[QUOTE=Eternal;644926]PLEASE HELP ME DECIDED OR DEFINE WHAT I AM.  i BELIEVE IN THE WICCAN FAITH, BUDHISM, CHRISTIANITY ECT, ECT, AS EACH RELIGION HAS A TRAIN OF THOUGHT THAT I THINK, YEAH THATS THE WAY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LIVE.  I TOOK THE QUIZ ON HERE AND IT LED ME TO NEO-PAGANISM, WHICH IS A RELIGION I HAVE NOT HEARD OF BEFORE, SO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE WITH KNOWLEDGE PLEASE COULD YOU SHARE SOME WITH ME AND HELP ME TO BECOME THE ENLIGHTENED SPIRIT I NEED TO BECOME. XX[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the Boards.

If you have a writing impediment and require using all caps while typing, please let us know. Otherwise, may I respectfully point out (if you were not aware) that all caps is generally considered to be shouting or yelling online as well as being rather difficult to read. So if you are able to use sentence case while typing, may i ask that you do so.

I took the quiz on here and it led me to neo-paganism, which is a religion i have not heard of before, so all of you out there with knowledge please could you share some with me and help me to become the enlightened spirit i need to become.

The Quiz at Beliefnet is based on generic answers to generic categories and at best, it only gives one directions to explore further. Neo-/Paganism is a rather difficult category because it isn’t a religion or rather it can’t be defined universally as a singular and shared recognisable religion. How it is defined is going to depend on whom you ask. You might get one of the historical, cultural or local or fictional definitions for this term including Christian-based definitions. All these are valid in at least one context but none of them are valid in all contexts.

What you are most likely encounter here is Neo-/Paganism used as an umbrella term for a modern Movement or broad spectrum of self-identifications that have evolved over the last 75+ years. Mainly in English speaking Western cultures as this Movement began in Britain and Europe. Neo-/Paganism rather than Paganism turns up also when someone wants to distinguish between ancient faiths or belief systems under the umbrella term of Paganism as opposed to this modern Movement. Or the two are used synonymously. Neo-/Paganism turns up as an alternate name for already named modern religions (identified as from within this Movement) such as Wicca or one of the other (Pagan) Witchcraft Traditions. Authors tend to use Neo-/Paganism uniquely and often as if his or her definition were indeed universal. Neo-/Paganism may be encountered as a name for small unique and autonomous groups (also perceived within that Movement) who define Neo-/Paganism by localised consensus. And Neo-/Paganism turns up frequently as the name for an individual’s self-defined personal belief system.

The only four commonalties I have seen over the past 25 years as a Neo-/Pagan are firstly that each individual defines himself or herself as being Neo-/Pagan. Secondly, each individual self-defines what Neo-/Paganism means to he or she personally. Thirdly, the practice of being Neo-/Pagan is almost always experiential in validation, so you alone must decide what is valid or not – for you. And fourthly, the consensus required for a shared – and universal – definition of Neo-/Paganism as a singular defined religion literally contravenes the first three commonalties I have consistently observed and therefore is unlikely to ever be achieved.

What is means is that each individual is going to give you a different response to what is the religion of Neo-/Paganism means to her or him but in the end, if you decided that was where your own beliefs aligned, you would have to self-define what it means to you alone.

I believe in the wiccan faith, budhism, christianity ect, ect, as each religion has a train of thought that i think, yeah thats the way we are supposed to live

Now it is going to depend on how you define religion but let me offer my opinion here. All religions have beliefs etc. that might help guide us but in order to be recognised as a practitioner of a specific religion, one must not merely believe in ‘a faith’ but must also enact or practice that specific religion. Now I define religion as a non-negotiable core definition of the Divine from which a structure of practice evolves. It may be practised alone but a shared religion needs to be structured in order to be practised with and amongst others. This structure often includes an annual celebratory calendar, life passage rites (naming, marriage, death), moral tenets, spiritual principles and often a mythological backdrop from which to explain the relationship of humans to the universe. A religion may be revealed through writings (such as Christianity) or it may be experiential (like Wicca, validated through individual experience or UPG (Unverifiable Personal Gnosis) that can only be shared second- or third-hand through writings). In order to be recognisable as an established (and shared) religion, it must be able to be passed down intact and coherent (teacher to student, parent to child) and has been so transmitted for at least 2-3 generations. Religions whose non-negotiable core definitions cancel, negate or oppose one another (such as Christianity and Wicca) remain separate religious practices regardless of how much surface similarities one finds. It is the structure around the core enacted in practice that makes something (a belief, practise, symbol) part of ‘a’ specific religion. For example, I would only recognise any ‘train of thought’ being associated with Wicca as being Wiccan if such were being enacted within the structure and practise of the Religion of Wicca.

The Religion of Wicca – as it was conceived in the 1930’s and meant to be practised – has a core definition of a pantheon called the Gods of Wicca. As naming them is oathbound (cannot be taught outside of the Religion or written down) those without access to this information based their core definition on a generic written comment by Gerald Gardner about the two he considered the most important, the Lord and the Lady. The structure of Wicca is that of a Mystery religion, meant to be practised by the few (and adults only) in small intimate groups known as covens. As it is both experiential and preparatory (for those training to undergo the Mysteries of Wicca), only the basics can be written down. Otherwise oathbound information is passed down orally in lineaged (teacher to student) transmission. Wicca is one of the modern Religions of Witchcraft, using a 20th century re-definition from the earlier almost universally negative definitions into one that is positive and religious in orientation. It has life passage rites (Wiccaning, Hand-fasting, Passing), an annual celebratory calendar (The Wheel of the Year) and so on. Now much has been published and called Wicca but a great deal of this is so generic that people have felt free to include whatever he or she preferred. Unless certain basics are present, the results are not recognisable as this religion. These two older threads might be helpful in what one might look for to determine if recognisable as the Religion of Wicca. Core Discussion and Expansion on the Core And while this is just one perspective on Witchcraft, this thread might also be helpful for you as you are researching. Witchcraft 101

Please help me decided or define what i am.

You need to start with what you believe in and only you can articulate that. Then I suggest you research whatever you don’t fully understand and determine if you feel sufficiently aligned to self-identify as any particular/defined faith. If not, you may simply choose to self-identify and self-define as a Neo-/Pagan in order to create an unique individual faith that it is possible for you to enact and practise consistently.

C.H.