It’s insulting, referring to your traditional religion as paganism, it’s very disrespectful and reeks more of inferiority complex. It’s a different game when Non-Africans see to African traditional religions as paganism, but an African doing the same is heartbreaking.
Paganism, which was derived from a classical Latin pāgānus, which means “rural, rustic,” later “civilian,”; is a term that was primarily used in the fourth century by early Christians to describe people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism and pantheism.
Polytheism is when one believes in more than one God, in which most African traditional religions have room for many deities.
Pantheism is a doctrine which identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God.
Paganism was initially been a pejorative and derogatory term for polytheism, implying its inferiority. A term used to describe people having an inferior religion, unfamiliar religion, and the name presumed a belief in false God (s).
While paganism now looks like it usually and generally implies polytheism, still yet the primary reason for the term paganism by Christianity has nothing to do with monotheism(a belief in just one God) versus polytheism(a belief in many gods), Because not all people labeled as pagans were strictly polytheist.
Throughout history, many of them believed in a supreme deity. When placing these terms, Christians have in mind a particular distinction, which is whether or not someone worships the one true God.
You can find it in society; people use these terms with Non-Christians. Mostly African traditionalists and it doesn’t settle well because the African traditional religion is not inferior.
How do you refer to your religious history as inferior and place high another person?