Happily Heathen: Heathens and Tolerance – Iceland, You Are *Not* Alone

[icymist]

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Last week, Iceland Magazine interviewed the high priest of the Icelandic Asatru movement in Iceland, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson. He stated in the interview that ever since word got out that his organization was building the first official Heathen temple (hof) in Iceland, his group has started to receive hate mail from conservative Asatruar. Hate mail, from other Heathens, aimed at a group that not only got Heathenry accepted as an official religion in Iceland, but is also now finally building the world’s first modern-day hof where Heathens from all over the world can come worship. Why the hate mail? Icelandic Heathens, like Heathens all over Scandinavia, are very liberal and perform same-sex marriages. This group has a long history of tolerance and acceptance towards all people, both Heathen and non-Heathen, and have always accepted people from any background to be Asatru.

The hate mail Hilmar Örn has received specifically threatens that these Heathens will attend the temple’s opening ceremony, “to ‘correct’ what those groups see as the incorrect tolerance of Icelanders.”

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2015/07/happily-heathen-heathens-and-tolerance-iceland-you-are-not-alone/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=agora_072415UTC040715_daily&utm_content=&spMailingID=49174675&spUserID=OTkxMjI4ODc3NzkS1&spJobID=723152546&spReportId=NzIzMTUyNTQ2S0