# Curious - how many religious non-christian, non-pagan dopers are there? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823 "2002-10-11T14:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Osakadave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/1 "2002-10-11T14:32:54Z")
How many Buddhist, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, etc. are there here? ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/2 "2002-10-11T14:40:41Z")
Unitarian Universalist checking in. Non-christian, non-pagan, non-coffee drinker. ---
**Author:** ![iconoplast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@iconoplast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iconoplast)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/3 "2002-10-11T14:43:18Z")
I’m Taoist. (I also drink coffee. Mmm, coffee.) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/4 "2002-10-11T14:48:44Z")
Another UU here. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/5 "2002-10-11T15:04:34Z")
No official census, but there are a number of religious Jews on these boards. Among them are (in no particular order): **cmkeller** , **Keeve** , **CK Dexter Havn** , **IzzyR** , **RedNaxela** , **Gila B** , **Captain Amazing** , **sdimbert** , **MHand** and probably a few other whom I hope will forgive me for momentarily forgetting them. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Simetra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Simetra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simetra)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/6 "2002-10-11T15:39:56Z")
I hate to be a nit-pick, but this is one of my things. Your two terms are mutually exclusive. A pagan is defined as anyone who is non-christian. Therefore, one cannot be both non-Christian and non-pagan at the same time. \ Some people don’t like it when you don’t use punctuation. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/7 "2002-10-11T17:25:12Z")
Technically, **Simetra** , you’re right, although in modern usage, very few Christians use the term “pagan” anymore to describe anyone from the other major religions of the world. There is a group of people who refer to themselves as pagans and follow what they believe to be the older religions of Europe that predate Christianity (including some who insist that they are Picts). This group does not seem to include Wicca, and does seem to exist mostly on college campuses. ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/8 "2002-10-11T17:41:23Z")
Another Jewish doper here. (that’s ok, **zev** , you’re quite forgiven. What, you think you’re going to keep track of all of us??) ---
**Author:** ![cthulhuCultist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cthulhuCultist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cthulhuCultist)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/9 "2002-10-11T18:15:25Z")
Well, I get along well with Pagan/Wiccan types, but I count myself as a Discordian. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/10 "2002-10-11T18:18:56Z")
I’m just confused-does that make me a Confuscious? ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/11 "2002-10-11T18:19:13Z")
Very active Unitarian Universalist here, with Jewish heritage. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/12 "2002-10-11T18:42:47Z")
Simetra, your definition also makes Jews into pagans which was never part of any traditional definition. It also makes athiests and agnostics pagan. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/13 "2002-10-11T20:22:17Z")
I’m pretty much aethiest. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/14 "2002-10-11T20:31:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Simetra \* > \*\*I hate to be a nit-pick, but this is one of my things. > > Your two terms are mutually exclusive. A pagan is defined as anyone who is non-christian. Therefore, one cannot be both non-Christian and non-pagan at the same time. > > \*\* I hate to be a nit-pick too, **Simetra** , but I do resent the statement above. I am non-Christian, in that I do not accept that Jesus was the son of God, nor that he is immortal. But, I am not a pagan, unless you define that to mean that a pagan views God as a non-anthropomorphic Higher Power. Religion and faith, or non-faith, is personal to the individual concerned. I don’t think “dictionary definitions” can be used for all of us, here. ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/15 "2002-10-11T20:35:03Z")
not so religious Hindu checking in ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/16 "2002-10-11T20:35:42Z")
Only just spotted and realised what **Padeye** said on submit. Hear, hear! ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/17 "2002-10-11T20:45:09Z")
Diest in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Savaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@Savaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savaka)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/18 "2002-10-11T21:02:15Z")
I am a Buddhist, and I do not consider myself a pagan. I read the OP’s use of “pagan” as the modern definition that **Kilt-wearin’ man** referred to. It is sometimes called “neo-paganism,” which use is supported by no less an authority than the [American Heritage Dictionary](http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=pagan). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/19 "2002-10-11T21:06:10Z")
Solitary Wiccan here. ---
**Author:** ![Leifsmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a698b9/32.png) [@Leifsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leifsmama)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823/20 "2002-10-11T21:13:34Z")
Another Unitarian Universalist here, and I tend to think of myself more spiritual rather than religious. I know that it sounds like a nit-pick, but if you truely understand the difference, you’ll see that it’s a BIG difference. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-how-many-religious-non-christian-non-pagan-dopers-are-there/131823.md?page=2)