Just something I found on my wanderings ;D   You can either join this e newsletter/group, or visit for more on what I have posted.  http://www.faqs.org/faqs/paganism-faq/

What is paganism/a pagan?

    The words paganism and pagan come from the Latin "paganus,"
meaning "country dweller."  Neopagans hold a reverence for the Earth
and all its creatures, generally see all life as interconnected, and
tend to strive to attune one's self to the manifestation of this
belief as seen in the cycles of nature.  Pagans are usually
polytheistic (believing in more than one god), and they usually
believe in immanance, or the concept of divinity residing in all
things.  Many pagans, though polytheistic, see all things as being
part of one Great Mystery.  The apparent contradiction of being both
polytheistic and monotheistic can be resolved by seeing the God/desses
as masks worn by the Great Mystery.  Other pagans are simply
monotheistic or polytheistic, and still others are atheistic.

    Some people believe paganism to be a religion within itself;
others see it as a belief system (such as monotheism) that can be
incorporated into religions like Wicca or Druidism; others see it as a
broad category including many religions.  The fact that we are
re-creating religion for ourselves after centuries of suppression
makes us very eclectic and very concerned with the "rightness" of a
particular thing for the individual.  So when you see some people
calling it a religion and others not, when you see it capitalized in
some instances and not in others, don't be confused -- we're all still
basically talking about the same thing. Paganism (with a capital "P") is one strand of neopaganism which strives to allow each person to draw from whatever religious and
cultural traditions are meaningful for the  individual.  The practices
of Paganism derive from those of Wicca, but are not identical with
those of Wicca.  Some people view Paganism as a non-initiatory form of
Wicca, or Wicca as an initiatory form of Paganism.  Some say that
Witches are the clergy of Paganism.  (On the other hand, some Witches
violently disagree with that viewpoint)

What are different types of paganism?
Paleo-paganism: the standard of paganism, a pagan culture which
has not been disrupted by "civilization" by another culture --
Australian Bushmen modern (who are probably becoming meso-pagans),
ancient Celtic religion (Druidism), the religions of the
pre-patriarchal cultures of Old Europe, Norse religion, pre-Columbian
Native American religions, etc.

    Civilo-paganism: the religions of "civilized" communities which
evolved in paleo-pagan cultures -- Classical Greco-Roman religion,
Egyptian religion, Middle-Eastern paganism, Aztec religion, etc.

    Meso-paganism: a group, which may or may not still constitute a
separate culture, which has been influenced by a conquering culture,
but has been able to maintain an independence of religious practice --
many Native American nations, etc.

    Syncreto-paganism: similar to meso-pagan, but having had to
submerge itself into the dominant culture, and adopt the external
practices and symbols of the other religion -- the various
Afro-diasporic traditions (Voudoun, Santeria, etc.), Culdee
Christianity, etc.

    Neopaganism: attempts of modern people to reconnect with nature,
using imagery and forms from other types of pagans, but adjusting them
to the needs of modern people.  Since this category is the focus of
alt.pagan, the listing here is more comprehensive (though no listing
could be completely comprehensive):

    Wicca -- in all its many forms
    neo-Shamanism
    neo-Druidism
    Asatru and other forms of Norse neopaganism
    neo-Native American practices
    the range of things labeled "Women's Spirituality"
    the Sabaean Religious Order
    Church of All Worlds
    Discordianism
    Radical Faeries and other "Men's Spirituality" movements
    certain people within Thelema and hedonistic Satanism
    some of eco-feminism
    and last, but not least, Paganism

    Unlike most of the neopagan religions, Wicca is an initiatory
religion, that is, people who choose to practice Wicca believe that
the commitment to this path set changes in motion in their lives.
Many Traditions (sects) of Wicca formalize this with a ritual (or
series of rituals) of initiation.  Others, especially Solitary
Witches, trust that the Gods will do the initiating of the Witch.
Why do some of you use the word Witch?  Wiccan?

    First, not everyone in alt.pagan is Wiccan/Witchy, so this
question only applies to some of the people.

    Witch is a very old word meaning "magic-maker", from a root which
meant "bending" and "shaping".  For many of us, the word Witch is a
powerful reclaiming of that inherent human power to make changes
around us.  For others, including some of the people within Wicca,
that word is not their word.  Some people within Wicca take the
adjective "Wiccan" and use it as a noun. (Some people question the authenticity of the etymology that says "witch" means "to bend or shape."  They believe that the word is
simply from the Old English for "wise one" and has no relation to the
root mentioned above -- which gives us the modern word "wicker," for
instance.  However, this definition is a good way to think of how a
modern Witch might see him/herself.)

What are some different traditions in the Craft?     Different traditions in the Craft include Gardnerian Wicca,Alexandrian Wicca, Dianic Wicca, the Faery tradition, many branches of
Celtic-based Wicca, and many other forms of Wicca often called
eclectic, since they draw their practices and liturgy from many
different sources.  There is no way to include all traditions because
new ones are being created every day by the practitioners themselves.

 What god(s) do you believe in?  Neopagans believe in a great many goddesses and gods.  However,not all neopagans believe in the same ones, or even in any at all.
Many neopagans believe in a Goddess and a God that are manifest in all
things.  Some follow particular pantheons (e.g. Greek, Irish, Norse,
Yoruban, Welsh), others don't stick to any one culture, and still
others see the Divine in more symbolic terms.  Many ascribe certain
qualities to different goddesses, such as Athena as the goddess of
wisdom; Aphrodite as the goddess of love; Artemis as the goddess of
the hunt, and so on.  Many pagans and Witches see the Goddess in three
aspects, those of Maiden, Mother and Crone; and the God in two, the
Young God and the Old God.  Other pagans do not believe in any gods at
all, but instead honor spirits and/or totems in various forms such as
animals or trees, as in many of the native American religions.  As is
usually the case, defining "God" is a very slippery idea.  But these
are some of the more common among modern pagans.

Can one be both Christian and pagan?  Depends on who you ask.  :)  There is much dissention on this particular topic, with both Pgans and Christians taking both stances.  There are many brands of Cristian mysticism, some more similar to the aspects of paganism than
others.  But some pagans who dance outside to the light of the moon
and praise the Goddess in Her aspect of Diana see and feel no
contradiction to going inside and lighting candles to Mary, the Queen
of Heaven and the Mother of God, the next day.  And those same pagans
see the same sacrificial king motif in Jesus as they do in Osiris.

    Many people might find it difficult to reconcile the two paths;
others see a successful integration possible.  It depends on what is
right for the individual.

What are some of the related newsgroups?

(This list subject to change at any time)
    alt.religion.wicca
    alt.religion.druid
    alt.mythology
    alt.satanism
    alt.magick
    alt.astrology
    alt.divination
    alt.discordia
    talk.religion.newage

Don't come on to witness to us.  We're really not interested in
being converted (or worse, saved).  It's not a tenet of our path to
convert, and so we are particularly unhappy with the idea.  Plus
which, you will add unnecessarily to the noise level in this
newsgroup, since most readers will feel compelled to flame you to the
farthest reaches of Hell.