$The Random Caravan$ Your Spontaneous Spam Space!

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Someone should make it, I've allready made the latest two, we don't want Nihilistic Seraph filling up all the authors xp

I want the next donation item to come out allready!  

[Jameta]

Blah, I make most of everything else...

Maybe I'll go in disguise, since the idea sorta' stemmed from multiple individuals... ninja  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Jameta

Blah, I make most of everything else...

Maybe I'll go in disguise, since the idea sorta' stemmed from multiple individuals... ninja

Use the mule >.<  

[Councils Voice]

What's a mule? blaugh

 

[Jameta]

I had another thought last night that was provoking intellectual thought...

...but I forgot it. sweatdrop  

[Jameta]

Oh, I remember now: what's the difference between a Pagan and a Heathen?  

[Goddess Hekate]

Jameta

Oh, I remember now: what's the difference between a Pagan and a Heathen?

Pagan is a wrong believer, a person who believes not in the bible or the "right" faith. But rather believes something else, mostly polytheism.

Heathen would be considered a degrading term for atheist, since heathen is non-believer, an unciviliced person who does not believe in "the word of God"

Or that was how my danish teahcer explained the danish word for Heathen.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Goddess Hekate

Jameta

Oh, I remember now: what's the difference between a Pagan and a Heathen?

Pagan is a wrong believer, a person who believes not in the bible or the "right" faith. But rather believes something else, mostly polytheism.

Heathen would be considered a degrading term for atheist, since heathen is non-believer, an unciviliced person who does not believe in "the word of God"

Or that was how my danish teahcer explained the danish word for Heathen.

Really? I'd out it as "pagan is the umbrella term for anyone following a non-Abrahamic religion" while heathen would be "derogatory term for anyone not following the tenets of an Abrahamic religion"  

[Jameta]

To add to the query, its rooted in Witches' Voice's "About" section:

Witches' Voice

Mission Statement: The Witches' Voice is a proactive educational network providing news, information services and resources for and about Pagans, Heathens, Witches and Wiccans.
Neutrality: TWV is a neutral forum open to all adherents of the various Heathen religions, Pagan, Witch, Wiccan traditions and to Solitary Practitioners who/that follow a positive code of ethics such as The Wiccan Rede or The Ring of Troth's, Nine Virtues.

 

[Atma311]

Jameta

To add to the query, its rooted in Witches' Voice's "About" section:

Witches' Voice

Mission Statement: The Witches' Voice is a proactive educational network providing news, information services and resources for and about Pagans, Heathens, Witches and Wiccans.
Neutrality: TWV is a neutral forum open to all adherents of the various Heathen religions, Pagan, Witch, Wiccan traditions and to Solitary Practitioners who/that follow a positive code of ethics such as The Wiccan Rede or The Ring of Troth's, Nine Virtues.

I remember when I first saw TWV use "Heathen" so naturally like it was a type of Pagan. I was like "WTF?! That's an insult word for non-Christians, isn't it?!" I still am a little foggy on how to use that word myself, but let's check dictionary.com for a concise answer:

*Quoth dictionary.com*

"1a. One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
1b. Such persons considered as a group; the unconverted.

2a. One who is regarded as irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened.
2b. Such persons considered as a group. "

Ultimately, it depends on what definition you use 3nodding  

[Goddess Hekate]

Nihilistic Seraph

Goddess Hekate

Jameta

Oh, I remember now: what's the difference between a Pagan and a Heathen?

Pagan is a wrong believer, a person who believes not in the bible or the "right" faith. But rather believes something else, mostly polytheism.

Heathen would be considered a degrading term for atheist, since heathen is non-believer, an unciviliced person who does not believe in "the word of God"

Or that was how my danish teahcer explained the danish word for Heathen.

Really? I'd out it as "pagan is the umbrella term for anyone following a non-Abrahamic religion" while heathen would be "derogatory term for anyone not following the tenets of an Abrahamic religion"

Didn't I say that? sort of?
Pagan, not so bad.
Heathen, Scum doesn't deserve to live.

Why? Pagans believe SOMEthing while Heathens believe NOthing.
Or at least that is why it would be considered a little higher on the "loser" scale... xp  

[WebenBanu]

Essentially they're the same thing- a pagan is a "dweller in the country" and a heathen is a "dweller on the hearth." The "hearth" is a term for the floor of a fireplace (usually used for cooking), which in country homes in the days from which this term originated extended a small space into the living area of most families. It was the site of many folk customs and native religious traditions. In their original usage, both "pagan" and "heathen" were essentially ancient words for "hicks," "hill-billies," "rednecks," what-have-you; they came to be associated with native religious practices because Christianity spread in the cities first, which was the natural place for most new fashions to hit, and so the country folk were seen as being behind the times. For added interest, the "witch hat" was actually worn by folks at one point, but it went out of fashion. The country folks were depicted as practicing old religious customs and wearing outdated clothing- they had become "old hat."

The two terms have since been sanitized and made cool by the passage of time.^_~ Modern pagans took the term back up as an homage to the close bond between those "dwellers in the country" and the natural cycles of their native lands- which in most (though not all) modern Pagan religions plays a rather large role.

"Pagan" eventually came to be strongly associated with Wicca by the general public, however, since Wiccans seem to have been the first and most active group within the Pagan community when it comes to the sphere of the media and public relations/religious rights activism. Then enter the ensuing spin-off forms of New Age Neo-Paganism and assorted NeoWicca fluffiness- because of this, some pagans began to distance themselves from the "Pagan" identity. The AsatruaR are a notable example. They took up use of the term "heathen" to describe themselves, since it's roughly synonymous but carries less of the fluff associations.

These days some folks who use the term "heathen" would not be happy if they were drawn under the same umbrella as some of the fluffier pagans- so pagan centers like the WitchVox invoke both the Pagan and the Heathen communities, so that everyone's included.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

One thing I've been wondering about. How would you people define witch?  

[WebenBanu]

Nihilistic Seraph

One thing I've been wondering about. How would you people define witch?

I'd say someone who practices magic against a backdrop of religious ethics. That is to say, someone whose concept of magic is colored and governed by their religious ideas.  

[WebenBanu]

Quadadiddle

And also, I'm noticing a greater connection with the earth and animals. Everytime I've been confused about something, there was always a quick sign guiding me on what to do.

Congratulations on your dedication, Quad.^_^ I noticed similar feelings and "coincidences" after I had mine.