult the polytheists. Interestingly enough even the monotheists believe in multiple "supernatural" beings, they just don't label them as gods anymore.

Answer 7

Paganism is a term for any religion that isn't monotheistic. You have to be more specific.

Answer 8

It is very bad of him.

It is better if he becomes Atheist instead.

That is better for your friendship.

Ur aunt's behaviour is meaningless.

She has to define why she showed a dagger?

There is no such thing as my God, his God and their God.

There is no God.