Inmate sues for Norse god worship
He says denying access to religious objects is violation
Michael Polk, who is serving time for aggravated assault and robbery, filed the lawsuit against corrections officials in federal court, accusing them of denying him several religious items that he claims are necessary to practice the Asatru religion, which worships ancient Nordic gods like Odin, Thor, Tyr and Heimdal.
"Plaintiff complains that his being denied the right to practice his choice of religion while housed at the Utah State Prison is violating his First Amendment rights," Polk wrote in his lawsuit filed Tuesday.
According to the complaint, Polk claims that he has been a member of the Asatru faith since 2005, and in order to properly practice it he needs numerous items including: a Thor's Hammer, a prayer cloth, a Mead Horn used for drinking Wassail, a drum made of wood and boar skin, a rune staff and a sword.
"Sahs Swords can be made of cardboard due to institutional restrictions," Polk wrote.
In his lawsuit, Polk said he asked the prison chaplain for the items and was denied them. Corrections officials noted that he checked the box marked "None/Atheist" when he entered the prison. After he appealed, corrections officials allowed Polk to have a wooden Thor's Hammer pendant. The other items were denied because of security reasons.
"You may purchase a towel from the commissary for an altar cloth. You may purchase the book or books of your religion and maintain them in your cell," prison warden Steven Turley wrote in an April letter to Polk.
The Asatru religion is a pagan faith with roots in northern Europe. Its followers worship the Old Norse gods, according to the Web site asatru.org.
Other inmates who have joined the faith have had to sue to gain access to their religious symbols. The nonpartisan First Amendment Center reported on a Virginia inmate who won a federal lawsuit against that state's corrections department for denying him access to Thor's Hammer, which is a pendant used to communicate with the gods.
In Utah, several inmates have filed lawsuits over religion. In 2002, the Utah Court of Appeals denied one inmate's claims that the prison violated his religious rights by refusing to allow him to drink blood or partake in a sacrament with a "vampiress."
The Utah Department of Corrections declined to comment on Polk's lawsuit on Wednesday.
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
Recent comments
When you become incarcerated you tend to loose your rights not get...
Joy Luk | Jan. 19, 2008 at 9:50 p.m.
LET HIM PRACTICE THESE WHICH HE IS OBVESIOUSLY HASN'T STARTED
Nine...
Anonymous | Jan. 11, 2008 at 9:07 a.m.
OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK.....
ISN'T IT LOVELY!
Taxpayer | Jan. 11, 2008 at 8:06 a.m.
- Inmate stabbed in head during brawl 11:56 a.m.
- Cards' Pujols leads All-Star voting 11:52 a.m.
- Federer beats Roddick 11:51 a.m.
- Military ordered to turn back jet 11:44 a.m.
- US not stand in Israel's way on Iran 11:39 a.m.
- G-8 greeted skeptically by some 11:38 a.m.
- Deal on arms control expected 11:36 a.m.
- Yankees' Wang goes on DL 11:36 a.m.
- Swimmer Lezak skips Worlds 11:35 a.m.
- Initial bids due to buy The Boston Globe 11:34 a.m.
- Stadium of Fire lights up the 4th
- Millsap not franchise player
- Utahn reunites with officer
- Can Jazz escape luxury-tax mess?
- The BCS sure won't fix itself
- Interest in Millsap dwindling?
- Jazz talked Kirilenko for McGrady
- Obama deprives Iran of scapegoat
- NKorea fires 7 missiles defying U.S.
- 'Tea party' protesters unhappy
- Boozer not opting out of contract
180 - Palin resigning as governor
101 - Lack of Obama photos concerning
99 - Don't listen to marriage cynics
93 - Utah leaner in too-fat country
91 - Editorial: A sad day for Utah
86 - Palin's and Romney's roles in 2012?
86 - Jazz plan to re-sign Millsap
81 - Jazz talked Kirilenko for McGrady
73 - Hatch calls BCS 'biased' in SI article
69
The night was balmy though buggy at SPOC, the Stansbury Park Observatory...
I'd like to ask a general question to any of you that might know. Have you...
“Cap and trade is free market oriented. When an efficient company sells...
THis is the first sensible comment I have read. My hope is that a trade like...
Anonymous | 9:34 p.m I endured the Nixon recession that carried over into...
We've got plenty of options available to us. I still think some sort of trade...
I filled up my watter several times. Drinking fountain was on at my end.
Actually, the Spurs signed Richard Jefferson, not Al Jefferson.
Those who forget Teddy Roosevelt's words about walking softly and carrying a...
Don't forget that in an article last week Sloan (I think) said that they like...
From one with experience; no it's not easier being a GOOD single parent. But...


