"Besimudo's "Christian world", I think, refers to the dominant religions and historical influences in "our world", i.e. our countries and cultures. Not the world as a whole. A hundred or so years ago, most of our countries were largely Christian; this is reflected in state institutions and whatnot that still exist today."
Thank-you, I was speaking of the Christian world as in Europe and western culture.
Christianity has about 2 billion followers. My source states 1.3 billion for Islam! where did you find 1.7?
"we arent a christian world anymore......at least no more than we are jewish, islamic, pagan. Infact since paganism and earth magic was the original belif system over here in teh UK and Ireland (scotland and wales) and it still has a strong following today....."
These pagans are hardly legitimate as such traditions were transmitted via bardic song, which have been lost with the ages. Put simply, the traditions are dead. Thor, Zeus or the fianna cycle, take your pick, have little relevance in the west as far as religion and spiritual worship are concerned. Snorri Sturluson, wrote the eddas (main source of pagan Norse myth) centuries after Christianity was adopted in Iceland. Via Bardic tradition, as past on through his family, Snorri wrote the eddas - but Sturlusons account is very "Christianised"! I ask you how a pagan in todays world might conduct his rite to Thor? Or how he may legitimately claim to be of the Norse, Celtic or Greek pagan traditions.
In the end it may be acceptable or even cool to walk in the footsteps of Athena or pay homage to Macool the Celtic hero, but in reality nobody can trace the worship as an unbroken line. I have heard claims of Swedes adopting the old ways of paganism - Thor and all! But don’t hold your breath for the berserkers or long boat craftsmen, as these crucial features of the tradition are but memories of a great pagan heritage that faded with the Vikings.
