What are morals and values? How do they define religion and spirituality? Do pagans’ and Christians’ beliefs share the same values?
Christians and Pagans have been at odds since the early days of the church. The early Christian church in medieval Europe did a lot of harm to Europe’s ancient peoples by forcing them to convert and vilify their nature-revering beliefs.
This has left a legacy of animosity and fear towards pagan beliefs that endure even in the modern era. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Religion is a personal thing; it’s a connection between you and your supreme being or beings, and it should never be up to other people to dictate how you see the divine.
Here are 9 morals and values that pagans and Christians share. When you see them and see that we share the same moral convictions, we can heal the wounds of the past and understand one another.
What are pagan and Christian morals?
Before we talk about the morals and values that Pagans and Christians share, we should divine what we mean by morals and values.
Some might think that morals are rules or laws put in place to control others. This is often why religion gets a bad reputation. Yes, many organized religions do have rules and laws that members are generally expected to follow. But if these rules were all the same, in Christianity, for example, there wouldn’t be so many different denominations.
People have free will. Some feel compelled to follow rules set forth by religious leaders, and others don’t. This is why we have to differentiate between ‘rule’ and ‘morals and values.’
The dictionary defines a ‘moral‘ as concerned with the principles of right and wrong. It is concerned with human behavior and the ‘goodness’ or ‘badness’ of humankind. Values are defined as a person’s principles or standards by which one judges what is important to one’s life.
Morals and values govern a person’s being. They are not rules or commandments but rather guiding principles by which we all strive to live and interact with one another and the world around us. Religion and spirituality play an important role in providing those guiding principles by which people follow.
Morals and values are what sets us apart from our biology. They are what separates us from our primate ancestors, who were governed only by instinct and biology.
The Difficulty of defining Pagan beliefs
The one thing that causes confusion about pagans by nonpagans is what pagans believe about the afterlife, the world around them, and the divine.
The difficulty lies in the fact that paganism is not one single religious belief. Rather, it is an umbrella term for any nature-revering spirituality. This could encompass so many different beliefs from all over the world.
The dictionary defines Paganism as a religion other than one of the main world religions. That includes many beliefs, but the one thing that pagan beliefs tend to have in common is a spiritual connection to nature. Nature is the divine, and it governs our morals and values.
Using this definition, you could include the spirituality of the Norse, the Celts, the Greeks and Romans, Native American Spirituality, African Spirituality, Aboriginal and Pacific Islander Spirituality, and even many Eastern beliefs such as Shintoism, Taoism, and Hinduism.
With such a wide scope of beliefs, it’s hard to define the morals and principles of paganism as a whole. This becomes even more difficult in Europe, in particular, where the early Christian church in the Middle Ages all but eradicated these ancient beliefs. It’s very difficult to reconstruct what the ancients believed.
But modern pagans have managed to reconstruct some of their ancient beliefs. What we know about the ancients is that they understood morals and values long before Christianity existed. All around the world, we find that pagan morals and values have many similarities because moral principles are human, not governed by culture or location. Understanding good and evil is paramount to what makes us human.
Pagans and Christians Share A love of Harmony and Peace
Pagans and Christians both value balance and harmony. The Aztecs believed that a balance in nature was a person’s ideal state and that it was our responsibility to try to achieve this balance in our lives.
Morality for the Aztecs centered around this need for balance. Impurities were unwelcome and something to be avoided.
Christianity also teaches the value of peace. Finding peace within yourself and learning to be thankful for what you have is something to strive for.
In order to find this peace and balance, you have to learn to let go of things. Learn to forgive other people, not because they deserve it but because holding hatred within yourself causes an imbalance in your soul.
The Aztecs believed in the concept of “tlatlacolli.” When someone is immoral and has immoral thoughts and actions, they have tlatlacolli, or damage. Immoral behavior is considered dirty because it causes imbalance and makes you impure.
So, to avoid tlatlacolli, you have to find peace within yourself.
Pagans and Christians Value Discipline and Self-control
“The Unwise man does not know the limit of his own gluttony” Stanza 21 in the Havalmal.
This clearly warns against overindulgence. The Norse valued modesty. The Havalmal has many passages within it warning against overindulgence and a lack of modesty. Norse pagans used the Havalmal as a moral framework to guide them through life.
The Havalmal warns against drinking, eating, or talking too much. We all know life has many pleasures, but the danger of overindulgence comes with these pleasures.
When you overindulge, you become out of balance.
Christians warn against lacking in self-control. Christians must embrace modesty and exercise self-control in the face of temptations.
With so many ‘pleasures’ at our fingertips, the temptations to over-indulge are everywhere in this modern world. You can eat too much, and your health suffers. If you drink too much, your health will suffer. If you sleep around too much, you cheapen the preciousness of human relationships.
Christians and pagans share this value of maintaining self-control in one’s life.
Pagans and Christians Value Honor and Humility
The Celts, the Norse, the Japanese Samurai, and the Native Americans are all cultures that can be called “pagan” under the definition of a nature-revering religion, and they are all renowned for their strength and courage in battle.
The Druids, the religious practitioners of the Celtic people, taught that the most courageous people act in the face of fear.
This doesn’t mean you have no fear. Fear is a natural emotion. But a courageous person stands up and does what’s right no matter what the cost to them. This is courage and honor valued by ancient pagans all over the world.
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
This is a bible quote of courage and standing against fear.
The Celts believed in having honor and integrity. Having the courage to stand up for those who could not stand up for themselves.
All of these pagan cultures warn against arrogance. You can be courageous while also being humble.
Be faithful to those around you
Pagans and Christians both trust in the goodness of others. The Celts had a strong sense of community and loyalty to those in that community. While pagan beliefs often promote one’s individual path when it comes to a connection to the divine, they still value loyalty and trust in those in one’s life—your family and your community.
Christians also have a strong sense of loyalty and faith. It’s human to have doubts, but learning to let go of those doubts and fears keeps us progressing as a people.
Faith in the divine that everything will work out in the end if you believe it; loyalty and trust in one another will get you far.
When you are loyal to others, you will receive that loyalty in return. Just remember there’s a balance to be maintained here. Being too loyal and trusting can lead you to trust the wrong people.
Pagans and Christians Value Being Kind and Generous
Pagans and Christians believe we are responsible for our words and actions. The ancient peoples, including the Celts and the Norse, valued generosity toward others. Give to others when they are in need and share what you have, even if all you have is a kind word.
Christianity says to be compassionate, kind, and generous.
Embrace the joy of the beauty around you
Embrace the joy and beauty of the world around you. Be thankful that you are alive to experience the beauty of this world.
A love of beauty and joy brings us things like art, music, dance, and emotional expression. Both Pagans and Christians share this value.
A good way to embrace this value is to decorate your home with beautiful things. If you are looking for a witchy shop to help you start your home decor collection, check out Rogue’s Hollow.
What you give to the world will return to you
The law of Karma is a pagan belief that originated in Hinduism and Buddhism. Modern Wiccans especially embrace it. It’s a belief that whatever energy you put out into the world will come back to you.
When you release negative energy into the world, that negativity returns to you threefold; that is the law of karma.
Proverbs 22:8 “Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity.” This is Christianity’s law of karma.
If you’ve ever heard “what comes around goes around” or “You reap what you sow.” What you do to others will come to you.
Honor the divine
Pagans have a deep connection to nature and the divine. We see nature in all things. We see the divine at work when we see water rushing in the streams or the first snow of winter.
Always keep a connection to the spiritual side within yourself. Even though modern technology has removed us from our natural environment, we are still dependent on it. We need the sun; we need the moon. So honor this connection to Spirit.
On a pentagram, a five-pointed star, the top point represents Spirit. The lower points represent the four elements: earth, fire, wind, and water. A circle connects us all.
So treat nature with respect. Don’t take it for granted. Treat plants and animals with respect because even though we eat them, they still deserve to be treated with dignity.
The Golden Rule and the Wiccan Rede
The most important value that pagans and Christians share is the thing that connects us the most. Christians call it the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
The Wiccan Rede states: “And it harm none, do thy will.”
This means that even with all our morals and values, we still have free will. We can choose good or evil, but when we hurt others, we violate the most sacred moral of all.
Everyone struggles at times. Sometimes, the temptation to over-indulge is just too great. Sometimes, we let our fears and doubts overpower us. Pagans don’t believe humans are perfect. We all falter. Christians don’t believe humans are perfect, either.
But if there’s one thing we can both agree on, it is that when you commit violence against another person, you cross a line that cannot be crossed. An addict can always come back from an addiction. A person who is out of balance can become balanced again. But you can’t take back the hurt you cause to another person.
So do your will, walk your own path, and believe what you will about the divine. You have free will, and you can make any choice you want, but you cannot hurt another person.
Conclusion
These are the morals and values that modern pagans and Christians should all live by. We should strive for them always. When we follow them, we begin to understand each other.
I don’t believe in trying to convert people to my religion because I believe it’s not necessary, even if we may not believe the same things about God and the divine. When we follow these morals and values, we come to learn that we are all the same and we are all connected spiritually.
