This article is the result of research that I have been conducting on the revival of Druidry in Western society. While Christianity has much to offer the world, it is often thought of as a force of suppression or, at best, of social control. I think that it is important for us, as we discuss emerging theology, to be open to criticism from other religions. Here, I present simply one religious expression's view of Christianity and draw some lessons that we as Christians can learn. I hope this will generate some beneficial discussion for us.

What I Learned About Christianity From The Druids: An Evangelical Christian Encounter with a European Native Religion

Michael Cooper

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1. Introduction

The phenomenal growth rate of Pagan religions has attracted little attention from evangelicals, not to mention the Christian community in general. Compared, for example, to Mormonism that grew at about 21 percent annually during its first 40 years,[2] the growth rate of Pagan religions seems to be nothing less than phenomenal at an annual growth rate of 29 percent. Considering that Rodney Stark suggests only one in 1000 NRMs will attract over 100,000 adherents and last for a century or more,[3] Paganism, in its various expressions, is a viable competitor in the religious marketplace of Western society.

The Western religious landscape is open to beliefs once considered superstitious by the academy. While there continues to be a high percentage of those who believe in God or a Higher Power, traditional Christian beliefs are in decline. These aspects of contemporary Western society provide an environment of pluralism leading to the legitimization of religious others. Christianity needs to be open to the criticism that it receives from outsiders in order to hear and learn from their perception.

As Western Christianity is increasingly thought of as inadequate in answering the questions of post-Christian Western culture, Paganism is positioned as a new religious movement that addresses spirituality in a manner that meets the desire of the contemporary West. Western Christianity needs to consider how it is viewed by Christian and religious others in order to address the spiritual needs of the post-Christian West. As one informant commented, "Christianity: fragmented, unhealthily obsessed with control over sexuality."[5]

The research for this paper is part of a larger project attempting to understand the phenomenological beliefs of contemporary Druids. It has progressed for nearly two years and has culminated in 48 ethnographic interviews detailing these beliefs and comparing them to the Western religious landscape.[6] The purpose of this paper, however, is to present current research on the Druid perception of Christianity. While the perception that the dominant position of Christianity has placed it above the criticism of religious others exists, it is important for Christianity to humble itself and listen to others express their concerns and frustrations. It is unfortunate that Christians have so often brought a message that cannot be heard because Christians have not first been learners.

2. Druid Criticism of Western Christianity

I am an evangelical Christian who teaches at an evangelical institution of higher education as a professor of Christian Ministries and Biblical Studies. You can imagine the surprise of a senior Druid when he received an email from me indicating my desire to learn more about his religious beliefs. He responded,

Thank you for your inquiry. I was very pleased, albeit somewhat surprised, to receive your message. It is not often that a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, let alone an instructor at one of their universities, shows an interest in the pre-Christian religions of the Indo-European peoples. Let us be candid, the mission statement of the EFCA starts with: "Our Mission Statement: As empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to make disciples of all nations by evangelizing the unreached and teaching Christians to obey everything Christ commanded." This line alone would lead one to believe that members of the EFCA would be somewhat blind to any religious belief other than their own. So, again, I thank you for your inquiry and applaud your courage in your expressed wish to learn about a religious perspective other than the EFCA version of Christianity.[7]

However, I did not simply desire to understand the religious beliefs of Druids, but I also desired to hear what they had to say about Christianity. It is widely accepted that Christianity is open game for criticism, especially in a "postmodern" context. Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy have been leaders in this criticism and have found wide acceptance of their ideas from the Pagan community. Not uncommon was a response like one Druid informant to their popular book The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God?,

There are so many books written to counter others, I try to select what I believe based on what I think sounds most logical to me. The Jesus Mysteries is just the latest book I've read on the subject, that is why I used it. I found it one of the better books on the subject. I found it interesting that they started out trying to prove the existence of Jesus, but in the end could not find the proof in their eyes.[8]

From Freke and Gandy's perspective,

For 2000 years the West has been dominated by the idea that Christianity is sacred and unique while Paganism is primitive and the work of the Devil. To even consider that they could be parts of the same tradition has been simply unthinkable. Therefore, although the true origins of Christianity have been obvious all along, few have been able to see them, because to do so requires a radical break with the conditioning of our culture. Our contribution has been to dare to think the unthinkable and to present our conclusions in a popular book rather than some dry academic tome. This is certainly not the last word on this complex subject, but we hope it may be a significant call for a complete reappraisal of the origins of Christianity.[9]

They began their exploration of the historicity of Jesus from the presupposition that oppressive Christianity of the Middle Ages suppressed the truth of its origin and that in fact Gnosticism came first.

The traditional version of history bequeathed to us by the authorities of the Roman Church is that Christianity developed from the teachings of a Jewish Messiah and that Gnosticism was a later deviation. What would happen, we wondered, if the picture were reversed and Gnosticism viewed as the authentic Christianity, just as the Gnostics themselves claimed? Could it be that orthodox Christianity was a later deviation from Gnosticism and that Gnosticism was a synthesis of Judaism and the Pagan Mystery religion? This was the beginning of the Jesus Mysteries Thesis.[10]

Ultimately, they conclude that Jesus was a myth created by an elite group and propagated throughout the world. Philip Carr-Gomm, chosen chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), has picked up on the Jesus Mysteries idea and suggests that Christianity actually evolved out of the mystery religions. While what he sees as similarities between the mystery traditions and Christianity, he does not negate the teachings of Jesus. In spite of all the suffering that the Church has caused through countless religious wars and persecution of Pagans and others, he does not deny "the comfort and guidance that so many people have gained from Jesus' message."[11] Interestingly enough, most Druids that were interviewed over the course of this research believed in the historicity of Jesus as the founder of Christianity. There is an acute distinction between Jesus and the Church. For example, one informant states,

As for Jesus Christ, I believe he did live once and that he was a holy man. But that somewhere in history when man wrote the Bible that things that were said and things he did were taken out of context and twisted. I believe that man wrote his version of the events and what he wanted the men and women to abide by. That is just my opinion.[12]

However, the issue of his messianic role remains a question. Consider the following comment, "Of Jesus Christ, I think that his teachings have been distorted over the years, and of course they have been used to justify great cruelty such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. I do not believe he was the Messiah (nor do I necessarily believe there will be a Messiah)."[13] There seemed to be general consensus that Jesus' teachings were changed by his followers, "Jesus Christ - teaching were not bad in and of themselves, but were later corrupted by his followers."[14] Consider what another informant asserted,

I'm still not convinced that Jesus existed. But if he did, I think he would have been a scholar and a teacher of the old Pagan Mysteries. He would have tried to bring a deeper understanding of life to his people. He would have tried to break away from the traditional stories and teach the truth. From what has been written about him, that is precisely what he tried to do. But people in authority saw him as a threat to their control over the populous. The things Jesus tried to teach are things, we as Druids, are trying to revive, the inner mysteries.[15]

Pagans look at the Christian era as one of destruction and futility. To them, Christianity has been an oppressive force that has stifled the position of women and disregarded the environment. Pagans have characterized Western Christianity as having an emphasis on the primacy of the male as normative for humanity, not to mention its disregard for nature in the name of progress.[16] Similarly, it is characterized by its emphasis on reason at the expense of the imagination. Its reliance on rationalism resulted in the demythologization of the universe. The spiritual and intellectual link in Christianity has not permitted the mysteries tolerated by other religions.[17] Ross Nichols, the founder of OBOD and a self-identified Christian, wrote, "So long as Christianity coincided with the rise of civilization, the lack of clear thinking was not so much noticed; but now its intellectual poverty becomes more and more evident as alternative systems thought out by better brains become more widely known."[18]

Carr-Gomm suggests that the resurgence of Paganism is due to the failing of "established" religions, such as Christianity, to meet the spiritual needs of people as well as the environmental crisis brought on by the dualism and authoritarianism of these religions.[19] He states, "If, deep down, you feel your purpose is to escape being born on earth, or that humanity is fundamentally sinful and that you only 'pass through' here on your way to heaven, or possibly hell, then caring for the planet may well not be a priority for you."[20] As one informant put it, Christianity is "too interested in system of law that is not in tune with Nature." [21]

Another informant stated the following:

When I think of the image of Jesus Christ's message that I got over the course of my life, that worldly power doesn't matter very much, that forgiveness and leaving judgments to God makes things easier on YOU, never mind your enemies, that it's more important to follow the spirit of the law than it's letter, that love is important, all I can think is that Christianity has come a long way from that. Christianity, at least in this country, has become judgmental and power-hungry and controlling and fear-based. Homosexuals are going to Hell if they don't change their ways, let's legislate our beliefs and practices into law, drinking, dancing, card playing, and birth control are no-nos, if you're a bad enough person you'll go to Hell when you die, these are all positions I perceive Christianity to take these days. It's become a fear-based religion, but I don't think it started out that way. What happened? How did a religion that was supposed to focus on love become so 'crabbed in' in spirit? And how, if judgments are supposed to be left to God, did it become so judgmental?[22]

This type of response was not uncommon. For example,

What is Christianity today? The teachings have been replaced with fear. The fear has created anger. Christians are told not to question, but have faith. Christianity is a way of controlling the masses and was design that way from Constantine on down. I believe if people were given the opportunity to dig deeper and have access to all the Gospels and all the writing that have be consider heresy and the churches promoted it, we would be a happier and less aggressive people. And in all fairness, I see the same problem with all exclusive religions. I think if Jesus came back today he would be very disappointed in what has been developed in his name.[23]

Several of those interviewed expressed their disillusionment with the church as a critical factor in their journey to Druidry. This is reinforced by Carr-Gomm, "Many of these [Christian] institutions, with all the political and economic agendas that arise when organizations form, have borrowed, plagiarized, creatively incorporated or ruthlessly crushed many of the spiritual traditions and indigenous cultures they have met on their way."[24] Another informant comments,

Christianity today: I think much of it is NOT Christ like. I truly think Jesus would be very ashamed of what "his" people have been doing in his name over the centuries. This is not to say that "every Christian" is like this. I know there are TRUE Christians and they have my utmost respect.[25]

The current Archdruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) came out of a Baptist church having had a "born again" experience. However, he states, "the more reading I did, the more I realized it just wasn't true. There were more things out there than what they were telling people." When asked what he thought was out there that the Baptists were not telling him he responded,

I disliked the idea that I had to believe everything that was written in one book when there were more manuscripts available from that time period that disproved it, or talked about other things that weren't even in the book. The more reading I did in history, and on archaeological research that was being done, the more I resented that I wasn't being told the entire story by the Baptists. I started getting books and reading them. I belonged to the Psychic Book Club. This was in the 1960s and I found that was more in line with what I was looking for. But I've always been interested in nature and the woods and hunting. And to have a religion that accepts all of that, that embraces nature and makes your lifestyle part of your religious experience – I don't think that most monotheistic religions do that. No, very few of them do. There's starting to be a few ecological Christian groups coming up now, but they're really heretical in what they're saying within the Church.[26]

Another informant commented, "Since I was raised as a 'Christian,' I can say with certainty that Christianity as a 'Formal Religion' is the most perverted, corrupt, despicable excuse for a religion I have ever heard of."[27] Out of the 48 interviews conducted for this research 22 people or 46 percent explicitly indicated that they were once Christian before entering into the practice of Druidry.

Time and again informants expressed their distaste for Christianity. Some looked at it as a means for social control. For instance, "Religio-Political constructs to control and direct society. However as they are about the power to control and direct society the following quote (originally applied to Louis XIV The Sun King) 'Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely' holds true."[28] Another case in point, "Protestant Christianity has become a money game, a social club, and spoon feeding. Catholicism has a long history of keeping the people as uninformed as possible. They are easier to control that way."[29] Finally, one other informant stated, "Christianity disturbs me greatly, for if you look beneath the surface of their seemly good-intentioned teachings you find horrid things such as bigotry, blood lust, sexism, hate, etc. Some people do not listen to these things and are amazing Christians; kind and caring people who value life. Unfortunately they are the minority, and very few and far apart."[30]

It is not only the distaste for Christianity, but for all monotheistic religions. Paganism also critiques monotheism as unfavorable to pluralism since it posits one God who imposes one truth on the entire human race.[31] One informant comments, "These monotheistic religions, or rather their more conservative adherents seem stuck in rigidity and ultimately they can cause some harm by doing so. However, I accept that they are a great source of strength to many people." [32] Another comments, "Religions of a book will become increasingly unstable as they try to adhere to what was 'right' at a brief moment 2000 years ago, etc. Where will you find God? IN the books of men?Or within His/her creation? If you use the natural world as your text book, then you will always be."[33]

It is one thing for adherents of Druidry to express these sentiments. It is another to realize that this is part of the contemporary landscape of Western culture. Take as an example the data from the 1998 International Social Survey Programme on religion. Almost 30 percent agreed that their country would be better off if religion had less influence while 35 percent have little or no confidence in religious institution. While these data might be interpreted as favorable, Steve Bruce argues "modernization makes the church form of religion impossible."[34] He adds that the church does not have the homogeneity of the culture nor the power base to ensure conformity that it once had. Whether or not it had the conformity of the culture addresses the issue of secularization and Christianization of Europe. Nevertheless, as a result, there has been a steady decline of the influence of the church. Don Cupitt, faculty of divinity at the University of Cambridge, notes,

Until very recently it was a matter of great grief to me that the Church seemed unwilling and even unable to reform itself: but now it seems that people in general have decided that there is not enough left to salvage. Reform isn't worth trying for: let the dead bury their dead. It wasn't I who decided that it is now too late, but the general public.[35]

Thus, Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick assert that the impetus for the resurgence of Paganism has been a response to the desire to put humanity back in a general context. That context is one that is physical and chronological: physical in the sense that the natural world is an indispensable part of life and chronological in the sense of continuity with ancient philosophies.[36] As Jones and Pennick stated, it offers a "possible religious philosophy for a pluralistic, multicultural society."[37] In fact, Carr-Gomm states, "Druidry has moved from the very fringes of alternative spirituality to occupy a position almost on a par with the established religions, even though many within Druidry do not consider it a religion at all – preferring to see it as a philosophy and way of life."[38]

3. Lessons Learned from Contemporary Druids

There are at least three lessons that Christianity can learn from the critique of contemporary Druids. First, to some extent the institutional church has tainted Jesus' teachings. Criticism of institutions is a salient characteristic of postmodernity. There is a general distrust for anything representing an organizational hierarchy. While this is an extremely broad criticism due to the fact that the church itself is broad, Christians need to listen to what is being said. Contemporary Christianity tends to have a number of representative personalities who speak for the masses.

Often, however, these personalities do not always communicate the heart of the grassroots Christian. For example, in the wake of 11 September 2001 three prominent Protestant Christian personalities blamed, among others, Pagans for the tragedy. They argued that Pagans and others have contributed to the moral decline of the United States. This moral decline has precipitated a judgment by God that took the form of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.[39] Other prominent personalities have been vocal about the justification for the war in Iraq. One such personality speaking on a popular Christian radio station in Chicago excitedly volunteered to hunt down and kill Saddam Hussein for the ransom. Unfortunately, these voices speak for the silent majority and exacerbate the criticism of the institutional church.

Jesus taught love and compassion for our neighbor. When asked who was our neighbor, Jesus responded with a story that has often been called the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). What is striking about the Good Samaritan is the context of the story. Samaritans were despised by Jews and considered second-class citizen. Jews who came into contact with a Samaritan were considered unclean. So, they often went to great strides to avoid them. Jesus' story demands that in spite of the cultural perceptions of religious or social others Christians are to love their neighbors.

The second lesson learned is that Christians have had a superior attitude toward other religions in its exclusive position. While it is true that Christians believe Jesus provides the only manner by which one may enter eternal life, it does not mean that religious others are spiritually unaware. Millard Erickson writes,

While the content of the moral code will vary in different cultural situations, everyone has an inner compulsion that there is something to which he ought to adhere. And everyone should reach the conclusion that he is not fulfilling that standard. In other words, the knowledge of God which all men have, if they do not suppress it, should bring them to the conclusion that they are guilty in relationship to God.[40]

If anything, Jesus provides an inclusive manner by which anyone can enter into a relationship with God indifferent of culture and ethnicity. The proof of his ability to bring humanity to God was his resurrection. The New Testament synoptic gospels and Acts clearly establish an early belief in the resurrection of Christ.[41] While the mystery religions (such as what Freke and Gandy posit[42]) hoped for new birth, signs and wonders and the resurrection of the dead, it is only in Christianity that we see fulfillment.

Nevertheless, Christians often act as if they have a monopoly on spirituality by the way in which they communicate the gospel message. However, this is far from the perspective of St. Paul. He did not necessarily bring a person to a point of conversion and challenge them to accept Christ in order to "close the deal." He was the messenger, responsible to communicate the gospel rather than responsible for people's conversion.

Finally, Christianity is generally pessimistic about life and the future. The hope that is often missing in the Christian message is often overpowered by an emphasis on the eternal condition of those who do not come to Christ. Even more so, the world is increasing violent and people live in fear for their lives. The evidence points to the ultimate decline of civilization that will lead to the apocalypse and destruction of the world. With this attitude so prevalent in Christianity there is no wonder why Christians do not focus on issues of justice and the environment.

Yet, the Bible gives us a very different picture. For example, St. Paul, rather than focusing on the sinful nature of humanity in his dialogue with religious others, focused on the genuine searching of the religious for God. To Paul, this searching seemed natural because we are all the "children of God" (Acts 17:29). God, being the father of all, desires to have a relationship with all and thus Paul communicates his understanding that God is not only transcendent but also immanent:

The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, "For we also are His children." (Acts 17:24-28)

Most assuredly the so-called "Protestant ethic" as well as the notion of humanity's depravity have contributed to the exploitation of nature and the resources God has provided. Christians need to recapture an understanding of nature as God's creation, created for our enjoyment rather than exploitation. The Psalmist writes:

He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters ere standing above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled, at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which You established for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass over. So that they will not return to cover the earth. He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they lift up their voices among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. (104:5-13)

The Psalm writer goes on praising God for His creation and care of it. Christianity must present a holistic view of the gospel by incorporating the goodness of creation and the goodness of man created in the image of God. The old dichotomy of sacred and secular needs to be re-thought in contemporary Western society.

4. Conclusion

This current research is suggesting that a voice, not simply from Christian others, but from religious others needs to also be heard in order to address the contemporary perception of Christianity. That perception, whether correct or not, is increasingly considered mainstream. This paper has raised the criticism by contemporary practitioners of Druidry. Understanding their perception of Christianity will aid in enriching the Christian life. If Christians hear the criticism, doors of dialogue can open and lead to deeper appreciation and respect. By listening and responding to the criticism, the Christian voice might gain credibility.