Comments on: Winter Solstice 2007 http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/ Guidance and Inspiration from Nature and the Ancient World. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:05:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Kullervo http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/#comment-55098 Kullervo Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:38:34 +0000 http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/#comment-55098 You made my point for me--for 300 years the Revivalists have been calling themselves Druids. And while they haven't reconstructed the ancient Druid faith, they have certainly taken inspiration from it. So it's not a total non-sequitur. And again, the reconstructionists can't possibly completely reconstruct ancient Druidry, so if that's our measuring stick, why should they be able to call themselves Druids? Where do you draw the line? 300 years is plenty of time for language to change, and nobody really owns words. You made my point for me–for 300 years the Revivalists have been calling themselves Druids. And while they haven’t reconstructed the ancient Druid faith, they have certainly taken inspiration from it. So it’s not a total non-sequitur. And again, the reconstructionists can’t possibly completely reconstruct ancient Druidry, so if that’s our measuring stick, why should they be able to call themselves Druids? Where do you draw the line?

300 years is plenty of time for language to change, and nobody really owns words.

]]> By: Jeff Lilly http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/#comment-55088 Jeff Lilly Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:24:29 +0000 http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/#comment-55088 Riverwolf, thanks for coming by! Sorry for my belated welcome! Kullervo, while I agree with everything you've said wholeheartedly, let me take a moment and speak up for the Reconstructionists. :-) I think most would say that if you're not going to follow the true ancient ways of the druids, isn't it rather presumptuous or misleading to call yourself one? A reconstructionist might say, "Go ahead and worship however you want, but if you're going to deviate too far from real historic practice, don't call yourself a druid!" Personally I think that this argument carries some weight. On the other hand, the meaning of the word <strong>druid</strong> has changed over the past 300 years of revival druidism; it's not a word that just belongs to the reconstructionists anymore. :-) Riverwolf, thanks for coming by! Sorry for my belated welcome!

Kullervo, while I agree with everything you’ve said wholeheartedly, let me take a moment and speak up for the Reconstructionists. :-) I think most would say that if you’re not going to follow the true ancient ways of the druids, isn’t it rather presumptuous or misleading to call yourself one? A reconstructionist might say, “Go ahead and worship however you want, but if you’re going to deviate too far from real historic practice, don’t call yourself a druid!”

Personally I think that this argument carries some weight. On the other hand, the meaning of the word druid has changed over the past 300 years of revival druidism; it’s not a word that just belongs to the reconstructionists anymore. :-)

]]> By: Riverwolf http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/#comment-55054 Riverwolf Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:55:27 +0000 http://druidjournal.net/2007/12/28/winter-solstice-2007/#comment-55054 Kullervo, great point about allegedly "made-up" religious traditions versus those that "aren't." We all need more perspective. Also interesting comment about the value of a tradition over time. Hadn't thought of that before. Kullervo, great point about allegedly “made-up” religious traditions versus those that “aren’t.” We all need more perspective. Also interesting comment about the value of a tradition over time. Hadn’t thought of that before.

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