Please forgive my absolute ignorance......?

Question

But can someone explain to me the religion of Asatru? or if it is a religion, and what it is about?

Answer 1

You've gotten some good answers, and there is some degree of truth to all of them.

There are white supremacists that will claim any religion, including Christianity, and even Wicca.In my expirence most Odinists are white supremacists. There are some Odinists that are non-racist, but unfortunatley I would have to say they are in the minority...however the non-racist Odinist numbers may be growing slightly. Hopefully they can reform their religion, but denying the problem will not make it go away.

Blessed Be!

Answer 2

Well, as you can see, a controversy has erupted from your simple question about Asatru.
It is NOT a racist religion.. all religions attract a certain sect of "crazies" no matter who they are.. because Asatru comes from the Northern European countries (it is a Norse religion), some wannabe white supremecists have laid claim to it.. this does NOT mean that Asatru promotes such racist bigotry.

There are plenty of whackos in the world who jump on the christian, muslim, jewish, buddhist, hindu, pagan bandwagon.. this does not mean that these religions promote those views.

Asatru is a very cool religion.. please be sure to visit the link Lokasenna posted, and I'll post some more for you.

Answer 3

"And in spite of what the above Christian posted, Asatru isn't a racist religion; I guess accusing pagans of devil worship wasn't enough they had to add slanderous claims of racism as well?"

Where exactly did he say you were devil worshippers? I think it's common knowledge that Odinism does indeed attract many white supremacists. Dr. Z even quoted an Odinist who said so.

Here's a few examples of Odinists who are white supremacists, so you don't think this is something we're making up (i.e., Google it)

.Alexander Rud Mills recycled his Odinist church from the pre WWII days into The First Church of Odin, which he launched in the 1950s. This Pagan church was ahead of the Church of Wicca by almost two decades, but had little success. The memory of Odinism was still mingled with the stench of Nazi attrocities, and nobody save a few nuts wanted to be a part of it.

Neonazi Else Christensen founded the "Odinist Fellowship" in 1969 For some reason, Louise Hubner, Salem's official Wiccan includes the address for this group in the section of her book, "The Power of the Witch"on page 309 of the “Resource Appemdix”. It seems there are plenty of Wiccans who are unaware of what's really going on.

Odinist Tom Metzger is described as a "notorious white racist" . He is the leader of White American Political Association and also founded the White Aryan Resistance (WAR) formed in the 1980's.

Steve McNallen Founded Asatru Free Assembly which emphasized ritual and Norse magick. McNallen's group is probably the most widely known Odinist group. Based out of Texas, Asatru Free Assembly claimed it had an emphasis on spirituality rather than racial pride or National Socialism. Nevertheless, the group was "racially conscious", which is a euphemism for whites only. For a group that wasn't racist, critics noted it had more than it's fair share of Neonazi types. It dissolved in 1987 because of difficulties with neo Nazis and racists who thought the group wasn't "race conscious" enough.

Asatru Alliance was created as successor organization by Mike Murray....a former member of American Nazi Party! The group publishes a magazine called "Vor Tru" The group is supposedly non racist, which is very hard to believe considering the origins of their founder.

Wyatt Kaldenberg is a Pagan and Odinist who publishes a magazine called Pagan Revival to promote his version of Odinism. Like all Nazi groups, Kaldenberg favors violence against Jews and blacks Unlike other neo Nazis, Kaldenberg is unique because he admits the Holocaust actually happened.

The late Odinist and Neonazi Jost Turner established National Socialist Kindred in Volksberg, a rural Odinist commune in northern California, the "Wotan School For Children". Wotan is another name for Odin, BTW.

Wotansfolk was founded in 1995 by David and Katja Lane and Ron McVan According to Wotansfolk, Wotanism(Odinism) "is the best religion for whites today". David Lane and company are now in prison for the well publicized murder for Denver radio talk show host Alan Berg in the 1980's. The group's 14 Word Motto is: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White children" Lane wrote a book called "The 14 Words" from prison. The book was briefly carried by a Wiccan owned and operated mail order company called "Azure Green" , BTW.

While there are some Odinists who are not Nazis, there probably aren't very many.

Answer 4

Your absolute ignorance is forgiven asker! LOL!

I'm a Wiccan. To tell the truth, I have not met any (as in face to face) Odinists who weren't skinheads. If there are some online that say they are not, hey more power to you. But let's be realistic here, I would have to say MOST...not ALL but MOST seem to be white supremacists, too.

Asker, if you are non-white, if your avatar is an indication, please keep that in mind. I am not trying to be mean to the Odinists who have answered, I am just trying to be realisitic before we might possibly send someone into a situation we know nothing about.

Whatever your racial beliefs might be, not everyone thinks the same, K?

Answer 5

It's a pagan religion and they are very nice people (the ones I have met). I really admire the Asatru. They are quite possibly the only pagan group that I feel really has an "understanding" of things. They strike me as being honorable, forthright, and level-headed. Much of their ethical structure I see as being compatible with my own.

And in spite of what the above Christian posted, Asatru isn't a racist religion; I guess accusing pagans of devil worship wasn't enough they had to add slanderous claims of racism as well?

Answer 6

Ásatrú (Icelandic "Æsir faith") is a new religious movement whose focus is reviving the Norse paganism of the Viking Age - as described in the Eddas - prior to the arrival of Christianity.

Adherents of Ásatrú are called Ásatrúarmaður (plural Ásatrúarmenn) or commonly Ásatrúar in the English language.

Ásatrú was established in the 1960s and early 1970s in Iceland, by the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið, an organization founded by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. Ásatrú is a religion officially recognized by the governments of Iceland (since 1973), Denmark (since 2003) and Norway. The United States government does not officially endorse or recognize any religious group, but numerous Ásatrú groups have been granted nonprofit religious status going back to the 1970s.

Answer 7

Why are you so interested in false religions, turn to the true religion "Islam"!!!

Answer 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asatru

Its Norse Paganism. The page gives a good description.

Answer 9

It's a recontructionalist Pagan religion indigenous to Northern Europe. It means, roughly, "belief in the Gods" in Old Norse, the language of ancient Scandinavia in which so much of our source material was written. Asatru is the name by which the Norsemen called their religion.

Here's a website that explains some of the values of my religion http://www.webcom.com/~lstead/RBValues.html

And don't listen to "Dr. Zoom Zoom" down below, Asatru is NOT a White Supremacist religion, we do not discriminate against anyone. There are some people who have misused our symbols much like how the KKK misuses Christian symbols... Those people are not Asatru. This is the Heathen's Against Hate site http://home.earthlink.net/~wodensharrow/hah.html

And in reply to this "“It’s hard to say how many Odinists are gay or non white, but so far I have found...none.”

First off, Odinism doesn’t necessarily equal Asatru. Second, I happen to be gay and I know other Asatruars who are too. If you do not believe me, please look at Jordsvin’s website. Not only does it have a wealth of accurate info about Asatru, he also happens to be a gay man. http://home.earthlink.net/~jordsvin/index.htm

Answer 10

Perhaps the most frightening branch of the Neopagan movement is Odinism (also called Asatru or Wotanism). Odinists worship the Germanic/Viking gods of pre Christian times, like Odin, Thor, Freya, and Tiews. In other words, their religion is Viking mythology. Odinists have little use for Christians either. However they are probably much more vocal in their detest for the Christian faith than are other Neopagans.

Odinism is a reconstructionist movement. By 1000 A.D., the Kings and leaders of Scandinavia officially rejected Paganism and officially endorsed Christianity as the official religion. Because of the remoteness of some areas, it is believed not to have been abandoned as quickly as in other parts of Europe. It seems to have limped on for a while in very remote parts of Europe, but was basically extinct in Europe by 1200 A.D. Sure, a few superstitions lived on from Paganism, but the Pagan religions were gone. Odinism did not survive into modern times in tact, but bits and pieces of spells remained among superstitious folks. With Nazi Germany’s renewed interest in Paganism, there was a revival in Odinism. A few people (neo-Nazi types) were interested in Odinism after the fall of Germany. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, Odinism began to grow again in Europe and America. Like other Neopagans, Odinists invent rituals and material for spells when needed. In 1972 Iceland recognized Nordic Paganism as a legal religion.
The Blot (pronounced “bloat”) is the basic Odinist festival. Blot is an ancient Scandinavian word for Blood, and basically means “sacrifice”. In ancient times, heathen Vikings offered an animal in sacrifice to ancient god or goddess for favors. This piece of history doesn’t set well with modern day Odinists, who have re-written history (they’re good at that) to accommodate.

First the ritual space is sanctified in a rite involving a hammer. This is similar to other groups which have a purification ritual. Next comes the invocation of a deity or deities. Then, secondary activities will take place, such as meidtation. Mead is poured into an animal horn or bowl and then offered to the Odinist gods. The mead is then passed around for blessing, and to be sprinkled on the participants. Next come other activities, such as prayers. The participants then thank the gods and goddesses, and some mead is poured on the ground as an offering to the earth.

What makes this aspect of the Neopagan movement so disturbing is that it is comprised of almost entirely of white supremacists. Not all Odinists are white supremacists, and there is (or was) at least one group that even go so far as to insist their priests perform gay marriages. It’s hard to say how many Odinists are gay or non white, but so far I have found...none. There are some members of the Ku Klux Klan that claim Odinism as their faith, but these types usually prefer psudeo-Christian cults like “Christian Identity” (which isn’t really Christian, and an identity no rational person would want.) One of the non-racist Odinist types I made contact with lived in New Zealand, who’s Odinist name was “Nik”. Nik feels that there is room for non-racists in Odinism, “Odin is also the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Racism is illogical, therefore Odin does not approve of racism.” But Nik also told me that indeed, the majority of Odinists were white supremacists, and just a handful of Odinists were non racist. In an email Nik told me “These days, I refrain from using the term ‘Odinist’ to refer to myself but I prefer the phrase ‘Odin Devotee’ as Odin is indeed the deity I feel closest too but I do not wish to be associated with those white power types.” One wonders why Nik would even bother to be in a movement that is completely dominated by people he finds so repulsive.