altar
Column: Berkano Hearth Union – Heathens in the Peach State
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Karl E.H. Seigfried’s interviews with four members of Berkano Hearth Union (BHU), a community for Heathens and people interested in Heathenry based in Georgia.
Culture
Column: On Inclusive Heathenry
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Pagan Perspectives
Over the past year, and especially since the Frith Forge conference in Germany, I’ve noticed increasing use and discussion of the term “inclusive Heathenry.”
It often seems more of a rebranding than a revolutionary concept. Practitioners of Ásatrú and Heathenry have long taken sides over issues of inclusion, with some taking hard stances on either end of the spectrum and many situating themselves in a complicated middle ground. The battles that have raged for so long have been between positions that were often defined by the other side. The universalist position supposedly said that anyone could be Heathen – no questions asked. The folkish position supposedly said that only straight white people could be Heathen – with many questions asked.
News
Heathen obtains permission to grow beard in military
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UNITED STATES –A U.S. Army soldier has been given the go-ahead to wear a beard as an expression of his Heathen faith, but not everyone in that community is on board. Leaders of some of the higher-profile Heathen organizations have questioned the sources, the messaging, and even the motivations of those who supported the bid. In a story published late last month, Army Times reporter Meghann Myers explained how the opportunity for this particular request only opened up in early 2017, when religious beards were approved as “a response to years of requests — and a lawsuit — from Sikh soldiers seeking to both serve and adhere to the tenets of their faith.” For Sikhs, the issue is that kesh, uncut hair, is a requirement of that religion. However, even the loosening of military beardlessness to accommodate members of that religion does require some cutting; facial hair can’t be allowed to grow more than two inches past the bottom of the chin.
Pagan Community Notes
Pagan Community Notes: University of Indiana, Asatru Folk Assembly, chaplain wanted and more
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INDIANAPOLIS — A panel about Paganism was organized at the university here, and appears to be have a success in terms of raising awareness about these minority religions. According to Rev. Dave Sassman of Circle Sanctuary, one of the participants, it included the only known Pagan affiliated with the school — associate profession Caron MacPherson — and had 40 to 50 people in attendance. Basic information such as the extremely wide variety of traditions that might be lumped together as “Pagan,” as well as dispelling stereotypes along the lines of human sacrifice were covered; panelists also shared something from their personal religious journeys. According to Sassman, “Only one Pagan was known on campus at the beginning of the panel, but by the end there were two,” as one student in attendance came forward. In his eyes, that’s a success in itself. * * *
TWH – The Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), a national Heathen group based in California, was placed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s 2017 list of hate groups.
Pagan Community Notes
Pagan Community Notes: NCIS investigation, Paris Accord responses, and more
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UNITED STATES – On May 22, Huginn’s Heathen Hof (HHH) published a post suggesting that the Department of Defense (DoD) would be placing the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) on a hate group list. According to the original report, the NCIS was investigating the group after its Facebook page was taken down. However, on June 10, HHH removed the story from the website. In its place is a statement saying that, due to new evidence, “the story has been temporarily pulled until further notice.” What happened?