Louisiana Church Burnings: Hate Has No Place Here

Hate Has No Place Here

The Troth strongly condemns Holden Matthews, the alleged arsonist of three historically African American churches: St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.

An attack on any house of worship is an attack on the freedom of worship for all people. The actions of Mr. Matthews are antithetical of the values and beliefs of the majority of modern Pagans. 

The media has connected Mr. Matthews with Odinism, specifically beliefs created and promoted by convicted church arsonist Varg Vikernes, a neo-Nazi. Vikernes and his followers’ extremist vision of the religion is one that does not conform to the reality of the historical and modern practice of pagan religions, which are open to all, regardless of gender, race, national origin, sexuality, or political ideology. 

Inclusiveness is a Heathen value shared by The Troth and more than 180 organizations across the globe who have signed Declaration 127, which states in part, “We hereby declare that we do not condone hatred or discrimination carried out in the name of our religion, and will no longer associate with those who do.” 

The Troth’s Heathens Against Hate initiative works on an international scale to combat bigotry and their Red Hammer initiative raised over $1,000 for the victims of the Christchurch shooting last month. 

Media Contact:

Lauren Crow
Troth Public Relations Director
publicrelations@thetroth.org

DONATIONS

The Troth's Red Hammer team has created a donation drive to raise funds for the church organizations victimized by this arson. Please visit The Troth's Donation page, and, from the pull-down menu, choose Disaster Relief Program (Red Hammer) - Louisiana Church Burnings.

Statement on the Christchurch, NZ, Terror Attack

Heathen communities are joining together to condemn the terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The statement, a list of the signing organizations, and the information about how to donate to help the  survivors and victims is on the Troth Blog on the updated website.

Loki Policy Survey

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO TROTH MEMBERS: You will find the following email in your mailbox that is associated with your Troth account. If you did not receive the email and are on an Active account, you may use the link below to access the survey. To take the survey, one must have been an Active member as of 11/27/18.

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Hail The Troth!

Last year, the organization conducted a survey that included a question with multiple answers about hailing Loki at Troth events.

The subject of hailing Loki has been a hot-button issue since the ban on doing so was first put into place in 2008. The leadership would like to know where our current members stand on this topic. As such, we have created a short follow-up survey that focuses solely on the hailing of Loki. The results of this survey, while not binding on the organization, will aid the Rede in the discussion and debate process in the next quarterly Rede meeting.

The survey will remain open from December 1 through December 14, so we urge members to take it as soon as possible. The results will be published prior to the beginning of Yule, but the decision of the Rede will not be until the meeting begins in January.

Please take the survey at:

https://thetroth.org/members/surveys/loki.html

You will be required to log into the website prior to taking it. You can reset your password at:

https://thetroth.org/password

and your email for the reset is the one at which you received the message.

Again, although this is not a binding referendum, the results of this survey will provide important information and insight to the Rede during the decision-making process.

We understand the complexity of this topic and ask that everyone take the whole of the community as well as oneself into consideration when answering the questions.

Thank you,

The High Rede of The Troth

Freya Aswynn

The Troth’s stance on inclusive Heathenry is enshrined within our Bylaws, the mandatory oaths of our Officers, our status as a signatory to Declaration 127, and our work within Heathens Against Hate. We hold as sacred within our halls that hatred or bigotry based on race, gender, orientation, ability or faith is abhorrent in the sight of the gods and in the eyes of our ancestors. 

It is unfortunate that not everyone shares our inclusive vision, and, at times, we are compelled to review the actions of leaders and to sever the relationships of the past. It is our policy to remove members who do not support our core values of inclusive Heathenry. These decisions are painful, but we stand by our inclusive stance. 

Our Officers' Oath of Service reads, in part, “With The Troth I stand against any use of Germanic religion and culture to advance causes of racism, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy, ableism, or any other form of prejudice.”

Recently, a Troth Elder was observed making remarks on social media which belie the spirit of inclusiveness The Troth strives to foster. The Rede has determined that these recent posts by Freya Aswynn have violated our policies. We attempted to intervene in private, but the posts continued with increasing Islamophobic rhetoric. 

The High Rede of The Troth must honor our oaths and condemn this behavior. As such, the High Rede has determined that our relationship with Freya as an Elder is no longer appropriate, and we have rescinded her status as Elder and have terminated her Lifetime Membership.

Thank you very much.

The High Rede of The Troth

NEW and ORIGINAL Hávamál and Rígsthula Translations

These are NEW and ORIGINAL translations of Hávamál and of Rígsthula by Ben himself!

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We have the honor and pleasure to announce that the Troth has just released a pocket-sized edition (4.25” x 6.88”, or 108 x 175 mmm) of the complete Hávamál, in a new translation. At only 52 pages, it’s small enough to tuck anywhere—and yet we managed to include not just the full text of the longest poem in the Edda, but some pretty extensive notes to help you through the text.

And we did something else. For every copy of the new Hávamál that you purchase, the Troth will donate a copy to prison ministry (through In-Reach) or to military ministry (through the Open Halls Project). Yes, we are now the Toms Shoes of Heathenry.

Oh, and by the way, I dusted off my old Rigsthula translation and published that, too. Same deal: you buy one, we’ll donate one.

We’ll be getting the e-book editions out over the next few days, and in a few weeks the books should be listed on Amazon. But as of right now, these small yet helpful volumes can be previewed and purchased at:

http://www.lulu.com/content/21177667 — Hávamál: $6.00

http://www.lulu.com/content/21211313 — Rígsthula: $5.00

Ben Waggoner, Shope, The Troth.

This post represents official Troth policy or is an official Troth statement.

Frith Forge / Sacred Sites of Germany Tour

Frith Forge is the space and time on an international level to build alliances, understanding, and friendships among us instead of compartmentalizing further in an industrialized world. Lets learn from each other with respect for one another, and in frith instead of in isolation. Together we can enjoy this opportunity to discuss inclusion in religion and to promote cultural, religious, and educational exchange.

Frith Forge

October 6-8, 2017

KiEZ Inselparadies Petzow

Zum Inselparadies 9-12

14542 Werder/Petzow

Germany

Each organization that will be represented at this conference will have featured presentation time. All attendees are invited to submit paper summaries of presentations they would like to give to IREP@thetroth.org. We encourage vendors/organizations to set up a table. There will be time for lectures, group discussion, workshops, ritual, and more!

Early arrivals may join us for unstructured meet and greet time starting October 5th.

The conference is immediately followed by the Sacred Sites of Germany tour, which runs from October 8-14, 2017. Pre-registration is underway between now and March 31 for the tour. The conference and the tour are separate (but related) events, so you may participate in one, the other, or both!

Information on each event is available on the Frith Forge website:

http://events.thetroth.org/frith-forge/2017

Hope to see you in Germany!

This post represents official Troth policy or is an official Troth statement.

Inclusion Affirmation Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - TROTH INCLUSION AFFIRMATION

PHILADELPHIA, PA:

February 5, 2016

On February 2, 2017, the High Rede (Board of Directors) of The Troth has implemented the following motion:

I move that we accept the inclusion affirmation wording as follows and that the wording be placed on the Join and Renew pages of the website. The statement may also be placed in other locations, such as on a screen at first login, and members' proceeding with processing their membership or clicking an acceptance box will be recorded as their agreement to abide by The Troth's inclusive policies.

In choosing to join The Troth, you agree to abide by the following:

I agree to keep frith with all Troth members regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, gender, or family structure.

This presents prospective members and current members with an opportunity to affirm their understanding of The Troth's inclusive policies and positions and to abide by the "law of the hall." 

This affirmation appears on the Join and Renew pages, and it will also present itself the first time a member logs into TheTroth.org. The affirmation also will appear during the joining and renewal processes. 

If you have questions about this statement, please direct them to the High Rede via the Steer (steer@thetroth.org) or through the Contact form at http://www.TheTroth.org/contact.html.

The Troth is open to all who seek to know and to honor the Gods, ancestors, and values of the Germanic Heathen traditions, regardless of gender, race, nationality or sexual orientation. The Troth stands against any use of Germanic religion and culture to advance causes of racism, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy, or any other form of prejudice.

ROBERT L. SCHREIWER

STEER (President and CEO)

The Troth

325 Chestnut Street

Suite 800

Philadelphia, PA 19106