Why The Gods?
At first, it may seem odd that we worship
Gods whose myths make them look like
little more than oversized magickal
people. Myth is allegory. Just as
Christians and Jews do not believe the
world was actually created in seven days,
so we do not believe Thor is some great
big man who swats monsters with his
hammer. However, it is much easier for
us to believe in a God who would be symbolized as a hammerwielding
champion than one who encourages us to be meek, poor
and servile.
Let us take an incident that happened many years ago.
Several men were talking about the ancients. Talk went to the old
Gods, and the subject of Thor came up. You could see that the
men liked it. They spoke with admiration for a God who exhibited
such might. Then, one of the fellows said, "That may be so, but JESUS is the only....," Immediately, the men looked deflated.
They agreed with him, but one could see that it was not because
they felt it,. It was as if they felt they had to agree about Jesus.
Actions speak louder than words, and it was obvious that they were
inspired by Thor and deflated by Jesus.
Thor so inspired the Norsemen that most refused to convert
when Christianity came. It took several wars, deceit and much
bloodshed to force Christianity on the Norse. Why refuse a
religion if it were better? Once again, Thor inspired the people far
more than Jesus. It is much easier to have faith in a God of Action
than one of passivity.
The Norsemen were not ignorant barbarians. Most could
write at a time when Christian Europe was rife with illiteracy.
They were capable people at a time when the rest of the world was
in its dark ages. They ruled a vast area, from Scandinavia to large
parts of Britain, Ireland, France and what are now the Ukraine and
Russia. So it is that their faith in the Gods was not born of
ignorance, but of experience. The Norsemen of old were realists.
Their experience showed that faith in the Gods had practical
results.
Our Gods inspire us,. Though they are symbolized in an
anthropomorphic way, we know that they are spiritual entities.
Belief in their exact nature varies among Heathens. Some see them
as individual deities, others as facets of a greater divinity. There
are those who view them as part of a divine hierarchy, and others
who think they are little more than archetypes. Heathenism has no
single doctrine, and embraces all of these. Each person has to
come to his or her own terms with the nature of the Gods.
Heathenism is not a dogmatic religion, but a way of life that allows
alternatives.
Most of us believe that the Gods interact with us and work
with us. They are friends who desire the best for us. Whether we
see them as aspects of one thing, distinct individuals, or as part of a
holy hierarchy, the consensus is that they are favorable to us.
Traditionally, people gravitate to the Gods with which they
feel the greatest affinity. This is based on the attributes of each
deity, each of which has his own specialties. Tyr, the ancient God
of War, is favored by solders and policemen. Freyja, a nature
Goddess, is chosen by gardeners and cat lovers. Thor, the God of the individual, is a favorite of many people. By choosing favorite
Gods, we do not alienate the others. Beings of that magnitude are
not offended by our choices. They do not feel slighted in the least!
Gods are too vast and wise to be subject to such petty things as
bickering, spite and jealousy.
For those raised in religions where the God is demanding
and prone to retribution, this may seem strange. To Heathens, it is
perfectly logical. Why would Gods who love us want to hurt us? If
the Gods are our friends and they are so overwhelmingly wise and
understanding, why would they want to punish us for petty things?
Things like sin and salvation and >Judgment Day= are alien to
Heathenism. If you think about it, such concepts stand in direct
opposition to the concept of a loving God.
Again, we separate the myths and folktales from the
reality. Though the Gods in myths may seem capricious and petty,
we know those stories are allegories. In myths, the Gods are used
as actors in a play rather than as their real nature. What we contact
are the spiritual Gods rather than mythic characters.
To compare our Gods with the conventional monotheistic
deity would be misleading. The deity believed by Christians, Jews
and Muslims is thought to be an entirely different nature. It is
transcendent: a distant deity that lives separate from its creation. It
is jealous, capricious and vindictive. Our Gods are not only
transcendent, but close at hand. They are not separate from this
world. In fact, this world is as spiritual as any other because of the
presence of the Gods.. We believe that our Gods are friendly to us
and seek out betterment.