Asatru, Prison, the Media
21. February, 2007After reading the article at The Wild Hunt, about the prison inmate (identifying his religious path as Ásatrú) who is suing to have equal religious treatment in prison as that given to inmates of other faiths; and after thinking about the points in the article I felt were relevant from a Heathen perspective, I thought it might be a good idea to write down some of my thoughts here….
In the original article, we are told that Darrell Hoadley, an inmate serving a life sentence for torture and murder and referring to himself as a counsel elder of a group of Heathen inmates is suing to have access to ritual items, reference materials, and visits from other Heathens. Among his requested ritual items, he is requesting a fake sword, since the cardboard ones that have been in use keep getting wet or stolen. Hoadley is also requesting a tree and outdoor sauna.
While I think some of these requests are a bit exorbitant (I wouldn’t mind having my own tree and outdoor sauna, and I’m not serving time), I see this basically as someone speaking the wishes of his religious group, seeking access to more religious-based items (well, mostly – the toy sword is hard to swallow) that they seem, up to now, not to have had access to. As such, I see little difference here between this or any other group of religiously-motivated inmates.
The article then mentions the Heathen who was executed last Summer, Michael Lenz, along with stating the following:
Some religious experts consider it a pagan religion that can be interpreted as encouraging violence and is becoming popular among prison inmates, one of whom was executed last summer in Virginia for killing a fellow prisoner at the foot of an altar.
Any religion can be twisted to serve this perspective, including Christianity and, as we’ve seen in the news now for a number of years, Islam. That people twist the religion to serve their own ends does not mean that the religion should be in any way suspect, but rather the people doing the twisting. If you read Thrymskvitha, you could interperet our religion to mandate cross-dressing with that logic. My response to the Michael Lenz coverage, and concerns about Heathenry being interpereted as a religion that encourages violence, hatred and other undesirable behavior, can be found here.
At this point, I feel the need to point out that there is a subtle difference between the Michael Lenz and the Darrell Hoadley situations. Michael Lenz tried to claim that the murder he committed had to do with his Heathen faith, and was executed for his crime. Darrell Hoadley, although also a murderer, is requesting access to religious resources for a group of inmates. He’s not trying to justify the murder he helped commit with a ridiculous religious claim. Hoadley is requesting resources to help further access and knowledge of Heathenry; which like any other religion earnestly approached, can help inmates find a better way to live (either in prison, or outside of prison). I see this as a chance for Heathen clergy (or just experienced Heathens willing to visit the prison) to make a difference on multiple levels, and hope that the opportunity won’t be missed.
OK, first I’m going to try and fight back the urge to spit, because of a particular “king dirtbag” doing time there. On the topic, all faiths should be treated equally in the prison system. If one gets to have ritual items that are deemed “safe,” they all should. This doesn’t mean I think any of those items are necessary to broaden your faith or to practice in some way. And certainly if you get yourself put in prison, you’re going to have to do without some things. But they should be treated equally.
But a sauna? A sauna??! Oh, puhleeeeease! He forgot to include the million dollar mansion in which to hold religious gatherings, which I’m sure could be extended to 24 hours a day.
Chell, thank you for your comment :-)
I agree with you on all points – while I can see Hoadley’s grounds for filing his complaint, I don’t see the justification for a sauna. A tree I can understand, if for example Christians are given a cross under which to assemble; but a holy tree in a prison where someone else might get the idea to try to hide in its branches? I don’t see it happening – they would do better to ask for an Irminsul pillar (although proving that as accepted-enough a symbol of Heathen faith to justify its construction could be difficult).
I agree also. However, branches and limbs from the tree could be sharpened and used as weapons/blunt objects.
Fondue, thank you for your comment :-)
That’s a point I hadn’t thought of – that the branches from a tree could be pulled off and used as weapons (the tree idea is looking worse and worse, it seems)!
How does the lack of properly trained heathen clergy willing and able to help those behind bars affect the perception of our faith to the larger judeo-christian community in this country? The ways in which our ancestors dealt with the criminals in their societies will no long work in our modern age and we need to take the media into account when thinking about this problem. The fact that the media has to go to non-heathen sources for quotes on this issue troubles me. Take this quote from M. Macha NightMare in something I read the other day;
“Those ancient gods were really very revered – they were perceived to have power,” said M. Macha NightMare, a California priestess and witch who has written several books on paganism. “That’s a cool thing to identify with if you’re feeling weak and insecure. It’s an overcompensation – and they are disempowered because they’re in shackles.”
I can’t begin to image how the polarized nature of prison life would pervert the worship of our gods and any constructive thoughts on how we may change this would be great. I admit that I would personally like nothing to do with these types of people, but this problem is not going to go away. Thoughts anyone.
Robert
Robert, thank you for your comment!
First, the quote from M. Macha NightMare – was that on her blog, or elsewhere? I’d really like to have a look at the context behind that statement before I respond to it.
As for your first question, I think it definitely has an effect, and probably not a very good one. I don’t think that the media has to go to non-Heathen sources, though – in most cases, they simply choose not to. The original article (linked in the above post) quotes Mike Murray, who’s as Heathen as you or I. I can’t really fault the non-Heathen sources: if asked for my opinion about another religion, I’d give it; but a quick search on the Internet would locate several Heathen sources to approach, and I think the media should be doing a sharper job of actually digging for better source material.
As for how to start making changes? The blog where I first read this (also linked above) had a quote from Dave Haxton, where he suggested that we need to be visiting the prisons with trained clergy and volunteers. I agree with him completely on this matter, and think that the wisdom is that he doesn’t limit this exclusively to clergy. I don’t think that would solve the problem within itself, but I think it would be a stride in the right direction.
Bernulf,
Here is a link of the article by an Associated Press writer.
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/072006/07242006/208517/index_html?page=1
Even if I had the time and inclination to visit heathens in prison, in order to have any meaning interaction with them, a person would need to have the proper credentials (ordination) here in California and I imagine most other states.
Thank you for that link, Robert. Now that I’ve had the chance to read the article, I can’t see how M. Macha NightMare would arrive at her conclusion – does she mean Christian inmates are stronger, more secure, and are ‘identifying’ with a god not perceived to have much power? Her logic makes no sense to me. What does make sense is that journalists seeking to write about Heathens should make better efforts to locate actual Heathens for such commentary. It’s not like we are invisible or inaccessible, and it’s not like we aren’t willing to share our knowledge of our own religion with others.
I’m not sure about the rules for visiting inmates just as a private visitor, and then choosing to focus the conversation on Heathenry – it would seem hard to require such a visitor to be ordained clergy. At the same time, I can understand why it would be advantageous to have a clergy background when visiting inmates – not so much because clergy are sharper about our lore than non-clerical Heathens; but because clergy should also be trained in counseling concerns and methods, where the average Heathen isn’t. At the same time, if we don’t have enough trained clergy to volunteer time in prison ministry, it behooves us to have experienced Heathens going in to help fill in knowledge gaps, and to overall let inmates know that they haven’t been forgotten by Heathens on the outside.
Heilsa,
I came across this thread and wanted to comment, don’t know if anyone with see it now. I volunteer at a prison
in Washington state, it is not necessary to be ordained here. Most of the men came to religion after being locked up and have very limited access to good info. If you care about changing the perception of Asatru’ in prison you are going to help by getting involved. These men are not all terrible people and you can root out the bad ones from the group. Thanks for listening.