What is a Christian and What is a Pagan? ChristoPaganism

What is a Christian and What is a Pagan?

I know that many do not ascribe to ChristoPaganism, however because of the previous situation we need to have a discussion about what is what.

A Christian is one who ascribes to Yeshuas' teachings. While it can be heavily Bible based, it does not have to be, and it does not have to be monotheistic. The two rules he stated that are of the utmost importance is to the the Lord God with all your heart soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Not the Commandment, "Put Him before all Gods." (Though I would attest if you are his dedicant to not neglect that relationship) Not Honor your Mother and Father. Not Do not Murder (though he did state to even have unjust anger in your heart for your brother is the same sin as Murder). Not Do Not Covet.

No. The Greatest of these.

Love your Lord God, and Love your Neighbor.

Matthew 22: 36-40 NIV

36 Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

37 Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul

and with all your mind.

38 This is the first and greatest commandment

39 And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself

40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments

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The Gnostics are one group of Christians that have literally survived past the Council of Nicea and a thousand years of persecution. They are one of the oldest and one of the only surviving Early Christian groups we have, and they are Polytheists in any light you take them.

You also have to realize that not all Jews were up for the Yew-ist push for Monotheism. Which it is alright if you do follow this model, but it is not the only one there is for the Jewish religion, and there are Jews who are pushing for the reinstatement of the Asherah into their Temple. A couple of these groups include Kohenet which is based in America and ordains Hebrew Priestesses, and Primitive Hebrews which are located in Jerusalem.

Now that being said lets go into the history of the word Pagan.

Pagan is a Roman word used by Romans before Christianity was their main religion. It was meant as a slur toward ANY religion that was not the Main Religion of Rome.

At. One. Point. Christianity. Was. Also. Called. Pagan.

In this time period the "Pagan" group also consisted of the followers of Dionysus who were considered so dangerous they would not let any follower gather more than 5 to practice their religion in ANY space in all of the Roman territories.

...

Christianity then became the main faith of the Roman Empire. So any religion that was not Christian was considered Pagan, and the word/slur traveled outside of Rome and became used by a multitude of Christians.

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Today people use Pagan as anything that is not apart of the Main Abramic faiths. Which Christians don't really help this definition, but people will also lump Jewish and Islamic faiths into this definition even though it is not a Jewish or Islamic word.

The Jewish use the word Gentile, and the Islamic word for the non-converted is Dar-al-harb which means "House of War".

Dhimmis are those who live under Muslim rule, but have not converted and called "People of the Book". They are protected in practicing their religion.

Kafir is also used interchangeably as one who refuses to revert to Islam.

Murtad is for those who are "apostate" or a converted Muslim to another religion.

They do not use the word Pagan in their original language. So to lump them in with the same viewpoint is incorrect.

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The main religions of the world as of this year are First Christianity, Second Islam, and Secular/Agnostic/Atheist in third. If you go by the Roman standard of That which is not of the main faith, any religious viewpoints, AND heresies (like Dionysus even though Bacchus is apart of the Roman pantheon), AND anything not of the main faith is Pagan.

If you go by history of who was called Pagan. Literally Everyone at one point has been called Pagan. From Christian to Atheists, to other God/Goddess/Pantheon systems.

Heretics, witches, and Gnostics Oh My.

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We haven't even hit upon the Eclectic, Syncretic, view points....

This is something I had previously written about one system of Christian Khemetism.

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I honestly don't see the conflict with using Khemet and Christianity because it was Khemet that Yeshua found refuge and grew up in as a child, and there are many similarities in the teaching and stories. There is a similarity in the set up of God Kings (Pharaohs) being God reincarnate (Ra specifically), and many times the Egyptian Gods are use as allegory, and symbolism. Not actual Gods, but thought processes, telling of historical accounts, etc.

One originally took it to a syncretic place seeing Ra as Yeshua and combining her "past life" stating that Huy the Egyptian High Priest of Ptah during the reign of Ramses the Second (think when the Hebrews left Egypt) secretly acknowledged the Hebrew God as well and saw truth in that they were the same.

Which to be perfectly honest I would have associated him with Osiris than Ra, because other than being the Sun God, Osiris is the one who died and was rebuilt. However, he stayed in the realm of the dead (which isn't too off if you think about it, Yeshua ascended to Heaven or the realm of the El Elohim, and Osiris isn't exactly alone in his realm).

You could go for the Amun-Ra-Ptah power because Amun is the Hidden One ( same symbolism with El), Ra is the Sun God, and Ptah is the Creator God. Now that you could do, but I personally see them as completely different Pantheons, and their energies work differently when you work with each one.

There is a lot of influence of the Egyptian religion in Canaan, and Canaan influence on Egypt and that is seen by the traveling of Anat from Canaan to Egypt. Going back to Ramses the second in his Cardinal Directions he had built Wadjet to the North (which is our South, they had things reversed), Amon to the West, Seth to the South, and Astarte to the East. He also married a Hittite Princess or two (the Canaanite mother of the Jewish religion as stated in Ezekiel). He also was not the only Pharaoh to bring in Canaanite Deities into their personal practice. Now that is where I would take the Egyptian/Canaanite Mix personally. It is doable, IF you do your research.

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Who Practices Both Christianity and Paganism?

We also have several people ordained in both Christian and Pagan settings. People who are active members of both religions. One famous dude is Dr. Rowan Williams is both the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and an Honorary Participating Druid. So is the current standing Queen of England, baptized to the Church of England, as well as Honorary Druid.

You don't have to be famous though to be able to have dual faith, syncretic faith, or otherwise being ChristoPagan.

So lets cut the crap. If someone wants to be labeled ChristoPagan it is well within their right to do so as long as they understand what it is they actually practice and know how to integrate their beliefs.