The Asatru Folk Assembly or AFA is a US-based Asatru organization founded by Stephen McNallen in 1994. It is the successor organization to a group called the Asatru Free Assembly founded by McNallen in 1974 and disbanded in 1986, itself an outgrowth of a group called the Viking Brotherhood founded by McNallen in 1971. The defunct Asatru Free Assembly is sometimes distinguished from the modern Asatru Folk Assembly by the usage of "old AFA" and "new AFA", respectively.
The AFA has been recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization, or church. It is based in Nevada City, CA.
Goals
The AFA's Declaration of Purpose is:
- The practice, promotion, development, and dissemination of the religion of Ásatrú.
- The preservation of the Peoples of the North (typified by the Scandinavian/Germanic and Celtic peoples), and the furtherance of their continued evolution.
- The issuance of a call to all our brothers and sisters of the People of the North to return to this, their native religion and way of life.
- The restoration of community, the banishment of alienation, and the establishment of natural and just relations among our people.
- The promotion of diversity among the peoples and cultures of the Earth, in opposition to global monoculture.
- The fostering in our people of a deep love of freedom and a hatred of all forms of tyranny.
- The use of science and technology for the well-being of our people, while protecting and working in harmony with the natural environment in which we live.
- The exploration of the universe, in keeping with the adventurous imperatives of our kind.
- The affirmation of the eternal struggle and strife of life, the welcoming of that strife as a challenge, the living of life wholly and with joy, and the facing of eternity with courage.