I got to thinking last night about a conversation/discussion/argument I had some time ago with a friend of mine; and since this board is comprised of a significantly different membership than most of the venues where I 'hang out', it seemed to me to be a good place to gain feedback to the following question: When (or if) someone says, "I'm pagan" - what does that signify, to you? What is the connotation, if any, that you place on the word 'pagan'? =c.
It signifies to me that the person has found a word he/she thinks has shock-value, and is using it to try to provoke a reaction. "Pagan" is a word used to describe someone else, not typically a word used as self-description. Basically it means, "This person is not one of us."
It moves us not. - Great God! I`d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn, - So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, not
One who has no religion, a heathen; a non-believer in a religious sense. Spell it Pagan, and you are a member of what is referred to as an outlaw biker group. Today, "pagan" carries the connotation of being in a cult devoted to lawlessness, sexual abandoment and devil worship.
In my world, a pagan is somebody who doesn't subscribe to a traditionally accepted religion, yet they still "worship" or practice some form of reverence to a power(s) greater than themselves.
what!!!?? man , I'd like to meet some of those! I thought most pagans just worshiped nature. A fairly benign religion compared to most I think.
That was the first thought that came to me, but weren't the ancient Greeks and Romans considered Pagans? They worshiped gods not based in nature. I guess the meaning depends on ones perspective.
But that's the part that intrigues me: the perspective. The difference between what one person means when she says something, and what another person understands it to mean when he hears it, can be profound; and this is the part I'm digging into at the moment. I am deeply curious to know what y'all think, without adding any irrelevancies into the discussion (like how I came to ask the question). Thanks, and please keep the comments coming.
pagan well, PAGAN is a funny word........ it's been used as slang, and according to the Webster's New World dictionary, the word PAGAN used to mean: a peasant or civilian, among the early christians. it also used to mean: a person who was not a christian. now, it's recognized as: a person with no religion. it seems the true meaning has changed over the eons, but it's still used in different forms, based on what socio-class of people are using it............
pagan (small p) is derived from the Latin pagus meaning village or country and from Latin paganus meaning country dweller. In Middle English, the meaning was civilian, i.e. not a soldier of Christ, again being derived from the late Latin word paganus, by which time the meaning of the word obviously changed. Taken from the New College Edition, The American Heritage Dictionary So, what everyone has offered thus far has roots in the origin of the word. Very good, gang! Except my connotation of the word, that is.... Oh, and cinderella... you must tell us how you came to ask the question. But not now.
I called my Grandma (the single most opinionated and outspoken-as well as closed minded person I know) on this one. I asked her what a pagan was to her. She said, " Muslims and all those other hellbound non-christians".
GM my Gramdmother's more closed minded and opinionated than yours................!!! She's Pennsylvania Dutch. you can tell a Dutchman 20 feet away, but you can't tell them a damn thing, when they're 3 feet in front of you.............
Since language is a living thing, the meanings of many words changes over time and and may hold different meanings in different communities. For instance, "burning a fag" has quite a different meaning in Great Britain than it does in the United States of America. As for me, based on my upbringing and reading, when I think of "pagans" I think of the nature worshiping peoples who were absorbed by the Catholic onslaught . The observance of many christian "religious holidays" was changed to coincide with the different pagan rites as the Pope's army enforced their new religion.
You mean the "ass up" part, i presume, not the "signing" part. MTK, there's so little we really know about you. But you do ride a hot pink scooter don't you.
Saw an F650-GS with a female rider at breakfast Saturday. Bumper sticker on her saddle bag said, "If it's got a dick or a kickstand, I can ride it!" Got my `stich dirty rollin' `round in the parkin' lot laughin'...
