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    Little bit lost....

    I was raised in a highly sheltered, fundamentalist Christian home. I was well loved, and consider my mother to have raised me well. She, and my step-father, both self-identify as Christian, and actually live it out in their daily lives. They are some of the best people that I know. That being said, I know that it will sound odd, especially considering what comes in the next paragraph.

    I have come to the realization that despite my parents faith, I cannot self-identify as a Christian. Primarily, this is because since I have moved from my parent's home, I have become more and more horrified at the way so-called "Christians" act. I have also been astounded at the variety and diversity I have found in my non-Christian friends (I was always taught that non-Christians were pretty much a homogenous group of "devil worshipers").

    As time goes on, I realize that I am less and less of a "Christian". While in some ways this is like a weight off my shoulders, in other ways I feel like I've been dropped into an ocean in a rowboat. I don't have the wide knowledge of other faiths to guide me through.

    My heritage is Irish, though I haven't yet traced it all the way back to Ireland yet, because of family history issues. I am very interested in the Celtic Pagan tradition. I have bought a couple of books to read up on it. Those these gave me some information, I feel a little overwhelmed by the vastness of the culture and heritage. Somewhat, I suppose, like someone who came into the church later in life would feel like.

    So, I'm not sure what I'm asking. Certainly I would love to have a conversation about Celtic Paganism. I would also love to talk to people who have been in my situation, mainly being raised as a Christian and deciding differently when they got older. Otherwise, if anyone else has anything to say, I'm happy to listen to advice, criticisms, whatever. Thank you very much.

    EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text.
    Last edited by St. Jebus; 23 Sep 2011, 20:51. Reason: Parsing

    #2
    Re: Little bit lost....

    Welcome to the forum

    It's very much OK that you don't identify as Christian despite your upbringing. It sounds like you went about it with some self-examination too. You'll find others here are in the same boat.

    Sadly, I can't help with the path in which you're interested. I can tell you to at least avoid Edain McCoy.
    my etsy store
    My blog


    "...leave me curled up in my ball,
    surrounded by plush, downy things,
    ill prepared, but willing,
    to descend."

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Little bit lost....

      Welcome aboard.

      I don't know much about Celtic traditions either but we do have a Celtic board here that would probably be of some use to you. Another author I recommend avoiding is D.J. Conway.
      Children love and want to be loved and they very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to the triumph of hateful failure. Do not mistake a child for his symptom.
      -Erik Erikson

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        #4
        Re: Little bit lost....

        Welcome

        It's totally normal to question your beliefs and find different ones from those you were brought up with. I think many people here were in the same boat at some point. Just because you no longer believe in the Christian beliefs you grew up with doesn't mean that you have to hate Christians, or that you can't have a great deal of respect for them (sounds like your family is pretty cool, for example). But just because you were raised one way doesn't mean you have to keep on that path for the rest of your life either

        I can see where you're coming from too. I wasn't raised particularly Christian my whole childhood...my dad is agnostic as far as I can tell, and my mom was on the fence about beliefs and settled into a unitarian approach. We did go to the Anglican church though when I was about 8-11 years old, and my experience with Christianity was very moderate, accepting and warm. It came as quite a shock to me in my teen years that some people were quite aggressive with their faith. Like my mom, I read a lot about different religions, went through a Buddhist phase for a while, was agnostic for a few years, then settled nicely into paganism (which I think a part of me always believed in...when I told people no one was surprised....some were like 'I thought you were always pagan').

        My advice to you is, read, read and read! If you have questions, there's a Celtic board on here as well where people discuss those traditions. It's also helpful to read things from other traditions and religions, just to get a grasp on a wider view of the world

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          #5
          Re: Little bit lost....

          Hello and welcome to the forum!

          You can find the section for questions on Celtic Traditions here. We don't have much in there at the moment, due to a board reboot about a year ago, however, if you ask questions, I'm sure that you'll have people point you in the right direction.

          There are several people on here, including myself, who were raised in very strict or fundamentalist traditions, and it can be very emotionally taxing to disengage from. You might find research into terms like Cognitive Dissonance helpful, as well as possibly finding a "recovery" board for former members of your previous faith for additional support.

          For me, personally, I spent three years on here as a curious member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, answering questions as the board's "Mormon" expert, before I was able to let go of the personal pain involved enough for the Norse Vanir to find me. Because of that, even though I'm a Moderator, I'm also a newbie when it comes to pagan faith, and can promise that as long as it is asked kindly, no question is too small on here. Don't be afraid to ask about even things that might seem simple to other members...I do it all the time
          Great Grandmother's Kitchen

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            #6
            Re: Little bit lost....

            I can completely understand where you care coming from. I actually grew up in a completely liberal, open-minded, welcoming form of Christianity, and I still walked aways because it was too restrictive and too prescriptive in its beliefs for me...so I completely get that.

            Feelfree to read thru the forum,ask whatever questions you have! Welcome toPF, and don't mind my barely functioning spacebar!! (I'm sick of editing everythird and fourth word I type!)
            Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
            sigpic

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              #7
              Re: Little bit lost....

              I found that when I first found this religion it was best to study the wheel of the year and some general pagan belief books before specializing in anything. But I truly feel studying the wheel of the year will give you a good base to start off of. I have a couple of good books on that let me know if you are interested.
              sigpic

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                #8
                Re: Little bit lost....

                Wow, thank you all for that welcome. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with this. I'm not sure what the wheel of the year I'd in this context, though. As far a authors go, I bought one by steven blamires, and another one by edain mccoy. Why should I avoid mccoy? And is blamires alright?

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                  #9
                  Re: Little bit lost....

                  Edain McCoy doesn't actually adhere to factual lore on Irish beliefs. Instead she uses a hodge podge of New Age and British Trad and claims it's Irish. Plus, her food and drink recipes suck (learned that one from experience).
                  my etsy store
                  My blog


                  "...leave me curled up in my ball,
                  surrounded by plush, downy things,
                  ill prepared, but willing,
                  to descend."

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Little bit lost....

                    Originally posted by St. Jebus View Post
                    Wow, thank you all for that welcome. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with this. I'm not sure what the wheel of the year I'd in this context, though. As far a authors go, I bought one by steven blamires, and another one by edain mccoy. Why should I avoid mccoy? And is blamires alright?
                    The words "ancient irish potato ritual" come to mind if McCoy is who I think she is.
                    life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                    Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                    "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                    John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                    "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                    Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Little bit lost....

                      Hi and welcome to the forums! I'm a bit of a lurker here, but I relate to your situation a lot. I was raised by moderately-believing Christian parents, but became very conservative myself after I started going to church when I was 11. I have no animosity toward Christianity as a whole whatsoever, although I think there are people in every religion who give others a bad reputation. My personal experience with Christianity was one of the best times of my life...it just didn't suit me and my beliefs as I got older and changed. I follow kind of an eclectic Celtic path involving the Irish deities and am beginning to study druidry. I'm no expert, but I'm always around to chat if you like!

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                        #12
                        Re: Little bit lost....

                        Originally posted by MaskedOne View Post
                        The words "ancient irish potato ritual" come to mind if McCoy is who I think she is.
                        That actually made me laugh for a while, because the Brits have a huge stereotype (mostly in a joking, taking the piss sort of way) about Irish and potatoes. I didn't get it at first because I was like 'but didn't they only get potatoes after Europeans started going to the "New World"?' But apparently association with the Irish and potatoes is strong. Since I work with several Irish and Brits, the slurs get tossed around daily lol.

                        Anyway, that sentence sounded like something one of the Brits at work would say to one of the Irish to make fun of them :P

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                          #13
                          Re: Little bit lost....

                          Ah, yes. "Ancient Irish Potato Ritual" is the right woman. I thought that sounded a little odd when I read it, but I'm trying to keep an open mind when I read about this stuff. Good to know I'm not the only one.

                          Thank you all so much for your welcome again. I am often a little bit hesitant in bringing up my questioning- force of habit, you know.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Little bit lost....

                            My general warning is that while Llewellyn authors occasionally provide fun ideas, don't look to them for historical accuracy. It's not quite as bad as indulging in hallucinogens and taking the resulting visions as divine truth but using Llewellyn for history leads to strange places.
                            life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                            Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                            "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                            John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                            "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                            Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Little bit lost....

                              What is Llewellyn?

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