When Paganism Ends...

[kevyn]

My deep philosophical question for the season:

Is it possible to be an Atheist (or Agnostic), and be a Pagan at the same time?

I don't have an answer, I'm just mulling it over in my mind. I used to think "yes," and identified as such, but since then I've had Pagan friends I trust and respect tell me I can't be both at the same time.

Sorting out belief...

-Hagrid

Comments

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

> Sort of like how Voodooism exists alongside Christian teachings.

Excellent point. Parallel, not necessarily mutually exclusive belief sets.

I think I've operated in that realm for a long time, especially along the environmental track.

What's stirring me now are the ideas of The New Atheists, like Richard Dawkins, who posit that we live in a purely mateial universe (sure, there's a human need for spirituality, and that's fine) and that supernatural forces do not exist. That's a question I guess I am agnostic on.

Maybe I am more a Cultural Pagan than a Spiritual one?

[cubziz.livejournal.com]

I admit, I'm not TOO familiar with many of the concepts in Paganism. I admit that as far as belief systems go, I believe the Native American is the one which I most closely relate to, which is probably the closest to many of the Pagan beliefs (particularly in the Mother Earth viewpoint).

The systems work on different levels. (I didn't think to word it that way.)