Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
32. Can a Person have Pagan Beliefs without being Pagan?
Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
Alessandro Testa [+]
Charles University, Prague
Alessandro Testa is associate professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague. He specializes in the history of religions, social anthropology, and the ethnology of Europe. His latest publications include Rituality and Social (Dis)Order (2020), Politics of Religion (with Tobias Köllner, 2021), and Ritualising Cultural Heritage and Re-Enchanting Rituals in Europe (2023).
Description
The presence of Pagan beliefs in modern non-Pagan contexts challenges the idea that they are cultural relics and how current beliefs often mix cultural influences, including significant pre-Christian elements. There are beliefs and practices, such as the notions of ghosts and luck, that share roots with pre-Christian traditions. The concept of "Popular Frazerism," where individuals engage in practices with ancient origins, often without identifying as Pagan, is introduced.