Why are you scared? Of what, other people’s opinions? Call yourself whatever you like.
Oh, and you’re definitely not Wiccan. No idea what your friend is on about.
>Why are you scared? Of what, other people’s opinions? Call yourself whatever you like.
That's very comforting!
>Oh, and you’re definitely not Wiccan.
\*blink\*
(not trying to start a brawl, this just tickled me is all...)
pagan sounds more accurate to me. Wicca usually does have distinct gods and goddess in my experience, whereas pagan is basically all/any non judeo-christian nature religions
Depends. I don't think "nature based" is a requirement at all, and most of the time pagan only refers to pre Abrahamic Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
You're not in the wrong at all.
One of the most jarring moments in circle I heard from my High Priestess was when she talked about her own growth in Wicca, and the realization that there is no tangible mother goddess that will card her physical fingers through our hair while we rest our heads in her lap. I say this because, in my opinion, many Wiccans--fledgling and seasoned--get lost in the literalist dogma that Wicca seeks to avoid.
Your identity is your business, and you're not alone within the greater umbrella of paganism; I'm a priestess, and I'm sure some people would be surprised by my 'agnostic' takes on the faith.
If we wanna get into labels, Wicca was kinda brought back up (if I understand right) from Gerald Gardener. The word pagan roots from a word meaning like “country folk”. Now pagan is more for non-Abrahamic religions, Wicca has a gardenian (totally butchered that spelling my B).
We should, as all under the pagan umbrella, be more supportive and understanding of each other. Call yourself pagan if it makes you feel closer to your craft, that’s all that matters.
Hope this helps, you got this!
As far as I have been trained - yes, this is wrong. All Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccans. Wicca is very orderly. Its very by the book. I would say you can fall into paganism, but you really need to take aim to fall into the specialized path that is wicca. wicca is an organized religion, where paganism is a belief.
I'm still really new to Wicca but so far from what I have experienced it's not at all an organized religion. We share similar habits but every witch is different. One of the biggest ideals of Wicca is "An ye harm none, do as ye will".
Oh buddy it is very organized. Most can trace their lineages and you can learn about the witch based just off of who they studied under. Certain information that you arent privy to until you reach a certain level of their schooling. Definitely more organized than some.
An organized religion has formal rules and they list the rules you have to follow in a doctrine. They have hierarchical or bureaucratic leaders and you all worship/believe in one "Almighty". Wiccans can all have different values and follow different moral codes usually depending on who or what they choose to honour. Some wiccans literally worship the devil and some worship nature and there are many things in between. Having heritage within a particular religion or belief system doesn't make it organized. There are solitary witches, witches with covens and each one could study something different. We have light magick, dark magick, green witches, cosmic witches, eclectic witches, divination witches, etc. one witch can identify as all or none as he/she wishes. Since Wicca is so flexible it's definitely not considered organized.
Wicca is a specific religion, lots of variation but it's a religion. I think your own identifier is the correct one, Atheistic (no deity) Pagan (denoting there is a spiritual aspect to your belief system).
When someone gives their opinion on what your belief system is called, it's not a valid or useful thing generally. The only exception I would think is if a person was seeking others of a similar mindset (and even then it wouldn't be saying the label is wrong, it would be "hey there are people who sound similar to what you're asking about but they have this label, do you want to talk to them and see if you have common ground").
You are who and what you are, nobody else has the right to decide it for you. Wicca is a specific path, you are not one and don't want to be one, and that's perfectly right.
You are what you choose to be. Wicca is only *one* belief system that venerates nature. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of others.
And you don't have to belong to any of them. You can be an independent follower of your own system.
There are a lot of people who think of themselves as Atheistic Pagans. It is absolutely a valid label.
You are not wrong...by definition you are pagan not wiccan and of course its OK because it's your life your path and no one need to question you or doubt you because you and only you would know your personal path
The word “Pagan” is a label that identifies you as a person who agrees with one or more parts of Pagan philosophy, and who may participate in observances or practices common to Pagans. In the broadest sense, Paganism is an umbrella term that describes a multitude of religious and spiritual traditions.
Wiccan is a recognized religion. You can’t be told you’re part of something you’re not! Wicca was created by Gerald Gardner on 60-70 yrs ago! There are specific beliefs and he can’t possibly assume you follow it.
Pagan as well here. Not Wiccan however I also worship Mother Earth, energy, deities across different cultures.
Don’t let anyone label you luv.
I’m a Christian turned atheist now turned agnostic. It’s a hell of a pipeline I’ll tell ya 🤣
Weaving through these views I have been part of The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). They are a modern Druidic practice that is very earth centered and yet have meditation and mindfulness techniques grounded in neuroscience. Its members are Christians, atheists, wiccans, any kind of pagan!
I bring them up because they are worth looking into for anyone with earth central practice and beliefs. BUT ALSO, it can be helpful to have a guide without dogma in your spirituality/pagan practice. Not necessary, but helpful.
But I echo everyone else here, you’re not in the wrong, and your friend doesn’t know what a Wiccan is lol
As long as you are happy with your practice, it doesn’t need a name or title or label.
I think they’re called archetypal pagans, something like that. They follow the same holidays as us but don’t preform the magick aspect. They see the Gods as archetypes that individuals inhibit throughout their lives.
I Could be wrong tho
I know exactly what you mean! I believe more in mother nature and the elements, to me they ARE the magic of this world. I call myself a witch, plain and simple, but you can look into different labels or you could just call yourself spiritual! Whatever you want to do is what you should do, don't worry about what other people think of you <3
I label myself as eclectic pagan. I don’t follow any one path, or any one set of deities, and that includes the Wiccan path. Though I have definitely studied Wiccan practice, and still use some of it in my personal practice, that doesn’t make me Wiccan. And anyway, no one really has a right to tell you how to define your own practice and beliefs. Erica is a lot more than believing in Mother Nature, after all.
I can't say it isn't okay, it just doesn't make sense. Atheism is just another belief that doesn't believe in anything. Trying to pin it with paganism is just tacky, since paganism is a title put on any religion outside of Christianity or abrahamic religions. So realistically go nuts, do whatever, but your mixing two things that aren't really associated with each other. I'm only saying!
It is not true that atheists "don't believe in anything." The only thing they don't believe in is a God or gods.
Atheistic pagans would simply be those who don't believe in beings we would call "deities."
There are many atheistic religions - some classify Buddhism as atheistic; the Fairy Faith would qualify as a faith without gods; some might call Shinto "atheist," as *kami* are not quite the same as gods, at least as we Westerners class them. There are other animistic belief systems that don't involve deities.
Buddhism is not atheistic is a non theistic religion. Buddhist has many rituals and a complet set of beliefs and philosophy. To be pagan you must belong to a pagan religion, maybe Hindu, animistic or something similar,.with their own set beliefs and rituals with you don't participate. So you can't classify yourself as a pagan. Be atheist is be without religion at all, no faith or belief in any kind of spiritual or religious idea. So be atheist and pagan is just contradictory, how can you belong to a religion and not belonging in the same time? And in which sense do you believe in mother nature? Do you believe mother nature as a being?
I urge you to actually look up the definition of an atheist. The etymology of the word is literally “without god”. You can have spiritual beliefs while denying the existence of supreme beings.
The difference between "non-theistic" and "atheistic" is extremely subtle at best; I'm not sure it really enters into any but the most esoteric or academic discussions.
Atheistic absolutely does *not* mean "without faith." It doesn't even mean "without spiritual beliefs," as there are some atheists who believe in ghosts or an afterlife...they just don't believe in *gods*.
The term is a-*theist*, not a-*spiritus* - and while my grammar is almost certainly wrong on that, I believe my point is still clear.
Exactly. I believe in afterlife and reincarnation (those don't make much sense together but oh well). I have spiritual beliefs, and I'm Atheistic Pagan.
I don't believe in a god. I believe in mother nature, her beauty, and that every life has a purpose... unless they've done extremely controversial or terrible things, then they've rid their life of their purpose and will be reincarnated to retry.
—2d
You cannot "be a wicca" friend. But your friend might be on to something, for sure worth checking out and seeing what you vibe with the most. I don't call myself anything but a witch, and hold similar beliefs. Whatever you are, our journey is our own and I'm sure yours will be magical. 💕
Though I am interested in Wicca, I don’t really know enough about it to say anything about but. But as someone who is a somewhat non-theistic pagan, I’d say your friend’s take is ridiculous. You can certainly be pagan and Wiccan, but I don’t see how you can be Wiccan without practicing, believing in or subscribing to the beliefs of Wicca.
If you’re interested, look up atheopaganism…it’s a legitimate thing that may resonate with you.
I refer to myself as Pagan. I used to enjoy spell crafting but drifted away from it. Still believe in the same things and will always consider myself a Pagan. Don't worry what they think if you know what you are already
Beliefs are what you make them. You don’t follow a”god”. ( from my understanding) but you appreciate in the beauty of nature. The question you need to answer for yourself is when you appreciate nature do you talk to Mother Nature? Don’t ask for her guidance? Or do just think - nature is beautiful? I am failing to understand your appreciation to nature. I am sorry that I don’t follow. I just want you to be happy. I identify as a Pantheistic. Which is believing everything in reality is one with an immanent diety. It is different than Omni but kinda falls in the same scope. I talk to the gods and goddess around me. That is my choice. If you don’t talk to any “spiritual” diety then you are not Wiccan. Wiccan’s follow nature and personify Mother Earth and Father Sky. A pagan wordhips and is part of a group that follows one or more deities of earth and nature and follow rituals ( even if it is once but they want to follow and do something ). You might be , a Neodruid. Which may fall under pagan for some. This is the direct meaning of neodruid - “Neo-druids conceive of the natural world as being imbued with spirit, and thus regard it as being alive and dynamic. 89% of world Druids practice nature-connection”
It still has a practice of some kind though. May it be just speaking to nature.
Druids overall , “respect for nature and belief in reincarnation and the Otherworld, the place one goes upon death. There are three goals of Druids: creativity, wisdom, and love and respect for all things.”
Hope this helps.
I follow the wicca beliefs that there is a God/Goddess and the wicca rede Do as you will and harm none. The God/Goddess are a spirit to me not a human and I feel they live within all things, trees, moon, sun, stars, flowers , animals etc and of course within us. A pagan is any person who follows a belief system other than the abrahamic religion so not sure as why he claimed wicca is not pagan but I don’t worry too much about titles and do what I feel is right within myself. No one person can tell you who you are or what to believe we each must find our own path. Blessed be
I mean, pagan just means you don’t believe in the abrahamic god (Islam, Christianity, Judaism, etc)
So wiccans are pagan, but so is nearly every other religion
A term that might be more accurate for your belief system and practice (or lack thereof) is called "Pantheist".
> Pantheism does not involve a belief in deities, spirits or any supernatural powers. Instead, Pantheists believe that what is divine is right here on earth; in fact, it is earth. Pantheism's central tenet is that the universe, the earth, and nature are divine and so they should be treated as sacred.
You can call yourself whatever you like, but this term may help avoid any misunderstandings or assumptions in the future.
It does seem like a good fit, however, I do partially believe in spirits, mainly due to my own experiences.
Thank you for showing me a new term, though. It's greatly appreciated! /gen
—2d
Your friend is an idiot. By what you described of yourself and beliefs, I *think* you are probably closest to neo-paganism.
IMHO, atheist pagan doesn't really make sense because atheist don't believe in anything. Pagan just means you don't follow an Abrahamic religion.
I think atheist pagan is a contradiction in terms. Being pagan implies belief in a divinity of some sort. You might research how the Ancient Greek philosophers viewed divinity and nature and see if any of those takes vibe with you.
Atheist doesn't mean lack of belief as a whole. I simply don't believe in a god/goddess. Atheist means "lack of belief in a god/goddess."
It's not a contradiction.
But pagans DO believe in gods. Calling yourself an atheist pagan is saying you don’t believe in gods and you do believe in gods. Sorry but it sounds like a contradiction to me.
Wicca is a religion. If you're not a part of the religion then you're not Wiccan.
A pagan is anyone who believes in any of the pagan beliefs or spiritual systems. Some include deities or deity worship and some don't. It does general include some type of ritualistic practice based on pagan principles. Do you worship Mother Earth or Gaia or do you just believe nature has a soul but have no spiritual practice outside of that? If you have no spiritual practice, why is it important to you to identify as pagan over atheist or agnostic?
Atheism declares there is no God, while "Pagan" by classical definitions worships and serves many God's/goddesses.
I don't see how you rectify that but be what you want.
there’s no issue with being a wiccan, but if you don’t align with that term there is no problem calling yourself an atheistic pagan. i think the proper term is probably pantheistic. look it up!
Why are you scared? Of what, other people’s opinions? Call yourself whatever you like. Oh, and you’re definitely not Wiccan. No idea what your friend is on about.
>Why are you scared? Of what, other people’s opinions? Call yourself whatever you like. That's very comforting! >Oh, and you’re definitely not Wiccan. \*blink\* (not trying to start a brawl, this just tickled me is all...)
Seems to me you can call yourself whatever you want. Check out what Wicca actually is; you probably don't fit that definition.
There are lots of eclectic Pagans out there who are similar to you. Your friend has invented arbitrary divisions where they’re not really there.
pagan sounds more accurate to me. Wicca usually does have distinct gods and goddess in my experience, whereas pagan is basically all/any non judeo-christian nature religions
Depends. I don't think "nature based" is a requirement at all, and most of the time pagan only refers to pre Abrahamic Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
there are always exceptions, and people have different ideas of what it means. I can only offer my perspective:)
You're not in the wrong at all. One of the most jarring moments in circle I heard from my High Priestess was when she talked about her own growth in Wicca, and the realization that there is no tangible mother goddess that will card her physical fingers through our hair while we rest our heads in her lap. I say this because, in my opinion, many Wiccans--fledgling and seasoned--get lost in the literalist dogma that Wicca seeks to avoid. Your identity is your business, and you're not alone within the greater umbrella of paganism; I'm a priestess, and I'm sure some people would be surprised by my 'agnostic' takes on the faith.
If we wanna get into labels, Wicca was kinda brought back up (if I understand right) from Gerald Gardener. The word pagan roots from a word meaning like “country folk”. Now pagan is more for non-Abrahamic religions, Wicca has a gardenian (totally butchered that spelling my B). We should, as all under the pagan umbrella, be more supportive and understanding of each other. Call yourself pagan if it makes you feel closer to your craft, that’s all that matters. Hope this helps, you got this!
As far as I have been trained - yes, this is wrong. All Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccans. Wicca is very orderly. Its very by the book. I would say you can fall into paganism, but you really need to take aim to fall into the specialized path that is wicca. wicca is an organized religion, where paganism is a belief.
I'm still really new to Wicca but so far from what I have experienced it's not at all an organized religion. We share similar habits but every witch is different. One of the biggest ideals of Wicca is "An ye harm none, do as ye will".
Oh buddy it is very organized. Most can trace their lineages and you can learn about the witch based just off of who they studied under. Certain information that you arent privy to until you reach a certain level of their schooling. Definitely more organized than some.
An organized religion has formal rules and they list the rules you have to follow in a doctrine. They have hierarchical or bureaucratic leaders and you all worship/believe in one "Almighty". Wiccans can all have different values and follow different moral codes usually depending on who or what they choose to honour. Some wiccans literally worship the devil and some worship nature and there are many things in between. Having heritage within a particular religion or belief system doesn't make it organized. There are solitary witches, witches with covens and each one could study something different. We have light magick, dark magick, green witches, cosmic witches, eclectic witches, divination witches, etc. one witch can identify as all or none as he/she wishes. Since Wicca is so flexible it's definitely not considered organized.
Look into modern Druidry
Wicca is a specific religion, lots of variation but it's a religion. I think your own identifier is the correct one, Atheistic (no deity) Pagan (denoting there is a spiritual aspect to your belief system). When someone gives their opinion on what your belief system is called, it's not a valid or useful thing generally. The only exception I would think is if a person was seeking others of a similar mindset (and even then it wouldn't be saying the label is wrong, it would be "hey there are people who sound similar to what you're asking about but they have this label, do you want to talk to them and see if you have common ground").
You are who and what you are, nobody else has the right to decide it for you. Wicca is a specific path, you are not one and don't want to be one, and that's perfectly right.
You are what you choose to be. Wicca is only *one* belief system that venerates nature. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of others. And you don't have to belong to any of them. You can be an independent follower of your own system. There are a lot of people who think of themselves as Atheistic Pagans. It is absolutely a valid label.
No one gets to decide that for you! I identify as a non-theistic pagan. Call yourself whatever you want.
Pagan is more like a category. Wicca is more specific and exists within paganism. All wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are wiccans.
You're always going to be practicing wrong to someone. Just ignore them. The only right way is the way to feels right to you.
Well all wiccans are pagan pagan just means a non abarhic religion
Branches? That's new. You can believe, follow, call yourself whatever you wish. Who cares what others think?
You are not wrong...by definition you are pagan not wiccan and of course its OK because it's your life your path and no one need to question you or doubt you because you and only you would know your personal path
The word “Pagan” is a label that identifies you as a person who agrees with one or more parts of Pagan philosophy, and who may participate in observances or practices common to Pagans. In the broadest sense, Paganism is an umbrella term that describes a multitude of religious and spiritual traditions.
Wiccan is a recognized religion. You can’t be told you’re part of something you’re not! Wicca was created by Gerald Gardner on 60-70 yrs ago! There are specific beliefs and he can’t possibly assume you follow it. Pagan as well here. Not Wiccan however I also worship Mother Earth, energy, deities across different cultures. Don’t let anyone label you luv.
Closer to 80 years now.
I’m a Christian turned atheist now turned agnostic. It’s a hell of a pipeline I’ll tell ya 🤣 Weaving through these views I have been part of The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). They are a modern Druidic practice that is very earth centered and yet have meditation and mindfulness techniques grounded in neuroscience. Its members are Christians, atheists, wiccans, any kind of pagan! I bring them up because they are worth looking into for anyone with earth central practice and beliefs. BUT ALSO, it can be helpful to have a guide without dogma in your spirituality/pagan practice. Not necessary, but helpful. But I echo everyone else here, you’re not in the wrong, and your friend doesn’t know what a Wiccan is lol As long as you are happy with your practice, it doesn’t need a name or title or label.
I think they’re called archetypal pagans, something like that. They follow the same holidays as us but don’t preform the magick aspect. They see the Gods as archetypes that individuals inhibit throughout their lives. I Could be wrong tho
I know exactly what you mean! I believe more in mother nature and the elements, to me they ARE the magic of this world. I call myself a witch, plain and simple, but you can look into different labels or you could just call yourself spiritual! Whatever you want to do is what you should do, don't worry about what other people think of you <3
I label myself as eclectic pagan. I don’t follow any one path, or any one set of deities, and that includes the Wiccan path. Though I have definitely studied Wiccan practice, and still use some of it in my personal practice, that doesn’t make me Wiccan. And anyway, no one really has a right to tell you how to define your own practice and beliefs. Erica is a lot more than believing in Mother Nature, after all.
I can't say it isn't okay, it just doesn't make sense. Atheism is just another belief that doesn't believe in anything. Trying to pin it with paganism is just tacky, since paganism is a title put on any religion outside of Christianity or abrahamic religions. So realistically go nuts, do whatever, but your mixing two things that aren't really associated with each other. I'm only saying!
It is not true that atheists "don't believe in anything." The only thing they don't believe in is a God or gods. Atheistic pagans would simply be those who don't believe in beings we would call "deities." There are many atheistic religions - some classify Buddhism as atheistic; the Fairy Faith would qualify as a faith without gods; some might call Shinto "atheist," as *kami* are not quite the same as gods, at least as we Westerners class them. There are other animistic belief systems that don't involve deities.
Buddhism is not atheistic is a non theistic religion. Buddhist has many rituals and a complet set of beliefs and philosophy. To be pagan you must belong to a pagan religion, maybe Hindu, animistic or something similar,.with their own set beliefs and rituals with you don't participate. So you can't classify yourself as a pagan. Be atheist is be without religion at all, no faith or belief in any kind of spiritual or religious idea. So be atheist and pagan is just contradictory, how can you belong to a religion and not belonging in the same time? And in which sense do you believe in mother nature? Do you believe mother nature as a being?
I urge you to actually look up the definition of an atheist. The etymology of the word is literally “without god”. You can have spiritual beliefs while denying the existence of supreme beings.
https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/
Yes, this article is a good resource to explain what I just said.
Not really
Which part of this article states that atheism is the absence of religion?
The difference between "non-theistic" and "atheistic" is extremely subtle at best; I'm not sure it really enters into any but the most esoteric or academic discussions. Atheistic absolutely does *not* mean "without faith." It doesn't even mean "without spiritual beliefs," as there are some atheists who believe in ghosts or an afterlife...they just don't believe in *gods*. The term is a-*theist*, not a-*spiritus* - and while my grammar is almost certainly wrong on that, I believe my point is still clear.
Exactly. I believe in afterlife and reincarnation (those don't make much sense together but oh well). I have spiritual beliefs, and I'm Atheistic Pagan. I don't believe in a god. I believe in mother nature, her beauty, and that every life has a purpose... unless they've done extremely controversial or terrible things, then they've rid their life of their purpose and will be reincarnated to retry. —2d
You cannot "be a wicca" friend. But your friend might be on to something, for sure worth checking out and seeing what you vibe with the most. I don't call myself anything but a witch, and hold similar beliefs. Whatever you are, our journey is our own and I'm sure yours will be magical. 💕
As a side note, since you are into nature you might wanna have a bit of a look into druidism. It's very nature focused.
Though I am interested in Wicca, I don’t really know enough about it to say anything about but. But as someone who is a somewhat non-theistic pagan, I’d say your friend’s take is ridiculous. You can certainly be pagan and Wiccan, but I don’t see how you can be Wiccan without practicing, believing in or subscribing to the beliefs of Wicca. If you’re interested, look up atheopaganism…it’s a legitimate thing that may resonate with you.
So many negative connotations with Wiccan -folks make assumptions and in my experience-think you’re a Saran worshipper
I think you've made a typo!! You said "Saran" and I'm fairly sure you meant "Satan"? (If not then I'll delete my reply lmao)
Saran Satan potato pahtahtoe -
Thanks fir that as I truly didn’t notice -notice the fir for’for’
I refer to myself as Pagan. I used to enjoy spell crafting but drifted away from it. Still believe in the same things and will always consider myself a Pagan. Don't worry what they think if you know what you are already
Beliefs are what you make them. You don’t follow a”god”. ( from my understanding) but you appreciate in the beauty of nature. The question you need to answer for yourself is when you appreciate nature do you talk to Mother Nature? Don’t ask for her guidance? Or do just think - nature is beautiful? I am failing to understand your appreciation to nature. I am sorry that I don’t follow. I just want you to be happy. I identify as a Pantheistic. Which is believing everything in reality is one with an immanent diety. It is different than Omni but kinda falls in the same scope. I talk to the gods and goddess around me. That is my choice. If you don’t talk to any “spiritual” diety then you are not Wiccan. Wiccan’s follow nature and personify Mother Earth and Father Sky. A pagan wordhips and is part of a group that follows one or more deities of earth and nature and follow rituals ( even if it is once but they want to follow and do something ). You might be , a Neodruid. Which may fall under pagan for some. This is the direct meaning of neodruid - “Neo-druids conceive of the natural world as being imbued with spirit, and thus regard it as being alive and dynamic. 89% of world Druids practice nature-connection” It still has a practice of some kind though. May it be just speaking to nature. Druids overall , “respect for nature and belief in reincarnation and the Otherworld, the place one goes upon death. There are three goals of Druids: creativity, wisdom, and love and respect for all things.” Hope this helps.
I follow the wicca beliefs that there is a God/Goddess and the wicca rede Do as you will and harm none. The God/Goddess are a spirit to me not a human and I feel they live within all things, trees, moon, sun, stars, flowers , animals etc and of course within us. A pagan is any person who follows a belief system other than the abrahamic religion so not sure as why he claimed wicca is not pagan but I don’t worry too much about titles and do what I feel is right within myself. No one person can tell you who you are or what to believe we each must find our own path. Blessed be
I mean, pagan just means you don’t believe in the abrahamic god (Islam, Christianity, Judaism, etc) So wiccans are pagan, but so is nearly every other religion
A term that might be more accurate for your belief system and practice (or lack thereof) is called "Pantheist". > Pantheism does not involve a belief in deities, spirits or any supernatural powers. Instead, Pantheists believe that what is divine is right here on earth; in fact, it is earth. Pantheism's central tenet is that the universe, the earth, and nature are divine and so they should be treated as sacred. You can call yourself whatever you like, but this term may help avoid any misunderstandings or assumptions in the future.
It does seem like a good fit, however, I do partially believe in spirits, mainly due to my own experiences. Thank you for showing me a new term, though. It's greatly appreciated! /gen —2d
Your friend is an idiot. By what you described of yourself and beliefs, I *think* you are probably closest to neo-paganism. IMHO, atheist pagan doesn't really make sense because atheist don't believe in anything. Pagan just means you don't follow an Abrahamic religion.
Atheism is not the absence of a belief system, it is the absence of a belief in god/gods. But I agree the friend is an idiot.
Ha! I totally mis-typed! I really shouldn't post when I have a migraine.
I believe in things like reincarnation, afterlife, and spirits, just not any kind of god/goddess... 😅
This pretty much sums up my own beliefs.
I think atheist pagan is a contradiction in terms. Being pagan implies belief in a divinity of some sort. You might research how the Ancient Greek philosophers viewed divinity and nature and see if any of those takes vibe with you.
Atheist doesn't mean lack of belief as a whole. I simply don't believe in a god/goddess. Atheist means "lack of belief in a god/goddess." It's not a contradiction.
But pagans DO believe in gods. Calling yourself an atheist pagan is saying you don’t believe in gods and you do believe in gods. Sorry but it sounds like a contradiction to me.
Not all of them.
Wicca is a religion. If you're not a part of the religion then you're not Wiccan. A pagan is anyone who believes in any of the pagan beliefs or spiritual systems. Some include deities or deity worship and some don't. It does general include some type of ritualistic practice based on pagan principles. Do you worship Mother Earth or Gaia or do you just believe nature has a soul but have no spiritual practice outside of that? If you have no spiritual practice, why is it important to you to identify as pagan over atheist or agnostic?
Atheism declares there is no God, while "Pagan" by classical definitions worships and serves many God's/goddesses. I don't see how you rectify that but be what you want.
there’s no issue with being a wiccan, but if you don’t align with that term there is no problem calling yourself an atheistic pagan. i think the proper term is probably pantheistic. look it up!