I don’t think people realize just how many USChristian attitudes get passed around in Heathenry, so I compiled different statements and behaviors I’ve seen over the years that reflect Christian notions not original to Heathenry. These examples are illustrative rather than definitive, since I’m only somewhat familiar with different Christian frameworks, but it should be enough to give you the picture:
“The first and most important thing you need to do to practice Heathenry is read the Eddas.”
“You must worship Odin even if you don’t want to, because he’s the head god.”
“The point of being Heathen is to live life in a way that grants you entry to Valhalla.”
“Valhalla is the good/awesome afterlife and Helheim is the bad/boring afterlife.”
“The Æsir are good and the jötnar are evil.”
“Odin is like God, Loki is like the Devil, and Baldr is like Jesus.”
“Odin is more powerful than the rest of the gods.”
“Ragnarok is the End Times.”
(“Us vs. them” attitudes.)
(Not knowing what to do with the the goddesses in general, regardless of one’s gender.)
“To be Heathen, you must serve the gods.”
“We can’t truly know the gods, only attempt to understand them through the Eddas.”
“The gods are distant and don’t care about our personal needs or lives.”
“We must act as the gods’ ambassadors on Earth.”
“Making sacrifices should be painful. That’s why it’s called a sacrifice.”
“Ragnarök is the End Times and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
(Treating the Hávamál as scripture.)
(Using medieval Icelandic law-tracts as a stand-in for Heathen religious orthodoxy.)
(Observing strict worship and insisting others do the same.)
(Adopting a very feudalistic relationship with the gods; lord/servant dynamics.)
“Showing devotion to the gods is done by acting as their hands and feet on earth.”
“You must think about the gods all the time and involve them in everything you do.”
“Why should we merely ‘work with’ the gods when we can worship them?”
“Ragnarök is the End Times and we must prepare to fight on the side of the gods.” OR...
“Ragnarök is the End Times and we must help fulfill it.”
(Behaving as marginalized on the basis of their faith.)
(Reacting badly when confronted with new information about Heathenry.)
(Making bold or even standoffish declarations of faith.)
If you come from a Christian background and hear someone make statements like this, you’re probably going to feel pressured to come up with a counterargument for why it’s okay for you to disagree. What you actually need to do is dismiss the premise entirely. These arguments aren’t reflective of Heathen truths and you don’t have to argue with them as though they are.
This is also not a dig at those who’ve made these statements / done these behaviors before. It’s not exactly second-nature for us to break out of the habit of believing in a specific idea or behaving in a specific way when we believed / behaved that way for most of our lives. However, it’s still worth understanding how specific to Christianity these things are and trying to move away from them.
It’s up to you if you want to point out the nature of these arguments to the people making them. But if you do, I recommend doing so tactfully, with a clear head, and with a very clear understanding about what makes the premise Christian in nature.
Let me know if you want clarification on any of these points and why they aren’t reflective of Heathenry. I’m happy to go into it.
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