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Definition:
The label "Neo-paganism" gets applied to any of several recent religious movements
which incorporate one or more pre-Christian religious traditions. The purpose of these
movements is to rediscover a harmony with nature and the universe which it is supposed
these ancient people had, but which was lost because of Christianity.
The degree to which these pagan beliefs are authentically ancient and of pre-Christian origin is a matter of great dispute. Believers generally regard their beliefs as stemming directly from ancient traditions, but scholars have argued that quite a lot in neo-paganism is of modern origin. Quite a lot of this is due to the modern popularizers of neo-paganism, for example Gerald Gardner, Margaret Murray and Doreen Valentine.
Neo-pagans share a number of characteristics in common. Some of these include anti-authoritarianism, the belief that nature and the universe itself are sacred, an acceptance of some form of animism, polytheism or pantheism, reincarnation, the sacredness of human sexuality, psychic powers, and more.
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Related Resources:
What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.
