I am interested in the pejorative sense that the terms “pagan” and “heathen” are bandied about as if they must only be understood to always mean a person having a non-Christian or non-Jewish religion. I suggest a reading of sources such as Wikipedia would prove enlightening.
The term pagan is from the Latin paganus, an adjective originally meaning " rural ", "rustic" or "of the country." As a noun, paganus was used to mean "country dweller, villager." The semantic development of post-classical Latin paganus in the sense "non-Christian, heathen" is unclear. The dating of this sense is controversial, but the 4th century seems most plausible. (Wikipedia)
The rural people of Judah were known as “People of the Land” and they were instrumental in appointing some of their monarchs. Later, in his effort to instill religious purity, the ideologue Ezra (10:11) told his people to separate from these rural culturally mixed people.
These People of the Land were the “country peasants”, but Ezra was of the politically-connected “people of the book”. The single male god was an urban idea, whereas the rural people worshiped fertility deities and divine nature. These rural people were more religiously tolerant and followed the custom of common decency.
It is of interest, although not proving anything, that Jesus came from and preached to the rural people of the land, the peasants, and that he warned them of the Pharisees. He spoke of tolerance by loving one’s neighbours , and he rejected temple puritanism.
I am simply asking that next time someone is tempted to use the terms “pagan” or “heathen” in a pejorative sense, to remember that the terms cover a range of meanings.