The Asatru Folk Assembly is being maligned as a hate group because it does not allow converts that do not belong to a Northern/Western European bloodline. The issue is that this is a misrepresentation of Asatru thought and practice. First, Asatru is based upon veneration of the ancestors. It would be a bit silly to join a religion and worship someone else's ancestors. This has nothing to do with any notion of racial superiority. Secondly, Asatru believes that it is a moral imperative to follow one's own ancestral tradition therefore to allow an African or Asian to join their faith would be to allow them to dishonor their ancestors and commit a sin. Third and finally, just as a nation has a right to define its own boundaries, a faith community has a right to decide who is and is not qualified to join.

7354993
Your third point really hammers down how ridiculous the claim is.
Joining a church is in a sense the same as getting citizenship of another country: you're applying to adhere to a set of laws and cultural/ethical standars and can be turned away for reasons unrelated to your displayed willingness to follow the new rules.

7354993
You know my views on Hyphenated-Americanism. So the way I see it: Even if an American has Asian blood, he is not Asian. He is American (unless he chooses to be Asian). And it's valid for him to follow the ancestral tradition of his people, the American people.

But is the AFA a hate group, just because they see things a bit differently then I do? Actuality, yes. Any group that sees things a bit differently is a hate group. If a group thinks that there are two genders, and not forty two: That group is a hate group.

7355000

7355002
I'm very proud of this group that this didn't turn into a clusterfuck. I was actually afraid to post it, but felt it needed to be said.

7354993
As I said, I don't agree with the attacks on the AFA! But is the blood thing as simple and settled in Astru as you say it is? Did the Scandinavians strictly refuse to worship any foreign Gods. And did they refuse to allow anyone with foreign blood to assimilate into their people, and become Scandinavian? Did they forbid those without Scandinavian/Germanic blood from worshiping the Scandinavian/Germanic Gods?

7355480
I fail to see how its reasonable to compare Astru standards to other cultural standards in the given context.
Could you please explain?

7355527
What other cultural standards? Asatru is the pre-Christian Scandinavian/Germanic religion. The one with Thor, Odin, and all.

7355532
Ah...my apologies
For some reason I thought Astru was more Eastern European/Western Asia in origin,

7355532
IRRC, some foreign folks were allowed to earn their freedom and such and were taken in by the Norse

7354993
Could be worse. An Asatru friend has trouble finding Asatru groups cause most of them are run by Neo-Nazis. Possibly because some of the OG Nazis tried to restart Germanic paganism

7357370
What does "IRRC" mean?

7357372

"An Asatru friend has trouble finding Asatru groups cause most of them are run by Neo-Nazis."

Huh. Are the groups explicitly national socialist? Or is is that the leaders of the group have that political ideology?

7357380
Been awhile, but a number of the members apparantly held those views, and it stands for If I recall/remember correctly