KiNoRonin
April 6th, 2007, 03:15 PM
Konnichi Wa to All:
Of all the Paganistic and Druidistic Circles and Groups that I have
ever found with a Website on the Internet, everysingle Group has
at least One Coven or Temple created in Holland.
So this afternoon, while having Good Friday Off, I did some Internet
Research into Paganism of Holland.
I found the following.
From:
http://www.answers.com/topic/history-of-religion-in-the-netherlands
After the Second World War the major religions began to decline,
while a new religion, Islam, began to increase in numbers.
During the 1960s and 1970s pillarization began to weaken and the
population became less religious. 39% of the population were
member of the Roman Catholic church in 1971. In 2005 it was
declined to 28%. Mainstream protestantism declined in the same
period from 31% to 12%.[1] With only 44% of the Dutch adhering
to a Church, the Netherlands is one of the least religious countries
of Europe. During the 1980s and 1990s the Dutch policy on
abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality and prostitution became very
liberal. As a result of the declining religious adherence the two
major strands of Calvinism, the Dutch Reformed Church and the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, together with a small
Lutheran group began to cooperate, first as the Samen op weg
Kerken ("Together on the road churches") and since 2004 as the
Protestant Church in the Netherlands, a united protestant church.
-------------------------------------
The above article's Chronical of the Declinization of Roman Catholic
and Protestant in Holland is similar to what Bill MC-San points out
in his Paganism in Scotland Thread, including the Time Frame when
those Declinizations happened in Scotland.
The above article may say that Holland is the Least Religious
Countries of Europe, but I believe that it is definitely one of the
Most Spiritual Countries though.
From: http://www.cesnur.org/2002/slc/ramstedt.htm
Furthermore, I want to distinguish between two types of new religious
practices: (1) those geared to induce life-affirming experiences of
sacredness, the source of which is located outside the individual self,
(2) practices geared to induce life-affirming experiences of sacredness,
the source of which one is to discover within oneself. I aver that the
practices classified under the latter type tie up better than those of the
former type with both the demands and the disadvantages of modernity,
as they simultaneously foster self-reliance and abate the "fear of freedom"
to a higher degree than those of the former type. It is therefore not so
surprising that it is precisely this category of practices that has become
ever more popular with the increasing detraditionalization of Dutch
culture. Since these practices are predominantly offered by the religious
organizations of Asian origin, the neo-pagan movement and, indeed, large
parts of the so-called "New Age" movement, it is no wonder that these
religious groupings and currents have hitherto had the greatest "success"
in terms of dissemination.
And yet, Dutch scholars, monitoring the religious developments in the
Netherlands after World War II, have hitherto focused on what they have
termed "ontkerkeling" (literally "dechurchization"). The fact that these
scholars have mostly been theologians or church historians, who use a
rather narrow definition of religion, might have boosted the equation of
"ontkerkeling" with secularization in the official Dutch discourse. A study
of the Dutch Office for Social and Cultural Planning (Sociaal en Cultureel
Planbureau), for instance, which was connected to the European Values
Study, noted a higher than average incident of no religion, or at least of no
denominational affiliation, in the contemporary Netherlands.
And then the article also says:
In a Dutch publication of 1996, Miranda Moerland and Anneke van
Otterloo discriminated between three phases of the development of
"New Age" religiosity in the Netherlands, which I cannot discuss in detail
here. Suffice it to say that these different phases describe the shift from a
basically counter-cultural movement in the 1960s to the integration of
fundamental elements of the movement into Dutch mainstream culture
since the late 1980s. According to Moerland & Otterloo, the integration
of a vast array of "New Age" elements into Dutch mainstream culture
coincided with a decrease in millenary or utopian traits. Instead of
preparing oneself for the coming of a "New Age", people nowadays tend
to seek transformative experiences, which enhance their ability to make
the best out of themselves and their lives here and now. This shift in
motivation was, for instance, also indicated in the name of the so-called
"Eigentijdse Festival" ("Contemporary Time Festival" or "Our Time
Festival") which annually takes place in the village of Vierhouten, in the
Hoge Veluwe, since nine years. During the four-day festival one can
attend all kinds of workshops offering a plethora of "New Age" practices
that range from shamanic dreaming to bronze bowl therapy. The last
"Eigentijdse Festival" took place in June, 2002, and attracted around
1,500 participants.
--------------------------------------------------------------
What I liked about the above Article is how it Chronicals the Emergance of the New Age Spiritualities.
I like the way it states that such Emergances started after WW2. I
guess a lot of the Sureties of Life that the Bible promises were put to doubt after the Major Atrocities that occurred then. It was after such Atrocities that the People of Holland started to look for other belief systems that befitted the Realities of Life that was Revealled during those times.
http://www.studyin.nl/about-holland/Holland-and-the-European-Union.html
Although modern Dutch society is very secular and not many Dutch people
identify with an organized religion, you will see plenty of churches,
\mosques and other places of worship. 52% of the Dutch identify
themselves as Christian, 40% claim no affiliation, and 8% belong to
other religions
You will have plenty of opportunities to practice your own religion if
you wish.
--------------------------------
I think that the above mention of "No Affiliation" refers to the Various
Druidistic/Paganistic Groups that exist in Holland.
Also, the above say that People identifying themselves as Christian
while the First Article says that Christianity has dwindled comes from
some people's not being able to Accept the Truth of what has been
happening.
Does anyone else have any other information on Hollander Paganism
and Druidism that can support that those Ancient Celtic Spiritualistic
Faiths have made a Major Comeback in Holland as it has in Scotland
and Greece.
Ki No Ronin
Of all the Paganistic and Druidistic Circles and Groups that I have
ever found with a Website on the Internet, everysingle Group has
at least One Coven or Temple created in Holland.
So this afternoon, while having Good Friday Off, I did some Internet
Research into Paganism of Holland.
I found the following.
From:
http://www.answers.com/topic/history-of-religion-in-the-netherlands
After the Second World War the major religions began to decline,
while a new religion, Islam, began to increase in numbers.
During the 1960s and 1970s pillarization began to weaken and the
population became less religious. 39% of the population were
member of the Roman Catholic church in 1971. In 2005 it was
declined to 28%. Mainstream protestantism declined in the same
period from 31% to 12%.[1] With only 44% of the Dutch adhering
to a Church, the Netherlands is one of the least religious countries
of Europe. During the 1980s and 1990s the Dutch policy on
abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality and prostitution became very
liberal. As a result of the declining religious adherence the two
major strands of Calvinism, the Dutch Reformed Church and the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, together with a small
Lutheran group began to cooperate, first as the Samen op weg
Kerken ("Together on the road churches") and since 2004 as the
Protestant Church in the Netherlands, a united protestant church.
-------------------------------------
The above article's Chronical of the Declinization of Roman Catholic
and Protestant in Holland is similar to what Bill MC-San points out
in his Paganism in Scotland Thread, including the Time Frame when
those Declinizations happened in Scotland.
The above article may say that Holland is the Least Religious
Countries of Europe, but I believe that it is definitely one of the
Most Spiritual Countries though.
From: http://www.cesnur.org/2002/slc/ramstedt.htm
Furthermore, I want to distinguish between two types of new religious
practices: (1) those geared to induce life-affirming experiences of
sacredness, the source of which is located outside the individual self,
(2) practices geared to induce life-affirming experiences of sacredness,
the source of which one is to discover within oneself. I aver that the
practices classified under the latter type tie up better than those of the
former type with both the demands and the disadvantages of modernity,
as they simultaneously foster self-reliance and abate the "fear of freedom"
to a higher degree than those of the former type. It is therefore not so
surprising that it is precisely this category of practices that has become
ever more popular with the increasing detraditionalization of Dutch
culture. Since these practices are predominantly offered by the religious
organizations of Asian origin, the neo-pagan movement and, indeed, large
parts of the so-called "New Age" movement, it is no wonder that these
religious groupings and currents have hitherto had the greatest "success"
in terms of dissemination.
And yet, Dutch scholars, monitoring the religious developments in the
Netherlands after World War II, have hitherto focused on what they have
termed "ontkerkeling" (literally "dechurchization"). The fact that these
scholars have mostly been theologians or church historians, who use a
rather narrow definition of religion, might have boosted the equation of
"ontkerkeling" with secularization in the official Dutch discourse. A study
of the Dutch Office for Social and Cultural Planning (Sociaal en Cultureel
Planbureau), for instance, which was connected to the European Values
Study, noted a higher than average incident of no religion, or at least of no
denominational affiliation, in the contemporary Netherlands.
And then the article also says:
In a Dutch publication of 1996, Miranda Moerland and Anneke van
Otterloo discriminated between three phases of the development of
"New Age" religiosity in the Netherlands, which I cannot discuss in detail
here. Suffice it to say that these different phases describe the shift from a
basically counter-cultural movement in the 1960s to the integration of
fundamental elements of the movement into Dutch mainstream culture
since the late 1980s. According to Moerland & Otterloo, the integration
of a vast array of "New Age" elements into Dutch mainstream culture
coincided with a decrease in millenary or utopian traits. Instead of
preparing oneself for the coming of a "New Age", people nowadays tend
to seek transformative experiences, which enhance their ability to make
the best out of themselves and their lives here and now. This shift in
motivation was, for instance, also indicated in the name of the so-called
"Eigentijdse Festival" ("Contemporary Time Festival" or "Our Time
Festival") which annually takes place in the village of Vierhouten, in the
Hoge Veluwe, since nine years. During the four-day festival one can
attend all kinds of workshops offering a plethora of "New Age" practices
that range from shamanic dreaming to bronze bowl therapy. The last
"Eigentijdse Festival" took place in June, 2002, and attracted around
1,500 participants.
--------------------------------------------------------------
What I liked about the above Article is how it Chronicals the Emergance of the New Age Spiritualities.
I like the way it states that such Emergances started after WW2. I
guess a lot of the Sureties of Life that the Bible promises were put to doubt after the Major Atrocities that occurred then. It was after such Atrocities that the People of Holland started to look for other belief systems that befitted the Realities of Life that was Revealled during those times.
http://www.studyin.nl/about-holland/Holland-and-the-European-Union.html
Although modern Dutch society is very secular and not many Dutch people
identify with an organized religion, you will see plenty of churches,
\mosques and other places of worship. 52% of the Dutch identify
themselves as Christian, 40% claim no affiliation, and 8% belong to
other religions
You will have plenty of opportunities to practice your own religion if
you wish.
--------------------------------
I think that the above mention of "No Affiliation" refers to the Various
Druidistic/Paganistic Groups that exist in Holland.
Also, the above say that People identifying themselves as Christian
while the First Article says that Christianity has dwindled comes from
some people's not being able to Accept the Truth of what has been
happening.
Does anyone else have any other information on Hollander Paganism
and Druidism that can support that those Ancient Celtic Spiritualistic
Faiths have made a Major Comeback in Holland as it has in Scotland
and Greece.
Ki No Ronin