Well , Paganism is a wide term , and it really depends on the eye of the beholder to decide what it means to them.
To me it implies a certain freedom from the monotheistic religions.
pa·gan (pgn)
n.
One who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, especially a worshiper of a polytheistic religion.
One who has no religion.
A non-Christian.
A hedonist.
A Neo-Pagan.
adj.
Not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.
Professing no religion; heathen.
Neo-Pagan.
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[Middle English, from Late Latin pgnus, from Latin, country-dweller, civilian, from pgus, country, rural district. See pag- in Indo-European Roots.]
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pagan·dom (-dm) n.
pagan·ish adj.
pagan·ism n.
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Pronunciation Key
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Pagan \Pa"gan\ (p[=a]"gan), n. [L. paganus a countryman, peasant, villager, a pagan, fr. paganus of or pertaining to the country, rustic, also, pagan, fr. pagus a district, canton, the country, perh. orig., a district with fixed boundaries: cf. pangere to fasten. Cf. Painim, Peasant, and Pact, also Heathen.] One who worships false gods; an idolater; a heathen; one who is neither a Christian, a Mohammedan, nor a Jew.
Neither having the accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor man. --Shak.
Syn: Gentile; heathen; idolater.
Usage: Pagan, Gentile, Heathen. Gentile was applied to the other nations of the earth as distinguished from the Jews. Pagan was the name given to idolaters in the early Christian church, because the villagers, being most remote from the centers of instruction, remained for a long time unconverted. Heathen has the same origin. Pagan is now more properly applied to rude and uncivilized idolaters, while heathen embraces all who practice idolatry.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Pagan \Pa"gan\, a. [L. paganus of or pertaining to the country, pagan. See Pagan, n.] Of or pertaining to pagans; relating to the worship or the worshipers of false goods; heathen; idolatrous, as, pagan tribes or superstitions.
And all the rites of pagan honor paid. --Dryden.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Pagan adj : not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and Islam [syn: heathen, heathenish] n : a person who does not acknowledge your God [syn: heathen, gentile, infidel]
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University
And what on earth do they say about melons?
