Is there a main book of Paganism? (Buddhists, atheist, agnostic)

[Predos]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Where'd you get that???

Based on all that I've read, scholars aren't really sure what "druid" means (it's a VERY ancient word), though the greatest consensus seems to be that it is connected to ancient Indo-European words for "oak." Might even be related to the word "dryad."

What's your source for druid meaning "gatherer of knowledge"?

Years of actual study on the subject. Not what it "might" be or what it could be related to. You can get a consensus on anything to match what you want to match if you ask a selected group of people.

BTW, study mythology for what dryad (sometimes spelled driad) and you will see there is no connection to druid.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Predos

Years of actual study on the subject.

Such as...? Give me the name of a book at least.

Originally Posted by Predos

Not what it "might" be or what it could be related to. You can get a consensus on anything to match what you want to match if you ask a selected group of people.

Exactly. Which is why I'm very curious what your source is.

[Predos]

Think about it. You have stated that all the books on paganism have been written in the last century or two, thus only propogating neo-paganism. In the times of the Keltic pagans, they did not commit their writings to paper, so it must be a verbal tradition. Why demand a name of a book? Trying to trap someone, or did this just slip by you?

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Predos

Think about it. You have stated that all the books on paganism have been written in the last century or two, thus only propogating neo-paganism. In the times of the Keltic pagans, they did not commit their writings to paper, so it must be a verbal tradition. Why demand a name of a book? Trying to trap someone, or did this just slip by you?

No, I'm just curious what your source is. You said "druid" means "seeker of knowledge." Where'd you learn that? I'm not trying to prove you wrong. I'm trying to find out where you got your facts, since you are the only person I've heard make that claim.

And why are you so adamant about spelling Celt with a K? What's the difference between the accepted "Celtic" and your spelling of "Keltic"? Again, just curious.

[Trebek]

It sounds like the old celtic faith is pretty much lost. My guess is that it is a panthean similar to the ancient greeks and egyptians. So why persue it?
It's from another place and time. I guess some history buffs tend to get nostalgic or something?

[ADVentive]

If you are looking for informative books about and by neo-pagans, I can recommend Drawing Down The Moon by Margot Adler and The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. While they are not the equivalent of a Pagan Bible, they are very informative and most American neo-Pagans would probably have them on their bookshelves.

[wzippler]

Originally Posted by Trebek

It sounds like the old celtic faith is pretty much lost. . So why persue it?

A knowledge of history helps you avoid making future mistakes, since some groups have disappeared it might come in handy if we know why they disappeared. And sometimes you have to immerse yourself in the entire culture to figure that out.

Over time we have developed a dependence on modern medicine slowly forgetting the medicines of the past. Some natural medicines are clearly nothing but snake-oil, but others like aspirin came from the bark of a tree.
If we can learn more about druids maybe we might discover a drug that actually works, and could save lives, and that would definitely make it worth spending some time studying the culture of the Druids.

Also many pagans don't like the neo-pagan movement they want to reconstruct the religions of the past.

As a Christian I am not interested in the "gods" of Pagans in the same sense they are, but I find learning about other cultures fascinating. We should not throw out the baby with the bath water, almost all cultures have something we can learn from them to make the world a better place.

[Predos]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

No, I'm just curious what your source is. You said "druid" means "seeker of knowledge." Where'd you learn that? I'm not trying to prove you wrong. I'm trying to find out where you got your facts, since you are the only person I've heard make that claim.

And why are you so adamant about spelling Celt with a K? What's the difference between the accepted "Celtic" and your spelling of "Keltic"? Again, just curious.

I explained Keltic and Celtic, kind of like French and English. Not a major difference, but it is there. I choose to be true to my heritage.

As for where I got the meaning of druid, you can do some research on Druid Books and find it. Granted, it may be a neo translation, but then again it may not.

[Magnum Mike]

Book of paganism? Actually, there are plenty of them, most notable names are Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, among many others.

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by Trebek

Do you all Pagan's out there have one main book of Paganism, like the Christians have a bible? Is there a difference between Paganism and Wicca?

Thanks, just trying to gain understanding.

They certainly do! Glad you asked...It's called "COSMOPOLITAN"