What Is the Meaning of the Word Paganism?
"Paganism" as a religious concept is mostly defined by its relationship to conventional religious outlooks, primarily Christian. Historically the word "pagan" is pejorative, as it denotes a religious viewpoint of lesser or misguided value, chiefly because it is out of the mainstream of religions which are of the Abrahamic tradition--Judaism, Christianity and Islam. However,"paganism" is not a belief system in of itself; rather it is a category (albeit uncomplimentary) of specifically non-Abrahamic belief systems.
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Etymology
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The word "pagan" is derived from the latin "paganus", meaning "country dweller." Other possible roots have a distinct cultural context: Early Christians in the Roman Empire referred to themselves as "miles Christi" or "Christ's soldiers." Non-Christians were known as "pagani" or "non-soldiers" to identify non-Christians. "Pagani" could also have been used to characterize non-Christian country dwellers, as early Christianity found more converts in the cities, and inhabitants of the countryside still clung to the older Roman pantheon of gods. Because of the exclusionary nature of its origin, the word "pagan" still connotes a higher degree of deviation from mainstream religious beliefs.
Religions
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In an historical context, Paganism denotes a category of religious beliefs, rather than a monotheistic religious stream. Once Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century A.D., Paganism as a category was increasingly used to denote followers of the Greco-Roman religions. In the Middle Ages non-Christians were described as "pagans." Alternative religions to Christianity still existed, although in decreasing numbers of followers. These were primarily sects of pre-Christian belief systems such as fertility-worship, Germanic Odin veneration, Druidism and shamanism."Paganism" in a modern context now sometimes includes Eastern Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. However, the term itself is still felt to be derogatory, and seldom used.
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Persecution
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In Europe, pagans were a category of non-Christians who still adhered to older polytheistic belief systems and were therefore subject to persecution by the Church. Paganism during the Middle Ages assumed a context of devil worship, either through deliberate misinformation or by fundamental misunderstandings of non-Christian beliefs. With the declining powers of Christian authorities, persecution against non-Christians lessened. By the 19th century with the Romantic movement, the concept of paganism (chiefly pre-Christian polytheism) found cultural and social favor as an alternative to Christian ideals in European society.
Revival
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In the 19th century Wicca underwent a revival in Europe. This was due to a number of factors, mainly historical revisionism that maintains traditional Wicca had less to do with witchcraft and more to do with pre-Christian fertility and goddess worship. Neo-Paganism has arisen in modern times as a reconstruction of belief systems that predate Christianity, such as Wicca, Druidism, and the Greek Pantheon. Many followers of these revived religions actively refer to themselves as "pagans", with none of the pejorative connotations which the word historically has had.
Attitudes
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Many countries in the West have laws which guarantee religious liberty. In that respect adherents to any paganistic religious views are able to practice their beliefs. Social attitudes however, may differ, especially in countries of a predominant religious faith. Paganism's official recognition in the form of national observances have yet to make headway amongst many countries in the West. In the East with a preponderance of religious faiths, identifying "paganism" is more difficult as countries like India have a multitude of religions and polytheistic practices.
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References
Resources
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