Curious.

aidan24326

Having read some of the stickies, a couple of the threads on this forum and also a wikipedia article, I must admit to being little the wiser as to what calling oneself a pagan actually means. What is it that you believe in? Are there many pagans around? (I don't know any myself) Sorry if this question has been posed before, but this is my first time in the pagan forum. Just curious.

Nevyn

Hi glad you found the stickies helpful.

Pagan is an umberella term the same way christainity is.
There are many differing types of pagans with differing beliefs and differing gods.

And what do you mean by many pagans arround ?
If you are looking for offical figures national wide then we will have to wait the results of the last cenus.

Suaimhneach

And even then we generally go under the umbrella term of "other".

There a lot of pagans in Ireland, and a lot of pagan groups. There is a Pagan Community, though it is small, but then, so is Ireland.

There are pleanty of online IRISH resources for Paganism, beit Wiccan, Druidism, Shamanism etc etc. Google is your friend.

aidan24326

Thaedydal wrote:

Pagan is an umberella term the same way christainity is.
There are many differing types of pagans with differing beliefs and differing gods.

Fair enough, but that didn't really answer my question. [EDIT]- I now know roughly what your own take is from another thread.

And what do you mean by many pagans arround ?
If you are looking for offical figures national wide then we will have to wait the results of the last cenus.

I was just wondering how common it is that's all. The wikipedia article suggests that it's increasing in popularity.

Jesjes wrote:

There a lot of pagans in Ireland, and a lot of pagan groups. There is a Pagan Community, though it is small, but then, so is Ireland.

How many is alot? Personally I've never met or known any.

Found a couple of sites and old threads which were helpful in getting some idea as to what all this is about. Some of it I'd certainly agree with, some I would find to be a bit vague and without without substance, but each to their own. I would imagine the umbrella term 'pagan' to be something of an oversimplification of what appears to be a diverse mix of views/beliefs.

scorplett

aidan24326 wrote:

How many is alot?

There is simply no way of knowing. Top estimates for Ireland would be in the 15-20 thousand mark, bottom estimates would be in the 3-5 thousand mark. This is largley due to being a diverse umbrella term. The census people cannot say 'ah, this person put druid on their form, that means that they are pagan, ill add one more person to the pagan list!'. They have to note you as you put it on the form and that includes spelling mistakes. Then there are also those who do not fill out the form for themselves because they are living in the family home etc.

aidan24326 wrote:

Personally I've never met or known any

I bet you have and you just dont know it. As has been said in other posts, most pagans will not pass you in the street, grab your arm and say 'hey did you know that I am pagan?. Chances are you have met pagans but just not known they were. If you have ever been to a boards beers you will have been in the prescance of pagans or if you have ever sat in the market on a saturday morning in galway city center then you have met pagans. And besides are you not talking to a bunch of pagans here in this forum?

aidan24326 wrote:

I would imagine the umbrella term 'pagan' to be something of an oversimplification of what appears to be a diverse mix of views/beliefs.

It would take forever to explain every belief of every pagan however if you really need to catagorise who is pagan and who is not you could make the distinction as being someone who worships one, two or many of the pre abrahamic gods of various or single pantheons and reveres the earth as sacred and divine.
Then again that might not stand for every single pagan out there but i think it would serve the majority of pagan folk out there.

aidan24326

scorplett wrote:

There is simply no way of knowing. Top estimates for Ireland would be in the 15-20 thousand mark, bottom estimates would be in the 3-5 thousand mark. This is largley due to being a diverse umbrella term.

I think the wikipedia article estimates 50 thousand in the US, but who knows where they got that figure from. I can see how it would be difficult to get any accurate figure.

I bet you have and you just dont know it. As has been said in other posts, most pagans will not pass you in the street, grab your arm and say 'hey did you know that I am pagan?

Well many people won't openly discuss/reveal their religious persuasions unless pressed on it. Though I've met and known people from most of the main religions. What I probably should have said was I've never met a pagan that I was aware of. Had I met one I would have been largely ignorant of what it was all about, hence my curiosity now. I am now a little wiser.

PS I should have called this thread 'curious', as opposed to confused.

Nevyn

In america due to thier contistutional rights in reguards to religion things are a lot more open. But there is still predjuice in some areas.
Certain types of paganism are a lot more organised over there and hence there are some public numbers.