Initially used pejoratively to describe rural people perceived as uneducated and outside the mainstream Roman Christian society, it evolved to refer to those who practiced pre-Christian polytheistic religions as Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire.
Paganism is a growing spiritual movement that includes many groups who practice nature-based polytheistic religions. Pagans revere nature and the physical world, and believe that the divine is present in nature, not in the sky. They also tend to be earth conscious and view the world as a place of joy and life.
Paganism encompasses a diverse community with some groups concentrating on specific traditions, practices or elements such as ecology, witchcraft, Celtic traditions or certain gods. Wiccans, Druids, Shamans, Sacred Ecologists, Odinists and Heathens all make up parts of the Pagan community. expand all.
Basically, the term started out to mean anyone that was not Christian when Christianity took over. Anyone that practiced any other pre-Christian religion. The term evolved into being anyone that practiced earth-based religions or spiritual practices as well.
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