What is Paganism?
[[File:Stonehenge. Salisbury. UK..jpg|thumb|The prehistoric site of [[Stonehenge]] was used for [[ritual|rituals]] that would now be considered pagan]]'''Paganism''' is a term that covers a great number of [[spiritual]] and [[religion|religious]] beliefs, and someone who follows one of these beliefs is known as a Pagan. ==Overview== Some of those in ancient times, who are called ''Pagans'' today, believed there was not just one [[deity|god]] but a number of gods and goddesses. The stories from [[Greek mythology]] are famous examples from a pagan religion. Pagans usually focus on [[spirituality]] and [[nature]], rather than on [[doctrine]]s and [[dogma]]. Not all pagans are [[polytheism|polytheists]] (belief in more than one god). Some of them are [[monotheism|monotheists]] (belief in only one god). ==Name== The word ''pagan'' (with a [[lowercase]] ''[[p]]'') is often used to describe anyone who holds religious beliefs that differ from the main world religions. A similar term is ''heathen''. ==Today== Nowadays, ''Pagan'' (with an [[uppercase]] ''[[P]]'') often refers to people who follow Neo-Pagan religions that honour the Earth. The best known Neo-Pagan religion is [[Wicca]]. Another well-known neo-pagan faith is [[Druidism]], but there are many other Neo-Pagan religions with different beliefs.{{cn|date=January 2025}} ==Examples== * [[Wicca]] * [[Asatru]] * [[Tenrikyo]] * [[Druidism]] * [[Tengrism]] * [[Kemetism]] * [[Greek religion]] * [[Baltic paganism]] ** [[Hellenism|Dodekatheism]] * [[Slavic paganism]] * [[Finnish paganism]] * [[Germanic paganism]] * [[Meitei religion|Ancient Meitei paganism]] * [[Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism]] ==Surviving religions of earlier cultures== Enough has survived of the ancient religions of cultures from pre-modern [[Africa]], [[South America]], [[New Guinea]] and [[Japan]] to give us quite a clear picture. Since African slaves were taken to both South America and the [[United States]], it is no surprise that their beliefs and practices still survive. Not, of course, as