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Towey in 2003: "Pagans" neither care for the poor, nor have "loving hearts"

August 24, 2009 1:08 pm ET by Simon Maloy

From then-White House Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives director Jim Towey's November 26, 2003, "Ask the White House" online chat:

Colby, from Centralia MO writes:
Do you feel that Pagan faith based groups should be given the same considerations as any other group that seeks aid?

Jim Towey
I haven't run into a pagan faith-based group yet, much less a pagan group that cares for the poor! Once you make it clear to any applicant that public money must go to public purposes and can't be used to promote ideology, the fringe groups lose interest. Helping the poor is tough work and only those with loving hearts seem drawn to it.

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    • Author by wookie (August 24, 2009 1:22 pm ET)
      4 1
      Well, they are the People Against Goodness And Normalcy. However, Yahoo disagrees with Towey.

      http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=pagan+charity&fr=fptb-msgr-153-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8
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      • Author by yourinnergoddess7635 (August 24, 2009 5:37 pm ET)
           
        Against goodness and normalcy, huh? And on what basis did you come to this assumption. Because you think only Christians are "good" and "normal." Let's talk about the "normal" Christian who cut off his own hand and put it in the microwave because he was convinced it was marked with the sign of the devil (666). Then we can move on to talk about the "good" Christians crowding federal prisons nationwide.

        Once we done with that, we can talk about the "normal" Pagan mom who works for a living, lives in the suburbs, drives a SUV, looks and acts completely "normal," donates money to the homeless shelter and Disabled Americans Veterans on a monthly bases (that would be me). And finally, we'll talk about the "good" pagans who will be gathering, for a local pagan pride day next month where the price of admission is canned food for the local food bank, the local pagan group that has an annual "Clean Up Our Beaches" day and picks up all the trash people (probably a large percentage of them Christians) leave on the beach or throw in the street where it washes into the ocean through the storm drains, and the pagans who fight animal cruelty.

        Just because pagans aren't as organized as Christians or as accepted and funded by the government does not mean we aren't charitable.
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        • Author by Son of Odin NJ (August 25, 2009 2:31 pm ET)
             
          Wookie was making a reference to the movie Dragnet, which featured a group called P.A.G.A.N. ("People Against Goodness And Normalcy"). I think it was a light-hearted quip, not a statement referencing modern neo-pagan ideology...
          Report Abuse
    • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (August 24, 2009 1:23 pm ET)
      6  
      I have to agree with Towey. I don't see any Pagan mercenary groups giving dollars to underage prostitutes in Baghdad.Lousy Druids.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by bilbo_dies (August 24, 2009 1:47 pm ET)
      4  
      I think the problem here is that since pagans don't worship a christian god, they are looked at as being godless. It doens't matter that they worship the earth, the elements, etc since they don't worship the same type of god as the christians they can't have a "christian" heart. People are people, some are charitable and some aren't, it doesn't matter what religious group that you belong to.

      Besides, I would expect the Repubs to really like some things about certain pagans. Look up the history of the "burning man" (no not the festival in the desert) and I think you will find a type of punishment that would be near and dear to conservative hearts.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Vincenzo (August 24, 2009 3:57 pm ET)
        1  
        Punishment? They'd make it an amusement park ride with Fox giving away the tickets and T-shirts.

        Report Abuse
    • Author by Easy to refute wingnuts (August 24, 2009 5:19 pm ET)
      2 1
      I don't see what a motorcycle gang has to do with faith-based initiatives...
      Report Abuse
      • Author by yourinnergoddess7635 (August 24, 2009 5:38 pm ET)
          1
        Sweetie, were not talking about a motorcycle gang. Do some research.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by political_left-religious_right (August 25, 2009 11:16 am ET)
             
          You must be new in town if you don't recognize Easy's sarcasm. Do some of your own research on the regulars here, and you'll understand.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by mithrildruid (August 25, 2009 10:14 pm ET)
         
      Pagans don't care about the poor??? Then why is it that the Order of the Mithril Star offers it's members an incentive to work with the poor?: "Perform 70 hours of volunteer work for a non-profit organization dedicated to relieving human suffering resulting from economic injustice." See http://www.mithrilstar.org/degrees.htm
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