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Cathy Young says a prayer for Jerry Falwell's soul.
Comments to "New at Reason":
MJ | July 31, 2007, 7:58am | #
"This ecumenicism was rooted in shared hatred: of abortion, homosexuality, feminism, secularism, and other bogeymen and bogeywomen of modernity."Nice bit of slanting your words to manipulate your readers emotions there Ms. Young. Describing what a group is against as being motivated by hatred. Of describing their concerns as bogeymen and therefore not real. There's nothing about abortion on demand that can be objectionable to a resonable person? There are no laws and regulations that have been enacted in the name of feminism that are excessive? Really?
Falwell's legacy is, in fact, wholly malign. He never once encouraged his flock to look up or reach out in love, only to cower in fear or strike in anger. He made alliances with people who worshipped a rigid and permanent social order in place of God. That is, it didn't matter to Falwell's political paymasters what Jesus said, so long as his followers believed that God wanted to end social mobility in this country with said paymasters on top. I cannot think of single word the man ever spoke that reflected Jesus but lots of 'em that echoed the Pharisees. I only hope God is considerable nicer than Falwell was.
Danny Haszard | July 31, 2007, 8:31am | #
Good read,as a recovering former Jehovah's Witness I agree with lumping the Watchtower cult with Scientologist.jimmydageek | July 31, 2007, 8:43am | #
Well put, Karen.joe | July 31, 2007, 9:03am | #
Yeah, MJ, when you get to the point of telling feminists, homosexuals, "abortionists" and secularists that you blame them for the murder of 3000 people by religious fundie terrorists, it's pretty safe to use the words "hate" and "boogeymen."Sure, people can oppose those things without hatred, in theory. In practice, Falwell as a world-class hater.
thoreau | July 31, 2007, 9:08am | #
Preach it, Karen! Amen, sister!If Jesus showed up at Falwell's school, they wouldn't know what to say to a guy with long hair and sandals who talks about peace and love.
Momerath | July 31, 2007, 9:12am | #
"Francis Schaeffer, a fundamentalist champion of “dominion theology,”"Or not: http://www.getreligion.org/?p=2504
Get a factchecker, Cathy.
mantooth | July 31, 2007, 9:16am | #
"If Jesus showed up at Falwell's school, they wouldn't know what to say to a guy with long hair and sandals who talks about peace and love."Actually, he would be thrown off campus for violating the dress code.
http://www.liberty.edu/studentaffairs/deanofmen/index.cfm?PID=2925
Mo | July 31, 2007, 9:49am | #
So in Falwell's mind mixing religion and politics to fight racial discrimination = bad, but mixing religion and politics to fight gay rights = good?The world is a better place without him. Save your prayers for worthier souls Cathy.
Ken Shultz | July 31, 2007, 9:56am | #
"When Falwell said that "every good Christian should be concerned" about O’Connor’s nomination, Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) quipped that "every good Christian should line up and kick Jerry Falwell’s ass."Let 'em lose a couple of presidential elections and prominent conservatives will say stuff like that again.
When charlatans like Falwell finally croak I almost regret there isn't a hell.
Lurker Kurt | July 31, 2007, 10:23am | #
I may not have the words to say this eloquently, but for those of us on the right, Ward Churchill was our Jerry Falwell.Mr. Nice Guy | July 31, 2007, 10:34am | #
"I may not have the words to say this eloquently, but for those of us on the right, Ward Churchill was our Jerry Falwell." Except WC had very little pull with the Dems like Falwell had with the GOP. The Arch-Bishop Hustler Al Sharpton may be a better analogy.The question is this: for a conservative to succeed, does he need to totally stop progress or simply slow it down?
Lurker Kurt | July 31, 2007, 11:03am | #
MNG, Al Sharpton is perhaps a better example.In the thread about Churchill's firing last week, several people commented that they couldn't understand why those on the right were so irrited by this WC.
With Falwell, I have the same sense of bewilderment. He once had pull with the GOP, but has he had much influence in the past 15 years? And as Cathy Young asked, when he did have pull, did any of his desired policies ever get implemented?
NAL | July 31, 2007, 11:27am | #
... they wouldn't know what to say to a guy with long hair and sandals who talks about peace and love."Marge, you know who I'm talking about, he used to drive that blue car."
Sorry that just reminded me of a Homer Simpson line.
Rhywun | July 31, 2007, 1:31pm | #
He was a monster. Good riddance.Perhaps he didn't have the "pull" he wished for, but nevertheless he managed to rally numerous troops around his despicable worldview, ensuring mainstream attention and likely helping to prolong disrespect of gays and women beyond what would have happened without his organization.
Lets all remember the real reason Falwell got involved in politics. Contrary to popular belief, it was not abortion that brought him into politics. It was to preserve tax-exempt status for his segregation academy.
viderelux | July 31, 2007, 2:12pm | #
Too many errors in this review of Falwell's legacy...Francis Schaeffer a fundamentalist? LOL. Has she even read anything he wrote?
Seeing homosexuality as a sin does not imply hatred. His views were much more complex than the simple word implies.
Rattlesnake Jake | July 31, 2007, 3:39pm | #
"Seeing homosexuality as a sin does not imply hatred. His views were much more complex than the simple word implies."Viewing homosexuality as a sin does promote hatred of homosexuals.
Rhywun | July 31, 2007, 4:09pm | #
Seeing homosexuality as a sin does not imply hatred. His views were much more complex than the simple word implies.His views have been used by bigots throughout history to justify punishment of those with a different biological imperative from the majority. Any other interpretation entails believing that homosexuality is merely a behavior that one can turn on and off which is quite at odds with demonstrated reality.
joe | July 31, 2007, 4:38pm | #
Seeing homosexuality as a sin does not imply hatred.Seeing homosexuality as the reason why a just God allowed 3000 innocents to be slaughtered, and threatening that it will happen again because of those homoxesuals, most certainly does imply hatred.
Jerry Fallwell was but one of many people on the right who nurture the most bigoted, greediest, least compassionate, and least critical-thinking nature of humanity.
I agree with Joe. I'm not sure these people would be activists for anti-gay laws if they didn't hate homos. There aren't many people willing to go to extraordinary lengths to ban a lifestyle if they are personally indifferent to the lifestyle.
