Meaning of Paganism (What is, Concept and Definition) - Meanings

Meaning of Paganism

What is Paganism:

Paganism is meant the practice of polytheistic religions that are not accepted by Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Originally, the term pagan comes from the Latin "paganus" which means 'inhabitant of the countryside or village'.

The application of the term "paganism" to polytheistic religious practices is related to the officialization of Christianity, a religion that was formally established in the fourth century with the proclamation of the Edict of Thessaloniki by Emperor Theodosius.

When Christianity became official, it was rapidly incorporated into the urban centers of the empire. However, their expansion to the most remote areas of the countryside took longer, so they practiced polytheism parallel to what was happening in the political centers.

Thus, little by little the term "pagan" (peasant) was identified with the religious option, until, finally, "paganism" came to mean the practice of religions, almost always polytheistic, considered false. In the event that a monotheistic religion was considered pagan, this was due to the fact that it did not respond to any of the books of the Abrahamic religions.

In the context of the history and development of Christianity, the term paganism has also served to identify those trends within the same religion that incorporate syncretic elements of other religions or that only resemble them.

This type of derivation generated quite a few conflicts within the Church. For example, the most conservative sectors of Christianity in Byzantium considered the worship of images to be proper to pagans, which literally ensued in the iconoclastic war.

neopaganism

Starting in the 19th century, various spiritualities have been awakened that have attempted to retake some of the beliefs and practices of ancient paganism. These tendencies derive from enlightened occultism and are considered neo-paganism.

 

Thank You