 Jerry Falwell's Legacy
Jerry Falwell spent a career demonizing others. Upon his death, what else
could he expect in return?
By Alan Wolfe (excerpt from salon.com)
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Photo: AP/Stephen J. Boitano
The Rev. Jerry Falwell speaks during the Christian
Coalition of America Road to Victory 2000 conference in Washington on Sept. 29, 2000.
May 15, 2007 | One never wants to speak ill of the dead, but in the case of Jerry
Falwell, how can one not? Falwell will always be remembered for his "700 Club"
comment in the wake of Sept. 11: "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.'" Even though Falwell later apologized, the damage had been done: A
sacred moment had been used for profane purpose.
And that, really, is Falwell's legacy. To the religious life of the United States he
made no significant contribution. But to the political life of the country, he made one:
He founded the Moral Majority. In so doing, Falwell managed to take something holy -- one
does not have to be a Christian to admire the life and teachings of Jesus Christ -- and
turned it into something partisan and divisive. Falwell, the quintessential conservative
Christian, was always more conservative than Christian. To the extent that history will
remember him, it will be as a politician, not as a preacher.
Even Falwell's political contribution, despite the success of the Republicans during
the Reagan years, left a mixed legacy behind. But the Moral Majority disbanded in 1989,
prompting the inevitable thought that Falwell's ideas were neither moral nor in the
majority. The movement of conservative Protestants into the base of the Republican Party
was far too important a task to be entrusted to a man as oblivious to public relations as
Falwell. Once the Ralph Reeds and Karl Roves took over the task of blending religion and
politics, there was no room for Falwell. Longing for Washington, he had to settle for
Lynchburg, Va.
But then there was cable television, the perfect medium for someone as shallow as this
man. Falwell appeared so many times on cable news that one tended to forget how little
influence he actually wielded. Had it not been for cable television, Falwell would have
been forgotten long ago (and I would not be writing about his legacy). He was perfect for
the world created by Fox: extremist, polarizing, Manichaean. (The Manichees, a Persian
sect that for a time attracted the great Saint Augustine, adhered to a black-and-white
reality in which evil was always in an endless struggle with the good.) Five minutes of
hate followed by a commercial break: It is not a format fit for all, but for Falwell, it
fit like a glove.
Conservative Christianity has been trying to recover from Falwell for the past two
decades. Just as his political views were too buffoonish to make the Moral Majority a
reality, his religious sensibilities were too shallow to spread evangelical Protestantism.
Evangelicalism grew in the exurban megachurches, and the megachurches, implicitly and
occasionally explicitly, rejected Falwell's approach to the faith. Rick Warren, Joel
Osteen, Bill Hybels -- these inclusive preachers inherited the mantle of Billy Graham, not
Falwell and his great rival Pat Robertson. With the maturation of American evangelicalism
has come an interest in social justice, environmentalism and peace. The people who
represent evangelical Protestantism's future want little or nothing to do with injustice,
pollution and war.
Of course America's megachurches offer a thin theology equivalent to twelve-step
theology. But Falwell's contribution to American religion was even less than that.
Falwell's university -- Liberty University -- never achieved anything resembling serious
academic status, although it did produce a decent enough basketball team. Falwell's
church, Thomas Road Baptist Church, with its Scopes-trial era insistence on hell and
damnation, was not what American Christians wanted to hear. Falwell's 1980 book,
"Listen, America," is an embarrassing string of clichés. "Sin is a
transgression of God's law and God's law is unalterable," Falwell wrote. "To sin
is to voluntarily disobey God and His divine laws." But it was not the sinfulness of
human beings that preoccupied Falwell; it was the sinfulness of the country in which they
lived: "Sin brings reproach upon a people. This is the reason we are in a nosedive as
a nation." Less than 50 years after the defeat of Nazi Germany, Falwell could write
of America that "we have become one of the most blatantly sinful nations of all
time." Falwell's theology, such as it was, never made clear how America could be both
the promised land and Gomorrah at the same time.
Instead of pondering Jerry Falwell's legacy, we would be better off asking how this man
ever became a public figure in the first place. America has had more than its share of
religiously inspired demagogues -- Dr. Fred Swartz, Billy James Hargis, Carl McIntyre come
to mind -- but they are forgotten figures, marginal even to the times in which lived. One
would like to believe that the United States has become a bigger and better country since
the days when men like them preached about captive nations and denounced the pernicious
influence of rock 'n' roll. But then there is Jerry Falwell. In death, as he did in life,
he reminds us that demagoguery never dies; it just changes its form. Jerry Falwell
expressed great hate for a lot of his fellow Americans. It is no wonder that so many of
them will greet his death with something less than love.
Newsflash: Falwell Believes in a
Jack-in-the-Box God!!!
I had a Jack-in-the-box when I was a kid. It played
a perky tune and then -wham!-- out popped a hideous puppet with an evil grin. I
always expected Jack to yell, "Gotcha!" Evidently some people see God
that way.
The Rev. Jerry Falwell and broadcaster Pat Robertson,
commenting on the terrorist attacks, claimed the United States had insulted God and lost
divine protection.
God allowed "the enemies of America to give us
probably what we deserve," Falwell noted.
He later apologized for his remarks, but are we really to
believe his half hearted apology for words which were stupid at best and traitorous at
worse. His remarks gave aid and comfort to our enemies, the Terrorists. His
words were horrible to the mothers and wives and husbands and sons and daughters of those
that died on September the 11th, 2001. His words were not coming from a
person who loved this country. His words displayed the reason he is featured on this
page. He has displayed his true feelings which are rooted in TV ratings and money
and self importance.
But, as evidenced by Falwell's statements, the belief in
a vengeful jack-in-the-box God is all too common.
A fervent church goer, my aunt once said, "My job is
going well. My marriage is back on track." And then a furtive look crossed her face.
"I'd better not jinx it."
Perhaps she feared God would burst into her life
unexpectedly, saying, "You think everything is fine? Well, Gotcha!"
In "The Night of the iguana," a pastor tells
his congregation that he refuses to conduct services in praise of the "angry,
petulant old man" whom they worship.
"You have turned your back on God of love and
compassion," he roars, "and invented for yourselves a cruel, senile
delinquent."
If people like Jerry Falwell and pat Robertson want to
worship a cruel and mean spirited God, that's their business . But, I wish they
would not Blaspheme by calling what they practice, Christianity. They don't even
practice a version of Christianity. They practice some sort of Old Testament Demon
Worship.
May they get their wish and join that Mean Spirited,
Cruel and Senile Demon whom they worship.
Newsflash: Now Falwell Believes Women Are A
Minority!
"I do not believe the homosexual community deserves minority status. One's
misbehavior does not qualify him or her for minority status. Blacks, Hispanics, women,
etc. are God-ordained minorities who do indeed deserve minority status." Jerry
Falwell, USA Today Chat
We will leave it up to the reader to determine whether Jerry
Falwell has made serious errors in in judgment. Jerry has supported a Conservative
Christian position especially when it comes to Church and State issues. It is
apparent from the data collected, that the first amendment may be in danger from his past
and future actions. (CLICK HERE TO SEE IF JERRY
FALWELL IS BREAKING FEDERAL LAW)
Jerry's office like others we called, stated that his position is that Witches aren't a
"Real" religion." What is a real religion, Mr. Falwell? What
you have been practicing? Read the following and remember: "By their Works may
they be known." This is a summary of information collected from several sources
about Jerry Falwell. (CLICK HERE TO SEE FALWELL'S
FOLLIES)
(Remember it is best to investigate on your own when looking at allegations about
anyone. Don't believe us, think for yourself and investigate for
yourself! And remember, the Religious Freedom Coalition does not represent any
political party nor do we recommend any political candidate, nor are we involving
ourselves in the political process. This information is only for students of Jerry
Falwell)
Jerry Falwell represents what some have called
"the first wave" of the Religious Right. Long before the Christian Coalition and
the Promisekeepers, he led his "Moral Majority" into battle against the forces
of godlessness and immorality. Today, he has lost much of his power, but he's still active
as a media clown, creating "controversy" out of nowhere. Lately, he is trying to
make a comeback and to re-establish himself as one of the leading powerbrokers of the
Religious Right.
On Sundays, Jerry Falwell preaches from the pulpit in Lynchburg,
Virginia's Thomas Road Baptist Church. He spreads the Lord's Word to a much wider audience
on his nationally broadcast Old Time Gospel Hour and also proselytizes through the
secular outlets provided by Larry King and Geraldo Rivera. Everywhere the Reverend
goes, he presents himself as a man of God dedicated to Christian virtues. Condemning the
dishonesty of others is a core theme of the Reverend Falwell. Like certain Members
of Congress, Jerry Falwell behaves as if his moral standards should be applied to others,
but not to himself.
The Reverend Falwell distributes a so-called fact sheet to 162,000 of his evangelical
brethren who are part of the Friends of Jerry Falwell Support Circle. Called the
"Falwell Confidential," it describes itself as "a weekly fax briefing for
America's pastors and Christian leaders who may use this information without
attribution."
When information is passed from a church leader to his flock without attribution, the
details assume the weight of established fact. Few if any of the Christian hierarchy
who receive Falwell's fact sheet can be assumed to spend any time verifying the good
Reverend's "facts," which means that all 162,000 were in position to spread the
lies contained in the January 15, 1999, "Falwell Confidential."
"The Bizarre Flynt-Clinton Connection," read Falwell's top item. "Dan
Moldea, the lead investigator for Larry Flynt's ongoing quest to uncover sexual
indiscretions of Republican congressional members, has now admitted he was hired by the
law firm defending President Clinton [Williams & Connolly]."
These statements about Moldea are false. Dan Moldea has never admitted working
for Williams & Connolly, because he has never been in the law firm's employ. On
January 26, Moldea contacted Falwell through an E-mail message, referenced the alleged
claim about former employment with Williams & Connolly and pointed out, "This
entire statement is false and misleading, reckless and malicious. It is a complete
fabrication."
Moldea promised to bring his attorneys into the matter, which earned a swift response
from J.M. Smith of Jerry Falwell Ministries. Smith claimed to be trying "to
learn what material in the January 15 'Falwell Confidential' is contrary to what is being
reported in the national media. I am forwarding three articles to you that present
highly similar stories to the one we printed. We are not trying to escape
responsibility for what we have reported, rather wanting to clarify what it is that you
feel was misapplied in the 'Falwell Confidential.' Please show me specifically where
we have erred and, if wrong, we will be more than happy to issue a retraction and an
apology."
The three articles Smith forwarded to Dan Moldea were all critical of the investigator,
and any of the three reporters would have liked to link Moldea to the White House, but
none had made the jump to fabricating a Moldea employment history with Clinton's
lawyers. If J.M. Smith were truly "not trying to escape responsibility for what
we have reported," a cursory review of the three articles would have shown Smith
specifically where Falwell had erred, and then they could have happily issued a retraction
and an apology, which would have done no good in reversing the harm of the lie.
At the time of Moldea's communications with Falwell emissary J.M. Smith, the San
Diego Union-Tribune had already picked up the Reverend's fabrication and run it as
fact.
Jerry Falwell's actions bring to mind a New Testament story of a gossiping woman.
In a modernized account the woman asks Jesus how she might undo the harm she has caused by
spreading false information. Jesus advises her that a malicious liar might just as
well climb up to the pulpit of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, discharge a shotgun into
his lying mouth and then try to reassemble the scattered portions of his skull as attempt
to retract the harm done by flinging a single malicious lie.
Jerry Falwell will probably disregard the urgings of Jesus in this matter.
Moldea is not alone in being the target of Jerry Falwell's malicious intentions. The
Reverend has helped finance and distribute a videotape of crackpot allegations that
President Bill Clinton has been involved in drug-running and murder.
Falwell has also put the Christian world on alert that the Antichrist is among us and
living as a Jewish male.
The beatific Reverend referred to lesbian actress Ellen
Degeneres as Ellen Degenerate.
Nothing is as advantageous to the argument of a bigot,
than that their prejudice is revealed in holly scripture written by a divine power
conveniently absent and thus unable to dispute interpretation. It is not surprising
therefore that few callings have attracted as many self-serving fanatics as religion.
Falwell professes love for homosexuals
while saying he "hates" their "sin." His preaching has helped to
create an atmosphere of intolerance where a gay male cannot be savagely beaten to death
without the fear of fanatical Christians waving GOD HATES FAGS placards at his
funeral. Jerry Falwell has even accused the Teletubby Tinky Winky (Teletubbies are
puppetlike characters seen on a popular children's television show - see left) of being a
homosexual.
The Reverend Fallwell's attack on the 'gay' telletubbie Tinky Winky may appear foolish, an
argument which will only a zealot will believe. But, the motive however is both
serious and
self-serving.
 Religions have always defined
themselves in terms of what they are not as well as what they are. An argument only
a zealot will believe is precisely what you need to attract zealots.
The mode of Fallwell's attack is significant. Tinky Winky is claimed to be a covert
message from the 'gay movement', a message which Falwell has decrypted. Tinky Winky
is purple, the gay pride color, he has a triangular antenna - the gay rights symbol, he
carries a handbag. The none too subtle subtext of Fallwell's 'parental advisory' is that
you too must learn the code to protect your children from those conspiring to do them
harm.
As with any conspiracy the Tinky-Winky theory is essentially unrefutable - even despite
its obvious factual errors. The gay pride color is light pink and Tinky Winky is
deep purple, but all this proves is that the code is hard to decrypt, an expert is needed
and that expert is Jerry Falwell.
Now, what Falwell doesn't tell you is from 1933 until the end of the second world war,
the German Nazis placed a pink triangle on the jacket of all homosexuals who were arrested
and sent to concentration camps. They were of course killed there.
Is Jerry calling for the same "solution" to the
homosexual question? Is Jerry Falwell a Nazi?
Jerry Falwell might be better occupied concerning himself with
the destination of his soul for as the result of his dishonesty, it indeed seems to be
headed for the Christian Hell.
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