Directories
Quick Searches
Find a Job
Quick Search
For Employers
Yahoo! HotJobs Local Search
Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of Moral Majority, dies at 73
By: SUE LINDSEY - Associated Press | ∞
LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell collapsed at his campus office and died Tuesday after a career in which the evangelist used the power of television to transform the religious right into a mighty force in American politics. He was 73.
The founder of the Moral Majority was discovered without a pulse at Liberty University and pronounced dead at a hospital an hour later. Dr. Carl Moore, Falwell's physician, said he had a heart condition and presumably died of a heart rhythm abnormality.
Driven into politics by the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that established the right to an abortion, Falwell founded the Moral Majority in 1979. One of the conservative lobbying group's greatest triumphs came just a year later, when Ronald Reagan was elected president.
Falwell credited the Moral Majority with getting millions of conservative voters registered, aiding in Reagan's victory and giving Republicans control of the Senate.
"I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved," he said when he stepped down as Moral Majority president in 1987.
Fellow TV evangelist Pat Robertson, himself a one-time GOP candidate for president, declared Falwell "a tower of strength on many of the moral issues which have confronted our nation."
The rise of Christian conservatism -- and the Moral Majority's full-throated condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and pornography -- made Falwell perhaps the most recognizable figure on the evangelical right, and one of the most controversial ones, too.
Over the years, Falwell waged a landmark libel case against Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt over a raunchy parody ad, and created a furor in 1999 when one of his publications suggested that the purse-carrying "Teletubbies" character Tinky Winky was gay.
Matt Foreman, executive director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, extended condolences to those close to Falwell, but added: "Unfortunately, we will always remember him as a founder and leader of America's anti-gay industry, someone who exacerbated the nation's appalling response to the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, someone who demonized and vilified us for political gain and someone who used religion to divide rather than unite our nation."
The 1980s marked the religious conservative movement's high-water mark. In more recent years, Falwell had become a problematic figure for the GOP. His remarks a few days after Sept. 11, 2001, essentially blaming feminists, gays and liberals for bringing on the terrorist attacks, drew a rebuke from the White House, and he apologized.
Falwell's declining political star seemed apparent when he was quietly led in and out of the Republican Party's 2004 national convention. Just four years earlier, he was invited to pray from the rostrum.
The big, blue-eyed preacher with a booming voice started a fundamentalist church in an abandoned bottling plant in Lynchburg in 1956 with just 35 members. He built it into a religious empire that included the 24,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the "Old Time Gospel Hour" carried on TV stations around the country and 9,600-student Liberty University, which Falwell founded in 1971 as Lynchburg Baptist College.
From his living room, he broadcast his message of salvation and raised the donations that helped his ministry grow.
"He was one of the first to come up with ways to use television to expand his ministry," said Robert Alley, a retired University of Richmond religion professor who studied and criticized Falwell's career. Alley died last summer.
Falwell had once opposed mixing preaching with politics, but changed his views. The Moral Majority grew to 6.5 million members and raised $69 million as it supported conservative politicians and railed against abortion, homosexuality, pornography and bans on school prayer.
Falwell became the face of the religious right, appearing on national magazine covers and on talk shows. In 1983, U.S. News & World Report named him one of 25 most influential people in America.
"Jerry's passions and convictions changed the course of our country for the better over the last 20 years," said James Dobson, founder of the conservative Christian Focus on the Family ministry. "It was Jerry who led an entire wing of Christianity, the fundamentalist wing, away from isolation and into a direct confrontation with the culture."
"Dr. Falwell was a man of distinguished accomplishment who devoted his life to serving his faith and country," said Sen. John McCain, a GOP presidential contender who during the 2000 primaries referred to Falwell and Robertson as "agents of intolerance." McCain has since distanced himself from those comments.
In 1984, Falwell sued Hustler for $45 million, charging that he was libeled by a liquor-ad parody that quoted him as saying he lost his virginity to his mother in an outhouse.
A federal jury found the fake ad did not libel him but awarded him $200,000 for emotional distress. The verdict was overturned in a landmark 1988 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held that even pornographic spoofs about a public figure enjoy First Amendment protection.
With Falwell's high profile came frequent criticism, even from fellow ministers. The Rev. Billy Graham once rebuked him for political sermonizing on "non-moral issues."
Falwell quit the Moral Majority in 1987, saying he was tired of being "a lightning rod" and wanted to devote his time to his ministry and Liberty University. But he remained outspoken and continued to draw criticism for his remarks.
In 1999, he told an evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief. A month later, his National Liberty Journal warned parents that Tinky Winky, the children's TV character, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children.
Falwell was re-energized after family values proved important in the 2004 presidential election. He formed the Faith and Values Coalition as the "21st Century resurrection of the Moral Majority," to seek anti-abortion judges, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and more conservative elected officials.
In 1987, Falwell took over the PTL (Praise the Lord) ministry in South Carolina after the Rev. Jim Bakker got caught in a sex and money scandal. Falwell slid fully clothed down a theme park water slide after donors met his fundraising goal to help rescue the rival ministry. He gave it up seven months later after learning the depth of PTL's financial problems.
Largely because of the sex scandals involving Bakker and fellow evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, donations to Falwell's ministry dropped from $135 million in 1986 to less than $100 million the following year. Hundreds of workers were laid off and viewers of his television show dwindled.
Liberty University was $73 million in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy, and his "Old Time Gospel Hour" was $16 million in debt. By the mid-1990s, two local businessmen with long ties to Falwell began overseeing the finances and helped get companies to forgive debts or write them off.
Falwell dreamed that Liberty would grow to 50,000 students and be to fundamentalist Christians what Notre Dame is to Roman Catholics and Brigham Young University is to Mormons.
In a statement, President Bush said he and First Lady Laura Bush were "deeply saddened" by the loss of a man who "cherished faith, family and freedom."
"One of his lasting contributions was the establishment of Liberty University, where he taught young people to remain true to their convictions and rely upon God's word throughout each stage of their lives," Bush said.
Falwell's father and his grandfather were militant atheists, he wrote in his autobiography. He said his father made a fortune off his businesses -- including bootlegging during Prohibition.
As a student, Falwell was a star athlete and a prankster who was barred from giving his high school valedictorian's speech after he was caught using counterfeit lunch tickets.
He ran with a gang of juvenile delinquents before becoming a born-again Christian at 19. He turned down an offer to play professional baseball and transferred from Lynchburg College to Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo.
"My heart was burning to serve Christ," he once said in an interview. "I knew nothing would ever be the same again."
Falwell had made careful preparations for a transition of his leadership to his two sons, Jerry Jr., now vice chancellor of Liberty University, and Jonathan, executive pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church.
Falwell's survivors include his wife, Macel, his two sons and a daughter, Jeannie Falwell Savas. The funeral is set for 2 p.m. Monday at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Mormon whose own faith has become an issue during his run for the presidency, said Falwell "built and led a movement based on strong principles and strong faith," and "the legacy of his important work will continue through his many ministries where he put his faith into action."
A look at some of Jerry Falwell's surviving allies
A brief look at some of the allies of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who died Tuesday: - -- James Dobson, 71, a psychologist and Christian evangelical based in Colorado Springs, Colo.; founder and chairman of Focus on the Family.
-- Pat Robertson, 77, a Virginia-based televangelist who hosts The 700 Club, a Christian TV program; founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Christian Coalition.
-- D. James Kennedy, 76, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., featured on numerous TV and radio programs; a founding board member of Moral Majority, founder of the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ.
-- Tim LaHaye, 81, co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" books, a founder of Tim LaHaye Ministries and several conservative organizations.
-- Donald Wildmon, 69, a Methodist minister, founder and chairman of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss.; a leader of many boycott campaigns aimed at pressuring corporations over their social policies.
-- Louis Sheldon, 72, an ordained minister from Anaheim, Calif., chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition.
Key events in the life of the Rev. Jerry Falwell
-- Aug. 11, 1933: Born, along with twin brother Gene, to Carey and Helen Falwell in Lynchburg, Va. - -- 1956: Starts Thomas Road Baptist Church; quickly moves into radio broadcasting, then into television with the "Old Time Gospel Hour."
-- 1971: Opens Lynchburg Baptist College, later Liberty University.
-- 1979: Founds the Moral Majority.
-- 1983: Listed by U.S. News & World Report as one of 25 most influential Americans.
-- 1984: Sues Hustler magazine, charging he was libeled by an obscene parody. U.S. Supreme Court overturns $200,000 damages verdict for emotional distress in 1988.
-- 1987: Leaves Moral Majority, takes over the Rev. Jim Bakker's scandal-rocked PTL ministry for several months.
-- 1989: Moral Majority disbands.
-- 1990s: Grapples with dropoff in contributions, viewers stemming from the 1980s televangelism scandals.
-- 2001: Suggests after the Sept. 11 attacks that feminists, gays, ACLU partly to blame. He later apologizes.
-- 2004: Announces he will leave day-to-day operations of Liberty University, Thomas Road Baptist Church to sons Jerry and Jonathan, focus on new Faith and Values Coalition.
-- February-April 2005: Is hospitalized twice with serious heart, lung problems.
-- July 2006: Celebrates the 50th anniversary of Thomas Road Baptist Church.
-- May 15, 2007: Dies at age 73.
Some quotations from the Rev. Jerry Falwell.
"I want the members of Congress to understand ... that the solution to America's serious moral and spiritual problem is not political. We're in need of a religious awakening." -- At a large Christian rally outside the Capitol in Washington in 1996. - ----
"I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved." -- After announcing in 1987 that he was stepping down from the Moral Majority.
"All of them who have tried to secularize America, I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen."' -- In a television appearance just after the Sept. 11 attacks, blaming them on pagans, abortionists, feminists, homosexuals, the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way.
"When I talked about God lifting the curtain of protection on our nation, I should have made it very clear that no one on this earth knows whether or not that occurred or did not occur." -- In his apology for the remark about Sept. 11.
"As a Christian I feel that role modeling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children." -- After a 1999 article in Falwell's National Liberty Journal characterizing a "Teletubbies" character as gay.
"If he's going to be the counterfeit of Christ, he has to be Jewish. The only thing we know is he must be male and Jewish." -- Describing his view in 1999 that the Antichrist "must be alive somewhere today."
"I apologize not for what I believe, but for my lack of tact and judgment in making a statement that served no purpose whatsoever." -- apologizing for the Antichrist remark.
"The NCAA has enough problems with drugs and crime and violence, sex and rape to bother itself with prohibiting prayer." -- Criticizing a rule that barred football players from kneeling in prayer on the field after a touchdown.
"No sleaze merchant like Larry Flynt should be able to use the First Amendment as an excuse for maliciously and dishonestly attacking public figures." -- After the U.S. Supreme Court in 1988 overturned a $200,000 damage award he had won against Hustler magazine.
More Stories
Advertisement
bye bye wrote on May 15, 2007 11:03 AM:I wonder if this also means the demise of Liberty "University"?
Poetic Justice wrote on May 15, 2007 11:07 AM:Falwell used to blame everything from natural disasters to terrorists attacks on the retribution of God towards sinners. Maybe there's something to that, leaving me wonder, was his dimise God's way of striking back at him for his own moral shortcomings.
Sculpin wrote on May 15, 2007 11:14 AM:Well, I guess he now knows for sure if all his earthly accomplishments have been duly recorded and rewarded....or maybe he's just dead and doesn't know that he doesn't know..after all, that's what dead is....
Kent wrote on May 15, 2007 11:23 AM:The articles regarding the death of Richard M. Nixon was MUCH more favorable than this coverage!
RIP wrote on May 15, 2007 11:34 AM:Thank you Reverend Falwell for spearheading the rise of Christian political activism. While I didn't agree with a whole heck of a lot of what he had to say, I'm glad for the activism on behalf of Christians as a political movement.
What the world needs now is: wrote on May 15, 2007 11:47 AM:Jerry Falwell was a nasty man. He was one of the worst anti-gay bigots of the religious right. You're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but there is no way to discuss this incredibly offensive religious extremist without discussing the hate that made up so much of his life. He was an outspoken supporter of apartheid in South Africa: he said God doesn’t listen to or answer the prayers of the Jews: he said god invented AIDS to punish the gays, (what about all the innocent babies and women?) he said God was behind 9/11; he stood in the way of medical research; and he blocked equal rights and hate crime protection for a variety of minority groups; he gave support to the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. He was a self satisfied hate filled hypocrite and bigot, and we are better off that he is gone!
YEAH wrote on May 15, 2007 11:56 AM:Good riddance. Finally some good news. I will celebrate tonight.
Shocked.... wrote on May 15, 2007 12:26 PM:Speaking so poorly of the dead... hold yourselves to a higher standard.
Exasperated... wrote on May 15, 2007 12:34 PM:Perhaps Lynchburg can finally have it's lovely city back. Having grown up there in the eighties and nineties, I experienced this nut firsthand. It's never a happy day when someone passes, I feel for his family, but it's time for L'burg to move on. It's real nice that God let a morbidly obese hypocrite like Fallwell live so long anyway. And now he will finally learn... What Would Jesus say, Mr. Fallwell?
Patriot wrote on May 15, 2007 12:35 PM:It is a waste of our time to judge this man's life because by now he has been summoned to face judgement in front of God Almighty as all of us will. Better to examine our own beliefs and actions and be ready for that day, whenever it should come.
to RIP wrote on May 15, 2007 12:44 PM:I appreciate your frank admission of Christian political activism. This can only mean one thing: a movement whose aim is to make the US a Christian nation, a theocracy, with governors and governing principles in line with some people's ideas of the Christian mission. As such, isn't it by definition a subversive and anti-American movement? Does it not wish to overthrow the secular order? As such, isn't it equivalently dangerous to US values as, say, the old Communist party? Is it not engaged in conspiratorial activities? Where is HUAC when we really need it?
I agree wrote on May 15, 2007 12:45 PM:the world's total tonnage of hatred and division just got a little lighter, thank God.
As Much wrote on May 15, 2007 12:47 PM:of a bombastic buffoon as he was, I am saddened by his death and wish him well. May he rest in peace.
BJane wrote on May 15, 2007 12:54 PM:Though he frustrated the pieces out of me, I'd better not throw any rocks...
To Shocked wrote on May 15, 2007 12:58 PM:Falwell never spoke well of the living, so why should he deserve the same benefite at his death?
Ezekial wrote on May 15, 2007 12:58 PM:Rest in peace your wholiness! Maybe true Christian love, not the hateful brand he espoused, will evolve.
To Kent wrote on May 15, 2007 1:10 PM:That's because Richard Nixon was less hypocritical. Nixon, just got caught.
To "Shocked...." wrote on May 15, 2007 1:29 PM:We speak poorly of Hitler as well, do we not? He too is dead.
RicoSuave wrote on May 15, 2007 1:45 PM:yeah, he said things he shouldn't have said, but he did acknowledge Jesus Christ for who He is, so because of that, and only becuase of that, Mr. Falwell's in paradise regardless of what angry, bitter, and lost people may say.
NCLOCAL wrote on May 15, 2007 1:48 PM:To all you with nothing nice to say: At least Jerry said it to your face ! I did not what he said, especially when I was younger but at least he stood up and said it in front of me.
Ron wrote on May 15, 2007 1:51 PM:Don't you worry your pretty little noggin. God deals justly with both the just and the unjust. Hopefully, we'll see you there at the reunion.
North County American wrote on May 15, 2007 1:57 PM:The Marxists on the totalitarian left have no higher standards. The Moral Majority is alive and well - they just don't tell lies, hate our country, and hold up the perverse as normal.
A Christian message: wrote on May 15, 2007 2:04 PM:"As I remember Reverend Falwell’s life, I also remember all of the families of people who have died of AIDS,” said Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign. “Reverend Falwell’s legacy is not about the tenants of Jesus’ ministry such as healing the sick and standing with the disenfranchised but about shunning and ridiculing those who have suffered and died of AIDS and their families. Many faith leaders today are moving away from his divisive approach and toward the compassion and inclusiveness that Jesus modeled every day of his ministry."
To the haters wrote on May 15, 2007 3:43 PM:It sure didnt take you long to jump on this and celebrate did it? You are dancing on his grave already. May others be kinder to you when you die than you have been to Mr. Falwell.
GREEDY wrote on May 15, 2007 4:03 PM:Falwell was the epitome of Elmer Gantry. An avaricious, ignorant old bigot who took pleasure in dishing out hate and if possible, misery to minorities, gays, lesbians and anybody else he could target. All for making brownie points with the extreme fringe religious right, so that he could rake in money and enrich his own, fat self.
Not a republican wrote on May 15, 2007 4:26 PM:This awesome man had the guts to do what everyone else did not have the spine to do. Every human being is entitled to their own opinion, and shame on all you ... that disrespect the dead. Comparing him to Hitler? Come on that is insane. He never physically harmed or murdered anyone, just voice his outspoken views, which is everyones right under the 1st ammendment and the constitution. If you didn't like it, why did you listen or watch him? There is this device that was created to keep your obese but on the couch, its called a remote, use it and change the channel..
to RicoSuave wrote on May 15, 2007 4:35 PM:Your statement is one reason why so many people have problems with that version of Christianity, can you see that? Treat others in as hateful and cruel a way as you wish, but acknowledge Jesus as your personal savior and He will reward you with eternal paradise. I guess we'll all find out if this is true someday, but in the meantime, it is very hard to believe that Jesus would approve of this version of his life's purpose. Telling people that no matter what you do, you have this special card up your sleeve that has no relationship whatsoever to your actions on earth except one, is highly offensive to me. Falwell and others could, after all, accept Jesus in the same way and ALSO do great, kind work in the world, based on mercy and compassion. They'd still go to heaven, right? So instead of calling me "lost", just call me "human"...like you!
Jedi Knight wrote on May 15, 2007 4:40 PM:He was a great man, a statesmen, a scholar an inspireing speaker. I am sure he will be rewarded well. I will miss hearing him speak.
Greg wrote on May 15, 2007 5:12 PM:It's amazing the hate and intolerance some of these people have against Falwell. The same people were saddened by Sadaam's death such a contrast in good and evil.
Herbert wrote on May 15, 2007 5:14 PM:Wowwie. There are alot of people doing something on Falwell's grave in here. Alot of them are liberals who cannot imagine themselves not occupying the moral high ground. Partial birth abortion advocates and dissing someone who meant something about a good clean life go hand in hand
Patrick wrote on May 15, 2007 5:30 PM:Oh NO! Maybe this was the rapture.... and we all just missed the boat?
believer wrote on May 15, 2007 5:40 PM:What is wrong with you people,what gives you the right to judge.A man that gave his whole life to preaching the gospel has died and some are going to celebrate others are happy because they say lynchburg will be better, better for what!!!!!!! Whats wrong with you people, and the teletubbies a stupid kids show im glad jerry run them down i wouldnt let my kids whatch them either. Jerry didnt always do what was right but he did take a stand for what he believed in and thats more then i can say for alot of people. This world is a cruel cruel world with alot of cold heartless people in it. Thats pretty sad when someones happy someone dies.....God bless you jerry for the good work you have done for God!
To "not a republican" wrote on May 15, 2007 5:59 PM:This man intruded himself into all aspects of Government and into all avenues of American: It wasn't about using the remote on the TV, if you didn't like his message. Did you notice that the Gonzales aide who took the 5th rather than give testimony to the Congress of the United States was a recent grad of Liberty University. His ideologues have infiltrated this administration and are working to implement the right wing agenda, attacking traditional American values. From the bedroom to the intensive care unit, to the pharmacy, to the laboratory, the library and the class room--they want to change America into their Taliban version of a fundementalist hell.
Grease fire in Hades wrote on May 15, 2007 6:00 PM:Watch the news--there should be a flare-up in Hell that will make the wild fires in Florida look like a camp fire.
we can breathe now wrote on May 15, 2007 6:15 PM:thank god...Our country just got a little more free.
Jerry wrote on May 15, 2007 6:27 PM:Jedi, Jedi, Jedi, the man hated more than he loved. The God he said he represented loves all, but this man only loved those that benefited him. RIP in all respects but let us not turn this guy into something he was not.
RicoSuave wrote on May 15, 2007 8:08 PM:How did Falwell hate? Because he spoke up for what he believed the Bible teaches to be wrong? Do you believe he did nothing productive in his life? What have you done? WE'RE ALL SINNERS. Falwell led a lot of people to faith in Christ. Jesus in Greek literally means "salvation". Salvation isn't a way of life, it's a person. Falwell had Jesus, and thus, has Salvation. If you were about to blindly walk off a click, I'd tell you that you were about to walk to your death, which is exactly what Falwell was doing to homsexuals and abortionists who were marching towards death. Could he have gone about it a more graceful way? Most certainly. But this life isn't based on what you do, it's about what Christ did on the cross and your acceptance or rejection of that event. He believed, thus, he has salvation. Is he going have some "splainin'" to do? For sure; but that doesn't change the fact He's in heaven with Jesus living in paradise, regardless of whether or not you want him to be there.
Veteran wrote on May 15, 2007 8:34 PM:I was taught to not speak badly of the dead. What would it accomplish. I never supported any of his programs but I don't support the negativity of these comments.
If only wrote on May 15, 2007 8:43 PM:If only a rapture did happen and take the rest of them, then those of us left behind might be able to live in peace.
Samiam wrote on May 15, 2007 8:44 PM:Most of the people that have responded hated Jerry Falwell because he taught what is known as Biblical Christianity. Biblical Christianity does confront things like sin. The Bible clearly states that the spiritual man makes judgements about ALL THINGS, yet he himself is subject to no mans judgement. I don't believe their are many people that qualify to judge a man who is a giant in good deeds such as Jerry Falwell. He accomplished a lot and his legacy is a good one, His family, Thomas Rhodes Baptist Church, Liberty Baptist University. And to think of all the good people that were inspired to do good that walked through the doors of that church, went to school at Liberty Baptist or listen to him on the TV. Godspeed Jerry. You had the right stuff.
Sandra wrote on May 15, 2007 9:44 PM:Falwell divided instead of united. Perhaps he can clean his act during his next stop.
Here comes the judge! wrote on May 16, 2007 1:12 AM:With any luck, God won't judge Falwell as harshly as Falwell judged everyone else. Religious and political fanatics, although they were Islamic, were responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. What was Falwell, if not a religious fanatic?
Gimmeabreak wrote on May 16, 2007 5:30 AM:Somebody on this board's forgotten about Haggard, Swaggart, and Baker . . . how conVENient!
sean wrote on May 16, 2007 7:26 AM:Falwell is dead, Paris Hilton is going to jail...world peace is finally at hand.
BOB wrote on May 16, 2007 7:50 AM:Jerry Falwell was not Christian, he was a Babtist hate monger who used fear and ignorance to have his way with true believers.
Things are never what they seem... wrote on May 16, 2007 8:21 AM:Jerry Falwell, in his fanatical quest to bring religion into government, was responsible for fueling the GOP war machine to bring Christianity to the Middle East. There is blood on his hands. Now that he has passed, he is reviewing his life in the clear light of truth, and he is now judging himself for his own actions. I wish him enlightenment and peace.
o2cool1 wrote on May 16, 2007 8:34 AM:Can't say he'll be missed. Unfortunatly we're still saddled with Robertson,Dobson and Phelps.
Ron wrote on May 16, 2007 9:38 AM:So, the bottom line here seems to be, unless he tells you what "YOU" want to hear... he's hateful and a bigot?
To "If only" wrote on May 16, 2007 9:58 AM:Whoever you are, be careful what you wish for! If/when the Christians are gone, you won't have peace, you'll have tyranny and great tribulation, days of so much evil you WILL long to have us back! But you won't beleive it 'til you see it, will you? God help you when it happens!
RCH wrote on May 16, 2007 10:06 AM:To: If only ; The only reason you have the amount of peace that you have now is because God has not removed His Holy Spirit. When that does happen you will wish diferently. That is when all hell will break lose. What you stated is in the Bible, people will wish those who restrain evil to be gone. You will get your wish in due time. God loves you and desires you to respond to that love, but when that love is rejected He must judge, since He is just,as well. He will not force you to love Him. The logical conclusion is, that, if you don't love God, He will not force you to be around Him. That is why those who reject His love should not have a problem with being cast way from Him.
marilyn wrote on May 16, 2007 10:21 AM: A pity that the many fundamentalists who feel called upon to hate can't understand that a true follower of Christ would not preach such a vile religion as Falwell did. From the looks of this self satisfied smug fat person, he didn't control himself very well, while constantly feeling called upon to judge nearly everyone else as being failed, in some way or another. I pray for his soul.
A reminder to Ron and others wrote on May 16, 2007 10:49 AM:Falwell said that the US deserved 911 as punishment for our evil ways, our liberal ways, our homosexuality, feminism, etc. Seriously, folks, and having nothing to do with what "I" want to hear, this is nasty stuff to be proclaming. And boundlessly arrogant to so publicly claim to know the mind of God and to be His spokesperson. Good grief!
San Diego wrote on May 16, 2007 10:53 AM:I understand that Falwell was a good father, a good husband and a good friend. To all those who knew and loved him, my condolences. It's just that his god was not my God.
christians only hate wrote on May 16, 2007 11:10 AM:Fallwell was just an ordinary christian. filled with hate for everyone who didn't believe in the bible. that makes up about 3/4 of the worlds population. christianity has brought nothing but war and bigotry to the world for the last 2000 years. maybe we need to find a new more peaceful religion to take it's place. or maybe no organized religion at all. wouldn't it be nice if each person had his own beliefs and didn't intrude on others. anyway fallwell was just a biblical con man and he got rich picking the pockets of the suckers who believed in him.
to samiam wrote on May 16, 2007 11:15 AM:biblical christianity?? the bible is so full of contradictions that there is no way to come up with a coherent set of doctrines that all christians can agree on. what falwell taught was his interpretation which was characterised by hate and bigotry. enought people bought into his line that he was able to live a very comfortable life.
North County American wrote on May 16, 2007 11:49 AM:Don't liberals have jobs? They spend so much time spewing their venom - just see t... commenting on a dead man.
TheMaker wrote on May 16, 2007 12:25 PM:Other Jerry Falwell Quotes: “Billy Graham is the chief servant of Satan in America” "Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them." "The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country." "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve." (spawned the quote in the article)
wicca wrote on May 16, 2007 12:41 PM:May I suggest that those of you who are fed up with orthodox christianity take a look at the fastest growing religion in the US, Wicca. Wicca is a very open religion. Its adherents draw from a variety of religions and each wiccan is allowed his or her own personal religious journey. We are not opposed to other religions as we believe that each person has to find his own way. We draw the strength of our beliefs from nature and the creative force inherent in natural things. We don't believe that jesus or mohammad were prophets but we agree with the parts of their words that promote love and generosity. If you are tired of christianity and its constant wars, both internal and external, you might want to give Wicca a look.
GREEDY wrote on May 16, 2007 1:04 PM:Greedy, hateful Falwell. To those who are so shocked about the comments about a dead man: So we should never say anything negative about Hitler or Sadamm Hussein, because they are dead? Give me a break!! Falwell was a public personality and commenting not on his death but about his record and legacy of shame and the damage he did to many other people by his hate is both legitimate and appropriate!! Worst of all, he attracted more bigots and extremists and gave them legs to add to the insanity of the radical, religious right. The same kind of people who took glee and pleasure in burning "witches" alive or in admiring Torquemada.
RCH wrote on May 16, 2007 1:04 PM:To to samiam wrote on May 16, 2007 11:15 AM:"the bible is so full of contradictions that there is no way to come up with a coherent set of doctrines that all christians can agree on". Name One. You are just repeating what someone put in your ear at some point in your life. People love to make statements without backing them up with facts or examples. That is what is called, "Herd Mentality". one sheep walks off the cliff and the others follow blindly.
ben wrote on May 16, 2007 1:13 PM:Thank God the devil is dead. For us blacks, he was indeed the devil. He supported sagregation in the 60 s and then apathide in south africa. It is indeed time for him to meet his maker and explain to him how a man of god could be such a bigot
Reardon wrote on May 16, 2007 1:26 PM:To RCH: Numbers 31: "God" ordered Moses to kill every member of a tribe (Midianites)-- men, women, and children (even babies) -- except he Virgins (those who have not lain with a man -- 15,000 of them) who were to be distributed to the winning warriors and the Priests. How does THAT comport with a "Loving God?" How about the story of Adam and Eve: One man, one woman. Had two sons, Cain and Able. The sons had children. With whom? Eve, their Mother? An unknown and unnamed sister? How does that comport with the ban on incest? If you take the Bible literally, you are in a world of contradictions.
The list is endless wrote on May 16, 2007 1:35 PM:Would someone name all the things which are prohibited or condemned in the Bible and then explain to us why only some of these are taken seriously? Is there another passage that says, "Oh, by the way, abominations 1 through 8 really are abominations, but 9 through 805...just kidding, they're fine."
Karl wrote on May 16, 2007 2:24 PM:Greedy, comparing Falwell to Hitler and Hussein? Isn't that kind of a stretch?
AW4cryinoutloud wrote on May 16, 2007 3:33 PM:To San Diego: No matter what your beliefs... You have class!!!
take a look wrote on May 16, 2007 3:47 PM:Take a look at the list above of Falwells fellow evangelical leaders. They are all in their 70's. Maybe that's why they seem so out of touch with the concerns of average Americans. Like a lot of older folks they just can't tolerate change, they venerate the past even thought the idealized past they venerate never actually exsisted, and they firmly believe that everything is getting worse. I don't know why so many old people get so pessimistic in their dotage, but now I understand why so few of the rest of us pay much attention to what the evangelical leaders have to say.
to Wicca wrote on May 16, 2007 4:03 PM:I've been a life long Baptist, but to be honest I've never found it a satisfying religion. The leaders seem very ignorant in general and the followers have always seemed down right dumb. I was raised in this church and I feel awful feeling this way, but I do. I'm interested in what you have to say about Wicca and would like to know more. Is there someplace I could go around Oceanside to get more info.?
Maria wrote on May 16, 2007 4:41 PM:Buh-bye, Mr. Falwell. Many of my relatives, God fearing Southern Baptists, answered your pleas for "one dollar more..." to support the PTL and your, er, um, ministries, as you called them because you were such a good con man and led them to believe that was the Righteous path. While you got fatter and fatter, they did without more and more. As for me, if the hell you preached so strongly about exists, I'll see ya there.
If only wrote on May 16, 2007 7:56 PM:The rapture would set us free from all the hate and bigotry the religious right promotes.
Speaking ill of the dead wrote on May 16, 2007 8:11 PM:...like he spoke ill of those killed in 9/11...they deserved it according to him.
Reap/Sow wrote on May 17, 2007 4:08 PM:"By their fruits so shall ye know them." Jerry Falwell leaves a bitter harvest of division and hurt. People are actually glad that this man is dead!
To Rico Suave, wrote on May 18, 2007 3:17 PM:Didn't God say, judge not that you will not be judged. And God will judge. Jerry Falwell with all his hate might just be the one that God judges.
Jerry, Jerry, Jerry wrote on May 19, 2007 8:23 AM:The prostitutes and taliban-like religious nutcases will miss you.
Glottony wrote on May 19, 2007 1:34 PM:I heard that he weighed close to 400 lbs at the time he died. It will be easier for a camel to fit thru the eye of a needle than for him to fit thru the golden gates.
When you think about it... wrote on May 21, 2007 10:35 AM:Now that I've had some time to reflect on this, it's really pretty astounding that a purported man of God, of Christ, would draw this much criticism. It would be incorrect to say that all the critics just hate Christianity or some such. I'm sure most of these critics, if you asked them about Jesus, would have nothing but praise for Him, even the atheists. The vast, infinite difference must lie in Mr Falwell's conduct. No true Christian could draw this much ire.
RCH wrote on May 21, 2007 1:44 PM:If you read the whole context of Adam and Eve you will see that they had many sons and DAUGHTERS. Now you will say, what about incest? Keep in mind the gene pool was pure(no mutations). After many generations the gene pool is now corrupt which is why we don't marry close relatives. The Answer to your second question is in Numbers 31:16. fornication and adultury were punishable by death. God wanted to bless Israel, but because the Midianites decieved them them into laying with their women, they were to be killed rather than cause the sin of others. God takes His commands seriously, too bad we don't.If you read Numbers 22 through 31 you might see, but I doubt it. You have made up your mind which is evident that you did not find contadictions, only justification in your own mind why you don't want to believe. Be glad you live in the dispensation of GRACE not the LAW.
Deconstructing Ron wrote on May 21, 2007 5:10 PM:So by your argument you think everyone else is hateful and a bigot, since it's not what YOU want to hear? One thing about your logical fallacies; they are consistent.
to RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 8:10 AM:Do you believe that fornication and adultery should be punished by death?
RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 1:29 PM:It doesn't matter what I think. Do you think that fornication and adultery are harmless? That was not the only reason that God told them to kill all of them. This culture had for centuries sacrificed their infant children to their idol "molech", which was a bronze statue with arms extended that was heated red hot. The babies were then layed on those red hot arms and cooked to death. That was just one of their rituals. Do you think that is alright to do? Did you read the verses I that posted? Probably not, you have what you believe to be acceptable and unacceptable behavior, but your belief is flawed by subjective reasoning. These people were not only killing their babies, but they were spreading that practice to other cultures, that is why God had to stop them, since they would not stop themselves. Be glad that God is merciful.
RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 1:39 PM:Still no one has posted any contradictions. If the Bible is "Full" of them it should be easy to find one.
to RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 2:05 PM:I always wondered about the Noah's Ark story. First, what about the fish? Second, what did the carnivores eat? Were there more than two of the prey animals so that all but two could feed the carnivores? Third, we are continuing to find living organisms, even animals, that live in places that we thought life could not exist, such as deep in the earth or below the sea. Were pairs of these also on the ark? How did Noah find them or know about them? Fourth, with respect to Adam and Eve, since all humanity other than Noah's family was drowned in the flood, it's really Noah and his wife (wives?) and offspring that are our common ancestor. Do your comments about the corruption of the gene pool applicable to Noah's family? Finally, it seems you believe that all animals were around at the time of the Flood, or do you? Did humans, dinosaurs, and the whole prehistoric zoo coexist? (We are also still waiting for your opinion about fornication and adultery being worthy of the death penalty.)
RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 2:42 PM: I answered your question, I said it does not matter what my opinion is any more than it matters what your opinion is. You did not answer my questions. If this is a dialogue that you think you are going to control, it is over. YOU answer my questions then we will move on from there.(The babies were then layed on those red hot arms and cooked to death. That was just one of their rituals. Do you think that is alright to do?)and (Do you think that fornication and adultery are harmless?)You answer my questions.
to RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 4:50 PM:Of course fornication and adultery are not harmless. But I do not believe they deserve the death penalty. I think cooking babies, via a red hot statue or by a red hot bomb, is utterly horrible. So there are my answers. But yours, you say, don't matter, and I'm getting prone to agree with you. Let me ask you anyway: the Bible describes many acts and behaviors as sinful, as abominations, as taboo. Do you believe each and every one of these should be equally prohibited since the Bible bans it? You shouldn't say that your opinion doesn't matter. You have to decide whether or not to eat pork, to vote to put fornicators to death, etc.
to RCH wrote on May 22, 2007 4:54 PM:Your rage is showing. Nietzsche wrote at length offering the opinion that Christianity was a "slave mentality", a belief system based on resentment of others, and on the dreamwish that in time, Christians will be the Kings, and also will have the delicious pleasure of watching the nonbelievers in hell. Thus, when they become rulers, Christians tend to be extremely aggressive (self-righteously, of course) towards others whom they now dominate. If the shoe fits.
RCH wrote on May 23, 2007 6:55 AM:I am not the least bit enraged by your comments, so you are incorrectly assuming so. You took this blog down a rabbit trail, someone said, "The Bible is full of contadictions".I challenged them to list one. You didn't research to find contradictions, you just posed several questions you wanted answered(With an aire of pride I might add). If I had answered all of your questions you still would not believe, because your pride wouldn't let you. All of your questions have nothing to do with your unbelief, because they are periferal, not foundational to the Christian faith. When I said my opinion didn't matter I included yours as well, because the only opinion that does matter is GOD'S. So while you are living in your unbelief, remember that GOD is so gracious that He still continues to give you air to breath, water to drink, and food to eat. Not to mention all the beautiful sunsets. To answer your questions,1) I don't know, I wasn't there and any answer would be speculation.(2) There had only been about 14 generations, not enough to contaminate the gene pool.(3) Men and women were living extremely long lives so it would be logical to assume the animals were too, and since dinosaurs were reptiles and reptiles never stop growing throughout their lives, yes I believe they did coexist until man killed them all. I cannot give you an unbiased answer on the topic of fornication and adultery, because I was married to one who commited adultery. Trust me, it was painful to the extreme. All I can do is default to what Jesus said when the religious leaders brought a women who was caught in the act of adultery. As Jesus wrote their names in the dirt, one by one they left. He looked up and asked, "where are your accusers? I don't condemn you, go and sin no more". That is the best I can do.
RCH wrote on May 23, 2007 9:49 AM:It's curious how people will read what these dead atheist had to say, but not even give what Jesus said any consideration. I still have not seen any contradictions listed. The Bible says there are none righteous, no not one, and since I believe that, I would say that for me the shoe doesn't fit. As for aggressive, try reading your own posts, you are the one on the attack and when someone calls you on it you don't like it and stoop to name calling. You can always tell when someone's point has failed, they stray from the originasl topic and start on the attack to somehow save face. I say this calmly because you are not attacking me, but God, and He is big enough to take care of Himself. My only hope is that you will someday see how much he loves you.
to RCH wrote on May 23, 2007 9:58 AM:QUOTE "If this is a dialogue that you think you are going to control, it is over. YOU answer my questions then we will move on from there" ENDQUOTE Sorry, I mistook this for rage. Maybe it was only stubborn, arrogant anger. My bad. Thanks for sharing your beliefs. It's not pride that prevents me from considering these true, it's the fact that I would have to take everything I learned in physics, biology, chemistry, anthropology, and history and discard all of it. I know that for you, that's a fair trade. Not for me, sorry. The air, water, and sunsets are, I agree, wonderful beyond words. Sorry to hear you were cheated on. Incredibly painful, I agree. Nevertheless, the death penalty is too extreme a punishment in my view. Vengence is not, IMHO, a holy thing. I would, instead, pray for a deeper understanding and the courage to let it go.
to RCH wrote on May 23, 2007 11:11 AM:Lots of people read both Jesus and dead atheists and consider the teachings of both. In both cases, the reader must make decisions about the value, truth, or falsity of what s/he reads. Just because someone says that s/he is not making decisions, God is, doesn't make it so. To me, it's just a wish and abdication. So, in other words, try as you might, I just can't see how you (anyone) escapes the responsibility of being a human being. Since it is your, and only your, decision to take the Bible in the way that you do, no matter what you say, I and others will be agreeing with or disagreeing with you, not God. To agree or disagree with God sounds preposterous. God is too awesome and transcendent to have such puny words tossed his/her way. Here on earth, you're on your own and accountable for your own decisions.
RCH wrote on May 23, 2007 11:34 AM:Read your posts, I was trying to keep this even, but When someone says, what about this, and what about that, it is a sure sign that they are looking to control the conversation. Most tactics from learned people such as yourself is to try to put Christians on the defensive. I have looked at Christianity from different angles, ie, historical, medical, science, and the Bible has never been proven incorrect in any of these areas. It is interesting that God told the Jewish people to circumcise the male children on the eigth day, that just so happens to be the only time in your life that your vitamin K level which causes clotting is so high. The bible records history, but that does not mean that it has God's approval, it only shows the sad dtate of the human race. The sad thing is, if you looked at all of your disciplines from a Biblical perspective you would probably see more. And again you are assuming incorrectly "it was only stubborn, arrogant anger". As I said, You have no argument, and it is your pride in the things that you learned, that is plain to see by your condescending attitude toward me. The fear of GOD is the beginning of knowlege, so all that you have learned is not complete. God invented " physics, biology, chemistry, anthropology, and history".
to RCH wrote on May 23, 2007 1:32 PM:If God invented all these fields of study, then He surely intended for us to believe in evolution by natural selection. You say that the Bible has never been incorrect. You also say that all living things were alive at the same time. It seems to me there is an everest of evidence that this is not true, but you obviously have no interest in any of it, so naturally that statement cannot be proven wrong in terms of anything that YOU (pride?) find satisfactory. But I think you have a logical problem. You seem to admit that things CAN be proven by empirical evidence, such as your assertion that vitamin K peaks on day 8. So our senses and scientific tests CAN yeild truths...but only when those truths fit the Bible. Same method, same senses say living things weren't coexistant. Now it's not proof at all. The same logic and kind of evidence that you seem to require to argue your side is rejected when its conclusions are not to your (YOUR = pride) liking. Sorry, but I'm afraid I just have to take a condescending attitude toward that way of thinking. I don't know how to proceed with you. It's like playing baseball with someone who says "Only my runs count". No thanks.
Francis wrote on Jun 10, 2007 12:22 PM:Why do the religious fanatics always place Jews in a bad light, but when it comes time to quote scriptures on how to live, they use the old testment, full of Jewish and middle eastern history? And when that doesn't suit, they quote the Apostle Paul, a converted Roman, who, if you read carefully enough was probably against women and gays cause it was so much a part of his own culture. He was deeply involved in all of it himself. No one is more fanatical than a new convert. America's new Christians follow the old testament and the words of St. Paul, because they reflect the fanatical viewpoints of the fanatical right wingers in the country. Forget about Jesus! HE never talked about gays and lesbians, and he gave women equal rights by talking to them, prostitutes even, and if you read the beatitudes in the book of Matthew, he was for the poor, the down trodden, the pitiful masses, food and caring for all. Jesus was more a socialist than a right wing American conservative- because the conditions of living were atrocious for everyone except for the rulers of nations at that time Jesus has been left our of Christianity in the US, and those of us who believe in what he says rather than the historical and unapplicable laws of ancient middle eastern days, we are labeled as dirty liberals, pinko communists and satan himself. How rediculous! If Jesus were running for president today on his very own platform, it would be no way similar to the brand of religion that is being thrown at us today. As a matter of fact, the religious right in the country would have him stoned for being so damned liberal. What has happened to us? We have come to the point that even I, who have respect for the dead, shouted for joy in my car on the way to work when I heard Fallwell was dead. The religious right in this country has murdered Jesus spiritually, and has given Christianity the new face of money, bigotry, and hatred for anyone who is not equally as greedy or as full of hatred as the beliefs it preaches. They so closely resemble the religious fanatics that exist within the Muslem faith that it is frightening. They have been after gays, blacks, Jews, all other religions and women ever since they first began their hysteria. Christianity finds its roots in middle eastern religions. It is not a "western" religion. All people lived according to the ancient laws you read about in history books. If you know history at all, you will know that Hammurabi, during ancient times, established some of the first laws to keep the masses from mass murdering each other. Manh of those laws we read about in the bible and other books were established by him and particular ones selected by various religions. Do we want the extreme religious right to bring us back to those days? Wake up out there! Thank God Falwell is dead. He should have been taken sooner.
Advertisement