Doesn “Pagan” mean irreligious or heathen?
The word “Pagan” comes from the Latin Paganus, meaning peasant or country dweller. As a religious term, it is correctly used by antrhopologists to designate the indigenous folk religions of particular regions and peoples, and by classical scholars to refer to the great pre-Christian civilizations of the Mediterranean area (as in the phrase “Pagan splendour,” often used in reference to classical Greece). Thus all traitional native tribal religions are Pgan, such as those of the American Indians, Polynesians, Africans, Hindus, etc. “Heathen” is not a specifically religious term at all, but simply refers to the people who lived on the heaths (where the heather grew) as in the British Isles. Since such people were usually Pgans, the two terms became regarded as synonymous as far as Christians were concerned. Return to Questions Don’t Pagans worship the Devil? Of course not. “The Devil” is a specifically Christian concept, and no one outside of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam recognizes him
No. The word “Pagan” comes from the Latin Paganus, meaning peasant or country dweller. As a religious term, it is correctly used by anthropologists to designate indigenous folk religions of particular regions and peoples, and by classical scholars to refer to the great ancient pre-Christian civilizations of the Mediterranean area (as in the phrase, “Pagan splendor,” often used in reference to Classical Greece.) To the Romans, “Pagan” denoted a “hick,” one who was not part of the dominant, privileged, roman society (just as they used the term “barbarians” to describe foreigners who spoke no Latin). The derogatory quality of the term comes from Roman Christian classism. Thus, from the Christian point of view, all traditional native tribal religions have been considered Pagan, such as those of the American Indians, Polynesians, Africans, Norse, Celts, Gauls, Australian Aborigines, Hindus, etc. “Heathen” is not a specifically religious term at all, but simply refers to the people who lived
