Question: What is the reason that even now there are pagan tendencies in religion?

Answer: The pagan concept is easier to understand and therefore more attractive. And it requires much less efforts on changing oneself.

Look, here is a bright example of a typically pagan logic adhered to by some Christians: Jesus Christ has already expiated all our sins with His death, so the only thing we have to do in connection with our religiousness is to go to church and participate there in rites.

Another example from the Orthodox tradition: we are capable of nothing ourselves due to our weakness, therefore we should pray to saints asking them to pray to God in their turn asking Him to save us from hell.

More serious pagans may seek an “astral teacher” for themselves. And nowadays many people are engaged in searching for contacts with beings from other planets.

But let us better remember the following words of Krishna: those who worship the ancestors (that is spirits) — go to the ancestors, those who worship deities — go to deities, those who worship Ishvara — go to Him. The same was taught by Jesus Christ — i.e. we have to aspire to the Father.