Religion has been a constant source of internal conflict since I first developed the capacity to think for myself. I was reared without much exposure to other religions, like many others. Even as a child, it didn’t feel right to believe in Santa Claus, Easter bunnies, and tooth fairies just because grownups told you to. I discovered at a very young age that placing your faith in something based just on hearsay will always, always leave you disappointed. I was a small child with a curious and developing mind. As I grew older, I started to question the religious beliefs of my family (a strict form of Holiness Pentecostal).
Every time I asked a question, I was given the same answer: “Because it’s in the Bible,” along with a citation of the pertinent verse. Naturally, I was never content with the bare minimum of explanation and always looked for more. My inherent curiosity and use of reason propelled me to look for information (Finan, M. 2020, December 4). It’s apparent that I still have a lot of unanswered questions. The truth is that I have never satisfied that need, and I doubt that I ever will since I am unsure of where to draw the line between what can be supported by science and what cannot (miracles of divine intervention).
My attempts to explain my views or my desire to have beliefs have been confusing and may have puzzled you. You cannot refer to anything as a belief if you continue to harbour unresolved worries about it. Birth, life, and death seem to cycle forever in the human species, that much I can say for sure. This change cycle signifies that time, a fundamental concept with abstract characteristics, is passing. In addition, I believe that most people make up justifications for things they do not comprehend or perhaps fear (Hutton, R. 2019, April 16). I have never encountered any proof of the paranormal or an afterlife. No matter the denomination, I have spent most of my time in a place of worship observing the behaviour of other Christians. It has always been hard for me to believe in something based on my gut feeling and the testimonials of others who say they have had a religious experience. In my opinion, this is unreliable secondhand information that any fair judge would dismiss.
My grandmother has provided me with a vast array of accounts attesting to her spiritual contacts, and she has done so with such conviction that I am driven to take each one at its value. I now carefully consider every aspect of the tale to find any scrap of data that would suggest a logical scientific explanation. The origin of myths and the basis of divinity may be a memory of an experience that has been distorted and embellished over time. However, they are irrelevant because each person has unique memories (Finan, M. 2020, December 4). It would be the same as hearing only one version of a story when there are several, and each one is distinct due to the author’s prejudices or personal goals. The Bible shows one perspective. Even because something is recorded, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it is accurate. The media of today demonstrates this. Instead of the text itself, we interpret what the author intended.
The only thing I can be sure of is how I physically and emotionally feel. To me, there are unambiguous guidelines for what is right and wrong, along with some latitude. How I think ultimately determines what I do. I need to be cautious and observant since I’m afraid and uncertain. My desire to avoid wrongdoing or ask for forgiveness is prompted by guilt. Regret pushes me in the opposite direction, so I don’t make the same mistake twice. Pain makes me aware of my mortality, and grief teaches me to appreciate transitory things. When I don’t respond negatively to something, I know it’s positive. These beliefs serve as the basis for my ethical standards.
When it ends here, I’d like to believe that my time on Earth wasn’t for nothing. I think this very desire gave rise to the idea of religion, and I can practically picture the scene playing out before my eyes. People experienced lightning for the first time in pre-written history, but they did not understand what caused it. They only understood that something or someone had to have sent the lightning bolt. They may have discovered a fulgurite and a crystal created when lightning struck sand, and they went to the gods in need of an explanation. An intriguing and fascinating rumour can catch on quickly and spread like wildfire. Despite the lack of evidence, I’m free to speculate, and this is just one of many ideas that have crossed my mind as I’ve looked for an incomprehensible explanation for the cosmos and the purpose of life. Other times, I merely pray or thank God out of habit.
I feel a hollow emptiness when I let go of that firmly held belief and start asking questions without clear solutions. I feel like a small cog in a much larger machine that has no idea what it’s doing and is just going through the motions. When I consider animals and the innate, savage need for survival at the core of all life, I wonder why we go to such great lengths to ensure our survival. Why do we put in such much effort to maintain our survival? I’ve come to the opinion that everything in the universe serves a more significant benefit based on my experiences and what I’ve learned.
Procreation as a concept would have no value if there were no reason for it to occur. The mere idea of contributing to the universe’s apparent meaninglessness, which operates like an intravenous drug that encourages apathy, threatens humanity’s morale. Most people have trouble accepting the thought that everything we’ve worked so hard to accumulate—our knowledge, experiences, triumphs, connections, and more—will vanish in an instant and never be seen again when we die away.
It’s simpler to find comfort and hope in the uplifted conviction that we won’t be permanently removed from our loved ones after passing away. All of this probably wouldn’t matter if we weren’t emotional beings. More severe and pervasive than physical pain, emotional suffering can leave a mark on your recollections that will probably resonate in your subconscious as a reminder of a particularly noteworthy occasion that has been indelibly imprinted in your mind (Hutton, R. 2019, April 16). This particular memory will stick in your mind as indisputable evidence in support of the nebulous idea of eternity since you won’t believe you will ever forget it. Great traits are distinctively reflected by each conscious individual but are also significant enough to be consciously preserved, like memories and emotions. The fact that the emotional experience is so different from how it shows up physically is evident, albeit the exact reason for this is difficult to pinpoint.
This suggests a broken link that previously bound everyone together. Contradictions in my beliefs push me into an ongoing conflict between reason and faith, making me mistrust them and trapping me in existential limbo. Even though I know there is no obvious winner in this fight and no end in sight, I still try to find a solution. My brain works like a calculator, holding all the variables constant to ensure that the equations are always correct. 2+2 equals 4, no matter how you cut it. This is because mathematics is simple and unchanging.
My scepticism of the divine encompasses all major world religions. This enables me to evaluate all religions without favouring anyone (Hutton, R. 2019, April 16). I fight inside between pessimism and optimism, yet I find comfort in the diversity of religious practices that exist around the world. Even while I am aware that all religions are based on some degree of reason, what grabs my attention is the various ways that each religion expresses faith and love. The Pagan belief in reincarnation makes sense compared to the Earth’s normal life cycle. Everyone has an inner core of energy constantly reincarnated in many forms, according to the oldest Druids’ knowledge (not belief).
When a body dies, the energy inside is transferred to a new body, and this energy can never be destroyed (Ancient Druidry). Reincarnation is probable to physicists. We all know that energy cannot be generated or destroyed; it can only move from one place to another. According to this and other theological traditions, the soul view as a type of energy. Although there isn’t much-documented information about genuine Celtic druidism, this is the best description I’ve seen—the first Druid teachings were passed down orally due to the absence of written materials.
It is commonly known that the Druids followed strict rituals and revered a pantheon of deities. Druidism and the Celtic people it serves are said to have originated in Britain in the fifth century B.C. During this period, a particular ethnic group became known as the Celtic people in most of Europe, Asia Minor, and the Balkans (Greywolf). The old Druid population decreased with the Roman conquest, and Christianity was the final bomb that obliterated them (Ancient Druidry).
The fundamental principles of modern Neo-Paganism have been updated, but the Druid faith is still alive and well and expanding as more people learn about their origins. Interest in Druidry and other Neopagan rituals has recently increased (Order of Bards, Druids, & Ovates. 2019, November 27). The Celtic and Druidic peoples were the source of some of the early inhabitants of the Americas. The Christian Church adopted much of the Celtic religion, replacing Pagan deities with Christian ones. Religious leaders in Christianity (Greywolf). Even though current myths have been around for a while, there is always room for improvement. Millennia about the rituals and beliefs of ancient Druids, but because of a complete lack of evidence, nothing has ever been confirmed to be true or false.
References
Finan, M. (2020, December 4). The history behind Ireland’s ancient Druids. IrishCentral.com. https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/history-irelands-ancient-druids
Hutton, R. (2019, April 16). Under the Spell of the Druids | History Today. Www.historytoday.com. https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/under-spell-druids
Order of Bards, Druids, & Ovates. (2019, November 27). A Brief History | Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids. The Druid Way. https://druidry.org/druid-way/what-druidry/a-brief-history
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