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The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism, a painting by Gustave Doré (1899). Paganism is commonly used to refer to various religions that existed during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, such as the Greco-Roman religions of the Roman Empire, including the Roman imperial cult, the various mystery religions, religious philosophies such as Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, and more localized ethnic ...
Folklorist Jack Santino says "Her day and its traditions almost certainly are traceable to pre-Christian celebrations that took place at this time, on the first of May". [12] Art historian Pamela Berger noted Walpurga's association with sheaves of grain, and suggested that her cult was adapted from pagan agrarian goddesses. [13]
Ritual sacrifice was an integral part of ancient Greco-Roman religion [4] and was regarded as an indication of whether a person was pagan or Christian. [4] Paganism has broadly connoted the "religion of the peasantry". [1] [5] During and after the Middle Ages, the term paganism was applied to any non-Christian religion, and the term presumed a ...
Yule logs. Crackling fireplaces are common themes in Christmas imagery. The symbolism of the roaring fire traces back to the yule log ritual, which originated from a pagan practice predating ...
He reiterated his Christian predecessors' bans on animal sacrifice, divination, and apostasy, but allowed other pagan practices to be performed publicly and temples to remain open. [140] [141] [142] Theodosius also turned pagan holidays into workdays, but the festivals associated with them continued. [143]
Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples.In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern Germanic paganism) celebrate Yule independently of the Christian festival.
The American Civil Liberties Union argues that government-funded displays of Christmas imagery and traditions violate the U.S. Constitution—specifically the First Amendment, which prohibits the establishment by Congress of a national religion; on the other hand the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian advocacy organization, believes that ...
Most of the movement's followers reject the traditional Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter which many regard as either extra-biblical or of pagan origin. [7] Many within the Hebrew Roots movement also reject mainstream Christian doctrines such as the Trinity , with some viewing Jesus as a human prophet and others taking views similar ...