by 
Friend
ANSWERS: 2
-
Smatty has given a good description of what paganism is. The word "pagan" comes from the word for "country person": the root is the same as "peasant". So the word is a city person's sneer at those "ignorant" country people worshiping the forces the saee so strongly all around them, and organising festivals tied to the significant turnings of the year.
-
"Paganism" is just a modern term for older, nature-based spiritualities of pre-Christian people. It didn't orginate anywhere because it isn't one specific thing. Each individual culture has/had their own unique beliefs. They originated from no where else but their own interactions with Nature and their own logic. If you mean Neo-Paganism, it's a long story. Wicca and really popular forms of NP are based on High Magic and stuff from the Middle Ages. Crowley, Gardner, etc. There are some aspects borrowed from older cultures, but most Wicca-based Paganism comes from modern thinking. It really has no "roots" in older practices. It borrows a few ideas from them, but is not very simiilar. There are a few Pagan paths that actually have something to do with an original culture. Just modern people wanting to reconnect with their pre-Christian ancestors, and a different way of life. Most stuff truly based on "Ancient" practices is usually found under a long, boring-sounding or foreign title (i.e. Reconstructionism/ Asatru).
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC