Filipino Catholics and priests should minimize using "pagan/paganism" for the ancient Romans and religion without explaining its historical context.
Filipino Catholics and priests should stop using "paganism" as a blanket term for ancient Roman religion without explaining its historical nuances.
What do I mean? Well:
We Filipinos think paganism = devil worship, partly because of a lacking in education. The Roman religion was far more institutionalized and legal as compared to:
community-based faith practices like in our provinces e.g. witch doctors, shamans,
syncretized/modernized old religions, and;
actual cults under watch by the FBI. It doesn't help that American pop culture contributed massively, like the "Satanic Panic."
Fun fact: "Pagan" used to refer to province-dwelling Romans, compared to the urban/city folk.
I have only heard "pagan" as a throwaway term during verse-reading when referring to the Romans and the religion without at least taking half a minute to lay down nuances. Of course, I know it's nowhere near the priority list of issues that need to be addressed during our Eucharistic masses.
In fact, have you heard of the Roman palindrome "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas" before? It's intended to ward off evil or bad mojo. Would love me to get an anting-anting of it.
If you want to debate, keep it civil and respectful.
- a Roman Catholic.