Belief - Emma Restall Orr

Joan Bakewell explores the beliefs of artists, thinkers, religious leaders and other public figures in a returning series of programmes on Radio 3. Tonight Joan Bakewell discusses belief with the writer and teacher on Pagan practice and ethics, Emma Restall Orr, founder of the International Druid Network. Pagan traditions have been attracting many new followers in recent years. Pagan beliefs resonate with the questioning of established authority, and active respect for the natural environment and the forces of nature. Emma Restall Orr came to Druidry as a philosophy and practice which gave her meaning and purpose as she battled against a painful inherited illness and emerged from a reckless adolescence. She has embraced Druidry as a native pre-Christian British tradition and written extensively about it. She promotes its creative transformation into an inclusive, diverse philosophy and religious practice able to engage with current moral dilemmas. She also founded the organisation Honouring the Ancient Dead, which promotes new ways for museums and heritage sites to display their respect for pre-Christian human remains.