Pagans Aren't Americans - Gingrich
Sunday June 7, 2009
Categories: Current Events
Newt Gingrich, the thrice divorced defender of family values and Catholicism, warned "I am not a citizen of the world. I am a citizen of the United States because only in the United States does citizenship start with our creator." ...
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About A Pagan's Blog
Gus diZerega is a political scientist/theorist with a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. While living and working as an artist and craftsperson to finance his degree, he met and later studied with teachers in NeoPaganism, the earth religions more generally, and shamanic healing.
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Poor Newt, surrounded by us "Pagans". Guess he better pray really, really hard to whatever god (or goddess) he believes in. Oh that's right, he is now a Catholic.(so I guess that is covered!) Newt certainly isn't someone I'd look for for advice on ANYTHING, or whose words I'd believe.
Guess Newt doesn't understand this country after all...Americans are allowed to believe or not believe as they choose. This is not a country run by religion...his or anyone elses. It is called "freedom". If he would like to live in a country run by an official religion, there are many to chose from. But then in some of those countries, he wouldn't be able to spout is nonsense without being arrested.
We at Witch School are discussing this as we feel a reply is needed. I do not believe for a second that Newt Gingrich in anyway acknowledging the religion Paganism, and using it in the same way he uses Socialist, Communist, Liberal, or any of the other terms to separate his base from the rest of us as Americans.
I'm sorry but the man, imo, couldn't find his backside with two hands, a flashlight and a map. As the article has already stated the obvious, Mr. Gingrich doesn't have a stellar background and so for him to make comments about Paganism, it's simply another one of the many thing he's said that needs to be forgotten and taken with a grain of salt.
We have you surrounded, Bible-thumpers!
I've noticed Newt's been in the news lately with increasing frequency. Every time I turn on CNN it's like, "Oh, crap - not HIM again." I don't think he can stand it when the spotlight shifts away from him. I also think he's positioning to run for president. He annoyed me before, but he sickens me now.
Just when I was convinced I couldn't think any less of Gingrich, he spews more drivel. Really, does ANYONE take him and his traveling clown show seriously?
It's worth checking out the link though; some of the comments below the article are pricelsss.
I am amazed and amused (sadly) by the repeated ignorance in this country by the "religious" right/left/middle.
Where the idea the USA is a "christian" country comes from.... want to live in such a place? go to England. Their entire country shuts down for "religious" holidays... holydays, sorry. Here, in America, life goes on.
And considering my ancestors were NEVER christian, does that mean I am not American? wow. A million years in this land and I'm not a citizen. What a disappointment. Oh, but that's right, the US "granted" us citizenship in our own land in 1929. :P
I lived in Newt's district for a while.
He's a political opportunist that's taking the chance to pander to the right wing base. He's no principles of his own.
I fear fringe violent types from the conservative side much more than I fear actual legislators. Amending the constitution, especially the bill of rights, would be a huge, nigh impossible, undertaking for the theocrats.
By comparison, convincing some Jesus-OD'ing nutball to drop by Starwood with a trunk full of automatic weapons doesn't seem so hard.
Really scary.
OMG...Kenneth you made me LOL!
I'm a very active and proud American PAGAN! I also actively protest for rights of others.
OMG! Seriously it's 2009 these people need to get right with "Love thy neighborh" and stop trying to tell us how to live.
I liked the Servant of Sauron bit.
wow!
What I don't understand is why they keep giving Newt the time of day, let alone a mic to keep spewing the venom we keep hearing!
The religious Reich.. i mean right is shrinking so quickly now- haven't the repugs figured out that by continually pandering the 'the base" they just keep alienating and driving away the mainstream, middle of the roaders?? eesh!
No, Stormshadow, they CAN'T figure that out. Best I can tell, the problem is that they see the direction our country is taking now as not only wrong, but evil. We're moving further and further away from what they consider to be the right path for our country (and the whole freakin' world as well) - one based upon their Bible, which they firmly believe is the one true word of the one true God. All of our Gods are simply demons trying to lead everyone astray. It is spiritual warfare, and only they are wise enough to understand that. All this "freedom of religion" and "tolerance" stuff is merely a tool of the Devil trying to drag the world down into the pit.
So they're not going to give up easily, and will continue to fight because they honestly believe that they are fighting to save the "soul" of our country. They HAVE to change things - their God is going to punish us for moving away from all the shalls and shalt-nots don't you know! You fool can't you understand?? It's time to pray and panic and run around in circles!!!!
I can almost pity them.
Here's a great column by Tony Norman:
"Newt Gingrich Plays the Pagan Card"--
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09160/975978-153.stm?cmpid=bcpanel0
Thanks Obsidian, that is a terrific article and I hadn't seen it before you pointed it out.
To Cheryl and others who are interested...here's another good link:
http://nobeliefs.com/pagan.htm
That is an awesome link Obsidian. The "religious right" (who are neither in my view) would have a conniption reading that.
You seem to be reading a lot into Gingrich's comments; it's extremely doubtful that he's referring to "paganism" in the sense of your religion. Heck, most of your article is Huckabee filler.)
"The "religious right" (who are neither in my view)"
Way to quote hoary old bumper stickers.
Sigh.
Gingrich and Republicans could just as well have a wheel they spin to determine who they're gonna pick on this week. It could be pagans, humanists, gays, minorities, unions, etc.
They could get an idol statue of Jesus to roll him out whenever they feel the need.
For me, the real Jesus would have been hanging out with, not condemning, 'pagans' and other minority groups.
I've felt for a long time that reasonable Christians should be condemning the condemners. No such luck.
I just stopped professing publicly to be Christian.
DRH, I've been maintaining that the "religious right are neither" since the Reagan administration. I contend that the bumper stickers are quoting ME!
Which is okay, as it's an accurate phrase.
Astounding.
Even disregarding the fact that America was historically the first modern Nation to explicitly remove religion from its government, ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."), and that our founding fathers thought this so important that they made it the first sentence of the Bill of Rights, there is a bit of circular illogic in the Newt's statements.
GINGRICH: "I am not a citizen of the world. I am a citizen of the United States because only in the United States does citizenship start with our creator."
It sounds like he just said that, since American law clearly states that all us Pagans who were born here are citizens, whatever he regards as "our Creator" wants Pagans here.
As a Pagan with a lot of respect for the teachings of Jesus and little respect for the pseudochristian neofascists, I have a few questions for those who regard themselves as Christians.
If America is truly "Christian", how do we explain all those people living under bridges?
When a fat majority of our politicians profess "Christianity" as their preferred faith, how do we explain them giving stunning fortunes to the moneylenders while dismantling companies which employ American workers, sending more workers to live under bridges and more American jobs to foreign dictatorships?
How do we explain the dismantling of pensions, so old folks go hungry while rich folks get richer?
How do we explain merciless government which supports and aggrandizes people whose wealth and power clearly have become psychotic?
Is it Christian to abandon the ones who actually create our wealth, and the weak, the sick, the hungry, and the old, while asking no charity of those whose wealth has grown from absurdity to mental illness?
Seems to me these bigmouthed blowhards are really closet Pagans, and their God is Mammon.
Wish we could find out where Newt and his buddies hide their golden calves. Maybe we could sell them and pay off some of the national debt they saddled us with.
Thermal
I read this stuff, and my brain insists on a cartoon adaptation of Holy Grail . . .
(Peasant points at witch. "She turned me into a Newt!")
But somehow the next line never seems to come . . .
New Age Cowboy:
"I just stopped professing publicly to be Christian."
A fellow hedgewitch buddy of mine uses the phrase "Followers of Christ" to differentiate from the scarier brand; feel free to implement at will!
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