Renewed Activity on Our Message Board

We've recently recommitted ourselves to making the Heathen Gods Message Board a vital and active place where Heathens can come and have rational and respectful conversations with other Heathens.

You will find new posts on the message board every single day.  You can register on the Message Board in the traditional way, or you can use your Facebook account to register in seconds.  Once you are on the Message Board, you can browse by topic categories or browse a list of the most recent discussions.

We'd like to invite you to our message board.  Start discussions, join in on existing discussions, ask questions, and share information in a mature and moderated environment.

The Heathen Gods Message Board

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com

Temple of Our Heathen Gods - Version 2.0

In August of 2007, we started the Temple of Our Heathen Gods resource website.  While content has been added continuously over the past 5 years, the format and structure of the website has remained unchanged.

A Screenshot of the New Version of our Website

In August of 2012, our hosting service stopped supporting and running the version of PHP that our aging content management system depended on...causing our website to break and stop working.  So, to fix this problem and to celebrate our 5th Anniversary, we've been working on Temple of Our Heathen Gods, version 2.0.

Much of the content available on the old page has already been made available on the new website.  But, we're making the new website more mobile (phones, tablets, etc.) friendly, including a modern message board that is streamlined and user-friendly.  The message board even allows you to register using your Facebook account!  We're also making the new website more approachable for new heathens.

Please take a look at our work-in-progress, and check back in the coming weeks as we finish up our efforts in completely rebuilding our resource website.

http://www.heathengods.com

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

Heathen Gods Podcast?

You know...the success of of both Ravencast and Raven Radio really underlines the demand people have for heathen audio and video content. Youtube, podcasting, and iTunes are a method for information sharing where there is room for growth. Additional voices...additional options. And Midwest Heathenry is really not well-represented in this area.

For over a year, we've been talking about the possibility of doing a Podcast. One thing we have not wanted to do, is to do things in the way that others do it. Ravencast and Raven Radio have a certain feel and methodology that is their own, and they are both good at what they do. We've talked at length about how to approach this and how to provide some content and an approach that would add to what currently exists without simply duplicating efforts.

And it is fair to say that we are closer than ever to taking the plunge. We'll likely start with 30 minute shows, pre-recorded and edited. The shows will each hit a specific topic important to us, with a focus on building and maintaining a kindred, building regional bonds between kindreds, and some of the basic human interactions that take place within a kindred...all from a Midwestern Heathen viewpoint.

We're still working out details, but I thought I'd share what we've been talking about...

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com

Discussions Welcome...

I enjoy discussions.  I enjoy discussions with people that don't necessarily agree with me or who see things from a different point of view.  Discussions of that nature, allow both points-of-view to be explored and for the people involved to compare where they are coming from on a topic. 

What I don't enjoy, is people who are angry and bitter.  They name-call.  They compare you to Wiccan's, or Christians, or some other belief system in an attempt to smear you.  They believe that their point of view is 100% correct and everyone else's is 100% wrong.  They somehow believe that they have the key to Truth and that everyone else is just making it up as they go along.  They use a mocking tone and insults.  And when you call them on any of these things, they accuse you of "not tolerating another's opinion."  Or of "not allowing open discussion on a topic."

Now, this sort of behavior takes place in discussions of political issues, culture, and other religions.  But in Heathenry, it is especially interesting to observe.  Here we are with no Holy Book or central authority.  We are a tribal way of life and are attempting to reconstruct for ourselves a world-view from materials that are somewhat imperfect in their completeness and quality.  And yet, almost miraculously, we still manage to create fundamentalist Heathens that feel it is their task in life to express their singular correct point-of-view, and tear down anyone who doesn't share an appreciation for their brilliant correctness.

Yes I do express my point-of-view and the point-of-view of my kindred.  But, I don't go to other Heathens blogs, or message boards, or internet postings and tell them how wrong they are.  And I certainly don't do so with a mocking, insulting, angry bitterness.  I've been around long enough to understand that there are intelligent, reasonable, and thoughtful people who hold widely divergent points-of-view.  So, I don't spend my time attempting to tear down or vilify people who have a different point of view than mine.  And I don't feel obligated to entertain those who would seek to do that to me.

Discussions are welcome...

Afterall, I have discussions with scores of Heathens on Facebook, Google+, the Heathen Gods Message Board, and many other places and rarely do we all agree.  But everything seems to go just fine.  

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com