Why does it seem that Pagans are more reasonable,educated and tolerant

we're not, it's just that our bad element doesn't happen to be evangelical enough to troll r&s. and pagans are more prone to read a lot and analyze their beliefs, a trait we share with cool atheists and jews.


james o, i'd like to see your sources. persecution in the ancient world was motivated by worldly concerns such as wealth and power. the jews were persecuted because they happened to occupy a critical trade route. the christians were persecuted becase they disturbed the peace and agitated against imperial power. temples were destroyed in the course of conquest, not to force conversion. ancient wars were not about religion the way they have often been since the rise of christianity and islam.
 
I think because we just want to practice our beliefs and we don't go running around pushing our beliefs on other people. We generally don't care what anyone else believes in as long as it makes them happy.

Many other religions feel their way is the only way, and if you don't believe as they do, then they need to change you "save you".

Ever heard of a pagan holy war? or a pagan crusade? Nope. We've been hunted and killed by these Inquisitions, but we've never tried to push our beliefs so strongly on others that we were willing to kill them if they didn't agree with us.
 
I hate to generalise, but most pagans I've met are anything but what you posit. The one's I've met are usually lower class, sci-fi nuts, or in biker gangs. Drugs have also played a part. At least in the one's I've known.

Of course, this is not a blanket characterization of all pagans; just the one's I've known.
 
I think the reason that we Pagans tend to be more tolerant is that we are encouraged to learn and even study the religious beliefs of others. We are taught that all paths are worthwile and meaningful.

Blessings and Light, Lady Freyja
 
"Because we are" would be terribly narrow-minded of me. But it's sorely tempting.

We have to do a lot of research for our beliefs, since our beliefs don't come handily in an all-in-one answer guide.

Also, a lot of Pagans believe in the Threefold Law, stating that anything you do comes back to you times three. If we were to be intolerant or unreasonable, we'd receive that times three (or many times, if you wish to be figurative).

Thank you for this question.
 
I think it's because Pagans have searched and researched before forming their opinions and many others have just blindly followed what they were taught was 'right' or 'true'. When you have nothing to back up your beliefs other than you learned it in church, you tend to get defensive when someone questions you. That makes you 'seem' less tolerant, educated and reasonable.
~Peace~
 
There's probably a lot more education involved in becoming a pagan in the first place- not many people grow up in pagan families, so you have to be interested enough to go out and spend a long time looking into what's right for you. Then you have to put up with ignorant people thinking you're evil or weird because you don't believe the same as them. Stuff like this is going to make pagans more aware of how they should be treating people before you get to anything like the Threefold Law or similar concepts.

Also, religions such as Wicca teach acceptance or celebration of diversity rather than attempting to convert people. That helps an awful lot.
 
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