Pagans & "Woo": What are your (conceptual) boundaries?

[Hex]

Though just like everyone that isn't christian doesn't like to be lumped into the pagan catagory... I don't like you lumping other woo into my woo. I'd like to think I have a decent head on my shoulders.

One of the things that I've seen asked and felt compelled to answer is the question: "What is a pagan" or "What do you pagans believe?"

I'd like to turn it around and ask:

What do you guys (of whatever <insert appropriate prefix>-theism variety) think pagans are/believe?

And when it comes to woo, what counts as woo? How wide a range does it encompass, especially as it pertains to pagans?

Thanks muchly!

[David B]

What do you guys (of whatever <insert appropriate prefix>-theism variety) think pagans are/believe?

I imagine that pagans are a pretty diverse bunch, who might range from exploring the importance of ritual as a preparation for action, to believing that the ancient Britons had magical powers, which they seek to re-discover, that allowed them to do stuff like levitate stones from Pembrokeshire to Stonehenge.

And when it comes to woo, what counts as woo? How wide a range does it encompass, especially as it pertains to pagans?

As a pretty good guide, I'd classify woo as anything that cannot be grounded into a naturalistic world view.

Some things can, some things (and my example of mystically moving stones to Stonehenge seems to fit the bill pretty well) can't, and there is a grey area between, where we don't know or understand well enough what can be grounded naturalistically. For instance, there have recently been studies that show that acupuncture can be effective, but where the needles are stuck in make bugger all difference.

The way to tell woo from non woo, I suppose, is to test to see whether there actually is an effect.

Tests of dowsing, for instance, show that it don't work better than chance, so insofar as paganism embraces dowsing, it is wrong.

David

[Christina]

I think that for me the definition of woo is the belief that something supernatural is effecting (or assisting to effect) change in the natural world, especially as a result of the interaction of the believer with the supernatural power. It applies to theists as well.

That leaves out all sorts of rituals and practices that are seen as purely mental or emotional exercises designed to have an effect on your own mind or behavior. It really doesn't matter to me what particular kind of belief or religion is - if you think someone or something is talking back to you or paying attention to you personally, that's woo to me.

[Joykins]

Every pagan I've talked to has believed something different so I have no clue.