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Christianity versus Paganism

Christianity versus Paganism is not as strait forward as one would think. You can not look up the word Pagan, define it, give the definition of Christian and move on from there. No universally accepted definition exists for either concept.

Christianity
Christianity is loosely defined as anyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. The United States Government defines a Christian as any group or individual who seriously, devoutly, prayerfully describes themselves as Christian. About 75% of American adults identify themselves as Christian.
A Pagan can be simply one who practices anything other than Christianity. One source thought the word could have started as a derogatory term for those who didn't live in the city because they were slower to change from the ancient beliefs. Or it could mean civilian because Christians believed they were soldiers for Christ. It could also mean simply "outsider."
Today, Pagans can mean Witches,Wicca, and Druids.
It can also be used to refer to any religion that worships multiple gods, or a religion that existed before the main world religions.

These are only a few of the definitions. For more see:
Paganism

The major American celebration of Halloween (all hallows eve) pits Christianity versus Paganism in many ways.
Halloween began when the druids observed the end of summer with sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain (the lord of death), sent evil spirits to attack humans who could only escape by wearing disguises to look like evil spirits themselves. The decreasing hours of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits celebrate and play nasty tricks.
In the seventh and eighth centuries, Christians celebrated "All Saints' Day" in May.

The Church moved the Feast of All Saints to November 1 to counteract the pagan feast. All the faithful in Christ would be remembered and celebrated. Instead of fearing death and the dead they would rejoice with the Saints. Many customs of Halloween reflect the Christian belief that these costumes mock evil, because as Christians, it has no real power over them.
In the Middle Ages, poor people begged for "soul cakes," and when they received these doughnuts, they would agree to pray for departed souls. This is the root of our modern day "trick-or-treat."

And so Christianity versus Paganism occurs on October 31 and November 1st. Now if you choose to believe that Pagans are devil worshipers you would say the difference lies in the focus of good versus the focus of evil. But as with many things in this world it's not that simple.

Who says just because a person does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah means what she believes is evil. In fact, according to the American government, to be a Christian is to merely believe that you are. Therefor no one can possibly say you are not.

To be a Christian is to focus on the good and righteous in the world. It is not possible to judge or label one person a pagan and another a Christian. After all, what is in a name, a label? What you do with your life and the gifts that have been given to you is what God will judge you on.

May this world learn that Christianity versus paganism or anything else is counter productive to turning toward a focus on good and what each individual can contribute to the wholeness of all of us.

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