Good article on Odinism religion and white supremacy

Posted on: May 23, 2017 at 09:35:44 CT

"Traditionally, most American white supremacists claim to be Christians — hence the Ku Klux Klan, which uses a burning cross as its symbol, and the Phineas Priesthood, a group that preaches an anti-immigrant message and whose members attempted to burn down the Mexican Consulate earlier this year in the name of Jesus.

But like Doyle and Chaney, a number of white supremacists are abandoning Christianity for a very different religion: Odinism, sometimes called Asatru, Vanuatrú, or Dísitrú. The faith, which has several different strains, is a modern expression of an ancient, polytheistic Nordic belief system that reveres a slew of gods such as Thor. Most of its U.S. adherents, many of whom self-identify as “heathens”, are nonviolent and inclusive, more concerned with preaching virtues than calling for a race war. Norse paganism, once the religion of Vikings, is currently undergoing a revival among young residents of Iceland, where it is recognized as a state religion.

Yet an unsettlingly virulent strain of Odinism has coalesced in the United States over the past few decades, attracting white supremacists who see it as more purely “white” than Christianity."

https://thinkprogress.org/the-new-religion-of-choice-for-white-supremacists-8af2a69a3440