Can you do Pagan Rituals and not be Pagan ?

Hi I know this my sound funny but I like some of the rituals Pagans do but Im a die- hard christian. But reading this book made me think of all the rituals pagans do and it seem pretty intresting ,nice and down right fun. I would kinda want that in my life but not hurt my faith. I hope I dont offend anybody hear I respect this religion. I was also wondering what kinds of seramonies and rituals are out there I kinda know about the halloween one / Samhain. That intrests me alot thanks !!

Just as someone can be a die hard Pagan and practice Christian rituals.

But just where does that leave one at the end of the day ?

You can. But I fail to see the point, since it goes against much of the Bible. There's lots of Christian folk traditions that might interest you, rather than pagan ones, which tend to be... non-Christian? lol

A good example is the Carmina Gadelica which is a collection of hymns, blessings and poems collected from the Scottish Highlands, which are Christian in their purpose and reference, but show some strong folk tradition that many see as being originally pagan, but living on in modified form.

[norseman]

Originally Posted by Endless_Love_2_you

Hi I know this my sound funny but I like some of the rituals Pagans do but Im a die- hard christian. But reading this book made me think of all the rituals pagans do and it seem pretty intresting ,nice and down right fun. I would kinda want that in my life but not hurt my faith. I hope I dont offend anybody hear I respect this religion. I was also wondering what kinds of seramonies and rituals are out there I kinda know about the halloween one / Samhain. That intrests me alot thanks !!

Of course there are lots of pagan rituals you could do.
For example : Ostara. Your church must like that one since they took it for themselves and renamed it Easter. Or how about Yule ?

Originally Posted by norseman

Of course there are lots of pagan rituals you could do.
For example : Ostara. Your church must like that one since they took it for themselves and renamed it Easter. Or how about Yule ?

Actually, Easter is a purely Christian holiday. The actual name in English we use, Easter, is related to an Anglo-Saxon month name mentioned by Bede that corresponds to the modern month of April. Bede also mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons worshiped a goddess by the name of Eostre around that time, and Jacob Grimm was one of the first people to theorize that the custom of dyeing Easter eggs, and the Easter Bunny are possible remnants of a Eostre cultus that were kept by the converted A-S.

But aside from the English & German customs that aren't in anyway Biblical, Easter, or Pascha, is definitely a Christian holiday.

[onetruebeliever]

Originally Posted by Animus27

Actually, Easter is a purely Christian holiday. The actual name in English we use, Easter, is related to an Anglo-Saxon month name mentioned by Bede that corresponds to the modern month of April. Bede also mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons worshiped a goddess by the name of Eostre around that time, and Jacob Grimm was one of the first people to theorize that the custom of dyeing Easter eggs, and the Easter Bunny are possible remnants of a Eostre cultus that were kept by the converted A-S.

But aside from the English & German customs that aren't in anyway Biblical, Easter, or Pascha, is definitely a Christian holiday.

Easter actually has been traced as far back as Babylonia(Mesopotamia). Traditions and all. The early Christians "borrowed" the Pagan holidays and "mutated" them to fit their theology so the populations would submit more easily.

Originally Posted by onetruebeliever

Easter actually has been traced as far back as Babylonia(Mesopotamia). Traditions and all. The early Christians "borrowed" the Pagan holidays and "mutated" them to fit their theology so the populations would submit more easily.

And what kind of evidence can you cite to support that? I've heard it a few times; but I've never really heard anything that validates it as much as people insinuate it does.

Originally Posted by Animus27

And what kind of evidence can you cite to support that? I've heard it a few times; but I've never really heard anything that validates it as much as people insinuate it does.

Read the instructions of Pope Gregory to Saint Augustine when he was sent on a mission to convert the Pagan English.

Originally Posted by Animus27

Actually, Easter is a purely Christian holiday. The actual name in English we use, Easter, is related to an Anglo-Saxon month name mentioned by Bede that corresponds to the modern month of April. Bede also mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons worshiped a goddess by the name of Eostre around that time, and Jacob Grimm was one of the first people to theorize that the custom of dyeing Easter eggs, and the Easter Bunny are possible remnants of a Eostre cultus that were kept by the converted A-S.

But aside from the English & German customs that aren't in anyway Biblical, Easter, or Pascha, is definitely a Christian holiday.

Origins of the name "Easter":
The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." 1 Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were:

Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus
Ashtoreth from ancient Israel
Astarte from ancient Greece
Demeter from Mycenae
Hathor from ancient Egypt
Ishtar from Assyria
Kali, from India
Ostara a Norse Goddess of fertility.

An alternative explanation has been suggested. The name given by the Frankish church to Jesus' resurrection festival included the Latin word "alba" which means "white." (This was a reference to the white robes that were worn during the festival.) "Alba" also has a second meaning: "sunrise." When the name of the festival was translated into German, the "sunrise" meaning was selected in error. This became "ostern" in German. Ostern has been proposed as the origin of the word "Easter".
Sunday." It is derived from the name of the Scandinavian sun Goddess Sunna (a.k.a. Sunne, Frau Sonne).
Yeah thats about as Christian as decorating a Tree..

Thanks Guys !! <3 <3