Can I be a Christian and still hold Pagan beliefs?
People of any religion are welcome to answer! Atheists are welcome, also :) I just need someone educated on the matter, as I clearly am not.
I believe in God and I believe in Jesus Christ, our Saviour. I am definitely not a supporter of Satan.
But I also believe that there are Spirits (perhaps not the best word for it; maybe "essence" or "aura" is better?) that live in the Air and the Earth. I don't wish to practice Magic or anything of the sort. But am I allowed to celebrate Sabbaths and such? For example, the Gaelic marking of May called the Beltane?
I love Jesus and I love God. Would it be bad to continue with my Pagan beliefs?
Thanks a lot.
Stiobhan2013-07-29T16:17:21Z
Favorite Answer
If you live in Europe or America....you already do.
The reality is that "religion" and "culture" where not separate things until a very short time ago. "Pagan" beliefs did not "die out" or become "extinct", many simply took on a christian veneer over the course of just the last few generations.
The majority of "rural" people in European cultures, simply kept on doing what they had always done after conversion to christianity, often with little understanding of christian doctrine....they only knew that the aristocracy had decided everyone was christine. Right up into the eighteen hundreds, many of these folk continued to leave offerings out for the spirits, celebrate their seasonal rites, and held the same basic beliefs as they had when their region was pagan.
Even today, modern American culture carries right on with many "pagan" customs, more than most people recognize....every time you make a "toast", throw a coin in a fountain, tie a ribbon around a tree, or celebrate any of our holidays....you are practicing a pagan tradition.
Ariel just call your spirits angels and you'll be fine. As to celebrating the Sabbats it's no different than celebrating the New Year or any other non-religious holiday. Sabbats celebrate the natural cycles the changing of the seasons and the arrival of harvests. Pagans don't have a patent on seasonal celebrations and there's nothing essentially pagan in anything you've mentioned.
Some Christians have a new jerk reaction the instant you call something a pagan belief or a pagan celebration. They are not reacting out of knowledge but out of the fear that the word pagan generates. Don't be a knee jerk Christian. Seek understanding and knowledge and if you can't figure a thing out for yourself ask your spiritual teachers and guides not random YA account holders.
You can believe and celebrate whatever you choose. We can't tell you what is "good" or "bad" in that respect. What's good for one person isn't necessarily good for another.
And you don't need anyone's permission to hold your personal beliefs or to express them as you see fit in your own space.
So long as you are not putting any other gods before your god, I don't see there being any issue.
As a Christian, you also rely on the natural cycles of the earth to sustain your life, so why would it be a problem to honor these cycles as God's creation?
Christianity adopted a lot of cultural and seasonal pagan customs into its celebrations of Jesus. There's no reason, IMHO, that you can't do the same.
Some Christians may claim, "if you do so, then you're not a true Christian." Well, who are they to determine which Christian is a "true Christian" and which isn't? Clearly many Christians don't even agree on what it takes to be a "true Christian", or there wouldn't be all these different denominations (interpretations) of Christianity.
The only one who can tell you what God wants from you is God himself. Why don't you pray to him for guidance if you fear you may be doing something that offends him?
No, I'm an atheist, but I am quite well-educated in Christian doctrine. You cannot hold "pagan" beliefs and be considered a true Christian, from an orthodox theological point of view. (That's "orthodox" with a small "o," not "Orthodox" referring to the Greek and Russian and other eastern Christian churches.) The standard, mainstream view is that God would definitely disapprove of your beliefs. They are not acceptable.
However, a lot of people these days often make it up as they go along. Religion has always been partly about comfort, about one's personal understanding of the world and what makes it tick, so if your beliefs work for you, more power to you. Just understand that many Christians would not accept them at all.
In the Middle Ages, many peoples continued to observe their old pagan customs side-by-side with Christianity. They weren't supposed to, but they did.
I'm a Christian too. I think u should ask God, like pray and read the Bible. Maybe you'll get your answer. Also why do you believe in some Pagan beliefs? If you have an actual reason and it really makes sense, then I think you should believe. But this is my opinions, u should do whatev u think is right.