The early apologists, including Justin Martyr, Tertullian and Irenaeus, frequently discussed the parallels and contrasts between Christianity, Paganism and other syncretic religions, and answered charges of borrowing from paganism in their apologetical writings.

Contemporary Paganism, Modern Paganism, or Neopaganism, refers to a variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe.

Some also denounce non-Christian religions such as Islam, Wicca, Paganism, New Age groups, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other polytheistic religions.

Strmiska asserted that contemporary Paganism could be viewed as a part of the " much larger phenomenon " of efforts to revive " traditional, indigenous, or native religions " that were occurring across the globe.

As such, various modern scholars have begun to apply the term to three groups of separate faiths: Historical Polytheism ( such as Celtic polytheism, Norse Paganism, the Cultus Deorum Romanorum and Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism also called Hellenismos ), Folk / ethnic / Indigenous religions ( such as Chinese folk religion and African traditional religion ), and Neopaganism ( such as Wicca and Germanic Neopaganism ).

Thus, Nicolas Fabri de Peiresc saw the pagan religions of Africa of his day as relicts that were in principle capable of shedding light on the historical Paganism of Classical Antiquity.

Contemporary Paganism, or Neopaganism, includes reconstructed religions such as the Cultus Deorum Romanorum, Hellenic polytheism, Slavic neopaganism ( i. e. Slavianstvo, including Rodnovery ), Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, or Germanic religious reconstructionism, as well as modern eclectic traditions such as Discordianism, Wicca and its many offshoots.

In modern times, " Heathen " and " Heathenry " are increasingly used to refer to those branches of Paganism inspired by the pre-Christian religions of the Germanic, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon peoples.

Paganism has been previously defined broadly, to encompass many or most of the faith traditions outside the Abrahamic religions.

The term suggests a feminist approach to theism and the context of God and gender within Paganism, Neopaganism, Goddess Spirituality and various nature-based religions.

* Paganism, a group of religions

This also evokes the beliefs of Paganism and associated religions, such as the practice of Ancestral worship, Naturism, Polytheism and Spiritualism.

Neopagan religions such as Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism and Wicca use the symbol to represent a variety of triplicities from their belief systems.

As modern Paganism grew in scope and cultural visibility, some Americans of European heritage saw the pre-Christian religions of their ancestors as being worthy of revival, and the study of mythology and folklore as a way to accomplish this.

Among other beliefs about the religion clauses of the First Amendment, they argue that its religion clauses were not intended to include such faiths as Paganism and Witchcraft, but only monotheistic religions, and perhaps solely Christianity.

Arnold Ehret was part of a 19th and 18th century European and American nature cure movement which stemmed from a German tradition of natural life and sun worship rooted in Teutonic earth religions and Paganism.

Ludwig Feuerbach ( 1833 ) defines " Paganism " ( Heidentum ) in the context of classical antiquity

Beliefs and practices vary widely among different Pagan groups, however there are a series of core principles common to most, if not all, forms of contemporary Paganism.

The multitude of minor deities of no mention in the scriptures have also been formed by the Janapadas i. e. the tribal masses over the centuries in a localised manner, which is true with most of the Oriental Paganism / Animism.

: Mr. Lowes Dickinson, the most pregnant and provocative of recent writers on this and similar subjects, is far too solid a man to have fallen into this old error of the mere anarchy of Paganism.

Saint Shah Jalal and his companions were responsible for the conversion of most of the populace from their earlier beliefs in Hinduism, Buddhism and Paganism to Islam.

Conversion of the South Slavs from Paganism to Christianity began in the early 7th century, long before the Great Schism, the split between the Greek Orthodox East and the Roman Catholic West, the Serbs were first Christinaized during the reign of Heraclius ( 610-641 ) but were fully Christianized by Byzantine Christian Missionaries ( Saints ) Cyril and Methodius in 869 during Basil I, who sent them after Knez Mutimir, had acknowledged the suzerainty of the Byzantine Empire.

Polish mythology comprises beliefs and myths of ancient Poland, including witchcraft and elements of Paganism.

The lyrics of Graveland are strongly inspired by nature, darkness, battles / war, Paganism, Celtic beliefs, Norse mythology, and Slavic mythology.

The Virgin Spring contains a variety of themes ( many of them focusing on the religious aspects of the film ), including Christianity, Paganism, Norse mythology, vengeance, the occult, questioning of religious faith, sexual innocence, justice, and the nature of evil.

It has much to recommend it, from scholarly articles on ancient European Pagan religion and mythology, thoughtful reflections on Ásatrú and other Pagan revival movements of the last several decades and their roots in earlier cultural movements such as Romanticism, interviews with leading figures in contemporary Paganism, philosophers and musicians, and music and book reviews. Strmiska also addresses what he describes as " certain more controversial political aspects " of Tyr in his review, and, in particular, he states that " Tyr is by no means a neo-Nazi or pro-Fascist publication ...

What is known about the religion and its accompanying mythology have since influenced both literature and Contemporary Paganism from the 18th century onwards.

The OED instances Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ( 1776 ): " The divisions of Christianity suspended the ruin of Paganism.

* Hyde, Walter Woodburn Paganism to Christianity in the Roman Empire ( U. of Pennsylvania Press, 1946 )

* Franz Cumont, The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism, Dover Publications, 1956.

The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism.

* MacMullen, R., Paganism in the Roman Empire, Yale University Press, 1984.

His History of Christianity to the Abolition of Paganism in the Roman Empire ( 1840 ) had been completely ignored ; but the continuation of his work, his great History of Latin Christianity ( 1855 ), which has passed through many editions, was well received.

The group's aim was to provide a " soul " to the burgeoning Fascist movement of the time through the revival of an ancient Roman Paganism.

* After-Life in Roman Paganism, lectures delivered at Yale University, published in 1922, was cautiously expressed, but it corrected many false impressions of pagan rite that Christian apologists had made.

* The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism, by Franz Cumont ( English translation ) at sacred-texts. com

" It thereby examined religion during the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman occupation and Anglo-Saxon period, as well as a brief examination of their influence on folklore and contemporary Paganism.

Asatru, a modern-day revival of Germanic Paganism, holds " that the Eddas, Myths and Norse Sagas are the divinely inspired wisdom of religion ".

Ronald Hutton ( born 1953 ) is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism.

Porphyry is also known as an opponent of Christianity and defender of Paganism ; his defense of traditional religion, Philosophy from Oracles, written before the persecutions of Christians under Diocletian and Galerius, set out the basis for them:

There are 4 different types of religion: The Catholic Church, The Orthodox Church, Islam, and Paganism.

Paganism is the smallest religion being found only in Scandinavia and some parts of eastern Europe.

Paganism is the only religion the player or other kingdoms cannot convert to, the only way to play as a pagan nation is to start the game as one.