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Are there any non-theistic Pagans here?
- Thread starter treefrog
- Start date
Child of Stardust
Member
Paganism is so diverse I'm sure there are some who don't. But there is less of a need for such a movement in Paganism. Most Pagans (in my experience...if I'm wrong please correct me) I know tend to take a more metaphorical approach to deities (but of course, some Pagans do literally believe in them). Not to say they don't exist, just not in a literal way, like many of the ancients would have believed. They tend to be conceptualized (more or less) as energetic manifestations of (or related to) certain natural forces/concepts. Archetypes or distillations as experienced by a person or people. The "spirit" (word used metaphorically) of a thing if you will. To be an atheist pagan is more or less to choose not to channel those archetypes in your rituals. Is that what you mean? In terms of symbolism at least, gods are are a central part of most pagans' religion (as far as I know, if I'm wrong please correct me).
I think (at least this is true for my spiritual path in particular, though I'm not Pagan...leaning somewhat in that direction though) for many pagans it isn't so much belief in a literal, scientific sense that matters. There is a kind of a thirst, a hunger for living out ones religious impulses, which I believe have origins in biology. It's about the experience of religion, the symbolic meaning (and for me, as a "mystic", direct contact with the divine, or Holy Spirit as I call it, whether that is "real" scientifically or not). Our ancestors may have literally believed in these things. Science today makes it hard to accept some of these teachings...but only in an objective sense. The mind is more real, in some ways. (Everything is perceived in a simulation.) The drive is still there, so I think there is spiritual meaning in it, a "truth" beyond fact, if you will. From that perspective, it isn't really problematic to say gods exist, and to say so might make your religious experience more powerful. Pagans tend not to believe in gods, say, in the way that Muslims believe in God/Allah.
I think (at least this is true for my spiritual path in particular, though I'm not Pagan...leaning somewhat in that direction though) for many pagans it isn't so much belief in a literal, scientific sense that matters. There is a kind of a thirst, a hunger for living out ones religious impulses, which I believe have origins in biology. It's about the experience of religion, the symbolic meaning (and for me, as a "mystic", direct contact with the divine, or Holy Spirit as I call it, whether that is "real" scientifically or not). Our ancestors may have literally believed in these things. Science today makes it hard to accept some of these teachings...but only in an objective sense. The mind is more real, in some ways. (Everything is perceived in a simulation.) The drive is still there, so I think there is spiritual meaning in it, a "truth" beyond fact, if you will. From that perspective, it isn't really problematic to say gods exist, and to say so might make your religious experience more powerful. Pagans tend not to believe in gods, say, in the way that Muslims believe in God/Allah.
Vultar
Active Member
The UBB does not have any deities. It is based on the original form of druidism that is based in science and reality. Any rituals actually have a specific purpose that is actually different from what a spectator of such ritual would perceive. This is one reason that the "revivalist druids" act like bark eating tree huggers as this is what the roman historians saw. They just did not understand the purpose behind such rituals.
The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Yes, summoning deities in ritual is great for both nontheists and theists - I prefer summoning Gaia, nature as a whole, the pantheistic god (closer to the Gaianism god actually) and refer to the Gaianism's Gaia as the Wicca's mother goddess, and the entire sky as the Wicca's father god.
I do not celebrate Pagan traditional celebrations, and do not plan to.
I love practicing Pagan traditions such as dance ritual, absorbing nature (which is practically just an outdoor pantheistic meditation), and after having community service, I learned that picking up trash found in areas of fully grass, trees, etc. make me feel closer to nature in a pantheistic way, not just a lawful way, so I do consider going on hikes and revering nature a Pagan practice that I occasionally do.
I do not celebrate Pagan traditional celebrations, and do not plan to.
I love practicing Pagan traditions such as dance ritual, absorbing nature (which is practically just an outdoor pantheistic meditation), and after having community service, I learned that picking up trash found in areas of fully grass, trees, etc. make me feel closer to nature in a pantheistic way, not just a lawful way, so I do consider going on hikes and revering nature a Pagan practice that I occasionally do.
no my practice is very animistic. though from time to time ill use deities and the selection pool is vast but rather limited. From Alah to inanana to ogham as a pagan on Reverence of nature, earth, universe. Appreciation. A paradigm for my magic as a chaote.
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The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Sounds paganistic to me : D
The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
It was meant to be a joke-ish sentence.
I just added it to my computers dictionary. So.its an offical word now. Coined by our friend