In the first post in this series, “Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others”, I began testing the idea that religious intolerance stems primarily from a lack of understanding regarding the beliefs and practices of a religion different than one’s own.
At that time I found that there were four religions that held celebrations during this holiday season, namely Buddhism (Bodhi Day), Judaism (Hanukkah), Paganism (Yule) and Christianity (Christmas).
In this third post, I will look at Paganism and the celebration of Yule from December 21, 2025 to January 1, 2026. This will be a very good test to see if understanding another person’s religion improves religious tolerance because, much to my surprise, my initial reaction to the word “pagan” was negative even though I knew nothing at all about Paganism. So let’s see if understanding what Paganism actually is handles my own prejudice beginning with some basics.
What is Paganism?
Paganism is the name for a broad range of nature-based spiritual beliefs dating back to prehistoric times. i.e. before recorded history. Such practices centered on reverence for the Earth, nature and the natural cycles of seasons.
According to legend, many diverse gods and 
goddesses 
from each cultures were worshipped, such as Gaia, the Earth Mother (Greek); and Odin, the All-Father (Norse) known for his quest for wisdom and understanding of the universe.
Though not called Paganism at the time, evidence of these practices were revealed through archeological discoveries such as ancient burial sites, etchings on the walls of caves and carved figurines depicting the spiritual beliefs and practices of each particular culture at the time. Here is a video presentation covering some of the basics of Paganism:
What is a Pagan?
The word “pagan” comes from the Latin term “paganus” which simply means “a rural person” or “country dweller”. It originally had no religious connotation at all.
However, during the 1400s the word was redefined by the Christians to also mean “person of non-Christian or non-Jewish faith”. As Christianity spread, “paganus” then began to be used as a derogatory term for those living in rural areas who didn’t convert to the new religion but continued to adhere to their traditional spiritual practices and beliefs. This shifted the word towards meaning a “heathen” or “non-believer.” (A detailed etymology of the word ‘pagan” can be found here.)
As an aside, you may recall that earlier I mentioned that my initial reaction to the word “pagan” was negative even though I knew nothing at all about pagans or Paganism.
When I learned that the word “pagan” had been redefined and used as a derogatory term for “someone who didn’t believe”, I realized that this was the very definition I had learned as a kid growing up in the Christian religion. When I looked at the simple fact that a pagan was a “country dweller” whose spiritual beliefs and practices were nature-based and involved the worship of multiple gods and goddesses, I no longer had any negative reaction. My prejudice had been replaced with understanding.
Yule: A Celebration of the Winter Solstice
Yule, rooted in Germanic and Norse pagan traditions, is the annual celebration of the Winter Solstice, i.e. that day in December which has the shortest day and longest night. From this day forward the sun will become stronger and shine longer each day until the summer solstice in June. This “rebirth of the sun” inspired hope and symbolized not only renewal and fertility but the triumph of light over the darkness. 
burning of the Yule log, symbolizing warmth, light, and good fortune for the new year; the decorating of an evergreen tree, symbolizing life persisting through winter; and the lighting of candles, symbolizing the returning sun.
appropriate for the time of the year.
It seems more of us country folk prefer the Yule celebration, what with clearer understanding of its meaning.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Thanks. The final post in this series will be about Christmas so hopefully we’ll all learn a little more about that religious holiday too! Merry Christmas Tom!
Thanks for the edification! Unfortunately in today’s society “pagan” is very much still a derogatory term exemplified by various groups practicing rather dark rituals—until this article those were the activities that , in my universe, had “black pr’d” paganism. There’s a long way to go to resuscitate a positive image of paganism. Tho’ associating it with Native American beliefs definitely is a far more positive position in a somewhat more enlightened modern world.
You’re very welcome! Interesting points Jeff. I can feel some additional research coming on the similarities and differences, if any, of Native American beliefs/practices and those of pagans.