Labels: A Further Discussion

People go by labels such as Pagan, Deist, Christian, and Atheist to describe their beliefs in one word. When I used to be a Deist, I wore out that label. Even though I now consider myself a Pagan first and foremost, I still hold some Deist views. I've learned two things when it comes to these labels. The first thing I've learned is that I can't over use these labels as I did before. The second thing I learned is that when you go by one label all the time you may be restricting your beliefs and views without even realizing it. Some people will avoid labeling themselves all together which makes sense. I personally don’t restrict myself to one label, and sometimes I avoid labeling myself all together.

When it comes to a higher power, I keep rotating between calling myself a Pantheist, a Polytheist, and a Deist. I’ll admit, I don’t have clear concept, understanding, nor definition of what a god is (not that I see anything wrong with that). But. When it comes to the existence of deities/entities such as Jesus, Allah, Zeus, or Thor, I'm an Apatheist. In other words, I'm not interested in accepting or denying any claims for the existence of these gods. These are just some examples of labels I may go by. While these are just some of the labels that I may go by, I still have views and beliefs from other religions and philosophies.

Deists believe that God reveals him/her/it self through nature, and not by scriptures. Deists don't believe in prayers, magick, and miracles. I personally believe that God (for lack of a better term) reveals him/her/it self (or their selves) through nature and not by scriptures. I also don't believe in miracles. However, I do believe in Magick and prayers. I believe that Magick doesn't always work and prayers are almost never answered. I also believe that prayers work as a form of meditation. So while I may hold some deist views such as the ones I've mentioned, I'm not a Deist. Just like the Christians, I believe that stealing, killing, and cheating are wrong, but that doesn't mean I'm a Christian. These are just some examples of beliefs and views that I hold that may or may not fit under the labels that I may put on myself.