Pagans: Who are they?

When we think of pagans, or witchcraft in general, we might think of a mystical fortune teller, or the Wicked Witch of the West type.  If you've met a real pagan, then you know that neither of these depictions are true.  If you haven't met one, then it's easy to think of an ugly old woman, living in a gingerbread house.  Society has it's own speculations of who other groups are, and which categories they fall into.     

Like goth, pagan people are hard to get to know.  The negative stigmata that is attached to both can fog people's judgement if they want to get to know an individual or not.  Negative stereotypes create this false picture to help people identify those who are involved with a certain group.  "If someone looks scary, or have a strange religion, they must be a Satanist!  That's the only logical explanation!"  Excuse me while I facepalm at the above quote.  No one can really spot what a Satanist looks like, just as no one can spot what a pagan (or other groups) look like.  Just because it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, doesn't mean it's a duck.  Just because someone looks a certain way on the outside (scary, pretty, etc), doesn't mean that's how they are on the inside.

Let's take a look at what pagans aren't like, and what they don't do.

- Pagans are anti-Christian, ungodly, and worship Satan.
- Pagans are religiously confused, or don't understand the greatness of god.
- Pagans are crazy, or mentally unstable.
- All kids and teenagers go through a pagan phase to look 'edgy'.
- Pagans are serial killers and sacrifice animals.
- Pagans eat babies (seriously, some people actually believe this).
- Pagans will lour your children and make them rebel against their parents and god.


So, if none of the above describes who a real pagan is, then what does?

- There are good ones and bad ones, just like how there are good and bad Christians.
- Pagans don't warship Satan.  They don't even believe in a heaven or hell.
- Not all pagans share the same diet, but in no universe do they eat babies.
- Most pagans have successful jobs.  They can be your doctor, dentist, anyone.  They may not want to wear their pentagrams (or other religious symbols), because they are in a professional setting.
- Paganism isn't a 'phase', it's a spiritual path.
- Pagans don't sacrifice animals, they prefer to live side by side with them.
- Pagans are as mentally stable as other people.
- Pagans have no desire to lour your children to do bad things.  They will answer questions that kids have about their religion though.
- Pagans aren't serial killers (most don't like hurting people at all).  Suggesting that everyone in a single religion are serial killers, is silly.

Above all, pagans are just like you and me.