We gathered in Mandel (and got the projector/microphone to work!) to hear his both informative and engaging talk. He talked about this history of the religion, how it began simultaneously in the US and in Iceland in the 70s. While it's primarily a Scandinavian and US religion, there are believers across the world, mostly in Europe but also as far as Japan. It's one of the fastest growing new religions. Bill noted that while it follows ancient beliefs, it is definitely a reconstructionist religion as in while it tries to imitate (or emulate) ancient traditions, it changes with the times. It tries to update based on the needs of the community. Communities are incredibly important. It is the community that holds people's reputation and is ultimately responsible for carrying on individuals' stories once they are dead (ultimately choosing if somebody becomes immortal or forgotten). Families are also incredibly important for this reason and that is why ancestor veneration is one of the most important practices in Asatru. While Bill certainly loves his faith and is incredibly knowledgeable, he appropriately criticizes those who use this religion to justify racist actions and general white supremacy. This really showed me that he has thought critically and thoroughly about Asatru and just proved how knowledgeable and credible he is. The talk itself was engaging, he spoke directly towards us, encouraged questions throughout the lecture.
Thanks Bill!
~Ana-Sofia