The Declaration of Deeds
I have declared this blog to be inclusive, but what does it mean to be inclusive? The standard statement of inclusivity within Heathenry is Declaration 127. The problem with Declaration 127 is that it is pretty much just a condemnation of just one group, the Asatru Folk Assembly. A much stronger statement is needed when there are much bigger problems of bigotry within Heathenry than just one racist organisation.
I am choosing to define the inclusivity that Mīne Wyrtruman stands for by adopting Wind in the Worldtree’s Declaration of Deeds. It was originally written by Beofeld (the authorof Wind in the Worldtree) as a thought experiment on what he would like in a Heathen anti-bigotry statement. You can find the full unedited text for the Declaration of Deeds below.
We heathens, pagans, followers of the old ways, we are more than the choices that brought us into being; we are more than our orlay. Instead, we are our deeds, we are the choices we make and not those chosen for us. In acknowledgement of this we declare the following points:
I. We endeavor to be better than our forebears. Their society was a product of its time and was often deeply flawed, but their religious belief in the gods we hold to be timeless. We endeavor to reconstruct their religion, not the flaws in their society.
II. Our religion gives no basis for discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or origin; the gods have nothing to say on the matter of race. We maintain that a person’s race does not impede their ability to participate in our religion or our group.
III. Our religion gives no basis for discrimination based on gender or sex; our religion has divine and powerful goddesses and gods. We maintain that a person’s gender or sex does not impede their ability to participate in our religion or our group.
IV. Our religion gives no basis for discrimination based on sexual orientation; the gods we worship do not always conform to one orientation or another and still hold their positions and importance regardless of their sexuality. We maintain that a person’s sexual orientation does not impede their ability to participate in our religion or our group.
V. Deeds matter to our communities and to our gods, deeds are the foundations of our reputations. We maintain that the basis we are to be judged on is through our actions and our deeds and not merely through circumstances beyond our control.
We are charged in the Havamal to speak out against evil when we see evil; bigotry and discrimination based on the chances of our birth is just such an evil. We heathens, pagans, followers of the old ways; we join our voices in unison with this our Declaration of Deeds, that we may declare that the chances of our birth that are beyond our control have no bearing on our ability to participate in this religion nor to lead full spiritual lives, but rather that in all cases it is our actions and deeds that truly matter.
If you agree with these principles, that Heathenry has no basis for discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, origin, gender, sex, or sexual orientation, you can sign Beofeld’s statement, too.
Sign
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