A Religion By Any Other Name...

[Autumnal Light]

I've basically gone my entire life without belonging to any particular religious group, and, for the most part, this has suited me just fine. I have my personal beliefs, and I've spent a lot of time looking for a religion that matches them. I think that Druidism might be a match.

According to The Order of Bards, Ovates, & Druids:

"There are ... a few beliefs which most members probably hold in common:
In Spirit, or God/dess - in something more than just matter
In the Otherworld - in something more than just the world of appearances
In Rebirth - in life after death in some form
In the Web of Life - in the interconnectedness of all life
In the Law of the Harvest - in the law of cause and effect, that we harvest what we sow."

I believe these things for the most part, although I remain somewhat skeptical about the nature of life after death and a spiritual realm. The religion seems to fit very well with my morals and my reverence for nature. I've been considering attaching the label of Druidism to my beliefs so that, at the very least, I'll have something to call myself, but also to connect myself to a larger religious community of like-minded people - a new experience for me. However, I also want to bypass the dreaded "Fluffy Bunny" phase as much as possible.

Does anyone have advice?  

[Pelta]

Well, you could start by not calling yourself a Druid. The Druids were Celtic lawmakers and priests thousands of years ago. They are all dead. They no longer exist. Thus nobody has the right to call themselves one.

It's good that you're questioning and starting to solidify your beliefs, but do not be too hasty in looking for an appelation. Really, what you call yourself is secondary to what you believe.

Indeed, get involved with the community if that's what you're looking for. But remember that you're looking for a personal belief system, not something that strikes you just to fit in with the community.

Also, the traits you listed are incredibly broad. They would fall under the banners of many neo-pagan religions, not just Druidry.

Perhaps a little more research and networking could be helpful. smile  

[Deoridhe]

rly on in my paganess, I read a few of the educational books from the Order of Bards, Ovats, and Druids because I was seriously considering trying to connect wit the Celtic gods, if I could. There was literally NOTHING in them that I hadn't already picked up from publically discussed Wiccan theology. I ended up deciding to not shell out the money to read things I had already learned.

As for the quote... I can give you my response to it, but this should not be yours. Yours should be what you think about it after considering it from all angles.

Quote:

In Spirit, or God/dess - in something more than just matter
In the Otherworld - in something more than just the world of appearances
In Rebirth - in life after death in some form
In the Web of Life - in the interconnectedness of all life
In the Law of the Harvest - in the law of cause and effect, that we harvest what we sow.

This could fit in nearly any religion, with some tweaking. It's not, imo, a creed so much as a draw in, aimed specifically at people who haven't connected to a religion yet. Religions aren't, by and large, subtle about their gods (or lack thereof). Saying all you need is a belief in SOMETHING is like saying that all you need to be considered American is to eat some kind of meat; it's so general as to be useless. "Spirit" is a Christian term, by and large, for the Holy Spirit; it's used extensively in Quaker and New Age Christian movements and has leaked into paganism via those.

"The Otherworld" is again, so general as to be useless. They don't even indicate if they mean afterlife, or something else. Hel, they could even mean the realms of the fully manifested Kami, for all we know.

Rebirth - first of all, they defined this as "life after death in some form". This covers every single not-the-end-at-death belief on the planet. See: so general as to be useless. Second of all, it's an awkward definition for rebirth; rebirth is commonly used in Buddhism to contrast it's beliefs with those of Hinduism, highlighting the lack-of-self that is central to Buddhist practice. The definition, however, makes it sound like just another afterlife, which is highly inaccurate in how I've ever seen it used. So not only is this so general as to be useless, it also introduces confusion into terms used in an unrelated religion, that of Buddhism.

The web of life is biology. I mean, c'mon.

The law of the harvest ... I don't know about anyone else, but I've harvested what others have sown and sown with no anticipation of achieving a harvest. I'm not sure I'd equate a Christian idiom of reaping what we've sown with cause and effect, though; I think that's unnecessarily restrictive to the concept of cause and effect. Sowing implies direct action, it implies one has control over what is sown. In my experience, we often sow without knowing what the result will be; sow lettuce and find violets growing; sow roses and find nettles. There is an implication of control there which I don't find at all accurate.

And I second the "don't use Druid" thing, unless you're going to buy the OBOD wholesale - and keep in mind that if you buy them wholesale, what they call a Druid isn't one in any historical sense; OBOD even teaches eightfold year as "Celtic" last I checked! Not exactly accurate.

OBOD probably did more to drive me away from those Gods than anything other than that idiotic "Merlin" book. As it turns out, that was probably for the best. sweatdrop  

[Autumnal Light]

Thanks guys! The posts were definitely helpful! I already knew the "Don't call yourself a Druid!" part from simply hovering around the pagan/wicca/druid/etc forums. I know a lot of the stuff mentioned for "beliefs" is pretty general. I'm open to the idea that this is simply one branch of the neo-druidic tradition and that other groups will have stricter interpretations of what it means to be a (Neo)Druid. A lot of my interest comes from the fact that the only divinity I've ever seen or recognized has been in nature.

I went to the library today and got my usual mountain of books, one of which is dedicated to Druids (past, present, and in-between). I know I'll need more information than that, but I tend to burn out on a topic if I try and study it too much all at once.

If anyone knows a more specific list of beliefs that NeoDruids tend to have, I'd be grateful if you'd share!