Can we call Hinduism a “paganism” ?

There is a strange misconception about paganism, which consists in presenting paganism as a closed, precise, list of religions : European pre-christian polytheist religions. But paganism is not a list. Paganism is a broad category used to describe a certain type of religion : an ancestral and local religion admitting several divine entities. Paganism is not limited to the most famous European paganisms such as Norse paganism, Celtic paganism, Greek paganism, Roman paganism and Slavic paganism. Most religions that have existed and exist in the world since the beginning of humanity can be described as “pagan”. Monist religions (christianity, islam and judaism) are the exception. Only very recently did some pagans started to call themselves “pagans”, as a way to reclaim a term that has been use in a derogatory way by christians oppressors for centuries. Pagan religions of all continents generally have a specific name or no name, and do not call themselves “pagans”. However, in some contexts, using the category of paganism is relevant, especially when addressing the past and present persecutions and oppressions against pagans in the world by monist dominions. In the same way, just because a religion has a specific name, does not mean we should never use the concepts of “polytheism” or “monotheism” to describe it. There are common patterns in the past and present oppression against non-monist religions in the world, and refusing to put any global label would prevent us from finding a global solution. <a href="https://solveigmineo.medium.com/can-we-call-hinduism-a-paganism-9cdc578824af">Read More</a>