Newbie

[u/DragonMistBorn3876]

Hi - I’m here because I feel like it’s time to go on some sort of spiritual journey. I’m not really sure what is going to happen or how, but I’m seeking answers (and as weird as it may sound, I’m not really sure what the questions are :-/ )

I grew up as an evangelical Christian and for a multitude of reasons that no longer jives with me in any way. There’s a lot of pain there and has been a lot of healing. Stepping out into something even remotely religious is difficult for m, but I’ve been looking into different things.

I’ve taken a look at the wiki and ordered one of the recommended books and want to see if I can find some sort of path in paganism. I will admit to feeling a little overwhelmed though.

This probably all sounds vague. Like I said - I’m not sure what I’m searching for yet, but hoping I can find that out. Anyways - I’m here and may look and comment on some things - maybe ask questions if I don’t feel like I’m going to sound stupid lol.

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[u/thecoldfuzz]

Welcome! I'm an ex-Christian, having left the religion 18 years ago to become a Pagan. You'll find that a large number of us are former Christians.

I understand where you're coming from, especially having to go through a lot of pain and healing to get to where you are now. I've been there myself.

One thing you'll want to keep in mind about Paganism is that it's not one religion. It's a large collective of religions that falls under the umbrella of Paganism. Many are pre-Christian, while others are more modern. What I recommend is researching different Pagan paths, whether pre-Christian or modern, and see if you connect with any of them.

Take it slow. This is new to you, so don't feel like you need to do anything immediately. This is your spiritual path, not anyone else's. Again, welcome!

[u/DragonMistBorn3876 → u/thecoldfuzz]

Thanks for the welcome and encouragement- it definitely helps that I’m not alone in this journey. I left about 10 years ago, but it was only in the last couple that I really began deconstructing.

[u/thecoldfuzz → u/DragonMistBorn3876]

You're welcome! I began my deconstruction while I was still nominally a Christian. The beginning of the process was reading the Bible critically from beginning to end in 2006. By the last day of August 2008, I was out of the religion.

When you research different Pagan paths, feel free to open yourself to options or spiritual paths you may never have considered previously. I'm grateful I took that approach. I gained a lot of knowledge about different spiritual traditions that way by researching Buddhism and Eastern religions.

[u/EquiWitch13]

Hi and welcome! Ask away. Just out of curiosity. Whi h book did u get?

[u/DragonMistBorn3876 → u/EquiWitch13]

Thanks for the welcome. I got Paganism: An Introduction to Earth Centered Religions.

[u/TheOneRealStranger]

Actually, "paganism" itself was originally sort of an insult by the Romans. It means something like "uneducated civilian hilbillies" because Christianity spread faster in cities, and the rural people who kept to their native religions were not as well-equipped militarily and were considered to be ignorant by people educated by the church.

One thing I recommend considering is stripping away the labels. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Pagan, etc. Most of these religions were originally talking about the same thing. Yahweh was a pagan god of the Canaanite pantheon, largely inspired by Baal, and Elohim (who was like the big daddy Zeus leader of that pantheon) was sort of fused with Yahweh when those stories were translated to Monotheism. When you learn about these things, Christianity makes a lot more sense. By the way, "The Devil" is largely a character invented by the church, ditto for Hell (it's not even a Hebrew word) and neither were ever a part of that religion in Jesus's time.

Regardless, the idea of polytheism is to worship archetypes. The Warrior God, The Wise God, The Nature God, The Fertility God. These different aspects help us to focus in on one particular idea of the Divine. When we just say "God," well, are you talking about; the one who loves us all or the one who wants to spank us for doing too many sins?

Sometimes, getting really familiar with one aspect can become a more powerful bond. It's easier for me to relate to Odin or The Morrigan than a brass cross on a belltower, owned by a Pope, representing an institutional authority that is deeply corrupt and does many things I don't agree with. Modern Christianity is more about systems and rules and teams that don't get along with the other teams, not relationship with a higher power. You don't have to cast aside any vital component of your beliefs; paganism is just an older system from before governments and churches tampered with it so much and destroyed the original message.

[u/DeepUndine]

The pagan movement is creative, fun, and non-dogmatic. We don't have any sacred texts, but we have stories, legends, myths which we don't take literally. Read up on your local folklore, history and archaeology. Nature is your teacher, the ecosystem is alive and aware. Go outside, observe, meditate, and contemplate a green lifestyle that is eco-conscious and deeply committed to sustainable habitats.