Reason on Radio

Jesse Walker will discuss the death of Jerry Falwell and the fusion of faith and politics on 710 AM KIRO in Seattle at 5:15 Pacific, 8:15 Eastern.

Listen live here.

Comments

[brotherben]

Was Jesus a republican?

Does the Rev. Jerry Falwell stand a chance at making heaven?

Is Al Sharpton doomed to an eternity with George Wallace? If so, who will be getting punished worse?

If God is truly omnipotent, would viagra help?

[NoStar]

I'm a Christian, but I will not miss Fallwell, nor his Pious Plurality.

[Pro Libertate]

Everybody knows that Jesus was a libertarian. He made wine and practiced medicine without a license, made speeches without getting a permit, disrespected the government on multiple occasions, walked on water rather than pay the toll on a bridge, etc. He also saw coins with Caesar's image and name on them and said, "Hey, must be this guy's money, cuz his name's on it".

Libertarian.

[Ken]

With a nod to Norm McDonald:
Jerry Falwell is in Hell right now, being raped by the Devil.

[A man of wealth and fame]

My work is done here.

[Tim]

From someone far more Christian than Jerry Falwell ever was: Peter Mc Williams.

The leaders of the religious right love to be photographed with presidents, governors, and dignitaries of all kind. They dress well (by their standards, anyway), travel first class, and seem to want for nothing. Meanwhile, all this luxury is financed primarily by widows, unemployed people, and the working poor, who send $5 and $10 donations, genuinely believing they are doing something for Jesus.

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. (Luke 16:13-14)

The other effective money-raiser is fear. The religious right's ministries fight one "conspiracy" after another. They see every minority with "an agenda" and the agenda invariably is "recruiting your children" and "destroying the principles on which this great nation was founded." So, to save our way of life, our children, and the country itself, send money. ("There's an 800 number on your screen right now . . .")

"Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering." When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely. (Luke 11:52-53)

The key to knowledge, as taught by Jesus, was prayer, nonjudgment, and forgiveness. All three-although they do get occasional lip service-are not part of what the religious right teaches.
The idea of nonjudgment and acceptance does not clog the televangelist airwaves. Sermons, speeches, and teachings of the religious right are full of one hellfire-and-damnation judgment after another. Only those who accept Jesus, and practice that acceptance of Jesus the right way, are acceptable. Everything else is "abominable."
These spiritual leaders seldom discuss forgiveness, but rely on "repentance." To them this means, "Change your ways to our ways and then you will be forgiven."

Because the religious right teaches guilt, but not forgiveness, it heaps on its followers responsibilities (blame) for situations they cannot effectively deal with themselves. For example, the religious right teaches that God will hold each person in this country personally responsible for the 30 million abortions (which they categorize as "the murder of innocent little babies") performed since 1972. "If there's anything you could have done you didn't do, then God will hold you responsible." Never mind the 30 million illegal abortions that took place from 1952 to 1972 (and the women who died from them)-as long as it's legal now, you are responsible. That's why anti-abortion protesters are so frantic, why one can shoot and kill a doctor outside an abortion clinic and sincerely believe he is doing "God's work," and why Jerry Falwell can excuse the shooting by saying, "Let's not forget the doctor was a mass murderer."[*FN]

[*FN] The Old Time Gospel Hour, May 2, 1993.

[Eddy]

Jerry Falwell is dead!

Thank God.

[A man of wealth and fame]

It wasn't God. And you're welcome. Now let's see about you, Eddy.

[Squoo]

Poor McCain. All that sucking up for nothing.

[Frank]

I'm holding a "Falwell is dead" party tonight. There will be food, drinks, sodomy, and abortions for all!

[Jim Anderson]

To synchronize this post with Jacob Sullum's above, the Ron and Don show that Mr. Walker visited is partly sponsored by the DOT's "Click it or Ticket" campaign.

[sedition]

You call yourself the Moral Majority
We call ourselves the people in the real world
Trying to rub us out, but we're going to survive
God must be dead if you're alive

You say, 'God loves you. Come and buy the Good News'
Then you buy the president and swimming pools
If Jesus don't save 'til we're lining your pockets
God must be dead if you're alive

Circus-tent con-men and Southern belle bunnies
Milk your emotions then they steal your money
It's the new dark ages with the fascists toting bibles
Cheap nostalgia for the Salem Witch Trials

Stodgy ayatollahs in their dobble-knit ties
Burn lots of books so they can feed you their lies
Masturbating with a flag and a bible
God must be dead if you're alive

Blow it out your ass, Jerry Falwell
Blow it out your ass, Jesse Helms
Blow it out your ass, Ronald Reagan
What's wrong with a mind of my own?

You don't want abortions, you want battered children
You want to ban the pill as if that solves the problem
Now you wanna force us to pray in school
God must be dead if you're such a fool

You're planning for a war with or without Iran
Building a police state with the Ku Klux Klan
Pissed at your neighbour? Don't bother to nag
Pick up the phone and turn in a fag

Blow it out your ass, Terry Dolan
Blow it out your ass, Phyllis Schlafly
Ram it up your cunt, Anita
Cos God must be dead
If you're alive
God must be dead
If you're alive

[Syd]

At least Jerry Falwell has finally performed a positive service for our country.

[JohnD]

I was not a big fan of Falwell but you people's disrespecful, crass comments are in really bad taste.

To bad your parents didn't care enough about your upbringing to teach you a little respect.