The Northern Path

According to the New York Times, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has directed chaplains to remove religious books, tapes and CDs from prison libraries unless they are on an as-yet-undisclosed list of 150 government-approved resources. Apparently the original motivation was fear of terrorists with library cards:

Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons, said the agency was acting in response to a 2004 report by the Office of the Inspector General in the Justice Department. The report recommended steps that prisons should take, in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, to avoid becoming recruiting grounds for militant Islamic and other religious groups. The bureau, an agency of the Justice Department, defended its effort, which it calls the Standardized Chapel Library Project, as a way of barring access to materials that could, in its words, “discriminate, disparage, advocate violence or radicalize.”

No Pagan religions are mentioned, but Jason at the Wild Hunt blog has immediately picked up on the implications for Pagans and Heathens:

In addition, according to religious scholars who have seen the list, the title selection is “inhibiting”, and favors “a bias toward evangelical popularism and Calvinism”. So naturally, one has to wonder what the book selections are for modern Pagan and Heathen religions. Which books were approved for Wicca? For Asatru? Which “experts” picked the books for these categories, and how many titles total are allowed in prison libraries?

The policy raises First Amendment concerns, and some inmates have already filed a class-action lawsuit. One can only hope that the spiritual interests of Pagans and Heathens won’t be washed away in the surge from this particular political storm.

Ravencast, the Asatru podcast, has posted the third interview in their series on national Heathen organizations.  This month’s interview is with Heimgast of the Odinic Rite. In previous entries, the dynamic duo interview leading figures in The Troth and the Asatru Folk Assembly.

Although these organizations are all very different, it’s striking to hear how their representatives are all thinking about the Big Picture and the long-term future of Heathenry. It’s also interesting that all of the leaders seem to have a strong dedication to service.  In most of the places I hang out in Cybergard, we tend to spend our time on interesting but ephemeral discussions of day to day issues or various points of lore.  Until I heard these interviews, I hadn’t devoted much thought to larger issues or the role that a national organization might play whether in the life of an individual or on the national stage.  This series has broadened my horizons in a big way.