Old Religion

[Wise Owl]

I will quote passage from the book "Paganism An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions:

Since the word “Pagan” has been adopted by the Pagan movement, some
of its perceived stigma has lessened. At the very least, the word helps us to
think about the labels history applies to those who differ from conventional
Western thought. Some Pagans don’t like the word and use other terms to
describe their path, such as African Traditional Religion, Native Spirituality,
Celtic Spirituality, Heathenry, Earth-Centered Spirituality, European
Traditional Spirituality, the Elder Faith, and the Old Religion.

I really enjoy hearing the name "Old Religion" rather than "Paganism". For paganism, you may call one a pagan, but for the "Old Religion" how would you call him/her?

 

[Woooaaah]

I feel like it really depends on the practice it self. Like someone working with goetia would be a goes, someone working a shamanic route could call themselves a shaman, witch a witch, etc. I feel like things like old religion and pagan both are just umbrella terms.

 

[Morell]

I really enjoy hearing the name "Old Religion" rather than "Paganism". For paganism, you may call one a pagan, but for the "Old Religion" how would you call him/her?

Elder.

 

[Adelina]

What is bad in words Occultism/occultist, Magic/mage/magician, Witchcraft/witch/wizard? Word "religion" has some passive sense inherent to it: people relegate all the responsibility for their spiritual development to some middle-man, who is interested in people remaining weak and poor. It is something which associates mostly with blind faith rather than knowledge.

I think all that XX century's "revival of Old Religion" is nothing but subversion, something to take away "the lost herd"'s attention from real stuff.

 

[AlfrunGrima]

I suggest you to read Queens of the Night from Ronald Hutton to study more about these kind of terms, as a historian this his field of expertise. He can point you to the origin of words and ideas. The book is to be found on wizardforums if you like:

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[HoldAll]

Collection - Ronald Hutton - Queens of the Wild [EPUB, PDF & M4B Audiobook]

Publisher's Description: A concise history of the goddess-like figures who evade both Christian and pagan traditions, from the medieval period to the present day. In this riveting account, renowned scholar Ronald Hutton explores the history of deity-like figures in Christian Europe. Drawing on...

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