Misconceptions/ questions about Paganism (priest, beliefs, Jehovah, hell, pagans)

[Feathers in Hair]

Hello, all! Due to some other threads about similar topics, I thought I'd open one here. So... to blatantly steal Maize's format - (hehee! )

What do we Pagans think are some common misconceptions about our faith? And how can we work to dispell those misunderstandings?

Secondly, I'd like to invite anyone who has a question about Paganism to ask it here and we will try to answer it for you. (I'm sure this goes without saying, but we welcome questions that help to further your understanding of our path and our understanding of others' beliefs about our path, rather than any attempt to win us over to another faith. )

To stop stealing from Maize a moment, here's another topic to add to the above; what do you wish more people knew about your path?

I'll start with a few of the most-heard misconceptions...

1. Pagans worship the Devil.
(No, we don't- or at least not all of us do. Many Pagans don't believe in the concept of one evil entity, and some simply don't believe in the concept of evil.)

2. Pagans make animal sacrifices.
(Actually, I'm pretty sure that this has been thrown aside as a misconception by almost all people. A great number of Pagans support animal rights, and have a tendancy to be vegetarian.)

[Mike182]

all pagans follow the wiccan rede - this is a misconception

"an harm ye non, do what ye will"

C_P

[Darkdale]

Originally Posted by corrupt_priest

all pagans follow the wiccan rede - this is a misconception

"an harm ye non, do what ye will"

C_P

It's almost impossible to say "all pagans" and follow it up with something true. It's hard enough to find three or four statements that would fit, "most pagans".

[Tez]

Not really a question but about a year ago I was looking after my moms house and a jehovah's whitness came to the door. So I decided to talk to him, we talked for a while about christanity etc... They he asked me what my belifes are so I told him I was pagan and the first thing that came out of his mouth was 'so you believe in the devil'. I couldn't help but smile and I said no, then he asked if that was a normal responce I got when telling people. So we carried on talking and I explained a bit about Paganism, it just felt good knowing that I had cleared up someone misconceptions if you get what i mean.

- Tez

[Feathers in Hair]

I do, Tez. It's always so nice when you can clear up something, especially if you can do it nicely. (As it sounds like your conversation was.)

That's very true, Darkdale. I was actually stumbling against that when writing the two misconceptions above. I found myself almost typing 'no Pagan worships Satan', and kept having to correct myself, since all of our beliefs are different.

[jonny]

Paganism is a religion I really have very little understanding about. Please forgive me if my ignorance becomes obvious in my questions.

Do Wiccans call themselves witches? Are all Pagans witches? Am I totally off base on this?

If Wiccans do consider themselves witches, what does this mean to them?

[Jaymes]

Hope it's okay for me to answer the questions, since I used to be pagan.

Some Wiccans call themselves witches, some don't. It's generally a personal preference, from what I've seen, since not all Wiccans do magic. All pagans aren't witches, but someone can be pagan and a witch.

There may be different definitions, but every time I've seen a Wiccan or pagan use 'witch' they mean that they use magic.

[Feathers in Hair]

Jensa answered it wonderfully. (Though I wanna answer, too, since I'm so happy someone came forward with a question!) As she said, not all Wiccans call themselves witches, nor are all Pagans witches. Calling yourself by the term usually denotes that one is "Crafty", that one enjoys working with the physical element of paganism. Usually, this means making use of herbs, minerals and (as Jensa mentioned) magic. For example, I'm not a Wiccan, but I refer to myself as a witch, because I do do these things.

[Shadow Wolf]

Do Wiccans call themselves witches? Are all Pagans witches? Am I totally off base on this?

I do not consider myself a witch, although some would call me that since I perform magick rituals.

I remember the similiar thread started by C1 had some odd ones, like saying that all Wiccans/Pagans have red hair. I am still wondering how that one came about.