Monday, December 12, 2005

Odinism In Prisons

Odinism In Prisons Cover Odinism is playing a larger and larger role in prison culture. White supremacist groups have historically seen and used prisons as recruiting grounds—an already largely segregated population is an easy target for racial supremacists. Add to this a religion promising racial superiority in addition to a mystic and warrior mythology, and it creates an almost prefect storm for racial Odinism to prosper. Adding even more fuel to the fire is the growing push for more inclusivity of religion in government entities—a 2005 Supreme Court case ruled that prisons must be more accommodating of minority Religions (more Information here and here).

Odinism has had a prison population since at least the mid-1980’s, but really began to surge in the mid 1990’s, bolstered in part by the sudden explosion of white supremacist music and a movement for more tolerance of non-mainstream religious practices. As of 2007, at least 15 states had laws explicitly allowing Odin worship to take place in prisons, and The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that right-wing racist Odinism within prison populations is the fastest growing Odinic sect in the world.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Hrafnagaldr Odi - Odin Ravens Song
Anonymous - Odinism And Asatru
Aleister Crowley - Rodin In Rime