Icelanders will soon be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Thor, Odin and Frigg with construction starting this month on the island’s first major temple to the Norse gods since the Viking age.
Worship of the gods in Scandinavia gave way to Christianity around 1,000 years ago but a modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in Iceland.
“I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet,” said Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, high priest of Asatruarfelagid, an association that promotes faith in the Norse gods.
“We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.”
Membership in Asatruarfelagid has tripled in Iceland in the last decade to 2,400 members last year, out of a total population of 330,000, data from Statistics Iceland showed.
So a temple that worships gods that the faithful know full well were created by man, simply so they can enjoy their cultural heritage and the fables of their forefathers.
Best reason to build a temple ever!
And SO much easier to accept than the Judeo Christian god with all of his rules and threats of eternal damnation.
If Thor gets mad at you he simply strikes you with lightning and that's it. Seems much more reasonable.
Oh, no. A religion from a culture where women were allowed to be property owners, get a divorce, be warriors thousands of yrs ago.
ReplyDeleteI guess if I had to pick a religion, an ancient one that held women in higher esteem than any christian ones would be one qualifier.
The thing is, Thor's Hammer is threatening and intimidating too.
ReplyDeleteAnd, he doesn't give any assurances for eternal life. Christ came to offer himself in the place of the world, so that all might have eternal life.
It's God the Father making the ultimate sacrifice, versus Thor not concerned about the souls of men, who seemingly can't ever get it together, considering what we read in the news day in and day out. Not one of us is righteous and by ourselves, couldn't make it. No greater sacrifice than to die for us and take our sins and faults in His place, so that we can be together one day.......forever and ever. Amen.
OK, thanks for clearing that up.
Delete[eyeroll]
Yeah, so much for what Jesus didn't do...
Deletehttp://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/108/d/8/thor_the_win_by_xavierisboss-d627pun.jpg
Apparently you know nothing about other religions and yet you try to speak about them. Valhalla has eternal life. You christians probably stole that idea.
Delete6:38, no disrespect, but you do realize your version is just as nonsensical as the Norse version? Especially since you say Thor and his hammer is more threatening and intimidating than your God. How about Christians like say, Ted Nugent and his oh so pacifist views?
DeleteIf there really was an Almighty peace-loving God don't you think he'd have the power to get all his little people down here on earth to Believe? Why would he let so many versions of religion abound, and so many die trying to convince others that their version is the correct one?
I bow only to Mother Nature, on which our very existence relies completely.
Mildred
Ok, God said to himself, "Man, it's lonely being all awesome and stuff by myself. I know! I'll create people that will love me and worship me unconditionally. 'Cuz if they don't, I'll destroy them and their stinkin' kids.
DeleteAnd speaking of kids, wouldn't it be cool if I created my own son by sleeping with the wife of another man "in her dreams" without having to marry her?(We all know how most marriages end, right?!) Hypocritical? I guess so.....UNLESS...."my son" happend to be a cool supervillian meets savior kind of guy that gets killed in the end and then.....wait for it.....rises from the dead.
Oh, I am a jenius! I'm going to make myself look like a martyr! God, gave his ill-begotten son to save the world. Hmmmm..that can't be right. It's missing something. I got it!
A-hem (clearing throat)..For God so loved the world that HE gave his only begotten son so that all who believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Ooooh....did you just give you chills from reading that?
Man, I'm good!
Hhhmmm. 6:38? I do believe you need to read a little bit about mythology. ANY amount would be great since you obviously have NO idea what the Norse gods did or did not do. NOT A DAMNED THING!
DeleteAnd even further, you have very little knowledge of the history of the creation of christianity, either, considering that little piece of religious mythology was stolen (like nearly every other aspect of christianity) from another religion.
If YOU want to be suckered into believing that crap, fine. Just don't try to convince others until you have the knowledge needed to at least TRY to counter argue points like this.
Oh. And so you know? Just saying you believe does NOT win arguments. It just makes you look stupid like Hamm.
The whole concept of good versus evil deities came from the Zoroastrians and Dionysus the bull horned one was also called the Twice Born one: guess whose mythos he influenced?
DeleteMildred, can we please be IM buddies? I love who you present yourself to be!
DeleteI pray to Odin, 6:38 that this is snark.
ReplyDeleteNorse Gods get drunk and fight.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a religion that is a perfect fit for Palin family.
I suspect this is being done with tourism in mind. But then again Icelanders do believe in elves.
ReplyDeleteAnd fairies, too. And since I can find no reference to those who fancy the elves and those who fancy the fairies blowing each other up, I'm going to have to declare that a fake religion.
DeleteO/T: Andrew Sullivan just left this little teaser on The Dish:
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------------
Captain Ahab Strikes Gold At Last?
Feb 4 2015 @ 12:34pm
The timing couldn’t be more perfect (or frustrating): a new, fascinating factoid shedding light on Sarah Palin’s fantasies.
I just zipped over to Sully's and clicked the link which led to a music video from 1987 - "Never Gonna Give You Up."
DeleteI don't get it. Andrew doesn't post randomly - esp not about SP. It's a joke? But what's the punchline?
Help, IMer's...
You were Rick Rolled.
DeleteSooooo, is Rick Rolled a bad thing?
DeleteMildred
If you love that song, it isn't!
DeleteRepublicans are trying to legally rig elections, again
ReplyDelete2/4/15 10:30am by Jon Green
http://americablog.com/2015/02/republicans-want-legally-rig-elections-part-8670334.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americablog+%28AMERICAblog+News+%29
Lovely now quite killing whales and maybe I can visit your island.
ReplyDeleteRead about this yesterday and my first reaction was "Cool". I know of someone who want to build a Pantheon here in the states. They were researching where would be a good place to build one and then they'd start sorting out the fundraising. A lot of pagans were excited about the idea. Because you know how fun those Olympians were. Heck, I'd visit it.
ReplyDeleteAs along as they don't go sacrificing stuff like goats or people, I'm fine with it.
ReplyDeleteDoes evidence undermine religion?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rd4PcNhq3I
https://www.youtube.com/user/bigquestionnn/videos
C4p was a hot bed of religion, gays, discrimination, abortion, unions, minimum wages today. Then they learned that the cult queen is invited to cpac and has been asked to appear on SNLs 40th anniversary show. EVERYTHING they discussed offended me-especially the SNL invite! Way to ruin the show. By the by, after reading their religious shit, I am rooting for a biblical god, because I really think they would all go to hell.
ReplyDeleteThough I find it really neat that Icelanders are bringing back Norse mythology, something of which I study, I have to say that picture posted above is quite offensive to those of the Christian religion. Now, I am not here to start fights, I am just kindly saying that 'my god' who has been nailed to a cross was actually a sensitive subject, for my God sent his son down to Earth to die for our sins. And by this picture, I feel as though you are insulting my religion, so please, kindly take it down. I know I cannot force you, but you can get others to join the Norse religion in different ways.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but there are many here who cannot respect other's religions. Reading the comments, it seems like most Christians are being belittled by what they believe in and its a bit harsh. Listen, leave them alone. Let them comment what they want, and if you want to be an asshole, go do it somewhere else. We don't need your stupidity.
ReplyDelete