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Well, first of all, you have to define what you mean by "pagan" religion. Do you mean Wiccan belief, for example? Are you talking about Native American spiritual practices? Or are you talking about the early "earth mother/fertility goddess" based beliefs practiced by most early European groups?
Yes, these practices were around long before Christianity came into favor. They were largely about men coming to terms with the mysterious and often unpredictable whims of Mother Nature, so I suppose that you could say that in that sense they were about being in balance with nature.
It is a tried and true method to force a conquered people to accept the conquer's religion and give up their own. A people's spiritual practice defines them as much as their language does. Notice how conquerers will also force those whom they subjugate to give up their own language. We did this with the native Americans, taking their children away to boarding schools where they were forced to speak English and punished for talking in their native tongue.
Organized religion can indeed be a way of maintaining the status quo and keeping the people under control. In the Middle Ages Kings claimed their position by the divine right given them by God, so to go against the King was to in effect go against God.
As Joseph Campbell said, "A religous experience is often what prevents us from having a spiritual experience."
Are you asking if pagans believe in a supreme being/creator or are you asking that question more generally? I know that according to Native American belief there is indeed a supreme being. In Navajo belief, for example, there was First Man and First Woman (gods if you like) who gave birth to a personage known as Changing Woman. Changing Woman created all the plants and animals and created the Navajo people from bits of her own skin. She married the sun and gave birth to twins, the two Monster Slayers who rid the earth of all the demons that once lived here. The Navajo still have a very beautiful ceremonial given to them by Changing Woman called the "Blessing Way." In this ceremonial, one asks to be allowed to "walk in beauty" - that is walk in harmony with the earth and all living beings.
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