This post is part of the March Synchroblog, in which each participant writes what they appreciate about another religion. I chose to write what I appreciate about Pagans.
Who are the Pagans?
Christians often refer to any non-religious person as a “pagan” or a “heathen.”
But did you know that there really is a “Pagan” religion? And no, they don’t worship the devil, cut themselves with knives, or sacrifice virgins in the woods. They do often worship out in nature, and tend to follow the ancient beliefs and practices of Nordic mythology. Don’t know what that is either? Think “Vikings.” They have various gods and goddesses, among which are Odin, Thor, and Freya. They use runes to help them make decisions and understand the times. Many of their stories can be found in The Poetic Edda.
If you have heard of Paganism in the news, it might be in connection with racism. It is true that some white supremacists call themselves “Pagans,” but most members of the Pagan religion denounce the beliefs and behaviors of this racist fringe, and have nothing to do with them. Just like certain radical, hate-filled, and violent people claim to be “Christian,” but have nothing to do with the teaching of Christ, so also, some racists claim to be Pagan but are not representative of the entire group.
Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, I have come to know many people who consider themselves “Pagan.” They are not atheist, godless people, but are quite devout, religious people. As I have had various conversations with them, I have come to respect many things about them and their religion, and believe that there is much that Christians can learn from Pagans. (If the truth be told, Christians have already borrowed a huge chunk of Pagan beliefs and practices. Most deny that this is so, but denying the truth doesn’t make the truth disappear. But this is a topic for another post.)
Here are three things Christians can learn from Pagans.
1. The Rede (or Rule) of Honor
Pagans have a great sense of honor. They understand the importance of honor, how to gain honor, and how to pass it on to their children. They have rules, or guidelines, about how to treat others with dignity and respect, and how to preserve freedom so that all can live a joyful, productive, and vigorous life.
I believe that there is very little honor left in many forms of Christianity. To a large degree, Christianity has become a materialistic, consumeristic religion, which values money, wealth, possessions, power, and position above honor.
2. Many people connect with God in Nature
I love nature. I love being in nature. I have always felt closer to God when I am in nature. I can pray better, think better, and listen better when I hear the wind in the trees, the bubbling of the brook, and the call of the squirrels to one another in the branches.
I so wish that Christians would feel the freedom to get out of their stained-glass sanctuaries with professional choirs and padded pews, and get into the wild of nature where God builds His own stained-sunset sanctuary every night, orchestrates his own music, and pads his fallen logs with moss and the ground with pine needles.
Why is a man-made building an “approved” meeting place for Christians, but the God-made house of nature not? Why is the music of man to God considered worship, but not the music of a bird welcoming the morning or the sound of snow falling in the woods?
I think many in Christianity would greatly benefit from a move into the woods. Not so that we can destroy the peace of nature by singing our songs and listening to sermons there (God forbid!), but so that we can listen to the songs already being sung, and see the sermons already being preached. Yes, see. I never go into nature without seeing sermons everywhere I look.
3. No required or mandatory services.
While many Pagans have certain prayers they say or practices they observe on a regular basis, there is no hierarchy of priests and pastors who tell everybody else “This is the right way. Do it this way, or else.” There is great flexibility and freedom for each person or group to believe and practice how they feel best.
This sounds scary to most Christians, because if we just let everyone do what they want and believe what they want, won’t people believe and practice all sorts of crazy, heretical, outlandish things?
Yes, they will. And how does that differ from the way things already are? The way things are (and have always been), Christians believe and practice all sorts of crazy, heretical, outlandish things, but people feel like it’s “okay” because they have priests, clergy, and seminary-trained pastors who teach them to believe and do these things.
Nevertheless, one group argues with and condemns another group. They point fingers at each other, call each other nasty names, and condemn each other to hell. (Which is one of the beliefs we borrowed from paganism, by the way. They call it Hel. I find it SO ironic that the same Christians who condemn Christmas and Easter as being “pagan” religions, condemn to hell anybody who observes these holidays, when most Christian beliefs about “hell” are also borrowed from paganism!)
When one Pagan encounters another Pagan who believes and practices Paganism differently, they might argue a bit about these things, but in the end, they both just shrug their shoulders and decide to “live and let live.” I love this, and am trying to follow Jesus this way in my own life as well. Just as I believe Jesus is leading me to live a certain way, I trust that He is able to lead and guide others also, and I have to believe that He may lead them in a completely different direction than He is leading me.
Do you have any “Pagan” friends? Have you ever encountered people who are part of the “Pagan” religion? Let me know through Facebook or Twitter by sharing this post below.
Here is a list of the other participants in this month’s synchroblog:
- Mark Votava – How Christianity Can Learn from Buddhism
- Justine Steckbauer – Christianity and Other Religions: Many roads or exclusive path?
- Glenn Hager – The Thing About Labels
- Clara Ogwuazor-Mbamalu – What I Appreciate about Islam
- Bram Bonius – What can Christians learn from neo-pagans and ‘magickal’ traditions?
- Mictori – Buddhism Reshaped my Easter
- Pastor FedEx – 3 Things Christians Learn from Other Religions
- Leah Sophia – Land, Sun, Community, Crops
- Kathy Escobar – Why I Love Interfaith Conversations
Really? Many things Christians can learn from Pagans?????
Yes! In fact, much of Christian practice already comes from pagans, so we must either own up to it or jettison it…
Not for this bucko…..the ‘christian’ world is overcome with Pagan practices…..run, Forest, run!
Bucko lol , so in your terms run for the hills is Im actually afraid,you don’t know what the hell a Pagan is but you’re running but BC a guy told you to read a book you would bet everything that Jesus is real , so would thousands say of Jim Jones 30 yrs ago
Ok. So you choose to try to jettison all “pagan” practices which the church has adopted? How far are you willing to go on that?
Jeremy, we have to look at functinon here. What function do our current “Christian” pratices serve (it’d help to list a few for those who don’t know what you’re getting at)? The fact that a certain practice may have a pagan origin is not an endorsement of that pagan belief system. Assimilation was simiply a part of a lot of conversions in the ancient world as far back as 4AD and simply got reinforced during middle ages.
How about reading “Pagan Christianity” Frank Viola & G. Barna … this book provides a well researched history on how much pagan practice applies to current church practice. But don’t stop there! Go on to read Reimagining Church by Viola to have a clear understanding of what you’re defending & what church could really be. Just sayin’ 😉
Paganism in a nutshell, is the deification of the creaTION ( Nature worship). It is idolotry. Nothing more, nothing less. The worship of the Sun, the Moon, The Stars, the Rocks, Trees, Rovers and Mountains. Where’s the TRUTH OR the FUN in all of that?
You are misguided Paganism is many religions, I’ve never heard of rock worshipping but seriously these religions were here waaaay b4 anything,atrocities of the Christian Church start with that
Isnt that the other way around? The earth is what created us, isnt worshipping a god that is not nature idolatry? And also, worship shouldn’t be just about FUN.
It depends which “Christianity” we are talking about. Catholicism does saturate itself with paganism ( actually Catholicism is paganism with a Christian “mask” and has much in common with mystery religions, Mother Goddess worship, and “spirits” ( Saints), but this has NOTHING to do with Christ, His teachings, or the Apostles. No. There is nothing GOD can learn from cults of people that worship a “rock” or “tree”. That’s a bit ridiculous.
How does “Sun Worship” honor God exactly, or the worship of the Phallus and Womb ? ( The Mysteries)?
“Rivers” not ROVERS. Sorry. To my knowledge we don’t worship “Mars Rovers”, although men HAVE worshiped MARS ( the planet,/god of war/Aries), and it would not be the first time men have worshipped that which they have made with their own hands. . .
This article is both stupid and SHALLOW. Sorry.
Thor is a god of lightening ( Hammer/Thunderbolt) he was called TESHUB in the Hittite, Zeus, in Greek, Jupiter in Rome, Indra in the Hindu, and in the Bible he is called BAAL ( derived from Bel/Marduk). The Biblical God is not friend of BAAL. Read it again, please.
Wrong Baal is not ….my husband is a professed Odinist I am…what I am I hate the terms and shit , a witch I say that proud and humbly with honor BC I am ashamed of the so called goth chicks that make false claims you are or your not as in odinism ,now the All Father to me was God in their religion Baal is a nasty and dangerous evil nonhuman entity if Im wrong will you please show me your source, are you Wodenist or Odinist
Wow. Some people are really late to the party! Again, read Pagan Christianity and start to wake up.
These ideas also exist in scripture but are often ignored or glossed over.
All the way Jeremy…..we were always meant to follow Jesus….going to church to be ‘paganized’ was never what He taught.
This article is TERRIBLE. Look how many times the author uses “I believe that X, Y, and Z” and Christians are just so, this, this, and that.” This is hardly scholarship. There is only ONE TRUE GOD in the Hebrew Tradition. Pagan “gods” ( deified and often anthropomorphized elementals) are condemned and the worship thereof. Look at the “Queen of Heaven” and “Baal”, the condemnations of gods who are “deaf and vain” ( can the Mountain hear your cries?). I “read the article again”. It just seems to get stupider each time. Thor is Zeus, is Teshub, is Baal. Surya, is Ra, is Helios, the feminine the “Amaterasu”, but they are nothing more than anthropomorphized deified versions of the SUN, with MAN superimposing his own IMAGE upon them. That’s not “Christian” at all to worship the Three Phases of the MOON.
There is a VERSION of Christianity that is “paganized”, yes. That is GNOSTIC “Christianity”, but not the BIBLICAL Jesus.
In fact, I would argue that it is “another” Christ, or rather “anti-Christ” ( meaning an alternate “Christi”).
Jesus is GOD THE CREATOR, not some “man-made nature spirit”. God the Father is NECESSARY, whilst Nature ITSELF, is contingent. . .
xD man made nature spirit. That’s an oxymoron.
Yule, ( Christmas) and Ostara ( Easter), are 2 of 8 “Holidays” found on a witches calendar, this is undeniable. Eggs are symbols of “The Universe and the Great World Serpent” ( i.e. the Goddess), and Rab bits are fertility symbols. The Christmas TREE is phallic, and silver and gold, represent the sun and moon. . . . and HOW exactly does this correlate with JESUS again? Granted the WEST has adapted these holidays, and superimposed a “Christian” face on them ” supposedly”, but to try to synthesize CHRIST with the pagan spirits, gods, and idols, and endorse pagnISM, is outright Blasphemy. . .
Right on I just posted , I said do you give your child chocolate zombie Jesus’s or bunnies , the exchanging of rings and vows no body listened but fuck it , I still want to make chocozombie Jesus on Ostara?
I HATE “Churchianity”
I wasn’t sure if I was remembering correctly, so I looked it up. The word ‘Pagan’ (which can translate as ‘common’ or ‘provincial’) was originally used (in the religious sense) to refer to the practices of peasents or commoners that were not supported by the early catholic church.
So anyone else that wasnt a catholic was a pagan that covers about everyone by that description.brentnz
@Matthew. That could be true. Chances are, the old pagans would not have SEEN themselves as “pagan”. That term is way too vague. They would have had their own names, in their own cultures, of their own gods, and their own practices.
But yet worship of Nature, seems to be global. . .
Yuri, You are right that we need to look at function. Function is very important when it comes to practice. My argument is basically identical. Why refuse to use something simply because “Pagans do it.” If an activity is not evil, but Pagans do it, why cannot Christians incorporate it also?
Simon, whew! Lots of comments there. Thanks. As I have many “Pagan” friends, I am aware of almost everything you talked about. I am not sure how the “Churchianity” comment fit in there though.
Shirl and Steven, I have read Pagan Christianity. I was aware of most of the backgrounds before I read that great book, but I ended up disagreeing with the conclusion…
Trevor, Going all the way is impossible… just one simple example … take the days of the week. Sunday is “the Sun’s Day.” Monday is “the Moon’s Day.” Tuesday is “Tyr’s day” (a Pagan deity). Wednesday is “Wodun’s Day” (a Pagan deity). Thursday is “Thor’s Day” (a Pagan deity). Friday is “Fry’s Day” (A pagan deity). Saturday is “Saturn’s Day” (a pagan deity). If you live in this world and use the names of the days of the week like everyone else, you are using pagan traditions and customs. I could go through Simon’s excellent list of pagan traditions to show how all these things can be redeemed by Jesus Christ.
Matthew, you are right. In fact, a synonym for “pagan” is “heathen.” It means “of or from the heath.” It refers to people who live out in the fields.
Jeremy – the conclusion to the book Pagan Christianity is the companion book Reimagining Church.
Is that the book you’re referring to? Just asking so I know we’re on the same page.
Shirl, I have read both books, but no, I wasn’t referring to Reimagining Church. I meant logical conclusion. Maybe “conclusion” was the wrong word. The logic seems to be this: “Pagan=bad. Therefore, get rid of it.” In my reading of Scripture, I see that God in Jesus Christ redeems all things ungodly, including humans, creation, holidays, cultures, etc. So for me, the biblical logic is “Pagan=bad. Therefore, redeem it.”
Thanks for the response and explanation Jeremy
Yes. Let’s “worship the Sun and the Penis for Jesus”. Redeeming paganism. Perfect! (y)
What you are attempting to do here, I am afraid, is exactly what the Israelite s did at the foot of Sinai. Try to find away to synthesize the Apis Bull ( Golden Calf, symbol of pagan fertility, complete with Sun Disc/sun worship, Curved Horns/ Crescent Moon worship, and serpent motif ( Ureus). We saw how much God approved of this “pagan/Hebrew” synthesis. It didn’t work THEN, and it isn’t going to work NOW.
Or so it seems. . . We have nothing in common with paganism , if our Theology is to be a good one.
Simon, you are reading a lot of bad theology into what I am proposing. I have never said anything of the sort about what you are accusing me of. It would be wise (and Christian) of you to try to understand what I am saying before condemning me for something I do not believe and have never said.
If I have misunderstood you, that you have my apologies. However, let’s face it. We live in an age of New Age Occult Homosexual “Christianity” , so what is it exactly that you are trying to say that I am misunderstanding. What is it about PAGANISM that you find so “appealing”? What doe the trees, and mountains and “spirits” have to offer Mankind, that God Himself has not provided or CANNOT provide. Enlighten me, please. I am trying to understand where you are coming from, but I just don’t get it. You are aware , that the pagan cults are born of “the mysteries” yes?
Please don’t listen to this guy Druids so look up Celtic sects , n e hasn’t a. Clue
I am not trying to condemn anyone. But If God says to have NO OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM, I think it would be wise, ( and Christian) of YOU, to heed that advice.
Well, I’m not a Christian so your God and your bible have no meaning to me. You have your path, I have mine. We are both wrong and right at the same time.
and myself as well. . .
Simon, Jeremy is not trying to say that we should accept pagan ‘religious’ beliefs. Only some of thier (non-religious) customs or traditions.
Remember that the lightening bolt of Zeus, the Hammer of Thor, the Spear of Baal, the Trident of Poseidon/Shiva, and even the “horn” itself, ARE phallic in nature. ( hence my reference to the penis).
Oh no, penises are evil and of satan. *gasp*
@ Matthew, I suppose that is a topic of debate, depending on which traditions and how. If you are assuming that we can create libraries with ionic and Doric style columns, I take no issue with THAT per se. As far as Christmas and Easter, that is hotly debated amongst Christians. I personally do Christmas and Easter, but am WELL AWARE of why a Christian would NOT do so. it’s origins are in Solar Phallic traditions and Goddess Worship.
I think we can practice MEDICINE, but not SORCERY. . .
And I agree with you, Jeremy, that we don’t necessarily have to change the names of the week or planets. That’s just an historical “stick” in Western Civilization, I get that. But we have nothing in COMMON spiritually , as believers, with Nature worship. That is an affront to the Great Creator God
I refer to ideas such as honor, appreciation of nature (we are supposed to be good stewards), and non-mandatory activities. Just as Jeremy wrote.
Simon, I think Matthew understands where I am coming from. I don’t worship the trees and the mountains (Pagans didn’t either, by the way), but I can worship God when I am among the trees and the mountains and cry (along with the Psalmist and Paul) that creation declares the glory of God.
Good article, Jeremy, though it seems that a good number of folks have mis-construed what you’re saying.
Love this post. I am working on a small documentary taking a look into neo-paganism and the Druid lifestyle. I was wondering if you could help me out. (I reached out via Twitter)
I want to explore the views that Druids have on other religions and the methodology that these people have in their daily lives to. I’m also trying to focus on the mental/phycological aspects of neo-paganism in general.
Do you have any information that would help with this or any advice on where we should look/who we should contact.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Sam Camilleri.
I look foward to hearing from you
Hi Sam,
You could probably start with the Sacred Well Congregation. They might have some good contacts. Most of them are “Wiccan” I think, but they might have connections with Druids.
And you call yourself a Christian ….
Thank you hon.
Blessed be.
Jeremy i agree with what you have written many of the traditions in the church have come from pagan beliefs.I thought some of the comments were judgemental of others especially towards those who are pagan.There response was respectful we can learn alot about having a good attitude towards others and responding to others kindly.I think using scripture in a legalistic way is no different than what the pharisees did to Jesus in his day and he disarmed them by rebuking them saying you without sin cast the first stone.regards brentnz
This article is amazing and I am very excited to have read it. My feelings exacty about everything you said in fact the same can almost be said about other religions and even atheist are groups that Christians can learn from. I actually have a pagan friend/co-worker whom i met a year ago and i learned so much from her and also have spoken to many atheist and learned so much from them as well.