What is the origin of heathenism?

Answer 1

Answer
Not really known as it's a naturally evolved religion/belief. Scientists suspect that part of the human brain is programmed to believe in religion. This suspicion has stemmed from studying epileptics and the visions some of them have during a seizure. It may also be of interest for you to know that elephants perform burial rites. (This is a religious act) We seem to be programmed to have religion and paganism is any naturally occurring religion that's based around nature and respect for the earth. It's not specific to any culture or race.
According to the MountainMan391:
Paganism is an umbrella term that encompasses every religion that is not Jewish, Christian, or Islamic in origin (I take this definition straight from the dictionary). Not all pagan religions are based around nature. Therefore, paganism has been around as long as religion has. Which is to say, as long as humans have walked this earth.

See Discussion Board for further comments...


EXTRA ANSWER::::
I think Paganism originated in Northern Europe, such as Britain and Scandinavia. It's all up to the person, but I have found that Stonehenge in Salisbury, England was a place of Pagan worship.

And Now for another thought.
Paganism, Witchcraft & magic are as old as mankind. Anything, beyond your understanding or comprehension can be considered magic. A cell phone to a primitive is magic.

When mankind first started being self aware, we looked beyond ourselves and needed answers to things like, where does the sun go at night? How do we insure it will come back? How do we heal wounds and illnesses? How do we find food?

Eventually members of the group who discovered things, like which plants helped an upset stomach, where to find water, what the migration patterns of the local animals were and other things, became the ones others turned to for answers. These were the Wise Ones...

The cycles of the seasons where in our blood and instincts, as they governed our survival. The wise ones were the ones who kept track of the right time to plant, and harvest, ensuring the continuance of the people.

As we became more evolved the amount of knowledge expanded, and those with the answers learned a few tricks of their own.

If someone tells you a certain herb will cure your cut, you may or may not believe them, if they are well respected and do a little spell/prayer over the cut at the same time as using the herb, you tend to believe... Particularly if it works... you then tell others of the "power" of the Wise One... Eventually a name gets made, and expectation are raised...

It is a commonly accepted fact that your mind has a strong influence on your body... If you believe in something it has a better chance of working. the Wise Ones figured this out early on, so a little "showmanship" helped their reputation...

As spell/prayers/magic/ became standardized and passed on from generation to generation, the words became of equal importance to the practical application...

Magic became accepted as something that worked...

Science is today what magic once was, a practical, evolving set of standard results from repeated experimentation...

Even modern medicine can't tell us everything the mind is capable of, so some of us still believe in and practice Magic...




Most modern Pagans practice an earth based belief system that can but does not always include the practice of magic. We try connect to the cycles of the moon and the seasons. We revere the powers of nature and the universe.

Answer 2

A quick read of a dictionary indicates that both Heathen and Pagan have similar meanings,

-a 'heathen' is:

"(1). A person who does not acknowledge the God of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam

-a 'pagan' is:

"(1). A member of a group professing any religion otherthan Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.

This is the present meaning, but it tends to miss additional indication that both groups are considered to be uncivilized and uncouth. That is where we have to look to the etymology of the words. Originally heathens were dwellers in the wild country, the Scots and still refer to the rough unsettled areas as heath, similarly, pagans were country dwellers. The French word "pays" can be traced to the same origin.

So far nothing about religion.

The Romans were big on being viewed as the epitome of civilization. They were into cities, armies, and organized government. Anyone who didn't act like a Roman was barbaric and primitive. Therefor foks living outside Roman cities and the associated villas and farms were barbaric, especially the aboriginal population of Scandinavia, Gaul, Britain and Spain. The Romans also had the "real" religion. They were, after all, Romans civilized and wise. When the "real" religion changed from the worship of Zeus and Hera to Christianity, and the rustics failed to follow suit it was just another example of their primitive and uncouth way of life.

In truth the heathens and pagans of Western Europe and, as it was later found, the aboriginal peoples of the Americas and Australia, had their own pantheon of gods and goddesses, as did the eastern followers of Hindu and Jain traditions. They got to be known as heathens and pagans as well when the connotation of "not worshipping the proper gods" became the principle definition of heathens and pagans.

What then about the Jews and Moslems? They shared a common ancestral religion with Christianity, so while not really acceptable they were at least on the same field as Christians. They weren't heathens or pagans at least - just in error on the finer points of spirituality.

So where does that put us today? The new definition of pagans an heathens is still "People who don't worship the Islamic/Judeo-Christian god. " This has been expanded to denigrate all the new age religions (like Gaea worship, Wiccans, native spirituality and satanists) and atheists. For reasons unknown Buddhists escape the label.

But now many folk seem to be happy to be out of the fold and rejoice in their heathen/pagan beliefs. In addition to groups like hard core Wiccans casual paganism is coming back with open to all Solstice parties and Sweet Grass smudges at aboriginal events.

One of the original contributors to this response summed his/her opinion with the words:

"(T)here is no specific place or location for the origin of heathenism ... it begins in the mind, and it starts with denying God ..."

Substituting a phrase like "the specific god that I believe in" in place of "God", as pagans and heathens do believe in god(s), would probably have been more correct. A review of the list of fallacious arguments would indicate that this is a false dichotomy. Essentially "my way or the highway" for a belief system where numerous potential "right" answers can be made.

Answer 3

Originally pagan was a term not related to religion but to the civilized nature of the people in a group. If you were a Roman, you were a civilized person. If you lived in a small village or in the country you weren't. The word comes from the Latin paganus‘villager, rustic,’ from pagus ‘country district.’ At that time it would be easy to say where pagans lived - not in the city. The additional attribute was that pagan meant civilian as in "not a military person".So paganism originated when someone noticed that not everyone lived in Rome
Today pagan means people who don't believe in your god or follow your religion. They can live anywhere - in the country or the city, in your nation ora third world country or even in your neighbourhood in the apartment next to the church.

So in this case "paganism" didn't originate as a phi;osophy or belief but as a derogatory name imposed on people without the "civilizing" impact of christianity.