ADF is a special case. They would have become a significant denomination in the American religious scene, except that their organizational structure was so stunningly dysfunctional -- it had all the disadvantages of autocracy and democracy without any of the advantages of either, and it went out of its way to encourage ambitious and talented people to become big fish in very little ponds rather than harnessing their energy to grow the organization.
At one point Philip Carr-Gomm, then the head of OBOD, asked Druids and Druid organizations around the world to contribute things to an archive of Druid materials he was organizing. He got some amazing things -- music, poetry, ritual, philosophy, you name it. From ADF, he got their official Policies and Procedures Manual, hundreds of pages thick. (As far as I know British Druids are still chuckling about that.) That, I think, is most of what you need to know about why ADF failed.
As for the groups I had in mind, I'm thinking of the ones who supported Cherry Hill Seminary and who were busy trying to turn Neopaganism into liberal Christianity with a different gender for God. There were quite a few of them, though it's been a while since I've paid any attention to the Neopagan scene.
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branchandroot
Re: The Reenchantment of the World and Question on the Protestant Church Model in America
Date: 2024-06-03 01:13 pm (UTC)At one point Philip Carr-Gomm, then the head of OBOD, asked Druids and Druid organizations around the world to contribute things to an archive of Druid materials he was organizing. He got some amazing things -- music, poetry, ritual, philosophy, you name it. From ADF, he got their official Policies and Procedures Manual, hundreds of pages thick. (As far as I know British Druids are still chuckling about that.) That, I think, is most of what you need to know about why ADF failed.
As for the groups I had in mind, I'm thinking of the ones who supported Cherry Hill Seminary and who were busy trying to turn Neopaganism into liberal Christianity with a different gender for God. There were quite a few of them, though it's been a while since I've paid any attention to the Neopagan scene.