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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:16 am
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While online I have never really run into the issue, in person I have found that the term 'Pagan' carries a negative connotation for some followers of faiths that would be considered it.
It is ture that the term comes from a late Latin term meaning "country-dweller", and was (and is) used as a derogatory term. But just as other words have evolved in meaning, can Paganism slide out of its old skin? If so, how long do you think it will take people? If not, what do you think is holding it back and why people place so much value on it?
As some may know, I plan on starting a student union for Pagans my sophmore or junior year of college. To combat this dirty-word syndrome, I'm going to put forth a name along the lines of "Neo, Ecclectic, and Reconstructive Faith Student Union".
...Naturally, I'm going to find an acronym. sweatdrop
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:41 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:20 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:41 pm
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Atma311 Hmm.... this is a tough one. I think the word itself is positive due to how the Pagan community has shaped it INTO something positive. However, it will always depend on the person who uses the word. For example, a biggotted pastor might use that word as if it were a cuss word (and thusly shaping the term "Pagan" with negative connotations to all the people who listen and respect him), while on the other hand, a person who is friends with a Pagan would use the word more neutrally or even positively. It mainly just comes down to personal experience. Acronyms? Hmmm... Students Affirming Faith Equality "SAFE" Religious Education Among Leaders "REAL" ("Leaders" was the best I could think of) Religious Interest for Students' Education "RISE" Helping Others with Pagan Education "HOPE" There's a couple of ideas mrgreen
I dunno, the "Neo, Eclectic, and Reconstructionist Faith Students" Jameta went for spells NERFS. ^_^
Though HOPE is pretty darn cool, too.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:54 pm
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Jameta While online I have never really run into the issue, in person I have found that the term 'Pagan' carries a negative connotation for some followers of faiths that would be considered it. It is ture that the term comes from a late Latin term meaning "country-dweller", and was (and is) used as a derogatory term. But just as other words have evolved in meaning, can Paganism slide out of its old skin? If so, how long do you think it will take people? If not, what do you think is holding it back and why people place so much value on it? As some may know, I plan on starting a student union for Pagans my sophmore or junior year of college. To combat this dirty-word syndrome, I'm going to put forth a name along the lines of "Neo, Ecclectic, and Reconstructive Faith Student Union". ...Naturally, I'm going to find an acronym. sweatdrop well in a southern church comunity the word is dirty, even sinful rolleyes . Example i was at lunch me antwo other guys( hardcore agnostic and a bible thumper, yah were an odd group sweatdrop (normly were cool though)) were play an game where you say a haloday and it was my turn and stupid me said Yule, and the bible thumper said that its the same as christmass and i went off on how christainty dose nothing but steal sheite from other relgions and you know me sweatdrop so at one point a said quite loudly well you stole our holaday your stole a PAGAN holoday...my entire table went quite and yah it didn't go over too well, but yah for the next few days people were talking about the "witch" at school, and to most of them (mainly the WASPs) they used pagan as a dirty word. stressed
But with most of my other friends pagan is just a word not good not bad though some times when we joke around they'll make cracks about it but to educated slightly open minded people pagan is just another word
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:06 am
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The word Pagan has traditionally had a negative connotation and can be used as an all-purpose 'dirty' word. Religious tolerance brings this up. I'll copy it here for your ease of reading:
Quote: Second meaning: Pagans are people to hate: Religious and social conservatives sometimes use "Pagan" as a general purpose "snarl" word to refer to cultures or religions that are very different from the speaker's. There is no general consensus as to meaning. It can be seen directed at any religious or cultural group that the speaker hates. Some examples: Dr. John Patrick, professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada was discussing at a conference the number of abortions performed worldwide. He said: "Gods and goddesses are beginning to re-inhabit the Western world. Infant sacrifice -– there are 52 million a year. It is paganism." 4 Dr. Richard Swenson, director of the Future Health Study Center. said at the same conference: "We went into post-Christian and neopaganism very quickly...We want the culture to change, we want some spiritual sanity, but we need to understand that this is a pluralistic and even neopaganist society." 4 Jerry Falwell appeared as a guest on Pat Robertson's "700 Club" program on 2001-SEP-13. He said that God became sufficiently angry at America that he engineered the terrorist attack on New York City and Washington-- presumably to send Americans a message. He said: "I really believe that the Pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians ...all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.' " Pat Robertson responded: "Well, I totally concur..." 15 [We have asked Falwell's office via repeated Emails to tell us exactly to whom he was referring with the word "Pagans." They declined to respond.] More details.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:06 pm
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Starlock The word Pagan has traditionally had a negative connotation and can be used as an all-purpose 'dirty' word. Religious tolerance brings this up. I'll copy it here for your ease of reading: Quote: Second meaning: Pagans are people to hate: Religious and social conservatives sometimes use "Pagan" as a general purpose "snarl" word to refer to cultures or religions that are very different from the speaker's. There is no general consensus as to meaning. It can be seen directed at any religious or cultural group that the speaker hates. Some examples: Dr. John Patrick, professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada was discussing at a conference the number of abortions performed worldwide. He said: "Gods and goddesses are beginning to re-inhabit the Western world. Infant sacrifice -– there are 52 million a year. It is paganism." 4 Dr. Richard Swenson, director of the Future Health Study Center. said at the same conference: "We went into post-Christian and neopaganism very quickly...We want the culture to change, we want some spiritual sanity, but we need to understand that this is a pluralistic and even neopaganist society." 4 Jerry Falwell appeared as a guest on Pat Robertson's "700 Club" program on 2001-SEP-13. He said that God became sufficiently angry at America that he engineered the terrorist attack on New York City and Washington-- presumably to send Americans a message. He said: "I really believe that the Pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians ...all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.' " Pat Robertson responded: "Well, I totally concur..." 15 [We have asked Falwell's office via repeated Emails to tell us exactly to whom he was referring with the word "Pagans." They declined to respond.] More details. urg i hate pat robertson stupid old man and his narrow view of the world. *shakes her fist*
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:40 pm
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:22 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:42 am
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Nihilistic Seraph Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:45 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:07 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:11 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:45 pm
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I've heard a lot of term on reclaiming a word; blacks have reclaimed ******, women have reclaimed c**t (the v****a Monologues have taught me that ^^), and the gay community has reclaimed queer.
What I honestly don't understand is why marginalized groups tend to think that they gain power through taking a derogatory and hateful term, calling themselves by that and thinking that they've reclaimed it. Yes, it takes some of the power away from the word to be able to laugh off the connotations that were previously attached to it, but then we get into the muddle you're discussing with the word "Pagan": You get a muddled meaning.
Now, with time and effort, education and the work of many open minded people you can start to make amends, but I highly doubt that in our life time we're going to be able to proclaim ourselves as Pagans, NeoPagans, Witches, or what have you and not have that either raise an eyebrow or down right terrify some people due to the staggering amount of ignorance and misinformation in circulation.
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:36 pm
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