The Student Pagan Association FAQ
The word Pagan is often a very misused word that has become synonymous with the word heathen. The definition varies depending on the person using the word, the context in which the word was used, and who or what the word was referring to.
Dictionary.com defines the word pagan as "(1.) [noun] one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks, (2.) [noun] a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim, (3.) [noun] an irreligious or hedonistic person, (4.) [adjective] pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim, (5.) [adjective] of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pagans, (6.) [adjective] irreligious or hedonistic."
As you can see, there are numerous meanings for the word pagan, so it is usually best to ask the person using this word how they define it.
A better question then would be, "What do we mean when we use the word pagan?" The Student Pagan Association defines the word pagan as a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. A variety of religions and belief structures fall under this definition, including but not limited to; Wiccans, Buddhist, Druids, Odinists, Taoists, Asaturs, Discordians, Atheists, Agnostics, and about a thousand more.
Because the word pagan is an umbrella term for a variety of religions, there are no set beliefs. That being said, I can give you some of the beliefs that are common to most. If you encounter someone who claims to be pagan, some of these beliefs may not pertain to them.
Generally pagan religions are polytheistic in nature. They often believe in more than one god or goddess. This does not however mean that they worship all their gods and goddesses. Generally, they choose one or two to worship.
They often believe in reincarnation, which is the belief that when a person dies, their soul is reborn into another body. This is especially true of a lot of the eastern religions.
Most pagan religions are earth-based and put a heavy emphasis on being in tune with nature. A lot of the European and Native American religions tend to hold the earth in high esteem.
Also, a lot of pagan religions believe in karma - although some do not call it that. This is the belief that all things come full circle, i.e. what you put out comes back to you. Therefore, if you are a bad person who does bad things, bad things will inevitable happen to you.
Again, these are just very general beliefs that pertain to a majority of pagan religions. They are not be applicable to all.
Do you pray? Who do you pray to?
Some pagans do, some don't. Although what a lot of them do isn't prayer in the traditional sense. You may have to bend your definition of what prayer is to fully understand it.
So, what is prayer? That's a bit of a tricky question. The most obvious and immediate answer to some is speaking with God. Unfortunately, pagans communicate with "god" in very different ways. For the religions that are heavily influenced by nature and view nature as being holy, prayer can be as simple as meditating, listening, or communing with nature. For others, especially the polytheistic pagan religions, prayer is a bit more complicated.
Before I go further into that, let's ask ourselves a couple more questions? What are the steps involved in prayer? And what is the purpose of prayer?
As with most religions, there are proper procedures involved in prayer. You can't just start talking at the sky. With the Judeo-Christian religions, you must sit or stand a certain way, open your prayer in a certain way, and close your prayer in a certain way. Some religions have even more specific requirements such as certain times of day when it is appropriate, certain specific days, certain extra activities that you must do, and certain foods that you must eat. These are very similar to the rituals that many pagan religions perform. They gather on specific days, open and close their "prayer" in a certain way, eat certain things, etc.
People pray for various reasons. Some pray to say thanks, some pray to ask for advice, some pray to receive something that they desperately want, some pray because that's just what they do every night. The pagan religions that do pray often pray for the very same reasons. Although the rituals and/or spell castings that they perform are not recognized as prayer by themselves or others.
So I suppose in a way, a lot of pagan religions have prayer of some sort and who they pray to is entirely dependent on their belief structures.Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?
Most pagan religions do not believe in either heaven or hell in the Judeo-Christian sense. Others do not believe in heaven or hell at all. Again, you have to change your definition of the word.
For the religions that have a type of "heaven" and/or "hell," the "sins" that will get you into "hell" or the qualities that will get you into "heaven" differ from the Judeo-Christian ones. Their view of the world has a profound effect on their moral codes. With some religions, killing is the ultimate sin, while with others, it depends on the situation. You would have to look up their laws and codes of ethic to see how "heaven" and "hell" may play a role in their religious beliefs.
In the end, most pagan religions do not see "heaven" or "hell" the same way as non-pagans do.
What do you think happens after death?
Most pagan religions believe in the persistence of the soul after death. For anything more specific, you would have to ask them or do a little research.
Well, there aren't any accurate records and even if there were, many would not answer truthfully for fear of persecution. However, 50% of the world's religions would be considered pagan. This may seem surprising to some. That being said, a little more than half the world's population would be considered pagan.
There aren't any leaders per se. Most pagan groups and religions have local or community leaders who act as spiritual guides and lead in ceremonies. For the most part though, a lot of pagans practice their particular beliefs in solitude. Very few pagan religions require you to submit to some sort of leader.
Most pagan religions do not recruit or proselytize. They tend to keep to themselves. If you have an interest in joining a particular religion, your first step should be to read and then read some more. If you are still interested, try to find a local group or in the very least an online one. There are many groups that will welcome new members and show them the ropes. Each religion has different requirements for new members to join. It's a very labor intensive process, so do your research.
We have a huge source of information available as well as many links to helpful websites. Our meetings focus on teaching about various pagan religions and participating in their traditions. We also have a very large library and a list of suggested readings. The best advice we can offer is to read a lot and then talk with people who are familiar with the subject.
To be a Satanist, one would have to believe in Satan first. If you believed in Satan you would still have a very Judeo-Christian view of the world. Pagans do not believe in Satan, so they can't really worship something that they don't believe exists. Plus, their view of the world differs from that of the Judeo-Christian religions.
Some pagan religions believe in magic, but they view it more as a force of nature that they can manipulate. Doing magic for them is simply shaping the energy around them in order to use it. That being the case, magic is more of a tool that can be used for either good or bad. No magic is specifically black or white - it is all neutral and entirely dependent on the person using it and the way in which it is used. The pagan religions that incorporate magic into their beliefs and practices do not condone the misuse of magic. So, while some may use magic for evil things, it is usually frowned upon in the pagan community.
Last time I checked...no! A lot of us like kids and wouldn't even dream of eating one of them. In addition to that, there are many pagans who do not eat meat in general.
For the most part, no. There are some obscure pagan religions that use blood in some of their rituals, but this is not a very common practice. So, if you're afraid of some crazed pagan group jumping out of the bushes to steal your blood, you have nothing to worry about.
No. Virgins may sometimes be used in ceremonies, but that is entirely dependent on the religion. They are symbolic for youth and new beginnings.
Sadly, we can't. This myth comes from a special flying ointment that was used by some pagan groups a long time ago. The main ingredients in this ointment were herbs with hallucinogenic properties. Thus, they went flying, although not literally.
The Student Pagan Association:
What is the Student Pagan Association
We are mainly a support group for the pagan community on campus, but we also strive to teach about different pagan religions and to clear up some common misconceptions. Read our mission statement.
At our meetings we do a variety of things. There are five types of meetings - social meetings, teaching meetings, discussion meetings, hands-on meetings, and planning meetings.
Social meetings are gatherings meant to facilitate in developing a strong base of support and to help our members network and meet other people who share their beliefs. We mostly just bring in food to share and talk about life, school, work, friends, etc.
Teaching meetings are lecture style meetings where we learn about a specific topic or group of topics. These meetings may be done by guest speakers or members in the Student Pagan Association. The point of these meetings are to learn about pagan religions and practices and be given a chance to ask more on the chosen subject.
Discussion meetings are similar to the teaching meetings except that there are no speakers. We all discuss a specific topic in detail and look at this topic from various angles and viewpoints. The topics usually have to do with theology, philosophy, or morals and ethics. Participation in these discussion is strongly encouraged though not required.
Hands-on meetings are like teaching meetings but they require more participation. Usually, we learn about a specific religion or topic and take part in some sort of activity pertaining to that topic. These activities can be as simple as making some sort of arts and crafts type thing or as elaborate as learning yoga or belly dancing.
Planning meetings are meant to allow us a chance to plan activities such as club trips or fundraisers. If you want to be more involved in the organization outside of these weekly meetings, you should seriously consider going to our planning meetings.
When and where are your meetings?
Our meetings are every Tuesday from 7 to 9 PM in the LSC Building Room #308.
There's no trick to joining. All you have to do is show up to the meetings, pay your $5 dues, and be willing to remain civil and open-minded.
At the moment a large number of our members have graduated, but we usually have between 5 and 15 members.
How do I sign-up to run a meeting or be a guest speaker?
Shoot us an e-mail with all your contact information and what you would like to teach about and we'll let the members choose if that's something they would be interested in learning about.