As in all organized religions, there are issues in Asatru where not all of the Practitioners are of one mind. Sadly, one of the most contentious issues in Asatru revolves around how open the religion is to people who are not of Northern European/Teutonic racial and/or cultural heritage. Not surprisingly, this is an issue that is very emotionally charged, and it is often difficult to conduct civil discussions on the various positions that are held. To try and remove some of the overt emotionalism that often accompanies this topic, and to try to help clarify what the range of viewpoints are, I have created a fairly basic scale that provides summaries of the most common viewpoints I have encountered or been otherwise made aware of. I would like to thank Doug from Texas who has provided assistance in editing and refining this scale. The descriptions are written from the Perspective of one who holds that viewpoint. It should be noted that at the furthest ends of the scale, the beliefs held may come across as more extreme, and I have tried to indicate this without belittling the holder of the viewpoint or the holder itself. I have also tried to eliminate as much inflammatory language as possible, and to avoid implying any judgments or personal feelings I may have about any particular viewpoint.
Inclusion of a viewpoint on this scale does not mean that it is in any way generally accepted as a "valid" viewpoint by the Asatru Community in general, only that there are people who call themselves Asatru and hold that particular viewpoint.
Books in PDF format to read:
Anders Sandberg - Asatru The Nordic Subtradition Of The VerbenaIrv Slauson - The Religion Of Odin
John Arnott Macculloch - The Religion Of The Ancient Celts
Chantepie De La Saussaye - The Religion Of The Teutons
