Celtic Religion Essay

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.

Scotland has an abundance of archaeology all throughout the country and all within different parts of prehistory. Scottish archaeology has a big impact on both the rest of the UK and on the rest of Europe. Although during the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology was seen as nothing more than labour, with the help of the two great men which held ‘the Abercromby chair’ – both with their own contributions to Scottish archaeology as a whole – it soon rocketed into the discipline what we see today.

1. The Scotch-Irish were staunch libertarians, and acted upon their feelings. Sex ways and dress ways had close ties to each other in the backcountry. To talk about sex and sexual behavior was also acceptable in this culture. The dress women and men wore was meant to arouse the opposite sex. Anglican missionary Charles Woodmason wrote, “They draw their shift as tight as possible round their Breasts, and slender waists (for they are generally very finely shaped) and draw their Petticoat close t their Hips to show the fineness of their limbs– … –indeed nakedness is not censurable without ceremony.” Woodmason was appalled at how these women carried themselves, but to the women, they were sexy. Men even dressed in ways to show off

Religions are ideas that passes down with traditions and rituals, with newer generations adding on to religion ideas with new ideas or borrowing other religious ideas. For Elk, religion is a running river rather than passing stone. For van de Veer, syncretism is how religion continue to exist today. Both Elk’s and van de Veer’s arguments tied into my chosen narrative and my family’s religious history. I want to connect my family’s religious history with Elk, Van der Veer, and the narrative “North Vietnamese Buddhist Nun” by James M. Freeman.

Throughout antiquity, religion has positioned itself a top priority in man’s quest for happiness and the understanding of life. From Adam to the present, man has attempted countless journeys to understanding why man exists and what one should do about it. Consequently, paganism has seized the opportunity to share in the religious sector in the search for truth. After the death of Christ, the church joined the deliberation to demonstrate the answer to all of life’s questions. The church accomplished this, with numerous trials, by defining and defending the Christian worldview demonstrated through creeds. While the church has suffered its heretical trials, the early church fathers left their legacy of truth within creeds.

Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims.

The Druids and the Celtic temple were outlawed when the Roman  Emperor Claudius came to rule Great Britain. A Roman temple was established in its place. Under Roman rule the British continued to worship Celtic deities, such as Ancasta, but it was in conflict with the Roman deities like Mars. Governor Publius Ostorius Scapula established laws requiring attendance of all citizens at the new Roman temple . The religious decree was strictly enforced. Most citizens attended the temple regularly, but the religious decree created a hostile environment. Elspeth Bains, a young British native, did not mind the religious decree. She was usually walking into the Roman Temple as the horns were played.

Knowledge of the Celts and the Celtic world has been acquired and accumulated through a variety of mediums such as archaeological evidence, geographical markings and most importantly, the testimonies left by Greek and Roman writers. Without these writings, developing an image of the nature of the Celts would be extremely difficult. Comparing two authors, Roman emperor, Julius Caesar to Greek writer, Athenaeus, it may reveal some of the prejudices and biased views held against the Celts, but more importantly by contrasting the views of these particular authors, it also offers a well-rounded account of the history and culture of these Celtic-speaking people.

During the medieval period, religion was something that took great precedence over many other things. Christianity had a strong presence in Britain during the medieval period, but there were times when other groups tried to push christianity along with the Britons out of their land. "The Angles and Saxons were pagan, worshiping a pantheon of northern gods such as Woden and Thor, and as they came to dominate Britain the influence of Christianity moved to the margins" (7). As much as the Angles and Saxons wanted Christianity to disappear, that was not possible because of the strong influence it had already had on most of Britain. As Britain became England, the presence of christianity had a bigger effect then one could imagine. Christianity had

“Trees are silent guards, they are listeners and they hold knowledge mankind has long forgotten.” A culture that once was all across Europe to nearly facing extinction amazingly survived thousands of years. Celtic Mythology was more than just whimsical stories to it’s people it was a way of life, including tales of these gods and goddesses who served a purpose of meaning the world and the qualities of a good person.

In this slide, I will be talking about personal spirituality and defining the terms of the religious practice. The definition of personal spirituality is “A sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality - connection to something greater than oneself, which includes an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence. Equally importantly, spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health.” (Timeforchange.org, 2017) During these slides we will be discussing about personal spirituality, give examples of the inner energy and desires which gives your personal meaning and identity. In the conclusion we will be restating the key ideas of personal spirituality.

Quietism will never be celebrated as an impactful renewal movement within Christian history, but there is much benefit to the study of its’ history and practices, as many Quietist beliefs are applicable in one form or another. Union with God has always been highly sought after, whether by mystics or non. And Quietism provides a highly detailed look to an alternative path, one that forsakes the high-emotion or high-experience of most heretical mystic groups, in favor of the “darker” approach to union through passivity and nothingness.

Monks play an important role in Medieval Europe through the ideals and practices of the Christianity religion. They are often described as ones that separate themselves from the normal human society to “pursue an ideal of total dedication to God” (Duiker, 327). These monks not only played important roles in their churches but in

The idea of beginning a story with the setting painted an image of what it was like in Iona’s world, bringing the readers into older days, and into Iona’s mind. From the start, there is a hint of sadness that hovers over the life of the

Furthermore, it is vitally crucial for the church leadership to clearly articulate its missional vision, which is to be embraced by the rest of the church’s community. The process of spiritual transformation starts from the invitation and continues through engagement and discipleship. This transformational process embodies the missional vision and the language for 'right now ' and 'here '. Surely, the church’s vision ought to be aligned with the missional attributes of the gospel itself, which are 'the good news is for everyone ' and 'belonging before believing '. Our witness should take place amidst relationship and listening. One principle that I consider to be exceptionally useful in my community is St. Patrick’s idea of Celtic Evangelism: establish community, engage in conversation, and invite commitment (2009, 101).