Paganism (idea)

The definition that I have found works best for Paganism comes from Isaac Bonewits (among others).

To most of us, Paganism is a general term for polytheistic religions old and new...

Some would add pantheistic to that, which I will grant. Pagan appears to come from the Latin paganus, meaning country dweller/hick. Interestingly, some claim that it was originally used by the Roman army to mean civilian.

This definition will envelop just about all of the non-monotheistic faiths, with exceptions raised for certain sects of Taoism and Buddhism. So that means that Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are not 'Pagan' (though some of them have happily used this word to refer to others), while Hinduism is in right alongside Wicca and the Church of All Worlds.

Under this definition, a given Pagan might or might not:

• Believe in/practice magick (and note that there are plenty of people who practice magick and follow the monotheistic faiths such as Christianity)
• Worship nature/Mother Earth/Do the creation-centered spirituality thing
• Call themselves a 'witch'
• Use the term Pagan for themselves
• Believe in the divinity/power/existence of Jesus Christ (this is a big surprise for many, including those that call themselves Pagan)
• Be tolerant of other races/creeds/genders/etc. This is why some reserve the term Neopagan for those groups that are.
• Worship a duotheistic pair (notably the Triple Goddess/Horned God of Wicca and offshoots). For instance, Ar nDraiocht Fein has the idea of a triple divinity, though they also try to choose a pantheon from a region to follow.

Some like to further divide the term into Neopaganism, Mesopaganism, and Paleopaganism, based on time, liberalism, or some combination.