I can just hear old Archdeacon Huffington-Post..."I mean, one would want to say that in some sort of way it's a good thing isn't it? We can't really exclude Druids can we, after all, while they may not wish to be baptized or express faith in Christ can we say that these things are so vitally important? Might a Druid, in many ways, not be a better 'Christian' than many of those who call themselves 'CofE' but never give it a moment's thought? There is, after all, no objective theology, and are not all religions simply a different cultural construct which offers, as it were, a metaphor for certain metaphysical concepts which cannot be objectified? If this is so, and without being exclusive or dogmatic in any way of course, I would propose that if it is not true (as such) then it is certainly a workable suggestion which, in its own way, might offer a way forward to a new understanding and a fresh co operation between Druids and Anglicans for are we not both ancient religions of these same British Isles, and do we not, in our own particular ways have the same vision? When I sing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' am I not one with the ancient Druid who worships the sacred oak and when I worship the Son of God am I not closely aligned with he who worships the Sun God?"
15 comments:
Where did you learn legalese? The theology of obfuscation, twisted like the best progressives I have ever heard. All together now "everything is beautiful, in its own way" shhesh
A druid is a role, not a religion...like the bard, the brehon, ard beug, ard more and ard ri - it's a role, not a rite.
The druids of the (gaelic) celts were the scientists and priest of the people (think of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and some Jesuits), as the brehons were the lawyers and clerks (more Jesuits and Benedictines) and the bards were the storytellers and historians (think Augustinians).
Celtic religion focused on the blessings bestowed by "the Dagda", the Father of Us All. Each god and goddess posessed some attribute of the Dagda and often represented some aspect of nature. (Gaelic) Celts didn't worship the sun, they worshipped the power of the sun bestowed by the Dagda. The Celts embraced Christianity since conceptually they could grasp the concept of a triune God.
I only mention this because in so many ways, our culture is being hijacked by sophomoric rubes who don't even have the decency to understand what they are stealing.
It's sad how both the British newspapers and the CofE couldn't even ask university staffs in Scotland or Wales to explain what druidism is or isn't. Are we so ignorant that we've lost the ability to ask question about we do not understand? Are we so detached from our roots that we allow con men to steal our heritage - Celtic and Christian?
"It's sad how both the British newspapers and the CofE..."
I'm sorry, Patrick, you've lost me. How does the CofE come into this?
hey 'Patrick'
ca va?
bout 1526 (pm) by you in Old Rome as ye know minus 5 mins by Old Tom's accounting off GMT. Trd we are here in Oxfordshire. Better eau di vie En Ecosse, mais oui.
Like you once told me at St. Andy's
we will get India back mon ami...
who REALLY cares about Druids in Eire or elsewhere...
remember all the 'incense' smoking we used to well, 'indulganceate' (from the Med French via bastardized Latin, ya know)in at the Victoria Arms?
I still somke fags old son.
addicted- I have informed 'your man' old Padre Jean Calvin Klein here- he DOES already know having scolded me many time sin the past and banished me to le jardin dans la pay's de Sussex Est.
Prie pour moi, mon ami.
Princess Leia got the nixnay outta Bobo my son... he is not terribly modern nor 'tolerant' nor Novus.
Likes Kyrill better than Benny BUT reckons you lot muxt have superior food. (you know how the English gentry have this 'superior' thingee in their airheads, dontcha?)
Still, we may still have some time for 'amendment of life' before Rome imperializes this sceptred isle once more.
we shall NEVER SURRENDER JPS fags...
Queen Mum smoked em good monseigneuir (howver spelt)
Pack up you dog and lacey cotta pony show and ride hard for the Eternal City.
Still, we may miss ya once in a while.
tho rarely.
Highly offended you don't ever invite me to the Faith Org do-da's.
So much for kindly Newmanesque 'ecumenism'- humph, anyhow.
Blaggin Bart off East. ho hum...
gave the game
right away
old son
who else named Patrick of this modern era
knows that much
have no fear good OLR parishoners yer Vatican is in good hands (and ain't no Allstate insurance blag neither.)
This blagger, sorry blogger
must oneday be POPE of Rome
you heard it on the good Padre's site, by a Russian Orthodox jewboy.
will wonders ever cease...
hope not.
Just actually read more than first two sentences of yer blag, sorry blog
'sophomoric rubes'
i gotta you pegged old son.
brill... like it
Still, like the thief on the Cross old Priest (not of Wicca neither, we hope fo sho)
Even us old heretics will 'Confess Him' God willing.
you know: 'Lord and Master of the Universe' kinda thing...
hey, Doge of Durham is rocking up North and Notre Dame is much the better off- you will see down the road a bit.
Salary well spent...
mark my words
(gotta cartoon of Gauloises Rouge)
surely the Oratory needs an Apostolic Visitation or sumptin...
that Fr. Daniel is an out and out Thomist...
yup, shoicking I know.
Hugh needs a break...
write on...
as of yore...
answer to your last questions my old friend...
yup
but we will NEVER SURRENDER
WE WILL RELENT AND LET YOU ALL COME BACK IF YOU PROMISE NOT TO CHIDE US ABOUT THE GAULOISES
d'accord...?
Could you collect Anthony Brett Dawe's contributions into an appendix for us to read when we are feeling strong?
I still think Peter O'Toole made a better Lawrence of Arabia than Rowan Williams.
I all sounds very funny and even cute. We should however be very concerned. This one more step in the repaganization of Christendom. Consider how in less than one generation our society has lost its frame of reference on core values such as family, marriage, homosexuality. Think of what it took to take humanity away from paganism and its bloody rituals. I predict human sacrifices in less than a generation at the rate things are going!
Sorry Patrick but "druidism" is completely made up. There have not been any druids for many hundreds of years, and all the so-called lore preserved in secret is made up too, based on a few sentences by Julius Caesar and a couple of sketchy historical descriptions -- about as authentic Tarot cards and all the supposed secret stuff preserved from ancient Egypt, or the "secrets" of the Rosicrucians. England was the home of Madame Blavatsky of theosophy fame, and of Alaister Crowley and the Golden Dawn -- I find it incredible that the British government would now accept as fact all the malarky they and their friends invented for their own twisted reasons. Pretty much EVERYTHING the New Age crowd likes comes from the same people in the late 19th century and embroidered every since.
Elsasser
Amen mon frere.
Everyone laughs at such statements as you have quite rightly made...
Cuz nobody reads history anymore, and as the good Fr. Tolhurst (he of the Catholic Catechism) also points out 'presentism' is a very real 'phenomenon'
Along the lines of 'God is dead so lets all: swing, snort coke, do quite extraordinarily medically dangerous sexual 'positioning', etc. etc. etc)to unleash those eagerly anticipated 'animal spirits' (gratis Nietsche and King George Brigands)
Please continue your observations and remarks as most clergy of any stripe want to hoik up their lacey cottas and racey raisas at such 'dreadful unpleasantries'
A combination of incomprehension of the total evil afoot nowadays, fastidiousness, and quite understandably- self-preservation.
But the upshot is and will continue to be:
We loose they win mon frere.
I recently wrote to the great French descent Archbishop of Denver Fr. Chaput:
This IS THE ONTOLOGICAL REALITY depeche mode:
One is:
In the theatre of cruelty.
In the theatre of complicity.
Of the reality of resistance.
n'est-ce pas?
Patrick --
We're talking about British/Welsh druids here, which isn't the same as Irish ones. It does seem that historically the Irish and Gallic druids were modelled after the British ones, but still not the same thing. There are certainly significant differences between Cymry and Gael. :)
Also, there's evidence that poets (filidh, not bards) acted as magistrates, but there's not much evidence of a separate brehon magistrate system until after Christianity was well established in Ireland.
Also, there's absolutely no evidence at all for what you're saying about Celtic religion. We simply don't have contemporary sources beyond the Roman ones (who obviously were biased outsiders). Irish literature probably has a lot of survivals in it, but it's not contemporary. Gods related as much to places and clans as to aspects of nature; but trying to fit them to the Greco-Roman system or your system is foolish.
And the Dagda as the Sun??? You could much more easily say the Dagda represented the plow or maleness than the Sun. I am seriously baffled by your reasoning.
But on the whole, I do agree with you in the general outlines, and we shall sneer at the newspapers as one! :)
uh Suburban broadsheet
in his future Holiness's serene overlooking of your rather ill-informed comments...
lbundy@stcolumba.org
Lafayette Colorado
retired Professor of History Regis Univ (the Denver one)
you are not up to speed on this one i'm afraid.
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