Pagan or Heathen? Which is the right title for Asatru?

Pagan festival highlights age old beliefs

So here's the question, if you're Asatruar, do you call yourself a heathen or pagan?  I always use heathen as I've learned that for many it indicates the difference between the witch/wiccan theology crowd and the Moljnir wearing crowd. However, in talking with those outside of those two theologies, the term ‘pagan’ just seems to be catch-all for any non-monotheistic religion found in Western civilization. What’s interesting is that I can’t ever recall anyone calling non-christian religions in place like Africa, New-Guinea, India, etc., ‘pagan’.  Is this a term that would sound derogatory if they did?  

There are differences, and this is good

Are Jews allowed to participate in Catholic services and vise-versa?  Are whites allowed to participate in Kwanza celebrations?  Are non-Native Americans allowed to participate in Native American religious ceremonies and vise-versa? Can a Muslim join a Baptist service and vise-versa?

I ask this because it seems to me that a universal religion is logical fallacy.  There is nothing actually preventing any of the above, no bolt of lightning will strike anyone, but there is an ethnic and cultural separation of peoples that are reflected in our religious systems.  We are all different, physically, ethnically, and culturally.  This is not the same as being inferior or superior, this is analogous to saying there are pine trees, some are Lodgepole pine, some are Western pine, Shore pine, etc., yet all are pine trees. 

This is why we have different peoples having gods and goddesses that are specific to their ethnicity and culture.  Transporting gods from one ethnic and cultural group to another diminishes those gods, and attempting to connect to gods who are tied by blood and history to a group you aren’t a part of would fail.  The connection between the person and the gods must be there prior to acknowledging that connection.

Does this mean an African-American could be Asatruar?  Yes.  Could an African? No.  (Going to annoy many “folk” adherents here, and please “universalists”)

African-Americans are, due to the history of inter-marriage and inter-breeding dating back to the slavery days, mixed with Nordic blood to a greater or lesser degree.  This gives them and anyone else of mixed blood a unique connection to several clans of gods.  If an African-American were to open their heart to Nordic culture and ethnicity, their blood connection, (thin though it might be) to Rigr-Heimdahl and the All-Father, I’m confident the Aesir and Vanir would recognize them as a member of the aettar.  Would this work for an African of purely African blood?  No, for the same reason a Swede of purely Swedish blood couldn’t connect with the gods of West Africa or Australia.  

Irminsul Ættir - Althing

I’m thinking of attending this.  However, my wife, Asynjur bless her, is not that keen on my faith and is uneasy with my getting together with other Asatru.  I think she’s worried it’ll be a hippy-fest and some pot smoking chick will try to tempt me.  If I can convince her to make a day of it and meet with others perhaps it’ll open her eyes a little.  My two sons will enjoy it I think, being kids they’re more open minded.

Irminsul Ættir - Althing

Romney’s Personal Image Remains Negative - Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

Wow!  This is the first sentence of the story, “By a 52% to 37% margin, more voters say they have an unfavorable than favorable view of Mitt Romney.” At first this shocked me, and then I read page 2 and scrolled to the bottom to find the sampling size.  Apparently the pollsters are inspired by Loki and Gullveig.  Check out the imbalance! 459 Republicans sampled, 813 Democrats sampled.  Obama voters sampled was 1,068, Romney voters were 753.  This poll is useless!

Romney’s Personal Image Remains Negative - Page 2 | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press