Religion FAQ & Misconceptions

Occasionally I've come across old friends. I think one of the biggest differences between how I am now and how I was end of high school / beginning of college is religion. Awhile back when I first let people know I was no longer Christian I started writing this page. It helped clear up misconceptions and misunderstandings about my beliefs. I've since added to it as I come across others who do not understand my faith. I've recently turned this into an FAQ

1.  Questions/Statements about Me and Christianity

1.1  Why did you leave Christianity?

My beliefs about the world and divinity didn't match what Christians believe.

1.2  Did you leave due to a bad experience with your Church?

I did have a bad experience in a college group I was involved in. However, I left that group and was in a very caring, loving, non-judgemental church when I left the religion. They were good people who practiced what they preached and the experience I had there was positive.

1.3  I warned you not to hang around non-Christians.

No one's said this to me, but before I left the college group I was warned by many about being too close to non-Christians. So, I wanted to clarify that my change had nothing to do with non-Christians. Dan has always encouraged me in whatever my religion. He often pointed out my WWJD bracelet when he thought I needed a reminder. Even now we do not share religious beliefs. My other non-Christian friends at that time also encouraged me in my religion. One gave me a Christian book.

1.4  Maybe you didn't really have a real relationship with Jesus

There were times in my life that the Christian God was the only comfort I had. I felt very close to that God at times in my life and I'm glad he was a part of it. However, the relationship I have with my Gods now is much stronger. And to me, it's my relationship with them that matters. I still have a lot of respect of the Christian God and believe he truly cared about me (and still does), but I belong with the Norse Gods, who also care about me.

1.5  Maybe you didn't find the right church.

I explored and researched different churches. The only one I felt comfortable in at the time was Unitarian Universalists, which are open to all faiths.

1.6  You are welcome to come with me to church.

No thanks. While I recognize the Christian God is your inspiration in life and fully support his guidance in your life, I only honor the Norse Gods because they are the inspiration and guidance in my life. I do have my own ways of showing respect to other Gods when I feel it's appropriate, but for me, worship and honor is reserved for my Gods. In the same way, I'd expect you to reserve worship and honor for your God only.

1.7  I don't believe you were really Christian.

Doesn't matter to me. Christianity was always full of people claiming others weren't "real Christians," so I was used to hearing this even back in Christianity! Whatever you want to call me, that's fine. I know what I experienced and I'll use whatever label I think is best for describing to others what I experienced. Most people I come by would say I was Christian.

1.8  You seem to be one to jump around from faith to faith.

Actually, after Christianity I worked on narrowing my beliefs. I started out in Unitarian Universalism which is extremely broad - covering all faiths. I gathered what I believed, and looked for a match, not expecting to find anything. I was surprised that what I found fit under the heading "Pagan" which is pretty much any native faith or religion inspired by native faiths. Usually they are nature-oriented in some way. There were UU Pagans and I spent time with them before venturing outside of UUism. Once in Paganism, I discovered the Norse Gods which I felt a strong connection to. I became interested in genealogy and discovered that these were the gods of my ancestors. I followed my own form of a Norse-based tradition on my own for a couple of years until I discovered Ásatrú and became involved in the faith in November of 2006. Then, on January 28, 2007 I committed myself to the Norse Gods and the faith, through a dream where Thor asked this of me.

1.9  I'll be praying for you (that you'll find Jesus).

I do find it offensive for people to pray that I'll become Christian or who try to convert me because they are not accepting me as I am and are not recognizing the importance my faith has played in my life and how much of a positive influence it's been. I also am hesitant about these people because they claim to know what their God thinks is best for me instead of just trusting that their God will do what's best in the situation. In my own experiences and beliefs, the Christian God agrees I'm in a good place with the Norse Gods.

1.10  Have you read the Bible?

Yes, I have. I was Christian, after all. And I read parts of the Bible Christians don't realize were even in there until I point them out. I have no desire to discuss the Bible, though. Right now I wish to focus on my own faith's texts. If you find inspiration from the Bible, then you should look to it. I, however, have trouble finding inspiration from the Bible, just as I have trouble finding inspiration from many other religions' stories, such as Celtic mythology.

1.11  Non-Christians have no reason to be moral

I do have a reason to be moral. I know there are many Christians I've come by who believe non-Christians have no reason to be moral. For me, it is my own desire. I am always trying to find my own issues and working to overcome them. To me, learning is extremely important because I view it as one of my purposes in life. If I'm not working towards becoming a wiser person, then I'm not following my purpose in life and my life becomes meaningless.

1.12  But the Bible says if you don't except Jesus as your savior you'll go to hell.

And the Eddas say that if I'm not chosen for one of the halls of the Gods, I'll go to the afterlife world where I'll be reunited with my ancestors. The Eddas tell me the stories of my Gods and my faith, so I'm going with the Eddas.

1.13  Wouldn't you be better off excepting Jesus just in case the Bible is true? What do you have to lose? You have a lot more to lose if it is true and you don't accept Jesus.

I have a lot to lose. I have family to lose since my Gods are family. I don't want to be separated from my Gods and my home faith - our 9 worlds held together by Yggdrasil is home to me. I don't care what heaven is like, to be separated from my home and my Gods would be like how the Christians describe their hell. I've experienced the Christian God to be very nice and loving, but I'd still greatly miss my Gods.

1.14  You either love Jesus or hate him. -or- If you aren't Christian you hate Jesus.

I've experienced the Christian God to be very loving and caring and consider him a friend of sorts. However, he isn't my source of inspiration and isn't part of my spiritual family. So, yes, I do love him as a friend, but I do not follow him.

2.  Questions/Assumptions About My beliefs

2.1  I know you don't believe in God/Jesus...

I do believe in your God. I believe in many Gods. I may believe a little differently about your God than you do, but I do believe he exists and is involved in your life.

2.2  I know you don't believe in prayer...

I believe in prayer, though sometimes I might believe a bit different than some people do about certain types of prayer. See at the end of this article my view of prayer.

2.3  Are you going to try to convert me? -or- If you have a religion you must believe all other religions are wrong.

I don't believe in converting people. If someone feels drawn to the faith, then it's for them. If not, then they are not. Even though I completely believe my own beliefs, it doesn't mean that I think everyone else should. What others believe is between them and the Gods. Therefore, accepting other faiths is being respectful to my own and to the Gods. I'd prefer people keep an open mind when it comes to my beliefs, but I'm not going to force that on anyone. My reason for desiring this is just that I see it as basic respect. And I don't see religions as necessarily contradictory.

2.4  Doesn't religion just tell people what to believe?

Not all religion. My beliefs I've formed on my own from my experiences. Yes, I tend to believe a lot of the stuff written down, but I've also experienced a lot of stuff, such as the Gods, that that stuff is written about. Also, beliefs vary in the religion. Even though I believe I can communicate with one of my Gods through meditation, he won't tell me what to believe. If I ask him, he has a couple of methods for trying to teach me not to ask that kind of thing, including telling me I "cannot take his reality."

2.5  Do you actually believe in the Norse Gods like Odin and Thor? (Or... the myths?)

Yes! I believe the Gods as separate beings. And I do believe in the myths. However, I don't believe them as exact. I believe them as things humans cannot understand. Therefore, the best way for us to understand them is by the way they are portrayed in our texts. For instance, one of my Goddesses is Sunna, a Goddess of the sun. She is the sun. Or, at least the best way I can understand her is to see her as the sun. Other cultures have Gods that "are the sun" and I believe them to be separate beings, different from Sunna.

2.6  So you actually believe in many Gods??

Yes. This is sometimes a difficult concept for people. When I was a monotheist, I thought polytheism was silly. But that's only because of how our culture treats mythology and Gods. I would hear about how the people in the past didn't know any better and actually believed these stories because they didn't have science. Once I became a polytheist and actually experienced these Gods, my view changed. Now monotheism seems very weird to me. It seems weird there'd only be one god. It seems interesting to me that when monotheism came into areas, they had to force their religion, often with threats of torture or death, and even then many people wouldn't convert. Now that I've experienced these Gods, polytheism seems obvious to me and the refusal of the polytheists to convert to monotheism makes sense.

2.7  Religion is not compatible with logical thought and/or science.

Many religions work just fine with science, actually. For instance, our creation story doesn't match evolution, but it doesn't need to. Our creation story isn't trying to tell us people came driftwood. It's telling us that the best way for us as humans in our faith to understand our connection with our Gods is through the story of Odin and his brothers forming the first people from driftwood. It's the best way we can understand something that humans can't really understand. To me, this is a very powerful, very spiritual story. I can learn about humans evolving from earlier human-like animals that share an ancestor with many of our primates. I don't need to give up our creation story, and I don't need to give up evolution. They can co-exist even if contradictory because they are describing different aspects of reality - physical reality and spiritual reality.

2.8  So, you should be fine with "One nation under God" since it's not specifying which God.

No. The only deities that goes by the name "God" are the ones in monotheistic religions, primarily Christianity. Therefore, I cannot rightfully pledge allegiance to my country because I'd have to say something that goes against my beliefs.

3.  Common Concepts in religions that don't work with my view

I sometimes get people who try to encourage me in my faith by using concepts in their own faith. While I appreciate the kindness in being accepting, often these concepts don't match.

3.1  "God"

I believe in many gods including your god. I don't use the term "God" as a name for any of the gods. Therefore phrases like "One nation under God" and "God bless" are awkward because only monotheists use that term as a name for their god - and not even all monotheists use that term. I will not call your god "God". Instead I'll refer to him as "your god" or "the Christian god".

3.2  "Tests of faith"

I don't view life's struggles as tests of faith; I view all struggles as opportunities to learn and grow. The idea of a test of faith is somewhat foreign to me. My Gods seem to make their presence known for people who follow them.

3.3  Praying for life to be easier

I don't beg my Gods to take away my struggles, but instead to show me a way to overcome them and grow from them. I have even asked for struggles if I thought there was something I could learn from them.

3.4  Needing to remember to pray

I'm too talkative for this. :) I pray throughout the day and need to remember to take time to just quiet my mind and experience. I also have special time I set aside once or twice a day for meditations. I do need to remember to do that.

3.5  "I'm not worthy"

I don't believe people are inherently unworthy of their God(s). It's like saying "I'm unworthy of my parents" or "I'm unworthy of my grandparents." To me, it's a silly idea that only encourages low self esteem and self-hatred.

3.6  Gods as "All powerful," "All knowing" or "Perfect"

I do not believe Gods to be perfect or all powerful. I believe them to be one form of spiritual being that are wiser, stronger, and more powerful than us. I do not believe in any perfect, all powerful force. I don't believe in perfection since I see it as subjective. What one God sees as perfect, another may not.

3.7  "This is it" or "You only have one life to live"

I believe in reincarnation, so these phrases make no sense.

3.8  People are superior

I see all life as equal. I don't hold humans as special. However, I am human and therefore part of humanity as a whole. That sometimes affects my decisions. Within humanity I have friends and family which are closer to me. This also affects my decisions.

3.9  Fear of being influenced by others

I believe true faith cannot be shaken. Movies and books that includes other faiths are not threatening to me (though some I don't engage in them out of lack of interest). Having close friends of other faiths is not a threat to my own faith.

4.  Assumptions by non-Heathen Pagans

4.1  "The Goddess"

I'm a polytheist. This means I believe in separate beings that are not part of one deity. I see your Goddess as a separate deity than my own, and respect her just as I would any other non-Norse deity.

4.2  Witch

I do not identify as a witch. I am involved in my own faith's magic, but I rarely hear the term "witch" in our faith.

4.3  Spells

Not into spells. If I'm to do prayer/magic, I have my own ways that usually involve my appropriate Gods and visualizations. Some might consider these spells, but they are not like what most think of when they think of spells.

4.4  Imbolc/Beltaine/Samhain...

Those are Celtic holidays. While we have holidays that sometimes align with eclectic and Wiccan holidays on themes, they are not the same and don't involve the same Gods or myths, and may have different traditions.

4.5  "The Moon, she..."

Our moon God, Mani, is male. It has always been awkward for me to see the moon as female, but feel free to refer to it as you feel comfortable.

4.6  "The Sun, he..."

Our Sun God, Sunna, is female. It's weird to me when people refer to the sun as a male, but feel free to refer to it as you feel comfortable.

4.7  Pentacles

While I find them beautiful, they aren't a symbol for my faith.

4.8  "Join us for ritual!"

I don't take part in non-Heathen religious services, whether this is a ritual for another Pagan faith, or a church service. If I'm somewhere where there is going to be a ritual or service involving another faith, I'll just sit respectfully off to the side, doing what I need to to be respectful to the God(s) being honored while not participating. My Gods have made it clear to me that I am to only honor/worship them and no other Gods. Even if you are going to include the Norse Gods, if there are other Gods involved, it would be awkward.

4.9  "Are you going to __insert Pagan event___?"

Unless they have something specific to Ásatrú there, then "no." I'm eclectic in Ásatrú (meaning I draw from Scandinavian, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon areas) since my ancestry is from all those sources, but I do not go outside of the Norse tradition.

5.  My views on Christian elements

5.1  My view of the Christian god

I view the Christian god as the ancestral god of the Jews. I believe Jesus referred to Yahweh as "father" because he felt the god to be like a father to the Jewish people. In their mythology he did make Adam and Eve from who the Jewish people descended.

Many Christians I come by (not all) believe Jesus was an incarnation of their god. For me, whether or not this is true, it doesn't matter. I figure that's an issue between Christians and Jewish people to decide. I know Norse and Hawaiian Gods have appeared to people in physical form, and I've heard of Hindus believing their gods being born as incarnations in this world. So, maybe the Jewish god did the same thing.

5.2  My view of the concept of eternal punishment

I don't believe in an eternal punishment since I see the purpose of punishment is to help someone learn and grow, not as some sort of cosmic vengeance. Therefore, I have more of a karma-like view, though it's a little different than karma. I believe in hamingja, or luck. For instance, I started getting obsessive with always being on time - so I got impatient in traffic. This messed with my hamingja, so now more often than not traffic is abnormally bad when I'm in the car. Others have noticed this. I believe it will continue until I can learn to accept things as they are and not be impatient.

5.3  My view of angels and demons

I believe it's likely angels and demons exist, but they are part of Christianity/Judaism's worlds and the mythology associated with that, therefore I don't bother with them. I focus on elves and dwarves and land spirits that are part of my own faith, and the spirits I experience in life.

5.4  My view of Heaven and Hell

I believe it's possible there is Christian heaven and hell, but if so, I believe only Christians go there. We have nine worlds and those are the worlds I'm concerned with. One of them is ruled by the Goddess Hel and is sometimes referred to by her name, but it is not the same as Christian "Hell". Christians when translating their holy texts, chose the word "Hell" even though it wasn't in the original texts. They took it, probably in an attempt to try to convert our ancestors. Hel's world is not bad at all. It's a place where you are reunited with your friends and family until you reincarnate. I also believe several Gods have their own halls and that sometimes they choose people for their halls for a particular reason.

5.5  Prayer as Magic

This has come up a lot in discussion so I'm going to add it to this page. I believe in types of prayer. One type is just discussion with a god, ancestor, or other spirit being. One thing that's common for religious people, especially Christians, to do during prayer is to ask for things. Some I know will ask for something but not expect anything in return. This is just letting their god know how they feel.

However, some Christians I've come across believe the more they pray for something - and the more they can get others to pray - the more likely it is to happen. This is why there are prayer requests. If they believe their god is all loving and all perfect, then they must believe their god is going to do what's best in all situations, prayer or no prayer. If so, then excessive prayer would not cause this god to do anything different. So, if they are expecting a difference, it must be them that are doing it. This goes along with their text talking about how if you had enough faith you could tell a mountain to move and it would. It doesn't say their God will move the mountain. It very heavily implies the person is doing it. I believe they use their desire, the emotion they feel their devotion to their God, and their faith and put that emotion and faith toward making things happen even if they believe it's their God doing it. I believe this to be prayer-as-magic.

Since I do not believe Gods to be all powerful and all perfect, I believe some forms of prayer let the person's God know what's going on in their life and if it is of interest of the God, they will act as they feel necessary. I believe Gods have a respect of each other and don't influence others to change religions if they are already following a religion.

I see prayer-as-magic, however, can lead to manipulating people. If someone uses the passion they feel from their religion to physically harm someone, they can harm them - look at all deaths in history that have been done in the name of religion. For instance, there were things done in the name of the Christian God - horrible things - that I do not believe could at all be inspired by the kind, loving Christian God I've experienced. I believe people can harm people mentally this way, too, basically like hypnotizing or using "Jedi mind tricks." I've seen it done by evangelical Christians praying that non-evangelicals become evangelicals, and then in Paganism, when a person gained followers who drastically changed to become just like him in their personality. I, myself, fell victim to this form of magic during a very vulnerable time in my life. When I came out of it, it was like I was waking up, and I was confused about the previous few years - about how I acted.

So, with all this said, I do not believe I can be affected by such prayer anymore for several reasons. I'm not vulnerable like I was then. Low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and personal need allowed me to be more open to manipulation in many ways. Also, now I have ancestors, Gods, etc. looking over me. I have a very very strong bond to my faith and to my Gods. I also know about magic now and am not easily affected by it if I do not want to be.

6.  My Beliefs and Practice

6.1  Terminology

I tend to use these words forgetting people don't know them.

Heathen

name for followers of Ásatrú.

Heathenry

another word for Ásatrú.

Fylgja

protective spirit that takes the form of an animal (thought to be the same animal for a family) or a woman, though the woman is more common for those near death.

Hamingja

a person's "luck."

Blót

what our rituals/services are normally called. Originally the word for a form of sacrifice.

Valknut

a symbol of 3 interlocking triangles, which is a symbol of Odin and shows a willingness to be taken to Valhalla if/when necessary. People who wear this symbol are very dedicated to Odin's cause.

Valhalla

Odin's hall where the strongest warriors go.

Ragnarok

a huge war between Gods and the Jotun, where the Gods could die.

Orlog/Wyrd

fate/karma/destiny. The future is not set in stone but there is inertia in play.

Runes

writing system, also used in magic and divination. Each rune has a meaning and wisdom behind it.

6.2  Non-Heathen Gods

I show respect for Gods of people and places important to me. I do this when I visit the homes of these Gods or their followers. I also in my home have some things decorating to show this.