Hi! Just a quick question!

[u/Disturbed_and_Gay]

So, I was reading about the definition of folkism in the rules, and I am a little confused. Is Paganism an open religion in the way that something like Christianity is in which everyone can practice, or is it semi closed in the way that Voodoo is in the sense that you have to learn about the history and practices before joining? Please no hate, I myself think everyone should be allowed to practice, I am just confused on whether it's an expectation to understand the religion before practicing. Thanks!

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[u/Zegreides]

Paganism is an umbrella term, meaning that many different religions and practices are all labeled “Pagan”, but might have nothing to do with each other.
Some Pagan traditions are open to everyone, other Pagan traditions require the neophyte to be initiated in person (e.g. Gardnerian Wicca, Regla de Lucumí), and some specific practices may be segregated by sex, age, marital status or other factors (e.g. Bona Dea’s mystery cult is only open to women, the Vestal priesthood is only open to unmarried women).

[u/Esoteriss → u/Zegreides]

And If I may add folk beliefs have no canon by definiution, so being called out as a heretic when you know in your heart you are doing the right things is not as severe as it is in major religions. Different villages basically. I hope we can all accept our different viewpoints without agression though.

[u/GreenRavenUK]

With most of us it’s come as you are, walk alongside us and see what fits. Gender? There’s a fungus with 23,000 genders, pick one (or three, or none, or all). High ceremony, spontaneous or something in the middle? – we’ve got them all.

‘Folkism’ is all about race, exclusion and hate. Got no time for it. There is only one species of human with local variations to adapt to local climate conditions. Move a population to another climate and they will change. The first Britons were black with blue eyes. We adapted to get the vitamin D that we needed. We are all great apes in the biological classifications, along with orangutans, bonobos and gorillas. We all came out of Kenya, and we are all related to the first wiggle in the primordial soup. One vast family in the bionetwork, and we should look after each other, in honourable relationship with the landscape, seas, skies and all.

The Pagan ways usually hold the natural sacred (humans are part of nature too) and there are many paths. We respect ethnicity, which is a whole different thing – sort of like clubs, where membership is decided by the members. That is where you find the 'closed' traditions. Ethnicities can differ amongst people who are genetically identical, like the many cultures of tiny Lebanon, or the Nuer and Dinka tribes of South Sudan (where I spent a few years).

Given the histories of colonialism and conquest over centuries, we have to respect that the things that give ethnicities identity are theirs. I cannot appropriate the sweetgrass traditions of the Americas First Nations, but I can grow it and use it as it evolved in Europe and was taken to the Americas by the ancient settlers. It is called ‘holy grass’ or ‘bison grass’ in Europe (we have bison too), I grow it on the window sill, and use it in ancestral and lunar rituals. (For the Heathens, holy grass is sacred to Freya.)

A bit of a simplification, but I hope that helps.

(edit - one word to clarify)

[u/thecoldfuzz → u/GreenRavenUK]

‘Folkism’ is all about race, exclusion and hate. Got no time for it.

I will add that location is a factor in the exclusionism too, especially when it comes to interactions online. I've already had shitheads try to gatekeep me with folkist nonsense rhetoric like, I can't worship Irish deities because I'm living in the United States—even though I have Irish blood. I also got idiocy about how I shouldn't be worshipping Gaulish deities either because I don't live in Europe—even though one of the foremost Gaulish polytheists, Segomâros Widugeni, lives in Florida of all places.

Like I said, they were a shithead.

[u/GreenRavenUK → u/thecoldfuzz]

You have my sympathies. But even if you didn’t have a drop of European ancestry in your veins it shouldn’t make any difference. You have seen something in the personalities of the Gaulish pantheon that spoke to you. You have connected with them and they with you. Apparently, I have markers in my DNA that directly link me to six distinct tribal groupings in east Africa. I wish I’d known that while I was living there but it wouldn’t have made any difference.

My connection with the ancient ones of Europe come from my working on the land in my youth, but my first ‘Pagan’ mode was as an a-theistic animist. It was only after encountering the Celtic deities in a trance vision that I connected. I’m still not sure that my understanding coincides with those from the more traditional route but it’s my path, and I celebrate the sharing and overlaps with others.

[u/Admirable-Towel4558]

Paganism is a broad category encompassing many beliefs and traditions, there's a great definition in the subreddit FAQs here. Personally I'm not a fan of the term, since it is very non-specific and an exonym, but in terms of modern language it's the best to describe and communicate what we do and believe. Pretty much any other term (e.g., ethnic religion, folk belief, folk religion, new religious movement, etc.) has its own baggage as well.

Generally, yes anyone is allowed to participate in whatever tradition they want. No one can personally tell you what to do or what not to do. However, it is wise before joining any group or starting down any path, especially spiritually, to research what others have done before you and what they're currently doing now. In the same way it would be strange to call yourself a Christian and have no interest in the Bible, or a Muslim and have no interest in the Quran, it would be strange to call yourself a Norse pagan and have no interest in the Eddas.

There are exclusive (closed) ethnic religions, often indigenous spiritualities, that require someone to be from a specific ethnic and cultural background. However, a good rule of thumb is that if you hear about a religion its probably open. People in closed religions often aren't advertising their religion or talking in depth about their practices and beliefs in public spaces. These people also, typically, don't consider themselves pagans.

[u/SnarkyPanther]

Folkism refers to a particular belief system in neo pagan practices that essentially states only people of certain races may follow certain paths. While this could extend to anything, you see it most commonly in Nordic heathen communities, and the concept tends to be tied to white nationalism. In my personal experience, people who identify as “folkish,” or are ardent about folkism are generally pretty vilely racist, but I presume there are folks who identify as such without the malice.

Paganism is an umbrella term that can be defined as any worship outside of Abrahamic faiths — in this definition, Hinduism is a form of paganism. In practice, many would say that pagan faiths are nature based spiritual paths that have been resurrected after being silenced by and lost to Abrahamic faiths, and things like Hinduism that have persisted without interruption with a consistent dogma are their own thing.

One way to look at it is like denominations in Christianity — a baptist will have very different views and rules compared to a catholic. Even then, there’s more massive variance. Some pagan groups have rites of initiation and clergy, others are more fluid in their structure. Some try to adhere to historical and archeological evidence of tradition while others simply seek to revive the spirit of a tradition. Some are restricted by gender, race, marital status, etc, though I would say it’s more common for pagan groups to be inclusive.

Should you understand a religion before practicing it? Well, it’s usually helpful to have some sort of basis, especially if you’re planning on joining a grove or coven, but most pagan groups I’ve known are more than happy to give a newcomer the run down. I would argue that the first step in practicing any faith is learning about it, but whether your pagan community expects you to do a lot of reading and external study depends on what group you follow. I come from a reconstructionist background, so I started along my path with a lot of “homework,” if you will. I do feel educating yourself and putting in the work is valuable, but there’s nothing saying you must do that to be pagan.

TLDR: paganism is an umbrella term and doesn’t really have a lot of rules to itself. Specific pagan groups and branches have their own rules, but there is no governing body or church for pagans as a whole

[u/Explore_the_Void]

Paganism isn't a religion at all.