What is Paganism?

I too am taking a first question from another blog.

What is a pagan? That term has come up a few times recently , and I tried to read about what that is, but I'm confused. Is it witchcraft or idolatry,
what?!!!

This is an extremely broad question. The dictionary defines a pagan as: "A people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks. A person who is not a Christian, Jew or Muslim. An irreligious or hedonistic person."

There is an inherent difference between the pagan, the neo-pagan, the witch, and the wiccan. True paganism is rare anymore. Using the definition above the only true pagans are those who are followers of Hinduism, Aboriginal religions, etc. The pagans that we all hear of today in the news are not true pagans, rather, they are a hodge podge of Celtic, Egyptian and Germanic based loosely on 'recreated' history as much, if not all, European paganism has died out. You probably weren’t thinking of this when you asked your question, you were probably asking about the neo-pagan/new age/wicca practices that are out there.

First let me explain that I have no animosity towards those who follow this path, I think they are misguided, but I am not ‘against’ them for their beliefs. My Problem with the larger New Age/wicca/neo-pagan movement is that it is not based on a solid ground of theology and belief structure, rather it is all fluff and feel good nonsense. The New Age movement is about the build up of the individual and making them feel good about themselves and that nothing is wrong unless it is causing direct harm to another person. Those in the communities I have lumped together will probably rally that “what they believe is different from the others”. I have studied it, it isn’t. Saying that the New Age movement is fluff and nonsense does not make it safe, there are plenty of elements in this movement that can lead you to a path away from God.

From the feel good fluff of the New Age we move into the more serious elements of Witchcraft and the Occult. Both of these can be extremely dangerous. Witchcraft is more serious and involved then Wicca, it can involve serious practical elements. Now before people I know get upset, let me say this, the purpose and the belief behind why someone does something is important. I know plenty of people who are Witches who would never harm a living thing with what they know or do that said, I know of some who would. Intent in the occult is, I believe, 90% of a thing because of this I will not dismiss all of the occult/witchcraft as “of the devil” out of hand. I do think it is very dangerous to “dabble”, THAT is where people get into problems. To dismiss everything that is occult as “of the devil” is to also dismiss when they were used to further the kingdom of God. Divination is in the Bible: Numbers 26:55; Proverbs 16:33 Proverbs 18:18; Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6. I do not pose this as a defense of it, but rather to point out that intent is important. Some, not all who are involved in the Occult/Witchcraft are so because it allows them the ‘freedom’ to do as they please, while others have as high if not higher sense of morality and responsibility to others then many Christians I know and their marriages have lasted where as many Christian ones haven’t, a friend of mine is a prime example, she and her husband have been married for a long time and both describe themselves as Witches and neither would use their system of beliefs to harm another living being.

There are dark elements of the Occult and things that can only be described as Evil. I will not go into detail here, mainly because I do not want to give information that could lead someone to reading or studying something that could lead them down that path. Suffice to say, anything that violates another person’s free will is wrong. There are a good many elements of the occult that do this. Like anything dealing with it, even reading on the occult if one is not secure in one’s belief is not a good idea.

To answer the other part of your question, is it idolatry? From a Christian/Jewish perspective yes it is, but for those who follow that path it isn’t because they do not look at it from the Christian perspective.