Hi all,

Now I know this isn't exactly what this forum is for, but I have a couple of questions about paganism that I was wondering if you all could give your opinion on. I'm a very open person, and I'm really curious about this religion.

1) Whats your concept of life after death/ after life?

2) Why does God/the Gods allow suffering?

Thanks guys!

There are so many versions of paganism that by no means could any one of us answer those questions... But I like those questions, and would love to give my own answers to them. I do not speak for all pagans, and in fact I am not entirely sure what I believe in anymore...

I think most pagans believe in some sort of reincarnation or after-life. I like the idea that you are here and continue to come back until you have learned everything you need to know - I suppose that is more Buddhist though.

I don't believe in any deities - but I think that suffering is here to teach us lessons we need to learn. I also think suffering is mostly in a person's perception. You chose how to look at the things that happen in your life and you chose how you react to them. Bad things happen, but personal choice and personal responsibility play a larger role than the event itself...

What great questions - I'd love to hear other responses especially ones from people who really are pagan...

Thanks Lizziness! I like hearing different opinions on faith...I know everybody has their own answers to these questions, so I guess part of my journey into finding my own answers is listening to other people's take on them.

I believe we reincarnate until we have larned the lessons we have to learn and until we have achieved our Great Work (a Ceremonial Magick concept that I have embraced wholeheartedly as it makes alot of sense to me)- and part of achieving your Great Work (personal to everyone) is just trying to figure out what exactly it is! Everyone's purpose is different and it may take many lifetimes to know what it is, to work towards it and to ultimately achieve it.

As for the Gods allowing suffering, well, most Pagans (and I'm gonna reiterate what Lizziness said that there is not one universal Pagan POV so I am speaking for myself) do not believe that Deity is so cut and dry as all-good and all-bad. Instead, They are reflections of ourselves in that They are a mixture of darkness and light. Darkness does not mean evil, it just means knowing that life is not all sunshine and roses. The cycles of life, the wheel of the year, the seasons, the food chain, it all reflects the fact that we have to come to terms with the darkness and use it as a time of introspection, rest and finally, lessons learned. That's how we grow as human beings and how we will ultimately achieve our Great Work (hey, didn't plan to loop that back around but love it when that happens!).

Thanks Mummy Tummy! That was very eloquently written, and I really appreciate you sharing your opinion with me