Jerry Falwell is a fine example of how the right to free speech has its good and its bad side.

I don't like any religion that has to advertise. It seems that during the 80's nothing could make news without a Falwell comment. He had his time in the limelight and it has been over for awhile.

Just another zealot as far as I am concerned, I hope he is learning a few things about god and the afterlife now.

I hope he is doing well where ever he is or isn't.

Peace and love to his family, I am sure he is missed.

I never mentioned his religion or beliefs.
Falwell and anyone else can believe whatever they like.
Just don't use it to project a widespread cultic following of bigotry and discrimination (and infest politics and communities with it).

The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were more enlightened than Hubbard or his minions could ever hope to be in a million years.

The above quote demonstrates why they felt there was a need for a separation of state from church.

Amazingly so, Rawl. The re-stimulation happening here is quite ironic.

Very astute of you.

It's not the religion that irks me (though I have many issues with Fundamentalist Christianity) so much as the man himself. Just because Falwell was a Christian doesn't exempt him from any less scrutiny than Hubbard. Falwell was a fanatic, a bigot and a hatemonger, hiding behind "faith" and patriotism, like so many other cowards before and since. I won't miss him one bit.

Oh yes it does. This website is for undressing Scientology. Period.

Y'all need to STFU on this message board about this topic. Go find the appropriate den of iniquity for your resentments.

This isn't the proper place.

The Falwell mentality is the kind of thing that produces blind acceptance of the kind of laws that put Keith Henson in jail. And he was even give an extra push behind the scenes due to the cult influence.
Get enough cultic groupthink going on in a community and you can have anything you want - even unconstitional state laws.
Falwell used the riches of a church to get what he wanted - influence. Not democracy. Just like $cientology.
If the Co$ somehow winked out existence tomorrow then, under the same climate, some other cult could simply take its place.



edited: typos.

I can’t say I am surprised that a thread about Jerry Falwell surfaced on this MB, no more than I am that there is such a bitterly divided opinion about the appropriateness about discussing his legacy here.

For the most part, I am on the same page here as Sponge, DarkSide and Fanboy. Falwell was an evil, demented conman who caused far more harm than good and deluded far too many Christians into thinking that God and Jesus would approve of his hate filled diatribes that helped to irreparably poison the well of political discourse in America. Long before he made his anti-abortion and anti-gay screeds his primary fund-raising tool, he had a long history of racism and anti-Semitism. The corruption and greed of the Bush administration would have not been possible without Falwell helping pave the way. This was NOT a good and decent man. Although I do not celebrate his passing, neither do I mourn it.

Morsicle and Roan, I respect your opinions, up to and including your right to be offended by this thread. However Roan, telling everyone to STFU about this topic is equally inappropriate.

Yes, analysis and critique of Hubbard and Scientology is and should be the primary focus of this site and this message board. But Scientology did not materialize in a vacuum. Hucksters and con men existed long before Hubbard and many more will come for many generations. Many here have compared Hubbard to Hitler, Stalin, Bush and others, and just as many have objected to the comparisons. But helping ex members heal and also helping lurkers from making the mistake of joining Scientology can be greatly assisted by making valid comparisons to men like Falwell who have used their positions of religious authority to harm many people with divisive hate speech directed towards those who are different, be they gays, lesbians, blacks, Jews, Muslims or liberals. Try looking up some of Falwell’s quotes towards his own perceived enemies and then compare those to Hubbard’s rants against psychiatry and SP’s. This is time well spent.

Well, talking about Scientology 24/7 gets boring after a while, there should be an off-topic section. People bore of the same thing over and over again. The funny thing is, is that if this had been Mike Rinder or David Miscavige, you'd all be rejoicing right now. To try and sensor this, makes anyone who thinks that, a F'ing hypocrite. Scientology is already dying, nothing's going to stop that, after what they did to the BBC.

Why do you allow Happy Mother's Day threads, or Merry X-Mas threads, those are off topic and have NOTHING to do with Scientology either????

I've made several trips to Lynchburg, Virginia and seen all of
Falwell's holdings, his college, and his influence there. I've also
been to Clearwater, Florida many times and seen Hubbard's group think in action. While I'm not a big fan of Falwell or the Southern Baptist interpretations of Christ's
teachings, to compare the two, is a bit of a stretch. More like apples vs. rotten kumquats.

The interview with Tammy Fay on Larry King Live last night re: Falwell's passing, was quite interesting to watch though.

<<<>>>

Accually tDSoS



Says more about what this man was about then anything else.
The hiding behind religion is a time honored pastime (especially fundimentalist christianity).

Roan we are not cheering his death. They death of any is a loss. What we are hoping that now those that have stared as his vestage for so long will look around and see the path they have been walking.

Atheist

+++++++++++++++=====================

"Two and a half thousand years ago a handful of clears
civilized half a billion people. What if we were all clear.
Neither Lord Buddha nor Jesus Christ were OT's according to the
evidence. They were just a shade above clear."

L. Ron Hubbard
Certainty magazine, Vol. 5, No. 10

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Why this vitriol shown towards a living fellow human?

AFAIC, one doesn't have to be neither gay nor a Teletubby to be outraged by Falwell's statements.



As is/was formerly gay, now miraculously cured, meth-snorting Ted Haggard. You were saying?

Doesn't that worry you just a teensy weensy bit? What with church and state separation in the US constitution and all that jazz? Someone who thinks that Tinky-Winky symbolises homosexuality and that gays, lesbians and feminists are inherently responsible for 9/11 counsels the President of the USA?





You would be surprised. Maybe you just don't frequent the same places that I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAPaEMwyKU

BTW, what is wrong with comparing one conman to another?

You know, MissDorfl, I don't often agree with you, but THAT'S funny.