sent in by Sigrun Odinsdottir

I have bipolar disorder, and have been in and out of institutions for the past 3 years. My last experience with a psych facility, I was in for a year and a half, residential, and I won't name names because I don't want to get sued, but most of the staff was born-again Christians. At this time I had been practicing Asatru, which is Norse neo-paganism (www.asatru.org), for five and a half years. I was not allowed to have my Freyja statue or my runes, although another resident was allowed to have a breakable crucifix. Well, after you hear that you and your religion are evil umpteen times a day every day, you are going to break under pressure. On September 27, 2005, i "received Christ as my lord and savior", renounced Asatru, and proceeded to dispose of $1000 worth of books and ritual items (thank the gods that I had more in storage at my mom's house, where I now live). Then the brainwashing began.

Everyone thought I was getting better, but in fact I was getting worse. i started to worry about "saving souls", "repenting of sin", and what "the end times" were going to be like. I also didn't like the fact that the church treated women as second-class citizens (says so right in your holey buy-bull) and says homosexuals should be put to death (I am bisexual and tried to repent and it didn't work). I also didn't like the fact that all these people of other religions, 90% of the world's population in fact, are supposedly going to hell, when they are for the most part good people who are trying to do the right thing and serve their creator(s).

On Christmas day, 2005, some time after I had been discharged, I had a vision of Freyja and Freyr asking me to come back to them. at first it freaked me out, but then I felt... relief - relief that I could once again be myself.

I have always been "different". Some may label me "crazy". Christians have a word for the mentally ill -- "demon-possessed". In Asatru we feel differently. Odin is the god for different people, being a different sort of god himself. I am a walker between worlds, and I finally feel peace with this. Tonight, on Yule night, December 31st, I will be rededicating myself to the Norse gods and goddesses. Odin says, "it's about f***ing time!" LOL

I am not here, by the way, to promote my religion as being better than anyone else's. We all have our different paths to follow. Some may choose Wicca, some may choose Buddhism, and some may choose even atheism. I feel that as long as you are trying your best in life and are "most excellent to one another", that is what counts.



Peace and good harvests

a freysgythia


Meriden
CT
USA
What churches or organizations or labels have applied to you? Assembly of God, Baptist, charismatic, evangelical, fundamentalist, Bible-believing
What labels, if any, would you apply to yourself now? Asatru, Norse heathen, bisexual, feminist, shaman, free to be me!
Why did you become a christian? I was bullied into it by the persecution of my religion (Asatru)
I had a dream about the Norse Gods calling me back to them
email: gnirevol26 at aol dot com

Everyone thought I was getting better, but in fact I was getting worse. i started to worry about "saving souls", "repenting of sin", and what "the end times" were going to be like. I also didn't like the fact that the church treated women as second-class citizens (says so right in your holey buy-bull) and says homosexuals should be put to death (I am bisexual and tried to repent and it didn't work). I also didn't like the fact that all these people of other religions, 90% of the world's population in fact, are supposedly going to hell, when they are for the most part good people who are trying to do the right thing and serve their creator(s).

On Christmas day, 2005, some time after I had been discharged, I had a vision of Freyja and Freyr asking me to come back to them. at first it freaked me out, but then I felt... relief - relief that I could once again be myself.

I have always been "different". Some may label me "crazy". Christians have a word for the mentally ill -- "demon-possessed". In Asatru we feel differently. Odin is the god for different people, being a different sort of god himself. I am a walker between worlds, and I finally feel peace with this. Tonight, on Yule night, December 31st, I will be rededicating myself to the Norse gods and goddesses. Odin says, "it's about f***ing time!" LOL

I am not here, by the way, to promote my religion as being better than anyone else's. We all have our different paths to follow. Some may choose Wicca, some may choose Buddhism, and some may choose even atheism. I feel that as long as you are trying your best in life and are "most excellent to one another", that is what counts.



Peace and good harvests

a freysgythia


Meriden
CT
USA
What churches or organizations or labels have applied to you? Assembly of God, Baptist, charismatic, evangelical, fundamentalist, Bible-believing
What labels, if any, would you apply to yourself now? Asatru, Norse heathen, bisexual, feminist, shaman, free to be me!
Why did you become a christian? I was bullied into it by the persecution of my religion (Asatru)
I had a dream about the Norse Gods calling me back to them
email: gnirevol26 at aol dot com