Bob Whitmire wrote:
> How does one become a neo-pagan? I always thought one either was a
> pagan, or was not? Not meaning to cast aspersions, mind you, but
> neo-pagan sounds a bit pretentious to me. <g>
*Paganism* (from Latin /paganus/, meaning "country dweller, rustic") is
the blanket term given to describe religions and spiritual practices of
pre-Christian Europe. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism>
*Neopaganism* or *Neo-Paganism* is an umbrella term used to identify a
wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those
influenced by pre-Christian pagan beliefs of Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopaganism>
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A similar term is: heathen
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Inflected Form(s):
/plural/ heathens /or/ heathen
Date:
before 12th century
1 *:* an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not
acknowledge the God of the Bible
2 *:* an uncivilized or irreligious person
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Although no etymology is given, I assume heathen originally meant one
who lives on/in a heath. In that sense, it means the same thing as pagan.
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Etymology:
Middle English /heth,/ from Old English /hǣth;/ akin to Old High
German /heida/ heather, Old Welsh /coit/ forest
Date:
before 12th century
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Moose
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