Paganism

Paganism

 
 

Paganism is a modern religious tradition based on the worship of nature and influenced by the religions of indigenous people. There are many different communities or types of Paganism. These include the Heathens, Wiccans, Druids, Odinists, Shamans, and Sacred Ecologists. With such a diverse range of subdivisions, Paganism involves a host of different practices and has experienced a rise in popularity in the past century.

History of Paganism

The Renaissance of the 1500s reintroduced the Ancient Greek concepts of Paganism. Pagan symbols and traditions entered European art, music, literature, and ethics. The Reformation of the 1600s put a temporary halt to Pagan thinking. Greek and Roman classics, with their focus on Paganism, were accepted again during the Enlightenment of the 1700s. Paganism experienced another rise in the 1800s and 1900s when modern forms of Buddhism and Hinduism were growing in popularity.

 Like those religions, Paganism revered nature. The 1900s also sparked the spread of indigenous religions and religions with indigenous bases, like Candomble and Santeria. Hinduism and Taoism influenced modern Paganism during the 1960s and 1970s. With the hippie, ecological, and feminist movements of those times, more and more people turned to Paganism.