Editing Paganism (section)

== Definition ==
{{blockquote|It is perhaps misleading even to say that there was such a religion as paganism at the beginning of [the Common Era] ... It might be less confusing to say that the pagans, before their competition with Christianity, had no religion at all in the sense in which that word is normally used today. They had no tradition of discourse about ritual or religious matters (apart from philosophical debate or antiquarian treatise), no organized system of beliefs to which they were asked to commit themselves, no authority-structure peculiar to the religious area, above all no commitment to a particular group of people or set of ideas other than their family and political context. If this is the right view of pagan life, it follows that we should look on paganism quite simply as a religion invented in the course of the second to third centuries AD, in competition and interaction with Christians, Jews and others.|J A North 1992, 187–88|{{sfn|Cameron|2011|pp=26–27}}}}

Defining paganism is very complex and problematic. Understanding the context of its associated terminology is important.{{sfn|Davies|2011|loc=Defining paganism}} [[Early Christian]]s referred to the diverse array of [[Cult (religious practice)|cults]] around them as a single group for reasons of convenience and [[rhetoric]].{{sfn|Cameron|2011|p=26}} While paganism generally implies [[polytheism]], the primary distinction between classical pagans and Christians was not one of [[monotheism]] versus polytheism, as not all pagans were strictly polytheist. Throughout history, many of them believed in a [[Creator deity|supreme deity]]. However, most such pagans believed in a class of subordinate gods/[[daimon]]s—see [[henotheism]]—or divine [[Emanationism|emanations]].{{sfn|Cameron|2011|pp=28, 30}} To Christians, the most important distinction was whether or not someone worshipped the ''[[one true God]]''. Those who did not (polytheist, monotheist, or [[atheist]]) were outsiders to the [[Christian Church|Church]] and thus considered pagan.{{sfn|Cameron|2011|pp=27, 31}} Similarly, classical pagans would have found it peculiar to distinguish groups by the number of [[deities]] followers venerate. They would have considered the priestly colleges (such as the [[College of Pontiffs]] or [[Epulones]]) and cult practices more meaningful distinctions.{{sfn|Cameron|2011|p=29}}

Referring to paganism as a pre-Christian indigenous religion is equally untenable. Not all historical pagan traditions were pre-Christian or indigenous to their places of worship.{{sfn|Davies|2011|loc=Defining paganism}}

Owing to the history of its nomenclature, paganism traditionally encompasses the collective pre- and non-Christian cultures in and around the [[classical world]]; including those of the Greco-Roman, Celtic, Germanic, and Slavic tribes.{{sfn|Cameron|2011|p=28}} However, modern parlance of [[folklorist]]s and [[contemporary pagan]]s in particular has extended the original four millennia scope used by early Christians to include similar religious traditions stretching far into [[prehistory]].{{sfn|Davies|2011|loc=Chapter 1: The ancient world}}