Folkish Heathenism vs All of Pagandom?

Having worked with many wonderful Pagans in an open network/group, I've experienced the frustration, sometimes even disgust, with other Pagan paths/traditions.  I've also experienced the mental and social reconciliation that can happen when two people who believe very differently can come together, learn, and make something beautiful like a ritual or even a lasting friendship.

In MVPN down in Utica, there was always a huge lack of Heathens.  We had one come during a meet and greet (I was not lucky enough to make his acquaintance) but he never returned.  He was looking for others like him and not the Wiccans that were present.  My friend Parallax worships Heathen deities but I'm not 100% sure if she calls herself a Heathen.  She practices through an ADF context, as do other would-be Heathens who take issue with Asatru's folkish (sometimes racist) stance.

Jason Pitzl-Waters, author of "The Wild Hunt" blog, steps up and questions the often deliberate distance placed between "us" (All of Pagandom) and "them" (the "traditional" Heathens) in his entry entitled "Asatru and the Alternative Right."  The whole she-bang is definitely worth reading, but the best bit is the final paragraph:

In the end it comes down to this. I don’t have to like all Pagans, I certainly don’t have to practice with all Pagans, and I’m long over the notion of any sort of real “Pagan Unity” ever being feasible, but a broader idea of solidarity is important if we are to capitalize and build on the legal, political, and social gains we have made. When we trash each other to impress other groups or individuals, we don’t damage the integrity or utility of those other religions and traditions, but we do harm the vital solidarity necessary to get the things we all want. This doesn’t mean you can’t draw distinctions or even civilly criticize paths different from your own, but when folks start implying that you shouldn’t be in the larger movement, that’s counter-productive and drains enthusiasm from the activists working for the rights of all Pagans.

Jason is brave to stand up for everyone, and I applaud him for doing so.  At the same time, we need to remember that not all self-described Heathens are like that.  It's unfortunate that many Heathens have ostracized its more liberal members - the ones who see beyond skin color and country of origin.  Thankfully they have a home in Ár nDraíocht Féin  and the larger Pagan community.  We have our differences, but we need to stand together for our rights.

No religious expression by students in school?

The story about Guthrie Center's industrial arts teacher, Dale Halferty, and his refusal to allow a student to make a Wiccan altar in shop class is really irking me.  I wholeheartedly agree that a teacher should not promote his or her religion in school, but that students have every right to express their religion in nonviolent ways.  They should be allowed to write about loving Jesus at Christmas time, to wear head scarves, and to construct small Wiccan altars at shop class if all the students are given free reign to create something useful.  In my professional opinion, school is the first place where children are introduced to other ways of being.  It should be a safe place for self-expression and the exploration of diversity.  I wonder what would have happened in my old school district  had I tried to do something like that.  Oh wait, I did!  In web design, I made a website about tarot cards.  In 11th grade English class, I did a presentation on the tools of modern witches to go along with our exploration of The Crucible.  My senior project was about Runes.  Any teacher that became aware of my beliefs was respectful and even interested in it.  I'm glad to hear that the superintendent for this other school, Steve Smith, is supporting the Wiccan student's right to religious expression.

Halferty's argument, that if Christians can't express themselves, Wiccans shouldn't, is bogus.  Most schools I know of allow Christian students to form after school bible study groups, to pray around the flag before school starts, and to wear crosses.  They even have that "under God" statement that remains in our Pledge of Allegiance!  Give me a break.

When I was in shop class, back in 7th or 8th grade, the big project was to make an analogue clock.  We all got to choose a face for our clock out of a catalogue.  Were there crosses?  Oh you betcha.  Were there pentacles, triquetras, Thor hammers, Brighid crosses, Stars of David, Buddha's hands, script from the Koran, or any other religious symbol?  Of course not.