From Life After Hate

http://www.lifeafterhate.org

GoFundMe for Heathen World Parliament of Religions Participants

This year, for the first time, there will be a Heathen presence at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City, UT (October 15-19). This is a significant opportunity for Heathen leaders to engage and to network with leaders of other religions. This event will increase the visibility of Heathenry in the public eye and set a precedent for inclusion in future endeavors.

The Parliament will feature the following Heathen presentations:

"Staving off Ragnarök: A Heathen Response to Climate Change" (Diana Paxson) on Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 AM

and

"Rebuilding the Altars: Reconstructing Indigenous Pagan Faiths for Today" (Diana Paxson, Robert L. Schreiwer, Erynn Laurie, Elisheva Nesher, Kirk Thomas, and Gwendolyn Reese) on Sunday, October 18 at 8:15 AM.

Additionally, there will be a Heathen information booth (#878) with pamphlets (including Heathens Against Hate and In-Reach Heathen Prison Services flyers) and books for distribution and sale. An Urglaawe altar will be present in a shared Pagan Faiths space somewhere in rooms A-G in sections 150 or 151 (clarifying information will be provided as it becomes available).

All of this costs money, so a GoFundMe effort has been set up to help to defray the participants' costs. If you are unable to donate money, please help by passing along the link.

Thank you!

The Dramatic Suicide of Dominique Venner

The suicide of French radical racist, Dominique Venner, on May 21, 2013 in Notre Dame Cathedral is of some import to the Heathen community. 

Venner spent decades undertaking efforts to revive the French Empire and pursuing French nationalist causes based mostly in hatred. The impetus for Venner's dramatic suicide was the passing of same-sex marriage legislation in France. 

Many observers, commentators, and even some on the far right fringe of the Blogosphere are juxtaposing Venner's philosophies with "Germanic paganism," which, of course is a root shared with much of Heathenry. His suicide is serving as a rallying point for extreme racist elements, which is casting a shadow of hatred over our religion and heritage in the public's perception.

HAH rejects the linking of our deities with hateful forces that are obsessed with the ideas of creating a world that could not exist without the murder and forced removal of millions of people. These self-destructive ideas do not bring bright fame or glory to our Gods, Goddesses, ancestors, descendants, or cultures.

Changes to HAH

Hail all!

As I begin reconstruction of the HAH messages and theories, I wish to describe the direction in which we are headed. Much of this is still in an evolving state, so the end results may vary a bit.

For starters, we're encumbered a bit by the term "hate." While I think most folks know what kind of "hate" HAH is referring to in its current messages, we have to be clear that there are different types and levels of "hate" or "hatred." These different types and aspects need to be worked out.

Most of us recognize that mindless bigotry against those of other races, sexual orientations, and nationalities is a destructive force. However, we have other types of insidious bigotries that must also be addressed. For example:

- Non-Heathen bigotry against Heathens
- Racial bigotry in any direction
- Automatic suspicion of Folkish groups as racist
- Unfounded use of "racist" as a political weapon
- Many other permutations, including shunning and "blue gate" concepts (which will be described at a later time)

It will take some time to work through these philosophies. Thank you for bearing with us.

Robert L. Schreiwer
Manager,
HAH