What is the difference between Paganism & Interfaith?

Hah. Based on some "discussions" I've seen, infighting is definitely not too strong of a word. I don't suspect there is any more or less of it than there is in any other community group, however. People fight. It's what they do, irrespective of group identities.

I had to comment on the Wiccan slant of that list, because the trend of treating Wicca and Neopaganism as synonymous is bothersome to non-Wiccan Neopagans, nor does it reflect non-neo practices. Small changes in how things were said would go a long way. The list I tend to use - which is largely derived from the work of a scholar on Paganism - is this one:

Originally Posted by Excerpted file from BoS

When defining religions, we need to bear in mind that the process of capturing a vast territory with a single word can obscure underlying depth and breadth. I use a single word - Paganism - to describe a group of religious practices that vary significantly beneath that broad label. The list below represents an overview of qualities and characteristics typically seen in Pagan religions. They degree of weight given to each will vary, but each is present to some degree. Each of these will be explained in more detail further on.

• Locality-oriented. Pagan practices are an expression of the surrounding local environment.
• Nature-centered. Pagans conceive of the sacred in a way that is inexorably tied to the natural world.
• Pluralistic. Pagans are tolerant of diverse god-concepts as they themselves have diverse god-concepts.
• Immanent. Pagans see the divine as primarily manifest within the world rather than separate from it.
• Experiential. Pagan practices are rooted in experience and living mythology rather than dogma.
• Hedonistic. Pagans accept self-satisfaction, worldliness, and pleasure as essential human experiences.

I do not use Paganism synonymously with Neopaganism or with paganism (lower case), FYI. I didn't actually bother to write about those distinctions in the rest of that file, because I was only interested in defining Paganism as a world religion, inspired largely by the work of the scholar Michael York. *chuckles* It's in my head, though.

[Honza]

I learn more every day! Thanks you two.

Originally Posted by Honza

They seem pretty similar to me. Paganism has no fixed set of beliefs and neither does Interfaith. They both pretty much seem to accept one and all. Is there a real difference?

Another great question, Honza.

Originally Posted by Honza

They seem pretty similar to me. Paganism has no fixed set of beliefs and neither does Interfaith. They both pretty much seem to accept one and all. Is there a real difference?

Paganism, like any other grouping would be a subset of the interfaith movement.
Inter-faith! To me that is quite clear, it is not about beliefs and who is right and wrong, better or worse, more true or not, but interaction, discussion, exploration, between faiths, any faith.

Interfaith includes people of different faiths, they will use a different label to describe themselves, they can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Pagan, Catholic... yada yada yada....

Personally I would say that although Paganism doesn't have a set list of attributes you either are or you're not. You know if you are Pagan.

I still stand by my (british) list of common beliefs.

Because we don't easily agree on anything it is easy to think that we are airy fairy with no belief at all.. and I can say this is definitely not true.

It also makes me laugh that we want to be accepted as a recognised religion and yet we can't even agree on what that religion is made up of!

No major religious demographic can agree on what it is made up of. It's what happens whenever you have a religion of more than one person. *shrug*

[Morpheus]

Originally Posted by Sungirl

in as much as people not agreeing on what it is?

I would say "fighting" is a little strong. However there are a lot of different opinions as to what paganism actually is.

The problem is there is no book of truths like the bible. Traditions have been handed down and also new traditions being created.

The handed down stuff can be very different because for so many years it had to be kept secret.

I tend to listen to the land and follow my own path rather than any set of handed down rules.

There can be a lot of scorn between groups.. some will look at others and say they are too fluffy, or too neo-pagan and not honouring the ancestors. You even get different kinds of druids. My friend is one kind and I was talking about Bobcat and she sat there and said that she didn't think she was a druid of any kind she had heard of.

This is why the term Pagan is so difficult to define... it covers sooooo much

Paganism us the belief and worship of numerous gods, as had been popular in ancient Greece and Rome.
Babylon, Egypt, etc.
While Pantheism is about many gods as aspects, representing One Supreme Deity.

I've viewed, "Interfath", as recognizing the mystical aspects of the various faiths,
and the agreement of all at their essence, at that level, in alignment with each other.


There is One Truth. God is Truth.

Originally Posted by Quintessence

No major religious demographic can agree on what it is made up of. It's what happens whenever you have a religion of more than one person. *shrug*

But as a rule, generally, there is a large number of them that can agree on one date for their festivals. I mean you ask most Christians when christmas is and they will say Dec 5th... even easter, that moves, has a rule as to when it is (all be it based on a pagan formula).

In the UK Pagans are trying to get the Pagan festivals recognised as religious dates so they can book them off for holiday, but you ask someone when Imbog is... even if they call it Imbolg.. or is it Imbolc, Oilmec (is that right?)... what about Ostara, or Oestra?

Personally I am happy for it to be really free flow and not be "recognised" but I know others do, and if they do, they need to find a way to agree on some stuff.

[Morpheus]

Originally Posted by Honza
They seem pretty similar to me. Paganism has no fixed set of beliefs and neither does Interfaith. They both pretty much seem to accept one and all. Is there a real difference?

Is the destire and search for, "Truth", important?

There is ultimately, one Truth.