pagan/neopagan

a "pagan" (from the Latin for a rural dweller) is usually identified by negatives; the first three definitions in the American Heritage Dictionary are: one who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew; one who has no religion; a non-Christian. The term also implies someone hedonistic, heathenish, and irreligious. Instead of the poorly understood "pagan," identify the person by the precise belief system: polytheist, animist, Buddhist, etc. Many non-Muslim, non-Jewish, and non-Christian religions are deeply spiritual. Use only when someone self-identifies as a pagan. Neopaganism is an umbrella term for religious or spiritual movements that reconstruct pagan belief systems for contemporary believers. Paganism and Neopaganism have nothing to do with Satanism. Many Wiccans and other Neopagans refer to themselves simply as "Pagans." Because the word has many different meanings—some quite negative—the term "Neopagan" is less ambiguous. But call people what they want to be called.