Don't know what to say...

[ShadowRavenWings]

Well, it's really very recently (as in, the past few days) that I... became pagan or whatever, and I don't know what to say to my friends and family. A lot of my family is Christian, and so are some of my friends, and I don't think they'd like the idea. I'm talking to one of my friends on Yahoo Messenger right now, but.. *shrugs*

[smckim]

Hi, Ok, well you say it's only been a few days, and it seems you are not really sure of your path as you said "Pagan or whatever". I would say wait, give yourself time to study some more before you take it to your family and friends. I waited about a year, so that when I did tell them, I was able to explain what my beliefs are, and the path I had chosen, that was 17 years ago. I wish you Blessings on your way to finding your path.

[ShadowRavenWings]

Well, I kind of meant the 'or whatever' to go with the 'became' part, because I wasn't sure how to word it. But yeah, that's a good idea... I guess maybe I'll do that.

[Bec_W]

With the benefit of hindsight, I'd say don't say anything. Don't keep it a secret, if some one asks tell them, but just don't be "out there" with it.

A friend of mine, when she first became interested in paganism, told her parents in stages, at first she started introducing her mum to various parts of her beliefs in a "I was reading about [this] and thought it was interesting, what do you think?" kind of way.

[OpenHands]

I agree with waiting. If people ask, I don't see the harm in saying, "I'm exploring/studying some different things right now, but I'm not ready to discuss it." or some such. You could use the label "seeker" right now too. Because if this could be a possible problem with people and you can't coherently answer questions and talk about your religion/spirituality (especially if you're labeling yourself as "pagan or whatever" ;) ) with a good amount of confidence in your answers at this point, then you may end up making things worse.

Take some time to really learn about what you're getting into. That way you can be more sure if this is something you're going to be committed to on a long-term basis or not. If that ends up not being the case, then there's no need to inform anyone and no harm done. Good luck with your studies.

[Acid09]

How did you become pagan or whatever? And that "I just am" speel won't fly. I want to know what you did that makes you pagan. I ask because sometimes people say they are things when in reallity they haven't done anything to be what it is they claim to be.

Maybe what you should do instead of telling your parents that you are pagan is ask them what they would think if you started looking into other religions. Then ask them if they would help you. So this way not only are you learning alternitive religions your parents know what you're getting into and won't give you any crap.

[Meadhbh]

I agree don't go with 'hey mom guess what? I'm pagan.' At the dinner table, that rarely ends well. Start off slow maybe reading up on the myths of a culture that interests you. Then slowly bring up things like people worshiping various gods, that way if things don't go as planed you can fall back on the I was just reading about it thing. If she doesn't seem that turned off by the ideal then you can start talking about yourself doing it, you don't want to drop the bomb fast.

[wyldwolf]

My suggestion would be to without a doubt, read up on what you are thinking about getting into. Although it's right for some, it isn't for everyone. Ask yourself why you are thinking about becoming pagan. You have to go on a self exploration, you can't just wake up on day and decide that you are now pagan. You need an understanding of who you are and why you want to travel on this path. It took me several years of thinking and arguing the christian facts in my head to get to the point of delving into the world of paganism. In whatever you decide, I wish you well and brighteset blessings.:)

[Bix]

You could also check some coming out threads here. There's been a lot of them. Maybe they'll give you some insight.