Why I believe "missionaries" are wrong.

i feel that any form of missionary work is wrong, especially considering the following:
"Common signs that you may be in an abusive relationship.

Victims feel unworthy.
Victims feel guilty.
Victims blame themselves for things they didn't do.
Victims feel that when bad things happen to them, they're being punished.
Victims feel responsible for the abuser's anger and unhappiness.
Victims want to appease their abuser.
Victims get huge rewards from a tiny morsel of approval from the abuser.
Victims have an inexplicable love for and attachment to the abuser
Victims reject advice from anyone who doesn't like the abuser.
Victims claim that their relationship with the abuser is normal and healthy.
victims are highly defensive of their abuser from even the slightest criticism of his flaws.
Victims Feel they deserve to be punished by abusers

An abuser doesn't let anyone question his authority.
An abuser demands unquestioning obedience.
An abuser threatens you with great harm if you don't do what they say.
An abuser claims that you're unworthy, but that he will forgive you.
An abuser says you're a bad person even though you never do anything wrong.
An abuser uses both fear and love to bind his victims to himself.
An Abuser claims credit for everything that is good in your life, and makes you at fault for everyting bad in your life.
An abuser lets painful experiences happen to you that he could easily prevent, just to test your devotion to Him.
An abuser Needs constant praise for the little he has done for you.
An Abuser threatens harm to you if you ever leave him.
An abuser has severe jealousy issues.
An abuser makes you feel inferior
An abuser makes you feel responsible for his behaviors, feelings, and abuse.
An abuser makes you feel like your incompetent and incapable without him.
An abuser lets painful experiences happen to you that he could easily prevent, just to test your devotion to him.
An abuser Withholds Resources from you in order to exercise greater control over you."

Since this is the goal of missionary work, to convert people to a religion that preaches this as "holy," I see them as wrong, and in fact a matter of hate crime.

In defense of Loki

I have seen one of the Aesir be denigrated by Asatruar, and I have to say that it bothers me greatly.

It bothers me for a few reasons, in part due to the lingering influence of Christian upbringing, and in part due to focusing on his negative aspects without looking at his positive aspects.

The member of the Aesir i refer to Is Loki.

When I see asatruar referring to their latrines as "Loki hofs," becoming offended when he is brought up, or even refusing to mention him, I see a measure of hypocrisy. The same asatruar have no problem with Odhinn, Skadi, Freyja, or Tyr, all of which have aspects that are either negative, or salacious, yet Loki receives special attention for abuse.

In part, Loki has been a victim of Christianity, being transformed into a Satan figure, in part due to desire for conversions, in part due to ignorance about what he is.

I'm not about to argue that Loki is all positive, nor would I advocate a Loki cult where destructive and disruptive acts are practiced. What I am advocating is a combination of learning more about Loki and giving him the respect he deserves as an Aesir.

If we look at one of his names, Son of Laufey (or leafy isle) we find a kenning within a kenning. At it's mos basic level the kenning of son of leafy isle refers to fire, but when the kenning of "Leafy isle" is considered, the meaning of the name changes greatly to refer to thought. This is at the core of why I believe Loki deserves more respect, to denigrate him is to allow a cult of ignorance to creep into Asatru, where learning is seen as negative.

Loki is the god that, simultaneously defies and reinforces the values of Asatru. His misbehavior demonstrates both what not to do, and the consequences of doing so. However, he is also the god that demonstrates the value of both wit, and a cool head. When the pranks go wrong and he is threatened for the actions he has taken he does not fall apart, but uses his wit to not only fix the problems he has caused, but to profit the Aesir greatly.

There are also the tales of his traveling with Thor, and not only do they get along, there are parts where Loki is treated as a valued companion.

Then there is the story where he is the only god who can help a couple when they are threatened by a Jotun.

Yes, Loki has caused great harm, in the form of his children, the death of Balder, and his role at Ragnarök, however, To disrespect him due to his actions is to also ignore one of the core beliefs regarding the Norns. Judging him harshly is to say that we know better than they, or that our wants are more important than the role that he has been assigned to play.

Just as we mourn the loss of Balder, and are sad at the role that Hodur played in his death, we should also be sad at the role that the fates chose for Loki.

I say this because Loki is a metaphor for the human intellect. The human mind is like fire, when disciplined, it can create great wonders, but when it is allowed free reign to act without regard for the consequences of actions, it can cause great harm.

In the future, when you are tempted to denigrate Loki, ask yourself, are you wise enough, have you experienced enough to second guess the Norns?

Politics and heathenry

As a minority religion, Asatru has the unenviable burden of proving itself normal, yet there are many asatru organizations that choose to put a political agenda as part of their official website. One troubling example of this is a group in the UK, that has a series of statements regarding their political viewpoint that paints asatruar as paranoid and against government.  This coupled with statements that individual asatruar make publicly can combine to paint the whole of asatru in a negative light.

the questions this raises for me are:

How do we advocate for our rights without becoming politicized as a religious group, How do we distance ourselves from those that are fringe elements without completely ostracizing them from mainstream asatru society, and how do we undo the damage that the misconceptions cause?

Freedom of religion and Asatru

There are many viewpoints regarding whether or not Asatru is under attack, with varying degrees of validity. my view is, in a general sense that there is a growing movement within fundamentalist belief that feels that their religious views are the only truth, and should be the law, that we, as "non-believers," are part of what they target.

The question is, how do we protect our rights in the face of those who would deny that our religion is even a valid religious expression?

I think that networking with others of a similar viewpoint is a good start, but it isn't enough. We need to gain respectability within mainstream society, we need to be seen as "normal."  I say tis because of what history has to teach about how discrimination works. In every case where a minority segment of a population has been mistreated, the excuse that allows the mistreatment has universally been "but they are different."  This is why otherwise decent germans allowed the persecution of Jews, Rom, The handicapped, Homosexuals, dissidents, and german heathens. This is why Jim Crow laws were tolerated, because Blacks were "different." The list of examples goes on, and can fill up many books.


I think that there are many ways we can achieve this goal of being viewed as normal. We can: start a volunteer orginisation similar to the red cross, where we aid our communities in time of disaster; get involved in local politics; or otherwise get involved in the community. We can also make sure to respond to news reporting that paints us in an unfavorable light, especially if the reporting is biased.

By establishing that Asatruar are normal, productive members of society, it will make it much harder for the hatemongers to convince society as a whole that we are 'different,' and therefore acceptable to abuse.

The nature of frith

Often the concept of frith is described as peace, which in it's most literal translation to English is correct, but at a fundamental level is incomplete.

Frith is also a matter of kin-bond, and carries with it a matter of duty. This duty is not so much a matter of responsibility as it is a matter of reciprocity. This is the heart of "gift demands gift," both in the sense that you are expected to give in return, but also in that you are expected to be considerate when giving, lest you give too much.

Another aspect of this reciprocity is mutual emotional support. it is too easy to forget that we are mortal, and have mortal failings. We create frith-bonds as a means of either overcoming these failings, or for support while they are overcome.

Ultimately, the nature of Frith is sharing. Sharing burdens, sucesses, and experiences.

Hopefully this is just the beginning.

As I am the Skald for my kindred, there are a few responsibilities placed on my shoulders. One of those is gathering knowledge to be shared the the kindred. Another is to help to build ties with other Asatruar, so that the folk may grow strong through our association with each other.

To this end i have created this blog, so that it might act as an electronic meeting-place, so that distant folk may converse and share equally. This is not to replace real interactions in any way, but is intended to be another tool to connect the folk together.

That having been said, Please comment on subjects that you would like to discuss, and topics will flow. Thanks to all who choose to participate.