hi

[Andeliani]

Hi, I am new here. My real name is not Andeliani.:) I am in my 20's and live in Florida.

I am not quite a Hindu but not quite anything in particular, either. I would say I believe in a "universal, eternal dharma"... I am mostly European by descent, and for most of my life I have followed Celtic/Germanic religions and take a lot of interest in related religions, including Hinduism. I worship Krishna sometimes but I tend to gravitate to one of the goddesses of my ancestors, Rosmerta, whose name means "Great Provider", and her consort Lugh.

I'm curious how Hindus feel about the relation between your religion and those of pre-Christian Europeans?

Here is some sites on them if anyone is curious.
Fyrn Sidr (http://www.fyrnsidu.org/) (English religion)
Imbas (http://imbas.org/imbas/index.html) (Celtic)
Romuve (http://www.romuva.info/Lithuanian-Darna.php)(Lithuanian)

[NayaSurya]

Hi<3 This is an interesting question.

I am directly descended from Cornelius O'Dochartaigh, the end of my liniage goes straight back to Cahir Rua ...RUA -The red one. A fierce fighter.

Being related to the Red One...I found it very comforting to know there were so many similarities in the tribal religions of Tyrconnell and that in Hinduism.

Also, my clan was run out of our homeland by the English, despite valliant efforts to fight them off.

I find that my brothers and sisters in India can well find a common bond in that shared struggle. My family came to America with what little they could salvage and settled in the hills of Kentucky.

I also find it no coincidence that Rudra beloved most of all in my heart is how I found my way home to Saivism.

We have much common ground because of a shared history.

[sanjaya]

Hi Andeliani (or whatever your real name is), nice to meet you!

To answer your question, personally I don't judge the truth of a religion by its doctrines or stories. After all, even most Hindu stories about the gods are just metaphors, since there is only one God. Rather, I judge all religions by the values that they teach. I admit I don't know much about the pre-Christian religions of Europe, except for the mythologies of Greece, Rome, and the Near East. I'd be interested to follow your links and learn more.