A Good Pagan

[The Hammer]

This being a religious discussion forum, it is not unheard of for discussions to boil down to be people discussing what it means to "be a good Christian", "a good Jew", or "a good Muslim".

These aren't bad discussions in and of themselves, either. Or unproductive ones. The answers tend to vary widely between particular faiths, and sometimes even intrafaith. Yet, one group tends to stay quiet or be oft naught discussed.

So, without further delay. What does being a good Pagan mean to you?

(I know this is a broad umbrella term, so to clarify, that's: Wiccans, witches, Druids, Heathens, Kemetic, and other followers of the Old Ways.)

I invite other faiths to also comment. If you do, do so respectfully; on what they think "a Good Pagan" means for them. (This is why it's in interfaith).

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

I invite other faiths to also comment. If you do, do so respectfully; on what they think "a Good Pagan" means for them.

Same thing as a "Good Samaritan" I guess.

 

[Heyo]

This being a religious discussion forum, it is not unheard of for discussions to boil down to be people discussing what it means to "be a good Christian", "a good Jew", or "a good Muslim".

These aren't bad discussions in and of themselves, either. Or unproductive ones. The answers tend to vary widely between particular faiths, and sometimes even intrafaith. Yet, one group tends to stay quiet or be oft naught discussed.

So, without further delay. What does being a good Pagan mean to you?

(I know this is a broad umbrella term, so to clarify, that's: Wiccans, witches, Druids, Heathens, Kemetic, and other followers of the Old Ways.)

I invite other faiths to also comment. If you do, do so respectfully; on what they think "a Good Pagan" means for them. (This is why it's in interfaith).

From my pov: the same things that make a "good person" (*).

From a more neutral pov: a pagan who is acting in accord with the tenets of their religion.

(*) Disclaimer: in moral philosophy there is no such thing as a "good person" or "bad person", only good/moral actions and bad/immoral actions. So "good person" here is short for someone consistently acting moral.

 

[Erebus]

This being a religious discussion forum, it is not unheard of for discussions to boil down to be people discussing what it means to "be a good Christian", "a good Jew", or "a good Muslim".

These aren't bad discussions in and of themselves, either. Or unproductive ones. The answers tend to vary widely between particular faiths, and sometimes even intrafaith. Yet, one group tends to stay quiet or be oft naught discussed.

So, without further delay. What does being a good Pagan mean to you?

(I know this is a broad umbrella term, so to clarify, that's: Wiccans, witches, Druids, Heathens, Kemetic, and other followers of the Old Ways.)

I invite other faiths to also comment. If you do, do so respectfully; on what they think "a Good Pagan" means for them. (This is why it's in interfaith).

One of the things I like about Paganism is the tendency to view individual interpretations as valid. I may disagree with those who believe in things like the threefold law or those who ignore the less savoury parts of nature but I don't think that makes them a "Bad Pagan." I also don't think that somebody who more closely mirrors my own beliefs and values is a "Good Pagan."


I suppose if I had to draw a distinction between "good" and "bad" Pagans, I would ask whether or not somebody's Paganism is little more than a way to justify bigotry. The Neo-Nazi fringe of Norse Paganism spring to mind here.

 

[VoidCat]

What does being a good Pagan mean to you?

I can see why we don't typically say what is a good pagan. We are such a diverse group and i never think in terms of good or bad pagan. I do think a neonazi who is using paganism to justify hate would be a bad pagan. Aside from that i can't think of what a good pagan is cuz i dont like that wording. Implies there's a right way and a wrong way to be a pagan and we are so diverse it's hard to tell what is a right way or what is a wrong way of being a pagan. And I don't think there is aside from being hateful and full of malice a wrong way of being a pagan.

 

[The Hammer]

Same thing as a "Good Samaritan" I guess.

What does that story mean to you, refresh my memory.

 

[The Hammer]

I can see why we don't typically say what is a good pagan. We are such a diverse group and i never think in terms of good or bad pagan. I do think a neonazi who is using paganism to justify hate would be a bad pagan. Aside from that i can't think of what a good pagan is cuz i dont like that wording. Implies there's a right way and a wrong way to be a pagan and we are so diverse it's hard to tell what is a right way or what is a wrong way of being a pagan. And I don't think there is aside from being hateful and full of malice a wrong way of being a pagan.

Good and Bad may not be the best way to phrase it. And to get to the heart of the matter, I guess I was wondering what people considered their core Beliefs in regards to their pagan Path. What is it that actually connects what they do to that of the big umbrella term "Pagan".

@Erebus , although good point in regards to ignoring some fringe elements.

 

[The Hammer]

I wanted to ask this question because you can learn a lot about a person's Philisophical outlook, based on what "good" means in their various take on their religion.

 

[Aštra’el]

Some things, I have come to expect. Common patterns, such as... an innate and deep resonance with nature, or specific elements of it. Numinous thoughts and experiences during the Solstices and Equinoxes, and their midpoints, and at many points throughout their own personal journey. Rituals and traditions derived mostly from personal experience and preference. Freedom to create, develop, and evolve spiritually. Worship of ancient gods and goddesses… and direct relationships with those gods- in whatever way they are perceived- without the need of middlemen.

How saintly or hateful a person might be, has nothing- nothing at all- to do with whether or not I would consider them a “legitimate pagan”. I would encourage them to do what they will regardless of who accepts them and who doesn’t. They do not require my approval, or yours, or anyone’s. Their path is their own.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

What does that story mean to you, refresh my memory.

You do know the expression, right?
It means someone who is helpful and charitable.

The biblical parable the expression is based on was about a man who was beaten, robbed and left for dead.
First a Jewish priest and a Levite came by, but pretended they haven't noticed the man.
Then a third man came by, a Samaritan, and he chose to help the man and take care of him until his health was restored.


The parable means to me, that there are people who supposedly know God and yet can still be cold and selfish, and that there are people who are supposedly estranged from Him and yet are more righteous than the other group.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

This being a religious discussion forum, it is not unheard of for discussions to boil down to be people discussing what it means to "be a good Christian", "a good Jew", or "a good Muslim".

These aren't bad discussions in and of themselves, either. Or unproductive ones. The answers tend to vary widely between particular faiths, and sometimes even intrafaith. Yet, one group tends to stay quiet or be oft naught discussed.

So, without further delay. What does being a good Pagan mean to you?

(I know this is a broad umbrella term, so to clarify, that's: Wiccans, witches, Druids, Heathens, Kemetic, and other followers of the Old Ways.)

I invite other faiths to also comment. If you do, do so respectfully; on what they think "a Good Pagan" means for them. (This is why it's in interfaith).

I won't speak for other religions, but being a good Jew means you live an ethical life, that you are kind, that you love God and love your neighbor. More often than not this means you aspire to keep the 613 laws. Rabbi Hillel once told a convert, "What is hateful to you, do not do to others. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Now go study the commentary."

 

[Left Coast]

This being a religious discussion forum, it is not unheard of for discussions to boil down to be people discussing what it means to "be a good Christian", "a good Jew", or "a good Muslim".

These aren't bad discussions in and of themselves, either. Or unproductive ones. The answers tend to vary widely between particular faiths, and sometimes even intrafaith. Yet, one group tends to stay quiet or be oft naught discussed.

So, without further delay. What does being a good Pagan mean to you?

(I know this is a broad umbrella term, so to clarify, that's: Wiccans, witches, Druids, Heathens, Kemetic, and other followers of the Old Ways.)

I invite other faiths to also comment. If you do, do so respectfully; on what they think "a Good Pagan" means for them. (This is why it's in interfaith).

I imagine a good Pagan as one who acts with kindness and compassion toward her fellow humans and reveres and protects Mother Nature.

 

[Quintessence]

A good Pagan...

... capitalizes the word Pagan when talking about their religious demographic, something that is frequently and unfortunately gaffed by mainstream culture.

Yup. That's gonna be my first post in the forums after taking a long hiatus.

Okay, okay, we'll put in a bit more effort. A good Pagan...

• ... does a lot of research. Pagan traditions don't proselytize, and while there's a lot more literature and resources now than there were decades ago, it is still largely a build-your-own path that requires you to do a lot of the legwork. You can't get away with not doing a lot of research. We just don't have the institutional structures to get away with religious idleness or handholding.
• ... isn't fussed by theological conundrums. By that I suppose I mean a couple of things. First, that a lot of theological "gotcha!" nonsense used by atheists to "disprove" theism (e.g., problem of evil) applies poorly if at all to Pagan theologies. Second, that what one believes about the gods is of secondary importance to practice anyway, leading to a lot of theological diversity and flexible ways of approaching the sacred.
• ... is almost inevitably countercultural. Historically, Paganism has deep roots in movements that buck the mainstream trends and it still tends to go against the grain today. As a whole, Pagans do their own thing, reject widespread cultural assumptions, and foster multiculturalism and diversity in the process. The Pagan movement itself is a fragmented mess that testifies to this diversity.

There's inevitably more things that could be said, particularly about specific paths (my own list of what it means to be a good whatever-my-tradition-is-called-today would have a lot of very specific things on it).