LAT-Faith-Based Chief Cites 'Culture War'

[LiviaOlivia]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-bush2jun02,1,1079697.story?coll=la-home-politics

THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
Faith-Based Chief Cites 'Culture War'
By Peter Wallsten
Times Staff Writer

June 2, 2004

WASHINGTON — The head of the White House's faith-based initiatives program said Tuesday that a "culture war" was dividing the Bush administration and its critics who challenge the constitutionality of mixing church and state.

"It's true that much attention is being placed on the war in Iraq, but there's also another war that's going on," said Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, during a conference promoting the funding of religious groups engaged in social service activities. "It's a culture war that really gets to the heart of the questions about what is the role of faith in the public square."

Towey, who has worked for Democrats and Republicans and was a lawyer for Mother Teresa of Calcutta, warned that when faith was driven out of that public square, "you almost wind up creating a godless orthodoxy."

<snip>

Bush had just signed an order establishing faith-based offices in three more parts of the executive branch — the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs — bringing to 10 the federal agencies that house offices devoted entirely to helping religious organizations tap into government grants.

<snip>

[Bronco69]

1. Mother Theresa needed a lawyer?

Now there's something you don't hear every day.

[democracyindanger]

3. Just to cross the t's and dot the i's for all the money she got

from dictators like Manuel Noriega...

[blm]

2. Reporters always manage to miss Towey's alliance with Sun Myung Moon.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/09/24/moon/index_np.html

Bad Moon on the rise
Overcoming his church's bizarre reputation and his own criminal record, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon has cemented ties with the Bush administration -- and gained government funding for his closest disciples.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By John Gorenfeld



Sept. 24, 2003  |  Last December, at his three-day God and World Peace event, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon drew a notable slate of political figures, from Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and, perhaps most notably, James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, who offered some respectful opening remarks to Moon's Unification Church faithful. Moon followed, and called for all religions to come together in support of the Bush plan for faith-based initiatives.

Coming from Moon that made perfect sense, because he already believes all religions will come together -- under him. "The separation between religion and politics," he has observed on many occasions, "is what Satan likes most." His gospel: Jesus failed because he never attained worldly power. Moon will succeed, he says, by purifying our sex-corrupted culture, and that includes cleaning up gays ("dung-eating dogs," as he calls them) and American women ("a line of prostitutes"). Jews had better repent, too. (Moon claims that the Holocaust was payback for the crucifixion of Christ: "Through the principle of indemnity, Hitler killed 6 million Jews.") His solution is a world theocracy that will enforce proper sexual habits in order to bring about heaven on earth.
>>>>>>>

[klook]

4. I kind of like godless unorthodoxy

as opposed to theocratic orthodoxy.

[librechik]

5. I don't get why keeping churches out of the taxpayer pocket

is keeping them out of the public discourse. They were talking about that this am on CSpan--poor Bush is being slammed for "merely expressing himself" about his religion.

NO! He can talk about it anytime and anyplace he wants. However, when he uses his executive power (since Congress "frustrated him" because they knew it was unconstitutional and against the founding principles and would not approve it through legislative means) and tries to turn his OWN little pet religion ( Christian evangelism) into a public-funded institution, he must be stopped! That is an unfair advantage not provided others!

[struggle4progress]

6. Unfortunately, this horse-shit will continue to win ...

until we fight back in kind., I personally think Rev. Moon is a heretic and I strongly object to my tax dollars going to support any of his organizations.

[gottaB]

7. people get so bent out of shape

Obviously, what Towey meant was that Bush has the legal authority to direct covert military actions against his domestic political opponents. What's the big deal?

[donhakman]

8. but isn't that...

illegal, unconstitutional and treasonous? ;(