What is a Pagan?
Unlike many other religions, there is little in the way of a shared doctrine among Pagans. This makes it somewhat difficult to pin down precisely what makes one a Pagan. For the most Pagans, simply calling oneself Pagan is sufficient. The word itself derives from the Latin word for "country dweller", as countryfolk were the last to give up their old beliefs and traditions and convert to Christianity during the conquest of Europe. Pagan or neopagan beliefs are known today by many names: Wicca, neo-Shamanism, neo-Druidism, Asatru, neo-Native American, Church of All Worlds, Discordianism, Sabaean Religious Order, Radical Faeries, and Hedonism, just to name a few. As diverse in beliefs and practices as they are, there are some common threads among Pagans. Pagans often embrace the old gods and goddesses and see facets of the divine in the mysteries of the universe. Pagans often have a deep reverence for nature, for the mystical nature of the self, and for inborn intuition. Even so, many people consider Pagans evil. But...
"We are not evil. We don't
harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. Weare ordinary people like you.
We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion
is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from lookingat T.V. We are real.
We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to
be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert
us. Just give us the same right we give you -- to live in peace. We are much
more similar to you than you think."
-- Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon, p.453.