They frequently associated paganism with idolatry, magic and a general concept of "false religion", which for example has made Catholics and Protestants accuse each other of being pagans. Oh, and there's nothing Pagan in "Harry Potter." The only religion even implied in any of the HP books is Christianity. [25] Doyle White writes that modern religions that draw upon the pre-Christian belief systems of other parts of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa or the Americas, cannot be seen as part of the contemporary pagan movement, which is "fundamentally Eurocentric". From the serpent goddesses of ancient Crete to modern nature-worship and . "[44] Strmiska argues that these two poles could be termed reconstructionism and eclecticism, respectively. [15] On the eclectic side has been placed Wicca, Thelema, Adonism, Druidry, the Goddess Movement, Discordianism and the Radical Faeries. She went on to put forward the idea that this typically confirmed "some original, private experience, so that the most common experience of those who have named themselves pagan is something like 'I finally found a group that has the same religious perceptions I always had'". Named after the Norse pagan gods called the sir - which includes a pantheon of popular Norse gods such as Odin, Thor, Frigg, and Baldur - the spirits and entities that the folklore represents are also taken into consideration.This contemporary version of the original pagan . [81], Domestic worship typically takes place in the home and is carried out by either an individual or family group. The ECER has made efforts to establish mutual support with Hindu groups, as has the Lithuanian Romuva movement. Heathenry is spread out across northwestern Europe, North America and Australasia, where the descendants of historic Germanic-speaking people now live. [82] Common pagan festivals include those marking the summer solstice and winter solstice as well as the start of spring and the harvest. [106] Today the followers of the Chuvash Traditional Religion are called "the true Chuvash". [139], Based upon her study of the pagan community in the United States, the sociologist Margot Adler noted that it is rare for pagan groups to proselytize in order to gain new converts to their faiths. [55] Strmiska stresses that modern paganism is a "new", "modern" religious movement, even if some of its content derives from ancient sources. Religio Romana is a modern Pagan reconstructionist religion based upon the ancient faith of pre-Christian Rome. Among Circassians, the Adyghe Habze faith has been revived after the fall of the Soviet Union, and followers of neopagan faiths were found to constitute 12% in Karachay-Cherkessia and 3% in Kabardino-Balkaria (both republics are multiethnic and also have many non-Circassians, especially Russians and Turkic peoples)[126] In Abkhazia, the Abkhaz native faith has also been revived, and in the 2003 census, 8% of residents identified with it (note again that there are many non-Abkhaz in the state including Georgians, Russians and Armenians);[127] on 3 August 2012 the Council of Priests of Abkhazia was formally constituted in Sukhumi. [100], In contrast to the eclectic traditions, Polytheistic Reconstructionists practice culturally specific ethnic traditions based on folklore, songs and prayers, as well as reconstructions from the historical record. Faith, ethics and loyalty . Writing in the 1430s, Matteo Palmieri of Florence celebrated "this new age, so full of hope and promise" with a greater collection of "nobly-gifted souls" than the world had seen in a thousand years.Like others of his day, Palmieri believed he was living in a special time, a period of tremendous intellectual and artistic creativity inspired by the . 1 January : New Year's Day What Paganism Is. Eugenius restored the Altar of Victory and funded other pagan projects. [152][153], In response, groups and sects inclusive of or specific to LGBT people have developed. Download Free . [91], The Romantic movement of the 18th century led to the re-discovery of Old Gaelic and Old Norse literature and poetry. William Wordsworth, "The World Is Too Much with Us", lines 9-14, One of the origins of modern pagan movements lies in the romanticist and national liberation movements that developed in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. [4] Some favor the term "ethnic religion"; the World Pagan Congress, founded in 1998, soon renamed itself the European Congress of Ethnic Religions (ECER), enjoying that term's association with the Greek ethnos and the academic field of ethnology. Across Europe, different cultures are attempting to revive their pre-Christian religious heritage. In this article, the author surveys the history of Neo-Paganism from the Romantic movement to the 20th-century revival of Witchcraft, Druidism, Asatru and other forms of Pagan religion. Here is an article about the pagan revival: Unlike in western Europe, paganism among the Mari constitutes an unbroken tradition rather than a New Age construction. From its beginning, thanks to Christensen, this revival had a National Socialist component, but Gardell gives attention to others who helped create what he dubs "Aryan revolutionary paganism," including Wyatt Kaldenberg, "Jost" Turner, and Wotansvolk, created in 1995 by David and Katja Lane and Ron McVan. George Watson MacGregor Reid founded the Druid Order in its current form in 1909. [32], According to Strmiska, the reappropriation of the term "pagan" by modern pagans served as "a deliberate act of defiance" against "traditional, Christian-dominated society", allowing them to use it as a source of "pride and power". [91] These attitudes would also be exported to North America by European immigrants in these centuries. As a result such information is provided by religious institutions and other third-party statistical organisations. In the early medieval ages, these religions were influential, and, in some cases, they were even the official . Within the pagan movement, there can be found many deities, both male and female, who have various associations and embody forces of nature, aspects of culture, and facets of human psychology. Most of what is considered Christian Europe is actually pagan Europe . In the United States, the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) was established in 1912,[119] the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) in 1963, and r nDraocht Fin (ADF) in 1983 by Isaac Bonewits. Pre-World War II neopagan or proto-neopagan groups, growing out of occultism and/or Romanticism (Mediterranean revival, Viking revival, Celtic revival, etc.). [62] These deities are typically depicted in human form, and are viewed as having human faults. [33] He further suggests that the term gained appeal through its depiction in romanticist and 19th-century European nationalist literature, where it had been imbued with "a certain mystery and allure",[34] and that by embracing the word "pagan" modern pagans defy past religious intolerance to honor the pre-Christian peoples of Europe and emphasize those societies' cultural and artistic achievements. The first account of the gods of Irish myth to take in the whole sweep of Irish literature in both the nation's languages, the book describes how Ireland's pagan divinities were transformed into literary characters in the medieval Christian era--and how they were recast again during the Celtic Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth . One is eclecticism or syncretism, in which elements of historical ethnic religions such as the ancient Norse religion are combined with modern movements such as Wicca, Theosophy or other New Age philosophies. [134], A study by Ronald Hutton compared a number of different sources (including membership lists of major UK organizations, attendance at major events, subscriptions to magazines, etc.) [175], In areas such as the US Bible Belt, where conservative Christian dominance is strong, pagans have faced continued religious persecution. [][][], Heathenism, also known as Germanic neopaganism, refers to a series of contemporary pagan traditions based on the historical religions, culture and literature of Germanic-speaking Europe. The decentralised nature of paganism and sheer number of solitary practitioners further complicates matters. [174], Some Christian authors have published books criticizing modern paganism, [35] while other Christian critics have equated paganism with Satanism, which is often portrayed as such in mainstream entertainment industry. Published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1902, the Native American activist and writer outlined her rejection of Christianity (referred to as "the new superstition") in favor of a harmony with nature embodied by the Great Spirit. [174] For instance, Strmiska highlighted instances in both the US and UK in which school teachers were fired when their employers discovered that they were pagan. [162] An issue of academic debate has been regarding the connection between these movements. [29] In 2015, Rountree opined that this lower case/upper case division was "now [the] convention" in pagan studies. Neo-druidism. EU-wide celebrations are indicated in bold. It's definitely not a Wiccan path, and because of the structure within the spirituality, it's not even something where you can swap out gods of other pantheons and insert the Roman deities. She furthermore argues that some of those dissatisfied pagans lashed out against academics as a result, particularly on the Internet. [78], Pagan ritual can take place in both a public and private setting. With the growth and spread of large, pagan gatherings and festivals in the 1980s, public varieties of Wicca continued to further diversify into additional, eclectic sub-denominations, often heavily influenced by the New Age and counter-culture movements. As neopaganism is not a unified religion, it means that the criticisms of certain groups often do not apply to other groups. [144] They have also been supported by Pagan studies scholar Graham Harvey. Some academics who study the phenomenon treat it as a movement that is divided into different religions while others characterize it as a single religion of which different pagan faiths are denominations. A neopagans movement drawing from various syncretic practices that had survived among the Christianised Mari people was initiated in 1990,[133] and was estimated in 2004 to have won the adherence of 2% of the Mordvin people. The approach to paganism varied during this period; Friedrich Schiller's 1788 poem "Die Gtter Griechenlandes" presents ancient Greek religion as a powerful alternative to Christianity, whereas others took interest in paganism through the concept of the noble savage, often associated with Jean-Jacques Rousseau.[89]. [157][158][159], Trans exclusion can also be found in Alexandrian Wicca, whose founder views trans individuals as melancholy people who should seek other beliefs due to the Alexandrian focus on heterosexual reproduction and duality. Adonism largely died out in the 1930s, but remained an influence on the German occult scene. [1] Similarly, Strmiska stresses that modern paganism should not be conflated with the belief systems of the world's Indigenous peoples because the latter lived under colonialism and its legacy, and that while some pagan worldviews bear similarities to those of indigenous communities, they stem from "different cultural, linguistic, and historical backgrounds". [86] English esotericist Gerald Gardner was at the forefront of the burgeoning Wiccan movement. Because of these different approaches there is disagreement on when or if the term pagan should be capitalized, though specialists in the field of pagan studies tend towards capitalisation.[4]. Modern Paganism, also known as Contemporary Paganism and Neopaganism, is a collective term for new religious movements influenced by or derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe, North Africa and the Near East. [154] Margot Adler noted groups whose practices focused on male homosexuality, such as Eddie Buczynski's Minoan Brotherhood, a Wiccan sect that combines the iconography from ancient Minoan religion with a Wiccan theology and an emphasis on men who love men, and the eclectic pagan group known as the Radical Faeries. [16] They noted that in these latter regions, pagan groups placed an emphasis on "the centrality of the nation, the ethnic group, or the tribe". [14] Rountree wrote that it was wrong to assume that "expressions of Paganism can be categorized straight-forwardly according to region", but acknowledged that some regional trends were visible, such as the impact of Catholicism on paganism in Southern Europe. Numerous pagan groups primarily Wiccan and Druidic exist in Ireland though none is officially recognised by the Government. [4], Various pagans who are active in pagan studies, such as Michael York and Prudence Jones, have argued that, due to similarities in their worldviews, the modern pagan movement can be treated as part of the same global phenomenon as pre-Christian Ancient religions, living Indigenous religions, and world religions like Hinduism, Shinto, and Afro-American religions. [50] While Wicca is identified as an eclectic form of paganism,[51] Strmiska also notes that some Wiccans have moved in a more reconstructionist direction by focusing on a particular ethnic and cultural link, thus developing such variants as Norse Wicca and Celtic Wicca. Part of the reason Theodosius declared his son Western Emperor while Eugenius was still on the throne was because he was distressed by this pagan revival. One reason was increased contacts with areas outside of Europe, which happened through trade, Christian mission and colonization. Some modern forms of Paganism have their roots in 19th century C.E. In Iceland, the satrarflagi, or sir faith, represents the contemporary continuation of Norse paganism. Conversation With A European Pagan: Resurgence of European Paganism 32,796 views Premiered Jan 26, 2019 2.2K Dislike Share Save The Sham Sharma Show 741K subscribers Survive the Jive is a channel. One such. [4] Among the critics of the upper-case P are York and Andras Corban-Arthen, president of the ECER. Having suffered years of oppression through Soviet secularism and facing an ongoing threat from the current government, the Mari people are unique and strong. Pagan beliefs have survived alongside Christianity. Polytheism, animism, and pantheism are common features of pagan theology. Hanegraaff suggested that whereas various forms of contemporary paganism were not part of the New Age movement particularly those who pre-dated the movement other pagan religions and practices could be identified as New Age. [164] Ethan Doyle White stated that while the pagan and New Age movements "do share commonalities and overlap", they were nevertheless "largely distinct phenomena. This is due to Dianic belief in gender essentialism; according to founder Zsuzsanna Budapest, "you have to have sometimes [sic] in your life a womb, and ovaries and [menstruate] and not die". This estimate accounted for multiple membership overlaps as well as the number of adherents represented by each attendee of a pagan gathering. First, it can refer to a belief that everything in the universe is imbued with a life force or spiritual energy. These conflicts sometimes. The Australian academic and practising pagan Caroline Jane Tully argues that many pagans can react negatively to new scholarship regarding historical pre-Christian societies, believing that it is a threat to the structure of their beliefs and to their "sense of identity". [176], The earliest academic studies of contemporary paganism were published in the late 1970s and 1980s by scholars like Margot Adler, Marcello Truzzi and Tanya Luhrmann, although it would not be until the 1990s that the actual multidisciplinary academic field of pagan studies properly developed, pioneered by academics such as Graham Harvey and Chas S. Clifton. When the Roman Emperor Julian (Flavius Claudius Julianus) came to power, Christianity was less popular than polytheism, but when Julian, a pagan (in contemporary usage) known as "the Apostate," was killed in battle, it was the end of Roman official acceptance of polytheism. [52], Some pagans distinguish their beliefs and practices as a form of religious naturalism or naturalist philosophy,[53] including those who identify as humanistic or atheopagans. ", Religious studies scholar Sarah Pike. False. [] By the mid-1930s "neopagan" was being applied to new religious movements like Jakob Wilhelm Hauer's German Faith Movement and Jan Stachniuk's Polish Zadruga, usually by outsiders and often pejoratively. As this secret wisdom can almost always be traced to recent sources, tellers of these stories have often later admitted they made them up. [3] Scholars of religion may characterise these traditions as new religious movements. [21] Alternately, many practitioners in these regions view "Native Faith" as a category within modern paganism that does not encompass all pagan religions. [] This is more than many well known traditions such as Rastafarian, Bah and Zoroastrian groups, but fewer than the big six of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism. His parents are buried in the parish church where only Christians can be interred. Eastern European area, 2011 Census, Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales, "2011 Census QuickStats: All people usual residents", Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, "QuickStats About New Zealand's Population and Dwellings", Castro culture/Proto Gallaecian-Lusitanian, INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), Academic study of new religious movements, Religious discrimination against Neopagans, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Modern_paganism&oldid=1141001863, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing cleanup from November 2022, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from November 2022, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from November 2022, Articles containing Chuvash-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2013, Articles with incomplete citations from December 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Claimed to have completed some college or less, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 21:30. The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies paganism as an affiliation under which several sub-classifications may optionally be specified. European nationalism (including the British Order of Druids), but most . European. The Pew Research Center(PRC) has as one of its core areas of interest, "Religion and Public Life." It provides extensive reportage on this decline in Christian identity. [82], The belief in magical rituals and spells is held by a "significant number" of contemporary pagans. "[72], Another pivotal belief in the contemporary pagan movement is that of animism. Hellenic, Roman, Kemetic, Celtic, Germanic, Guanche, Baltic and Slavic reconstructionists aim to preserve and revive the practices and beliefs of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, the Celts, the Germanic peoples, the Guanche people, the Balts and the Slavs, respectively. Inclusive of or specific to LGBT people have developed argues that these two poles could termed. 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