Hey again,

Thanks for the comments and questions =)

1) Like any other religion Asatru (Germanic - / North European Heathenry being a more encompassing term) got racists and extreme nationalists - can´t really help that.
These groups are usually shunned by the more moderate and, AFAIK, bigger groups of Heathens. It does not bother me whether people of African or Chinese ethnicity pick up Asatru, and I have no problem with attending a ceremony with them - if they perform the right actions and give proper sacrifices.

2) The reconstruction of Germanic religiosities and worldviews are not bound up on ethnicity but culture (the one I participates in anyway).

(August 21, 2012 at 8:03 pm)jonb Wrote: OK, you claim in the existence of Norse god's and I suppose you claim to be in touch with them in some way. There is an easy way to prove it just tell me in which direction Tyr is. I think I can point in to where he is, but that is through study, not the interaction of the gods. Find anyone who knows in your religion, an equal knowledge to mine over that point.

*points towards Sjælland*
Please tell me where your study tells you he is...

Quote:Asatru is a recently invented religion it has no connection to the original faith, so it does not know the original practices of the North Europeans, unless by study. As far as I know no god has spoken to an Asatruist, so their only knowledge of original practices is through published works, unless a god told them.

That´s why we study
I have not talked with any gods either...

(August 21, 2012 at 9:46 pm)padraic Wrote: Umm, you DO know this is atheist forum?

From whence did you get the quaint notion that people here would care about your personal superstitions?

So far,all I've seem is criticism and ridicule,which I think is entirely appropriate.

This is the "Religion" section though, or to be more specific; "Other Religions" section.

Apparently somebody do. If you don´t you are free to not read it or put me on ignore...

(August 21, 2012 at 10:20 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Oh idk Pad, a large amount of the current pagan culture deals with stereotypes or misconceptions about pagan beliefs. There is a lot of emphasis placed upon correcting these misconceptions in their literature and general PR (the idea being that paganism would be taken more seriously if this were corrected, it seems). The OP may feel that he is somehow engaging himself in the pagan community by offering to discuss his particular brand of paganism here with us. I care, I'm positively thrilled that I get the opportunity to dive into this thread as opposed to the constant christian drone.

You´re quite right. I also have a personal motive though; It is also fruitful to my own understanding of my religion to discuss with Atheists, since they have perspectives and knowledge that most Asatru and Christians do not.

Quote:Something that springs to mind, btw OP.

"The unwise man thinks all to know,
while he sits in a sheltered nook;
but he knows not one thing, what he shall answer,
if men shall put him to proof."

Vafþrúðnismál 9

---

(August 21, 2012 at 8:46 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Bwahahahaha, reading through the thread you linked I come acrossthis

Thank you sir, for the breath of fresh air. Loki, btw, easily my favorite fairy tale creature.

Heh, he definitly brings some funny flavour to the myths

Talking about funny pics: http://www.thepaincomics.com/weekly041229a.htm debates are pretty shortlived in the Asatru milieu

(August 23, 2012 at 8:35 am)Gaest Wrote: *points towards Sjælland*
Please tell me where your study tells you he is...


That´s why we study
I have not talked with any gods either...

Why do you persist with gods that want nothing to do with you?

(August 23, 2012 at 8:49 am)jonb Wrote:

(August 23, 2012 at 8:35 am)Gaest Wrote: *points towards Sjælland*
Please tell me where your study tells you he is...


That´s why we study
I have not talked with any gods either...

Why do you persist with gods that want nothing to do with you?

So... They exist but "want nothing to do with" me? Or is it everyone?

(August 23, 2012 at 9:12 am)Gaest Wrote: So... They exist but "want nothing to do with" me? Or is it everyone?

You say they are your gods. Why do they ignore you?

(August 23, 2012 at 9:15 am)jonb Wrote:

(August 23, 2012 at 9:12 am)Gaest Wrote: So... They exist but "want nothing to do with" me? Or is it everyone?

You say they are your gods. Why do they ignore you?

Please tell me... How do you know, is it simply belief or du you have an actual argument?

Perhaps the question can be re-phrased another way.

You have mentioned that you have not spoken to any gods. Good for you, I'd be worried if you had. Jon is suggesting that this may be due to these gods not wanting anything to do with you. That they do not exist is, I'm sorry, a given, but assuming that they did, just for the lulz, why do you imagine they don't speak to you?

(not the best way to begin this discussion, essentially parroting the two most annoying and horrendously inept god retorts we get around here btw -atheists beliefs, and "prove my gods blah blah blah")

What justification is there for a religion where its gods will not have anything to do with it?

The last Norse pagans converted to Christianity because they felt that stories such as Thor dressing up as a woman to trick a giant into marrying him so he can deck the wedding party and retreve his stolen magic hammer lacked a sense of the numinous. If it was starting to seem a bit silly to people a thousand years ago.

Necroposting FTW. I'm glad - the first page of this thread entertained me immensely for about 5 minutes, which is all I can stand of Mehm.

Thor's the sex... you know. Women want it, men want it, even giants want a piece of that sexy dude's manflesh... honestly, the whole dressing up as a woman thing was just so the giant would cave in, and that's when Thor showed his true colors to the giant (and the wedding party~):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOxb_SW4Cfg

There needs to be better songs on the subject, JonB: if you feel like chipping in with some jewel I've missed from earlier times...