Heathen group given official recognition in Denmark

Unlike the US, in Denmark, there is an official state church. That church, however, has the authority to recognize other religions, giving their clergy the ability to have their religious ceremonies - such as weddings - recognized by the state. Recently, they granted such recognition to Forn Sidr, an Asatru/Heathen group that serves as an "umbrella" organization for both solitary Heathens and Heathen church-like groups, generally called Hearths or Kindreds.

Home to the Vikings of yore, Denmark said Wednesday it will let a group that worships Thor, Odin and other Norse gods conduct legally-recognized marriages.

"To me, it would be wrong if the indigenous religion of this country wasn't recognized," Tove Fergo, the minister for Ecclesiastic Affairs and a Lutheran priest, told The Associated Press.

Under Danish law, the state Evangelical Lutheran Church has sole authority to recognize other religious communities.

The 240-member Forn Sidr, which worships Odin, Thor, Freya and the other members of the Norse pantheon, sought recognition in 1999, said Tissel Jacobsen, the group's president.

Last year, an Ecclesiastic Affairs panel of scholars recommended that Forn Sidr, whose name mean "Old Custom" in old Norse, be approved, but only if their rituals were clearly detailed in its bylaws.

"At a general assembly, we added and described our four annual heathen rituals -- spring and fall equinoxes, and the summer and winter solstices, and our marriage ceremony," Jacobsen told the AP. "We then returned our application and the panel approved it."

Fergo said she would give her final approval "in a few days."

About 1,000 people worship the ancient gods in Denmark, Jacobsen said.

This makes Denmark the second nation (that I'm aware of) to grant official status to Heathens. Asatru, the most common "denomination" is officially recognized by Iceland. While these recognitions may not seem like a big deal overall - especially in a country such as this where there are no "official" religions - but each time a nation investigates a Heathen tradition and decides that it can be granted official recognition, it helps add legitimacy to the religion as a whole.

This is an issue even in the US, despite the fact that the US does not have a list of accepted religions or religions that are considered "unrecognized" or "invalid", but because most Pagan and Heathen traditions don't use the same kind of system to ordain their clergy that most Christian denominations do, some states are still hesitant to recognize Pagan and Heathen clergy as being able to perform legally binding weddings, officiate at funeral services or serve in other kinds of official clergy roles. While there are groups trying to find legitimate ways to alleviate the problem, if the question of whether or not a religion is "real" comes up, being able to point to other nations that have given the religion official recognition can make a big difference.

Congratulations to the members of Forn Sidr, and thank you for taking the time and putting in the effort to earn recognition!

UPDATE: 9/24 pm 11/06 - be sure to read the comments section, as Ole has posted a clarification on the story.

Posted by thorswitch at November 6, 2003 07:47 AM | TrackBack