Ask The White House:
Faith-Based Initiatives Director's Remarks About Pagans
Jim Towey / Ask The White House
Thanksgiving - 11/26/03

Guest: Jim Towey (White House Deputy Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives)

Moderator: Thanks for joining us. Jim Towey is running a bit late, but will be here soon.

Jim Towey: It is great to be back online and to have a chance to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to those participating today. We have so much to be thankful for - I know my old English teacher would want me to say that without ending in a preposition, but that truly my heart's sentiment. We are a blessed people.

Deena, from Virginia writes: How successful do you think the faith-based initiatives will be in avoiding the numerous church-state challenges that will surely be brough to court?

Jim Towey: Yes. The President wants us to promote this initiative in a way that is Constitutional. He believes that faith-based organizations can maintain their identity and provide federally-funded services, and he believes the poor are the real beneficiaries of this initiative.

Bill, from St. Paul, Minnesota writes: What are the President Bush's plans for helping faith-based organizations in the next year? I believe they are an important part of America. Keep up the great work.

Jim Towey: Thanks for the Encouragement, Bill. The President plans to continue with efforts on the regulatory front, and in Congress, and so expect a continued effort to remove administrative barriers that keep faith-based groups from being treated fairly, and to seek funding for programs that will help addicts, the homeless, the children of prisoners, and others in need.

Mark, from Santa Fe, New Mexico writes: Why is it OK for our tax dollars to be used by "religions" that can openly discriminate against others? How "Christian" is that and don't you find it odd? In other words, our tax dollars will be used to deny employment and services. This used to be against the law didn't it?

Jim Towey: Good question Mark. First, the President has made it clear that no one is to be discriminated against when it comes to federally-funded services. So you can't take federal dollars and say, "We only serve Christians" here, or require people to participate in a worship activity in order to get a publicly-funded service. But he does support the right of faith-based groups to hire people that share their beliefs and mission. For example, Planned Parenthood has the right to discriminate in its hiring and it receives hundreds of millions of tax dollars. Why is it discrimination when the faith-based group does the same thing? The President feels that faith-based groups retain their civil right - which Congress gave them over three decades ago - to hire according to religious beliefs, and still take federal money. Go to our web site, fbci.gov, if you want more on this subject. To the President, it is a matter of fairness.

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.