I've started hearing a lot of things of how christianity and paganism are so conflicting, I started a book on the subject as well. Is this such a huge thing, or something small people have blown up..are christians and paganist really in such conlict, and..why?
Because Christians believe the only way salvation can be attained is the explicit belief that Jesus Christ is in fact God.
Although we do believe in the Trinity (Father, Son, and HOly SPirit are one)... The only way salvation can be attained is accepting that we're sinners and recieving the free gift of God's ultimate sacrifice for our sins by sending Jesus to die for us. Salvation through Christ. Not through beliving Jesus is GOd.
I think it is more of a past conflict then a present one...but remember, "Pagan" is just a general term, basically the christian term for "anything that isn't christian." Pagans in history didn't all follow one set of beliefs, but rather there were all kinds of beliefs and traditions and religions that kinda got meshed up that way in the history books. Read the history books in 500-1000 years and if it is still a christian dominated society you will likely see today's atheists and agnostics and many others grouped under pagan as well. So in that sense yes, there is still a conflict between christian and pagan.
I agree with Sera Michele. This conflict has got a lot to do with History... You can't erase the past. But I think nowadays, and specially in what matters our society, the conflict between Pagans and Christians exists mainly because people are still arrogant enough to say they own the truth. Broadminded people don't argue because one believes in God and the other worships the Godess. Broadminded people accept and respect any kind of religion or faith, since it's not causing any kind of harm.
Listen, read the OT of the Bible. It's a power struggle between the worshippers of the God and the Goddess, who was called Asherah and who was worshipped in groves (agriculture). Hence in Genesis "let US make him in OUR own image, MALE and FEMALE created HE them" - over time the Yahwists overran and overthrew the female nurturing priesthood - I mean, when you're constantly at war and nomadic why do you need agriculture or nurturing? You want the storm god! the War god! The SMITER FROM ABOVE HALLELUJAH! God/Goddess? Sure it's in the OT. Revisionists try and claim later there's only one God. How come, in Numbers, God has breasts?
We're only in conflict in that the normal Christians ignore us for the most part, and the hardcore fundies want to see us burnt at the stake. Other than that we get along fine! C'mon, let's all sing together.... Michael row the boat ashore, alleluja...
LOL Very true though. Hmm I can't quite see how the beliefs/practises could work together, they don't seem that compatable. Then there are other followers, uhh yeah you're going to get confusion, and perhaps even hostility, from both sides. Guess some body could make it work though, if they wanted to try. Would certainly be an interesting experiment.
i know the original meaning of the word pagan was "country dweller".... then sometime around when the roman empire adopted chrisitanity, pagan started to mean anyone not christian. I kinda think of being pagan as something close to animism... cause pretty much every pagan religion was unique to where it was practiced... Yeh i guess there are rough generalized "rules" but like eastern and western european pagans had thier own spin on things. I think its funny to hear someone who considers themselves christian acuse someone of being a PAGAN.... lol like they're a more primitive human or god doesnt love them or something... ha It's even funnier when those christians are the same ones who celebrate christmas... which was ripped off from the pagans.
I hate to break it to you but ALL Christian holidays were stolen from Pagans. It was purposely done to make the transition from Paganism to Christianity easier and more comfortable for them. Samhain became All Hallow's, Yule became Christmas, Ostara became Easter, etc etc. All part of the hipocrasy, folks.
The only conflict comes from the fact that Yahweh forbids worship of other gods. You can worship any gods you want, in any combination you want to make up, but Yahweh says if you worship him, you worship only him. BUT, Yahweh wasnt talking to my ancestors or to me, he was talking to his people, the Semites, and they were forbidden from worshipping other gods, even of their own pantheon. Yahweh was once one of many gods in the Semitic pantheon, he was god of the vine ironically, but he took over as the supreme god (of that pantheon) and his priests took his word and spread his story, and took with them the rules of his wrath. The conflict in heaven was part of the story of him "taking over", and it wasnt Lucifer who he fought with. Lucifer was a very popular Roman god, somewhat akin to Lugh, and other Indo-European "shining one" Gods. But he was demonized by the Roman church to disade people from worshipping him. Wow, this is way off from where I started. anyway, cant mix the biblical god with Paganism, cause he says so. Want to dabble in the occult but stay Judeo-Christian? Try Quballah.
The Hebrew people, before, during and at points after the Exodus, were pantheist pagans. Moses, with his message of his one god, never denied that there were others, but took covenant with Yahweh, and his followers took the same covenant with him as well. Off and on, up until Elijah, they went back to their old gods, but they knew Yahweh was vain and jealous, and always came back to him. In the story of Elijah, he wanted to once and for all make the Hebrew people hold to their covenant, so he pitted Yahweh against Ba'al, and Yahweh won (largely because he had killed and absorbed Ba'al). After this, Elijah had all 450 priests of Ba'al murdered, the first killing in the name of god. After that Yahweh showed that he also possesed the same powers of Ba'al, and since then the Hebrews have been purely monotheists. The Christians adopted the same god into their worship, with their claim that their saviour was the son of that god. Since they worship them as the same god, they both take up the same covenant, and break it at the same time. BUT because of the covenant, being pagan isnt really possible. Yahweh himself said that he would give his name, nor credit to anyone, because he is a jealous god.
Your question is too vague. Which Christians? Which Pagans? Not all Christians are Baptists. Not all Pagans are Wiccans. It depends on what sects you are talking about. Historically Jewish religion could mix with foreign religions, such as Hellenism, a case which produced the Hypsistarians. Christianity fused with Neoplatonism as the writings of Origen attest and yet some of the Neoplatonists were among the sharpest critics of early Christianity. So it all really depends on which Christians but read Corinthians and you will quickly see why a more conservative form of Christianity precludes Paganism: "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." " 1 Corinthians 10:20-21
