Kathie Lee’s Nasty Pagans Little Comment
Well I was browsing witchvox.com when I turned to a nasty surprise. Last Wednesday on the Today show they were having a speical on tips for weddings traditions and Kathy Lee was going about asking questions to people of multiple choice. She goes to this one guy with this one question:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/2536821625368216
Go to about 4:30 on the video for what happened in question
Why do you wear your wedding band on your left hand ring finger?
a) More people use their right hand to write
b)Egyptians believed that finger follows the vein of love
c)Pagans believed it was bad luck to carry metal on your right side
Now the question wasn't bad (I am sometimes superstitious myself) but the way as Kathie Lee said that third choice that us "Pagans" are "nasty bad" was downright insulting. Because of this, myself and Courtney have sent an email to the Today show in response as seen below.
Dear Today Show,
I wish to make a complaint about a show I heard about recently. First I wish to explain who I am. My name is Thomas Punton, I am the High Priest of the Grove of the Old Ways in Casselton, ND. We are a pagan coven that has been serving the community for 4 years and are also the only legally recognized pagan church in the state of North Dakota.
I was very disappointed in Kathie Lee's comments about pagans in her segment about wedding traditions. Pagans are not nasty or bad in any sense. The pagans that I associate with are kind and helpful people who respect the Earth and its living things. I am well aware of Kathie Lee's strong Christian beliefs and she is entitled to those as well. However, on national television she should keep her personal beliefs to herself. Her deliberate nasty comment about our religion was very rude and should not have been permitted. The way she emphasized the word "pagans" and her added comments claiming that we are nasty or bad were uncalled for and unkind.
Today is the Fourth of July. The day to celebrate our nation's independence. And in that independence, all people here are granted the freedom to choose their own religion, as stated in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Just because she does not agree with our religion does not give her the right to speak that way about it on national television. Yes, she does have freedom of speech and we acknowledge that. But if someone had spoken so negatively about Christians then there would be a huge uproar about it. We have a legal right to exist in peace and she has defiled that peace by her slanderous comments.
Christianity is supposed to be filled with people who are living and caring and wish to spread their love for God among others. And from what I have read in the Bible, God does not like people who talk badly about others. In fact, Exodus 20:16 states "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Kathie Lee, a supposedly devout Christian, just broke her own commandment from her God by saying such things about other people.
All I am asking for is for her to apologize for her comments. She should learn more about people before throwing words like that around. Pagans are not nasty or bad. If she knew a little more about pagan beliefs, she would understand that. I would like to see her make a public apology to all pagans for her harsh and untrue words and learn a bit more about paganism before commenting on our beliefs again.
Its hard to say if I will get any response but we shall see. We felt something had to be said as being today is our day our day of Independence.
Oh and in case you are wondering, the answer was B.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/2536821625368216
Go to about 4:30 on the video for what happened in question
Why do you wear your wedding band on your left hand ring finger?
a) More people use their right hand to write
b)Egyptians believed that finger follows the vein of love
c)Pagans believed it was bad luck to carry metal on your right side
Now the question wasn't bad (I am sometimes superstitious myself) but the way as Kathie Lee said that third choice that us "Pagans" are "nasty bad" was downright insulting. Because of this, myself and Courtney have sent an email to the Today show in response as seen below.
Dear Today Show,
I wish to make a complaint about a show I heard about recently. First I wish to explain who I am. My name is Thomas Punton, I am the High Priest of the Grove of the Old Ways in Casselton, ND. We are a pagan coven that has been serving the community for 4 years and are also the only legally recognized pagan church in the state of North Dakota.
I was very disappointed in Kathie Lee's comments about pagans in her segment about wedding traditions. Pagans are not nasty or bad in any sense. The pagans that I associate with are kind and helpful people who respect the Earth and its living things. I am well aware of Kathie Lee's strong Christian beliefs and she is entitled to those as well. However, on national television she should keep her personal beliefs to herself. Her deliberate nasty comment about our religion was very rude and should not have been permitted. The way she emphasized the word "pagans" and her added comments claiming that we are nasty or bad were uncalled for and unkind.
Today is the Fourth of July. The day to celebrate our nation's independence. And in that independence, all people here are granted the freedom to choose their own religion, as stated in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Just because she does not agree with our religion does not give her the right to speak that way about it on national television. Yes, she does have freedom of speech and we acknowledge that. But if someone had spoken so negatively about Christians then there would be a huge uproar about it. We have a legal right to exist in peace and she has defiled that peace by her slanderous comments.
Christianity is supposed to be filled with people who are living and caring and wish to spread their love for God among others. And from what I have read in the Bible, God does not like people who talk badly about others. In fact, Exodus 20:16 states "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Kathie Lee, a supposedly devout Christian, just broke her own commandment from her God by saying such things about other people.
All I am asking for is for her to apologize for her comments. She should learn more about people before throwing words like that around. Pagans are not nasty or bad. If she knew a little more about pagan beliefs, she would understand that. I would like to see her make a public apology to all pagans for her harsh and untrue words and learn a bit more about paganism before commenting on our beliefs again.
Its hard to say if I will get any response but we shall see. We felt something had to be said as being today is our day our day of Independence.
Oh and in case you are wondering, the answer was B.