Some questions...

[ItsMyFateImPaganBorn]

Hello there!! I'm new here!
I would be grateful if someone could answer to some questions I have...
Actually, they are really silly.. but I just cant stop thinking of them!
So, I start.
1)When I first heard of the term "Pagan" I searched the word to a dictionary I have. It says that is "idolatry". Ok, but I dont see the connection between idolatry to Paganism!!Also, we are all taught from our school that the ancient Greek were idolatry.. Is this actually true ? Uhhh I'm really comfused!!
2)What's the differance of Paganism to Neopaganism ?
3)Ok, this is REALLY silly question.. Cutting a small branch of a tree, or cutting a flower or anyway you know what I mean, is supposed to damage the tree? The nature ? I mean, we as Pagans should avoid that? I'm not saying cutting the whole tree!Just a leave for example..
4)I've heared that Christmas 25th of December was "taken" from Pagan origins.. Pagan birthday celebration of the sun-god. Ok, but Wicca is a really new religion.. I'm Really comfused here.. Which sun-god ? Someone help.. Please!
I know, really silly questions... Sorry!!

[Verthandi]

1)When I first heard of the term "Pagan" I searched the word to a dictionary I have. It says that is "idolatry". Ok, but I dont see the connection between idolatry to Paganism!!Also, we are all taught from our school that the ancient Greek were idolatry.. Is this actually true ? Uhhh I'm really comfused!!
Idolatry means you use idols in your worship. I believe all the Abahamic religions frown upon that and to them, the Greeks were idolaters. They had images of their gods, which are idols.
2)What's the differance of Paganism to Neopaganism ?
Neopaganism is new paganism. Most neopagans are not reconstructionists and their paths are slightly different than how the ancient religions may have been practiced.
3)Ok, this is REALLY silly question.. Cutting a small branch of a tree, or cutting a flower or anyway you know what I mean, is supposed to damage the tree? The nature ? I mean, we as Pagans should avoid that? I'm not saying cutting the whole tree!Just a leave for example..
Neither cutting a flower nor cutting a branch will damage the tree. However, most pagans believe that you should tell the plant of your intentions and leave a gift of some sort--fertilizer, maybe.
4)I've heared that Christmas 25th of December was "taken" from Pagan origins.. Pagan birthday celebration of the sun-god. Ok, but Wicca is a really new religion.. I'm Really comfused here.. Which sun-god ?
December 25 is around the time of Yule, the winter solstice. Most Biblical scholars now know that the Bible pertaining to Jesus' birth couldn't possibly be in December--the season is wrong for that. The date was either stolen from the pagans, or, more likely, borrowed. Religions borrow things from one another constantly. Yes, it could be a converting tactic, but it could also be that the borrowing religion thinks something will work better than what they have.

I hope I've answered your questions.

[Raivynne]

1)When I first heard of the term "Pagan" I searched the word to a dictionary I have. It says that is "idolatry". Ok, but I dont see the connection between idolatry to Paganism!!Also, we are all taught from our school that the ancient Greek were idolatry.. Is this actually true ? Uhhh I'm really comfused!!

Idolatry refers to worshipping a physical object as a god. Pagans usually do use Idols to represent gods, statues, etc. The Greeks did this too, which is probably why you are taught that. You should ask one of the Recons more about this if you're interested, since Greek isn't part of my personal path I don't know too much about it. In the Christianity Idolatry is strictly forbidden.

2)What's the differance of Paganism to Neopaganism ?

Neopaganism refers to new Pagan religions, for example, Wicca. Pagan means "country dweller" or something similar to that, which in the past referred to the people who lived out in the country, farming, etc who practiced folk magics, or anything not Christian. Now Pagan refers to anyone who adheres to any religion(s) other than Islamic, Jewish, or Christian.

3)Ok, this is REALLY silly question.. Cutting a small branch of a tree, or cutting a flower or anyway you know what I mean, is supposed to damage the tree? The nature ? I mean, we as Pagans should avoid that? I'm not saying cutting the whole tree!Just a leave for example..

Actually it is essential for trees, and other plants, to be trimmed back from time to time to allow new, healthy growth. If you, for example, wished to pick a rose, you can ask the rosebush and you'll most likely get a "yes". Cutting roses is very good for the bushes, it allows them to grow bigger, and healthier, as well as grow new roses.

)I've heared that Christmas 25th of December was "taken" from Pagan origins.. Pagan birthday celebration of the sun-god. Ok, but Wicca is a really new religion.. I'm Really comfused here.. Which sun-god ? Someone help.. Please!
I know, really silly questions... Sorry!!

The 25 isn't actually a Pagan holiday. Somewhere around the 21 IS Yule, the Winter Solstice. I have heard that in an attempt to convert more people to Christianity, the church changed around some holidays. I don't know too much detail about this though. And about the Sun God, I have no idea which that was, if it was even a specific God.

Well I hope I could help you out.

-Raivynne

[RubyRose]

Well considering most pantheons, each have a sun god, it could be any of them. Ra is one such God, King Arthur is supposed to be another, I believe (in Arthurian Tradition)

Bendithion,
RubyRose

[LittleRhiannon]

The sun god in question is probably Mithras

[Amadore]

1)When I first heard of the term "Pagan" I searched the word to a dictionary I have. It says that is "idolatry". Ok, but I dont see the connection between idolatry to Paganism!!Also, we are all taught from our school that the ancient Greek were idolatry.. Is this actually true ? Uhhh I'm really comfused!!
I can sort of see the connection.. I mean, every pagan believes in certain gods/goddesses more strongly than others, and we look up to them, sort of like idols? That's the only connection I see though..


2)What's the differance of Paganism to Neopaganism ?
Neopaganism is modern paganism. Paganism is simply just a general name to describe all the different paths/ways of paganism, I guess.


3)Ok, this is REALLY silly question.. Cutting a small branch of a tree, or cutting a flower or anyway you know what I mean, is supposed to damage the tree? The nature ? I mean, we as Pagans should avoid that? I'm not saying cutting the whole tree!Just a leave for example..
Yes, it hurts the tree, but if you apologize to the tree and tell her how greatful you are, then you will be forgiven.


4)I've heared that Christmas 25th of December was "taken" from Pagan origins.. Pagan birthday celebration of the sun-god. Ok, but Wicca is a really new religion.. I'm Really comfused here.. Which sun-god ? Someone help.. Please!
I know, really silly questions... Sorry!!

Hmm.. I'm not too sure about this, but I don't think Christmas (25th of december) was "taken" from Pagans. Yule is around that date, but the reason why is because of the seasons or something like that.. To be honest, I have no clue. I'm making silly assumptions. As for the sun-god, there are many... Apollo, Aten, Shamash... err... I'm not sure.

I'm a dummy :tongueout

[MorningDove030202]

Reguarding Idols.... somehow the monotheistic religions think that because we make an image of our God, that we think the image is the God. Now I think we are all smart enought to know that a picture of a god is not a god. What the ancient Pagans thought, I don't know, but I don't think that neopagans are idol worshipers.....

Dove

[-Ember]

1) Idolatry. As has been explained, idolatry is the practice of worshipping a physical object (such as a statue) as a divinity. I don't think many neopagans are true idolators as it is a very dedicated practice and one much misunderstood now days. It is not merely having images of divinities but using the image as an aspect of divinity. There are a few, and probably many semi-idolators.

2) Neo-pagan. Neo means new, hence new pagan. It is often used to differentiate between pagan religions that have been fairly recently created (or recreated... the recons still are often included in this) as opposed to those which have a longer history without the break in the record (ie: it can be argued that Hinduism is pagan, but not that it is neo-pagan.)

3) I am uncertain as to what you are asking in the branch question. If you are saying that pagans (or neo-pagans) should follow a "harm none" sort of rule, there are many non-wiccans who will disagree. As a more general answer: "harm" is something that is dificult to define well. Vegetative life often has a very different perspective than animal life on what is harm. It also tends to have a different sense of sacrifice. I will agree that we need to be mindful of harm caused, but not that causing harm in preforming an action necessarily invalidates or rules out that action as an option.

4) Christmas: There are many pagan holidays at about that time of year. Many mythological cycles have a sun god being born at the winter solstace. Christ very early was associated with many sun-god features (the nativity myth following a fairly standard pattern for sun-god births) and the holiday adapted well. It wasn't stolen from any one god (although certain features are stolen from particular gods) as much as from the overall concept of a sun god. Christmas once was a longer holiday and closer to the solstice, but custom and calender changes have moved the dates of both.

Finally, a general comment. There are a few thing said that suggest you are reading "wicca" and "pagan" as interchangeable. They aren't. For example, Wicca being a new religion does not mean that there are not pre-christian forms of paganism.

[-Ember]

Reguarding Idols.... somehow the monotheistic religions think that because we make an image of our God, that we think the image is the God. Now I think we are all smart enought to know that a picture of a god is not a god.

In real idolatry, that is what occurs. I've seen some very sophisticated theological arguments on behalf of the practice. In them, the main argument was not that it is a matter of not being "smart" enough to realize that a statue is not the divinity, but possessing a diferent ontology in which the statue is indeed the divinity. This different ontology can take many forms. It can be a matter of believing the divinity to be present in all things and marking out the statue as a special representitive in order to worship. It can take a form that is not as physically/materially oriented as we tend to be and associate the god with the name/image where the image is the thing it represents(in our understanding of image). There are others, but i really don't know how to explain them (I am already explaing these badly.) It involves a very different worldveiw that is not logical by the standard western/modern ones, but is internally non-contradictory.

Something interesting to consider: many of theses viewpoints are also very closely related to the perspectives which allow magic. I have seen almost identical arguments in theological defenses of idolatry and people attempting to explain the metaphysical basis behind magic.

[ItsMyFateImPaganBorn]

Thanks, all of you, answering my questions!I really appreciate that!!
I think I cleared the things out, thanks :)

[Fairywolf]

I won't answer the questions you asked above because I think everyone else has done so, and quite well at that :)

I will say this though.....There is NEVER a stupid question as long as you are willing and trying to learn. If you are asking for shits and giggles something that you already know the anwer on then yes it is a stupid question. BUT as long as you are asking to truely learn then ask away :)