Neopaganism

:See Neo-Pagan (literature) for the term used in literary criticism.

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Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism) describes a heterogeneous group of new religious movements which attempt to revive ancient, mainly pre-Christian and often pre-Judaic Indo-European religions. As the name implies, these religions are Pagan in nature, though their exact relationship to older forms of Paganism is the source of much contention.

Related Topics:
New religious movement - Christian - Judaic - Indo-European religion - Pagan

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Neopaganist beliefs and practices are extremely diverse, some tending towards syncretic melding of once-diverse practices and beliefs, others bordering on historical reenactment of reconstructed ancient cultures.

Related Topics:
Syncretic - Historical reenactment

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In the USA, Wicca is the largest Neopagan movement, and while itself heterogeneous, many adherents share a body of common precepts, including a reverence for nature or active ecology, Goddess and/or Horned God veneration, use of ancient mythologies, the belief in "magick," and often the belief in reincarnation.

Related Topics:
USA - Wicca - Goddess - Horned God - Mythologies - Magick - Reincarnation

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Since the term Pagan was coined from a Christian viewpoint, summarizing non-Abrahamic religions, Neopaganism may be defined as "post-Christian" new religious movements (or, in the recent case of Judeo-Paganism, "post-Judaistic"), and is pronouncedly a modern phenomenon with its roots in early 19th century Romanticism. Polytheistic or animistic traditions that survived into modern times relatively untouched by Christianity and Islam, like Shinto or Hinduism are not considered Neopagan. In some cases, notably in Icelandic Asatru, the revivalist movements may blend with surviving strains of pre-Christianization folklore. Other Neopagans stress their connections with older forms of Paganism in terms of an alleged "underground" continuity, but such claims are largely discredited.

Related Topics:
Pagan - Christian - Abrahamic religion - New religious movement - Judeo-Paganism - 19th century - Romanticism - Shinto - Hinduism - Iceland - Asatru - Christianization - Folklore - Paganism

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