CONTEMPORARY  FAITH

1. NEOPAGANISM

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Estimated year of creation: 1100 AD

God or Prophet of neopaganism: Different pagan gods.

Main books of neopaganism: The Emerald Table, among many others.

Main prophets of neopaganism: Different pagan gods.

Headquarters / Capital in the world: Germany, Austria and the United States of America.

Number of faithful around the world: Unknown.

Main symbol of neopaganism: Various symbols represent it, although it is mainly identified with the Pentacle.

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Basic principles of neopaganism:

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Also called Heathenism, contemporary paganism or Germanic neopaganism, it is composed of several aspects and forms of the movements that compose it, it is possible to establish a series of characteristics within its doctrinal elements, these are:

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Cyclical conception: time is conceived as a process or state that is constantly circulating. In this sense, three phases are established through which time is always in motion, the first of which is birth, growth (or development) follows and aging ends. The cyclical conception, basically, governs all the extensions of life, as we will see in the following aspects of human life.

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Death: according to the cyclical conception, the notion of death is within this same cyclical process, since it is a passage from one circle to another in which biological life ends and a new process of existence begins. For Modern Paganism the new stage of life after death constitutes a natural future of being. It is a concept of rebirth that marks the passage from one plane of existence to another.

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Reincarnation: the different currents that are part of Neopaganism conceive the idea of ​​reincarnation, however, in religions such as Druidism, this concept belonged to its archaic form, while in other traditions it begins to appear as a belief that begins to spread from the priestly orders.

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Tolerance: since modern paganism considers the multiplicity of lives, which in their transit allow the being to reach the understanding of the divine, each of the religions is considered valid within the vision of neopaganism, since it is they find justified and share several of its principles, although the purpose of harmony with the divine is the most important.

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This explains why in Neopaganism each person can choose the spiritual path they prefer, the one that best suits their needs and in their search for harmony, since they are Indo-European or Abrahamic-rooted religious forms. In addition to interrupting relationships and hindering harmony, the presence of intolerance is also seen as an entity of degeneration on morality, which does not allow the perception of existence within all possible valid points since there is no truth absolute.

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The idea of ​​good and evil: for the thought of Modern Paganism, there is no good and evil, since it observes it from the individuality of being.

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Free sexuality: aspects such as sexual orientation and sexual practices of the human being are not seen as impure for nature, but they configure the nature of the human being as such and must be respected and tolerated, as long as it is not a question of soofilia, necrophilia or pedophilia (under 16 years).

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Scientific studies: starting from the essential idea of ​​nature and respect for it within what human beings can experience and know about it, scientific studies and science in general, it is observed as an element that serves as a means to to know, through another sphere, the laws in which the cosmos is governed.

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Wicca and derived traditions

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Founded in the twentieth century, it is presented as a tradition that was born recently, and that within its objectives, is the search for contact with entities such as fairies. This tradition essentially uses family rituals for contact. It is consolidated as one of the most "beautiful" traditions, within the movements of Modern Paganism, given its influence with Celtic elements, but also with fundamental aspects of shamanism. It is possible to define the tradition in a type of bitheistic theology, in which there are two essential divinities that are part of the tradition of witchcraft in the European continent. It is symbolized by the five-pointed star that lies within a circle, better known as the pentacle.

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However, it is important to mention that it has a deep relationship with British witches, since its founder, Gerald Gardner, claimed within his texts that he had been initiated into a kind of secret conventicle with them, given their relationship with the ancient religion and the persecution to which they were subjected by Christianity and its aspects; Catholicism and Protestantism. To learn more about Wicca, click here.

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Branches of neopaganism. As we mentioned, Neopaganism is divided into four main aspects, in them are the following:

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The syncretisms

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In this branch are all those beliefs that are part of a confluence of tribal religions from West Africa, through Christian imagery and other forms. The syncretisms include traditions such as Santeria, Voodoo, Candomblé, and other forms of Spiritism.

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Neo-pagan Reconstructivism

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In this branch all the religious forms that aspire to recover and restore the oldest religions that existed, especially those in areas of the European continent and the Middle East, meet. Among these forms we find: the Guanche mythology of the Canary Islands of the Spanish territory, the Hellenic polytheism, the Ásatrú, the Druidism of the Celtic aspect and other neopagan forms.

A characteristic that we must highlight of these religious forms and that allows them to show the desire for restoration, are the festivities that are usually held each year in which in an attempt to revive the cult, they dress according to the time in which the religious celebration was taking place. However, the bloody practices of the sacrifices and other rituals considered cruel, do not come up within the current celebrations of these ancient religions.

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Short description of neopaganism.

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Also known as modern paganism or contemporary paganism, it is a set of spiritual movements that includes a series of manifestations of polytheistic religiosity . These religious movements usually contain within their liturgy, a series of practices, rituals, symbols and divine figures of pre-Christian cults. It is estimated that there are currently about a million neo-pagans worldwide .

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Neopaganism is divided into four main parts, these are: traditional witchcraft, syncretisms, wicca and derived traditions and finally, different types of neo-pagan reconstructionism. In this way he not only takes ancient practices, but also re-adapts the pagan beliefs of ancient times, in such a way that he could use them to face the concerns and needs of the present from them.

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References:

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https://religionesenelmundo.com/creencias/neopaganismo/

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