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The Pagan Friday Five
Sep. 12th, 2010 09:41 amFrom a recent post at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
the_thinking_pagan:
1) Do you believe in the concept of "sin?"
I believe that people can behave in a manner that is unnecessarily or thoughtlessly harmful (to themselves, others, or the planet), but the term 'sin' connotes a transgression that may in fact harm no one at all, a tactic used in some faiths to control followers and, in many instances, create unnecessary psychological harm.
2) What non-pagan person influenced your religious identity?
Myself.
3) How do you keep religion an active part of your daily life?
I try my best to live with intention, to be present in each moment, and to consider whether or not the decisions I make honor my Higher Self. I try to be grateful for the multitude of blessings I have in my life, and to ask for guidance and strength when I'm faced with difficulty.
4) Who knows you're pagan, and who doesn't?
My husband, many of my friends, at least one (perhaps both) of my parents. Very few people with whom I work. No one outside my home in the town in which I live.
5) When did you first identify as Pagan?
I always find this to be a very difficult question. I've been Pagan a great many years, since late elementary or early high school, but I only really learned of Paganism in graduate school (and then only when I met a Wiccan, and I don't identify as Wiccan), and didn't start to apply the term Pagan to myself until about five years ago. I'm still struggling for the exact labels for my beliefs... what is it about us that we feel we must label everything? But it is pleasant to be part of something larger and to have a way of winnowing out others of similar (if not generally like) mind.
Others' responses can be found here.
the_thinking_pagan:1) Do you believe in the concept of "sin?"
I believe that people can behave in a manner that is unnecessarily or thoughtlessly harmful (to themselves, others, or the planet), but the term 'sin' connotes a transgression that may in fact harm no one at all, a tactic used in some faiths to control followers and, in many instances, create unnecessary psychological harm.
2) What non-pagan person influenced your religious identity?
Myself.
3) How do you keep religion an active part of your daily life?
I try my best to live with intention, to be present in each moment, and to consider whether or not the decisions I make honor my Higher Self. I try to be grateful for the multitude of blessings I have in my life, and to ask for guidance and strength when I'm faced with difficulty.
4) Who knows you're pagan, and who doesn't?
My husband, many of my friends, at least one (perhaps both) of my parents. Very few people with whom I work. No one outside my home in the town in which I live.
5) When did you first identify as Pagan?
I always find this to be a very difficult question. I've been Pagan a great many years, since late elementary or early high school, but I only really learned of Paganism in graduate school (and then only when I met a Wiccan, and I don't identify as Wiccan), and didn't start to apply the term Pagan to myself until about five years ago. I'm still struggling for the exact labels for my beliefs... what is it about us that we feel we must label everything? But it is pleasant to be part of something larger and to have a way of winnowing out others of similar (if not generally like) mind.
Others' responses can be found here.
