Jerry Falwell died yesterday. I don't have to comment on him and his carreer except to say I believe he is part of the disease that is eating the soul of America. I don't have to eulogize or curse him. If there is a heaven or a hell, he will finally know the truth. Here's to a grand scam artist and I'll just let his words and deeds in his public life give him the send off he deserves!
March 1980: Falwell tells an Anchorage rally about a conversation with President Carter at the White House. Commenting on a January breakfast meeting, Falwell claimed to have asked Carter why he had “practicing homosexuals” on the senior staff at the White House. According to Falwell, Carter replied, “Well, I am president of all the American people, and I believe I should represent everyone.” When others who attended the White House event insisted that the exchange never happened, Falwell responded that his account “was not intended to be a verbatim report,” but rather an “honest portrayal” of Carter’s position.
August 1980: After Southern Baptist Convention President Bailey Smith tells a Dallas Religious Right gathering that “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew,” Falwell gives a similar view. “I do not believe,” he told reporters, “that God answers the prayer of any unredeemed Gentile or Jew.” After a meeting with an American Jewish Committee rabbi, he changed course, telling an interviewer on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “God hears the prayers of all persons…. God hears everything.”
July 1984: Falwell is forced to pay gay activist Jerry Sloan $5,000 after losing a court battle. During a TV debate in Sacramento, Falwell denied calling the gay-oriented Metropolitan Community Churches “brute beasts” and “a vile and Satanic system” that will “one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven.” When Sloan insisted he had a tape, Falwell promised $5,000 if he could produce it. Sloan did so, Falwell refused to pay and Sloan successfully sued. Falwell appealed, with his attorney charging that the Jewish judge in the case was prejudiced. He lost again and was forced to pay an additional $2,875 in sanctions and court fees.
October 1987: The Federal Election Commission fines Falwell for transferring $6.7 million in funds intended for his ministry to political committees.
February 1988: The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a $200,000 jury award to Falwell for “emotional distress” he suffered because of a Hustler magazine parody. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, usually a Falwell favorite, wrote the unanimous opinion in Hustler v. Falwell, ruling that the First Amendment protects free speech.
February 1993: The Internal Revenue Service determines that funds from Falwell’s Old Time Gospel Hour program were illegally funneled to a political action committee. The IRS forced Falwell to pay $50,000 and retroactively revoked the Old Time Gospel Hour’s tax-exempt status for 1986-87.
March 1993: Despite his promise to Jewish groups to stop referring to America as a “Christian nation,” Falwell gives a sermon saying, “We must never allow our children to forget that this is a Christian nation. We must take back what is rightfully ours.”
1994-1995: Falwell is criticized for using his “Old Time Gospel Hour” to hawk a scurrilous video called “The Clinton Chronicles” that makes a number of unsubstantiated charges against President Bill Clinton — among them that he is a drug addict and that he arranged the murders of political enemies in Arkansas. Despite claims he had no ties to the project, evidence surfaced that Falwell helped bankroll the venture with $200,000 paid to a group called Citizens for Honest Government (CHG). CHG’s Pat Matrisciana later admitted that Falwell and he staged an infomercial interview promoting the video in which a silhouetted reporter said his life was in danger for investigating Clinton. (Matrisciana himself posed as the reporter.) “That was Jerry’s idea to do that,” Matrisciana recalled. “He thought that would be dramatic.”
November 1997: Falwell accepts $3.5 million from a front group representing controversial Korean evangelist Sun Myung Moon to ease Liberty University’s financial woes.
April 1998: Confronted on national television with a controversial quote from America Can Be Saved!, a published collection of his sermons, Falwell denies having written the book or had anything to do with it. In the 1979 work, Falwell wrote, “I hope to live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won’t have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!” Despite Falwell’s denial, Sword of the Lord Publishing, which produced the book, confirms that Falwell wrote it.
January 1999: Falwell tells a pastors’ conference in Kingsport, Tenn., that the Antichrist prophesied in the Bible is alive today and “of course he’ll be Jewish.”
February 1999: Falwell becomes the object of nationwide ridicule after his National Liberty Journal newspaper issues a “parents alert” warning that Tinky Winky, a character on the popular PBS children’s show “Teletubbies,” might be gay.
September 2001: Falwell blames Americans for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the Pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.’”
November 2005: Falwell spearheads campaign to resist “war on Christmas.”
February 2007: Falwell describes global warming as a conspiracy orchestrated by Satan, liberals, and The Weather Channel.
Thank you Mr. Falwell for sliming our world!
14 comments:
Hello Microdot,
I may have been responsible for Jerry’s final departure. You see, I was in Lynchburg, VA this last Friday through Sunday. I was participating in long debates with people on political issues while I was there. It must have gotten back to Falwell that I was in the center of his realm enlighten people of the true facts on the corruption within this administration and I converted a few to the true light and …..Well the blame has to be put on me. My bad?
There IS a war on Christmas --by the ACLU. They want to "cleanse" all our public buildings and institutions of any evidence of Christian history or heritage. They would like to get rid of senate chaplains, days of prayer, congressional prayer breakfasts, military chaplains, ten c's posted on our buildings, In God we Trust as motto --any evidence of religious faith in the public sector, or in public elected figures.
Since I know what it is to be misquoted and spinned out of sense by people who don't have any commitment to accuracy, I can sympathize with Falwell denying he said or meant what people claim he said or meant.
Falwell should've won the Hustler Magazine suit --because Hustler's statement was libel --saying Falwell had sex with his mother.
It has been interesting to hear the students of Liberty U say how fatherly and kindly he was to them. I'm sure some malcontented students who were disciplined by the school for infractions like drinking or sex in the dorm, etc. would not agree --not that I've heard of any such cases. But most Christian schools kick kids out for drinking, smoking, gay or other sex on campus, etc. so I 'm sure they can find ex students who didn't like him or the school.
Some kids go to such schools because their parents refuse to pay for secular ed. But a majority go because they want a Chrsitian ed. --as I did.
The Bible does suggest that God listens to His children and His children are the ones who believe in Christ. But the Bible also says, "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you." So both are true. God hears His own --the believers --and He also hears people who are seeking Him. But I don't know how hard He listens to folks who only call upon God when the going gets rough. It's worth a try --troubles may come our way to get us to do just that, call upon His name so He may prove Himself to us.
Prophecy suggests the anti-christ may be Jewish --just as JEsus was Jewish. i'm trying to remember if that is said because some will believe the anti Christ is the returning Messiah. I'm rusty on prophecy. He is supposed to sit on the throne in Jerusalem on the temple mount --but there is a mosque there now. So either the temple gets rebuilt there --and that will be a sign --or perhaps the anti Christ with the one-world gov't is really a Muslim! in the mosque on the temple mount --I'm just speculating on that prophecy.
about tinkie winkie or whoever he was, he is the tallest, with a man's voice, and carries a purse.
It wasn't Falwell who said it first --it was the gays.
Maybe this is why some boys like purple and want to carry purses (Newsweek this week on transgendering.)
Barb, if there ever was a case to be made for the influence of the bible promoting mental instability, I think you just made a big contribution to the argument.
In other words, most of what Jerry Falwell said was not what he intended to say?
Are you on the paycheck end of any religious institution?
Mr. Engineer, I'm very happy to hear from you and know you are hard at work trying to restore some semblance of sanity to this brain damaged land!
It is an uphill battle, but you prove that every positive thought and act can make a difference!
Yes, there's something wrong if Falwell really denied a book he wrote --and comments he made. But I do know how things get quoted out of context in my own case. I can say While on the one hand THIS is so, on the other hand, this ALSO is so --and all you'll quote is half the statement.
And it's absolutely of importance to me that my kids not think transgendering and homosexual ideas are permissable in God's sight --that they are whatever their bio-assignment dictates and this is good. I don't want them exposed to anyone trying to provide a gay role model.
Again, it is HONEST for you to know and report that the gays called attention to Tinkie Winkie before Falwell and every other observant parent agreed with them.
Falwell is a biblical fundamentalist. His commentary, as appalling as it may seem to some, only reflects what the bible, and conservative Christianity believe on topics such as homosexuality. Falwell is only a reflection of his beliefs, which is completely respectable and admirable. The problem is, is that Falwell took his beliefs into the realm of politics and tried to undermine our secular political institutions to promote his narrow religious agenda. One of the interesting things reading this post is Jimmy Carters response. Jimmy Carter is a deeply religious “born again” Christian. Yet he saw that his job as the President was to ensure the civil rights of each and every American citizen. That is in stark contrast to Falwells agenda-, which is to deny rights, rights that all Americans should enjoy, and deny them to specific groups of people within the nation whom he disagrees with. I just don’t believe that religions should be involved in politics. We sure don’t like what the Taliban do, but that is precisely the danger we face when allowing religion to seep into the political sphere. Not only does it damage our body politic, but it damages the religion as well. The purpose of Christianity is to “spread the good news of the resurrection of Jesus, and the love of God”. Its purpose isn’t to punish and marginalize homosexuals, despite our moral beliefs about that lifestyle. I believe the moral majority has done great harm to the cause of Christianity. Sure, take a moral stance, but don’t try to enforce your moral stance on every one else through political action.
What's this I hear of the part in Falwells will demanding to be stuffed and reupolstered with neon orange "fun fur" and worshipped as the 5th TeleTubbie of the Apocalypse?
Bizarre?
and another thing...teletubbies, a tv show for preschoolers with big silly multi colored furry creatures...
Is the audience they are made for even aware of what sex a teletubbie is? Is it important enough for some deviant sex obsessed adult to decide to makle them aware of it?
Please, just another old time gospel hour preacher man trying to sell you some snake oil!
Barbn please tell us about the important messages Falwell was trying to tell us about Satan, Global Warming and the Weather Channel, I'm sure you can! You go girl!
Hello Barbra,
I want to start off by saying with all sincerity, “God Bless You.” I have heard the “War On Christmas” argument from the neo-con radio and television groups that make their living by calling alarms on restated issues.
I remember well the Salvation Army stationed in front of department stores around Baltimore that were decorated for Christmas, Nativity scenes placed around public and local government buildings. The memories are as moving as a Currier and Ives print. Memories of Christmas school breaks and a visit to my Father’s side of the family around Fairmont, WV. Memories of riding on my Grandfather’s horse pulled open sleigh with my father’s arms wrapped around me making sure I did not fall off (Both my mother and father have passed away now and even at 54 years old, I miss them) as we traveled across the snowy fields on the mountains of West Virginia. At night I would look up on the mountain side with the three crosses lit up with Christmas lights with the message “Christ is born”. Memories of Christmas morning with all of us going to the little white church just three doors down from my grandmother’s home, with our extended family; big and small. The church would be filled with coal miner families’ giving thanks that no one was lost in the mines that year. But the so called “War On Christmas” is more to the fact that if you allow one religion status, you have to allow them all.
Place yourself coming out of a store during the fall months and having a Wicca during Halloween or a Muslim honoring Ramadan asking for a donation. How about a Buddhist wanting to erect a giant Buddha on the court house lawn? I know that you have heard these arguments before but we seem to keep revisiting them again and again with you. Bottom line is unfortunately if you allow one, you allow all. That is the law established by our founding fathers not to have a national religion. Of course I am sure that Wicca or Buddhist was not on their mind but they did know the violence due to the different types of Christianity. Even current day Baptist’s have a deep divide on if you speak in tongues or not. Some say that if you do not speak in tongues, you truly do not have the spirit of Christ within you. Falwell did not feel this way but the Bakers did.
Allow me a little side track here but I promise it does come full circle. A year ago I was entering a public building for business in Washington, DC. There was a line to enter because we had to show I.D. and get metal detector checked. There were two well dressed ladies ahead of me when one looked at the other and asked, “Is it every going to be the way it use to be?” I thought that this was one of the most prolific yet simplistically basic questions that had heard and the answer unfortunately is, “No.” So as far as the “War On Christmas,” it is never going to be the way it use to be because the demographics of our country is becoming much more diverse and heterogenic.
But now let’s address the religious right. Ralph Reed, the leader of the Christian right in the 1990’s, was running for lieutenant governor in Georgia. He soon was accepting money from Abramoff with the guarantee that he could “whip up the nut jobs” on what ever issue was required in the future.” This is not unique to Ralph Reed. I hear it from many within the Republican Party. I always find it very dis-pleasurable to hear one of the higher ranking Republican’s laughingly refer to the religious conservatives as “Whipping up the nut jobs,” or just plain, “Nut Jobs.” I find no pleasure in passing this information onto you but it is the truth of what many think of the religious right within the Party today. They know that religious people are now good for a couple of hundred dollars contributions. They don’t ask questions because they are use to accepting what is being told to them based on faith. For instance, “How do you know there is a god? The bible tells me so and I have faith.” They count and exploit this fact to mislead good people.
I am ashamed that people of faith are being taken advantage of by those who wrap the flag around their shoulders, cradle a bible to their chest, while calling to alarm that the ACLU is waging a “War on Christmas.”
So you need to ask yourself before spouting there is no global warming and it is just the work of Satan and liberals (That is just to stupid to comment on), Tinky Winky is gay, (please tell me what you are looking at to say it is a male or female. Maybe Tinky Winky is just a female with her purse. I have a niece who only wore purple becaused she loved the color. She was three at the time), or there is a War On Christmas, etc; you should first ask who got paid to get you "Whipped up" to repeat these words as if they were facts.
I read and think for myself, engineer. I don't need any paid minister to inform me about social concerns today.
How many times do I have to tell you that Tinky winky was identified as a gay role model by the gays before Falwell ever commented on it. That makes a difference to me. The media wanted to suggest Falwell was watching teletubbies and coming to his own conclusion on this. Seeing gayness where none was evident. Not so. If the gays consider tink to be a teletubbie in drag, one wonders if it is intentional on the part of the tv program. You can say "so what ?"--but I don't want any cultural influences on my grandkids such as males carrying purses on toddler tv. stories in kdgtn featuring "my 2 dads" or "jesse's skirt" --etc. Gov't has no right to do this on my tax money.
In answer to your question, Tink is tallest, has a male voice, carries a purse. the other teletubbies do not have male voices while carrying purses. "he's" the only one with a purse, i think. Very likely a toddler wouldn't notice, but what is the point of giving the male- voiced teletubbie a purse???
Kids are quite likely conditioned by parents to love certain colors --certainly the "boy colors" and the "girl colors." And I don't think it means anything --unless parents are really steering them to the usual opposite sex preferences in toys, story characters, colors, heroes, activities, etc. --or not helping boys identify with boy interests, heroes, story characters, etc. Women can feminize boys and direct their interests, just trying to share life with them. Kids can get the idea from their parents that they are 'different' from the norm --or that they want to be the opposite sex or would make a cuter person of the opposite sex.
as for the war on Christmas, Anyone who looks at the Religion Clause blog run by Friedman can see that the ACLU is waging war on all religious influence in history and society today. Anyone who reads the paper or watches the news can figure out that there is a war on Christmas.
Yes, I realize the problem of the satanists, wiccans, atheists, Muslims, etc. all trying to get equal time for their symbols on the courthouse lawn and in the school music departments, religious clubs in school, etc. But why does the ACLU have to speed the process of eliminating the Christian traditions and heritage of this great nation? which are so much a part of our country--a positive part --as you described in your little trip down memory lane.
I think people who immigrate here need to be polite guests --free to exercise their religion --but not demanding absence of our traditions. They can have their display, too, on their holy day.
You said, Spirit of LD, the following:
"... I know that you have heard these arguments before but we seem to keep revisiting them again and again with you. " Sounds just like LD would say it. and maybe micro d.
about other religions demanding equal time. NOPE, I don't think you all have raised this issue with ME before.
I might've mentioned it. I've always known that is the issue --but the ACLU is way out in front of the Muslims and others --demanding the elimination of Christian traditions before anyone else is even demanding it --speeding up the establishment of the naked public square.
I haven't said there is no global warming --I have said I understood that not all the experts agree --and that 25 years ago, they said we were going to freeze. You were quoting jerry F. supposedly --from the article --not me. I don't pretend to know about global warming --except what i hear from both sides. I'm skeptical of the significance. I do think God is in charge of his planet --but I know we can cause problems for ourselves by our sins. I'm more worried about the global threat to Chrsitianity and what THAT will mean --if nuclear bombs are in the hands of the world's bullies who don't allow any kind of freedom, much less religious, who know how to kill an economy by killing incentive and our judeo Christian national heritage in general --
Steve wrote "Falwell took his beliefs into the realm of politics and tried to undermine our secular political institutions to promote his narrow religious agenda."
No, he did not. He saw that the secularists and the atheists of the ACLU were trying to change America's secular and political institutions to promote their narrow social agenda, their idea of a public square without religious influence. We never had establishment of religion but we had free exercise of prayer on public property --we had a Judeo-Christian idea of morality for centuries in this country. It wasn't Falwell who came along and tried to get Chrsitians to change everything--He helped to pull us together to make our voice heard --to say that we were not going to stand idly by while the ACLU tried to change everything and created an atheistic, humanistic, secularistic God-denying gov't to agree with THEIR beliefs and unbeliefs at the expense of a gov't that had been founded on Biblical principles of morality, justice, charity, etc. --with the Bible as a text in public schools --as gifts for graduation (holy books of Jews, Catholics and Christians were given out --Muslims and atheists could presumeably ask for their books, too, I suppose.) and prayer for graduates at graduation.
We have been kowtowing to atheists, pleasing their religion of selfish hedonistic godlessness at a breath-taking rate --since the legalization of abortion, since the drug culture promotion and the sexual revolution
(AS demonstrated recently in the Boulder, CO public school where they had a sex ed panel come in and recommend sexual experiementation and the use of Ecstacy. This is the kind of nuttiness that the ACLU backs.) Christians felt helpless against this onslought to their moral sensitivities, this undermining of their children's faith,by our secular institutions --and Falwell, Robertson and others galvanized us and made us the political force we are today --such that republicans know they can't win without us. And democrats probably can't win against republicans if all the conservative factions hang together, the fiscal, social, and national security conservs.
Jerry Fallwell spewed race hatred and division in the Boston desgregation problems of the 1980s. He continued to do so for the rest of his career, although as he became more "mainstream" he moderated his expression and worked more through others. But he was a religious extremist and bigot and eventually overstepped the bounds of what was acceptable to even the US conservative press and they marginalized him. He will be missed by very few. As one of the commenters on my blog said, "I don't rejoice at his death but I wish he'd never been born." Even an atheist like me can say "Amen" to that.
mr. revere, thank you for your comment here! the comments by my friend, Barb, show how the religious right has forced their agenda into every aspect of american life through thte manipulation of the public through hysterical fear.
i begin to percieve the religious right and fundamentalism in general as a symptom of the end of religion.
a embattled fortress syndrome making its last stands in mega churches, insane political meddling, jihads of all sorts frantically trying to keep the meme alive as the human mind evolves past the religion stage and they are left as ideological neandertals .
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