Paganism terminology

Common word usagepaganism levelled, especially by Protestants
Both "Pagan" and "heathen" have historically beentowards the Roman Catholic and Orthodox
used as a pejorative by adherents ofChurches for their veneration of the saints and
monotheistic religions (such as Judaism, Christianityimages.
and Islam) to indicate a disbeliever in their religion.Heathenry
"Paganism" is also sometimes used to mean the"Heathen" (Old English hæðen) is a
lack of (an accepted monotheistic) religion, andtranslation of paganus. The term is used for
therefore sometimes means essentially the sameGermanic paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, in
as atheism. "Paganism" frequently refers to theparticular. The Germanic tribes were distributed
religions of classical antiquity, most notably Greekover Eastern and Central Europe by the 5th
mythology or Roman religion, and can be usedcentury, and their dialects ceased to be mutually
neutrally or admiringly by those who refer tointelligible from around that time. Christianization of
those complexes of belief. However, until the risethe Germanic peoples took place from the 4th
of Romanticism and the general acceptance of(Goths) to the 6th (Anglo-Saxons, Alamanni) or
freedom of religion in Western civilization,8th (Saxons) centuries on the continent, and from
"Paganism" was almost always used disparaginglythe 9th to 12th centuries in Iceland and
of heterodox beliefs falling outside the establishedScandinavia.
political framework of the Christian Church.Pagan classifications
"Pagan" came to be equated with a ChristianizedPagan subdivisions coined by Isaac Bonewits
sense of "epicurean" to signify a person who isPaleo-Paganism: A retronym coined to contrast
sensual, materialistic, self-indulgent, unconcernedwith "neopaganism", denoting a pagan culture that
with the future and uninterested in sophisticatedhas not been disrupted by other cultures. The
religion. The word was usually used in this worldlyterm applies to Hinduism, Shinto, pre-Migration
and stereotypical sense, particularly among thoseperiod Germanic paganism as described by
who were drawing attention to what theyTacitus, Celtic Polytheism as described by Julius
perceived as being the limitations of Paganism, forCaesar, and the Greek and Roman religion.
example, as when G. K. Chesterton wrote: "TheMeso-Paganism: A group, which is, or has been,
pagan set out, with admirable sense, to enjoysignificantly influenced by monotheistic, dualistic, or
himself. By the end of his civilization he hadnontheistic worldviews, but has been able to
discovered that a man cannot enjoy himself andmaintain an independence of religious practices.
continue to enjoy anything else." In sharp contrastThis group includes Native Americans and
Swinburne the poet would comment on this sameAustralian Aborigine Bushmen, Viking Age Norse
theme: "Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; thepaganism. Influences include: Freemasonry,
world has grown grey from thy breath; We haveRosicrucianism, Theosophy, Spiritualism, as well as
drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullnessSikhism, and the many Afro-Diasporic faiths like
of death."Haitian Vodou, and Santería.
Christianity itself has been perceived at times as aNeo-Paganism: An attempt by modern people to
form of paganism by followers of the otherreconnect with nature, pre-Christian religions, or
Abrahamic religionsbecause of, for example, theother nature-based spiritual paths. This definition
Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the celebration ofmay include anything on a sliding scale from
pagan feast days, and other practicesreconstructionist to New Age and
– through a process described asnon-reconstructionist groups such as Neo-Druidism
"baptising" or "christianization". Even betweenand Wicca.
Christians there have been similar charges of