Republicans endorse Conservative practicing Pagan

Ian David

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Sun Nov-01-09 10:17 AM
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Republicans endorse Conservative practicing Pagan

Edited on Sun Nov-01-09 11:08 AM by Ian David

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Well, here's a vote to forget all that tea leaf reading and instead turn your attention downstate, to a city council race in the borough of Queens that under normal circumstances wouldn't get locals terribly excited, much less have any national implications.

Why is this year different? For starters, the race between the Democrat and the Republican is actually competitive, which certainly isn't always the case in New York City. (The mayoralty is different, for some reason, as Republicans from LaGuardia to Lindsay, Giuliani to Bloomberg, have shown. But the council reflects grassroots reality: 47 of the current 51 council members are Democrats.)

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Far more important, however, is that the GOP nominee, Dan Halloran, is a practicing Pagan. And not just any Pagan. Halloran is the "First Atheling," or King, of New Normandy, which is the Greater New York Area branch of the Théod faith of pre-Christian Heathen religions.

The Web site of Halloran's tribe says it is "dedicated to reviving the folkways of the northern European people" and that its followers practice "Théodish Belief, which emphasizes the bonds of the community and the development of a worldview and cultural ethos that our ancient forebears would have honored, and uses these tools to forge a connection between the individual and the divine. We believe in and honor the Gods and Goddesses of the North, spirits of the land, and the memories of our ancestors."

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"I am not comfortable with injecting my religion into my politics," Halloran told the paper. "I grew up born and raised Roman Catholic. I went to Jesuit schools. Most of my life has been in traditional Irish household."

More:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/31/a-pagan-republican-trick-or-treat/

See also:

GRAND OL' PAGAN: What Does the Republican 'Heathen' Running for New York's City Council Actually Believe?

In a photograph from New Normandy's website, Dan Halloran leads a heathen ritual.

Conservative. Republican. Pagan?

It was an odd news story that briefly upended what should have been a sleepy City Council race in Bayside: the Queens Tribune reported that a conservative Republican was running a strong race in the 19th district and had a chance to win in the overwhelmingly Democratic city. But this was a conservative Republican with a difference: Dan Halloran is the spiritual leader of a local pagan group that worships Norse gods.

Although the Tribune's story had no hint of derision for Halloran's religious affiliation, the newspaper was immediately attacked for its perceived ties to Halloran's Democratic opponent. Other publications were quick to defend the Republican lawyer, some sounding offended that a candidate's religion, however unusual, should become a news story during an election.

But Halloran's beliefs are newsworthy. As far as we can tell, he has a chance to become the first pagan elected to political office in the country's history. (He is certainly the first major party candidate approaching an election with his pagan beliefs already made public.) And while pagans have been growing in numbers for decades, the word "pagan" usually conjures nature-worshippers with interests in faeries and magick. What is a conservative Republican doing with the goddess crowd?

In fact, Halloran and his fellow travelers are more properly thought of as "heathens," not pagans, and the tribal customs they ascribe to are heavy on hierarchy and tradition.

More:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/10/grand_ol_pagan.php