Is Jerry Falwell responsible for this mixture of religion and politics? Do you see this as good for the US?

Question

I agree that religion is necessary in American life. Religion is good. I am uncomfortable with someone like the late Mr. falwell who routinely mixed religon and government and actively told people in the church who to vote for.

Answer 1

This is just my opinion, but I think the beginnings of the 'merger' can be traced back to about 30 years ago.

At that time, right-wing religious coalitions were no longer satisfied with being on the outside of politics. They were organizing, building a collective voice and looking for power within the political arena. I lived in KY then, the South... Democrat, Bible Belt, pro-labor (union). Jimmy Carter was Southern, Democrat, farmer and Christian; he was "us". The Bible Belt believed they carried Carter to the White House, but they never figured he'd leave his religion at the door of the Oval Office and do a Playboy interview. :-) The South and the Mid-West Bible Belt was deeply angry and felt totally betrayed when he didn't buckle to their agenda.

The right-wing religious coalitions were angry, galvanized and homeless. At the time, the Republican Party was still the Gold(water) Standard of Conservatism (small gov't). The Republicans saw a great opportunity to increase their political base, so they welcomed the religious coalitions and Ronald Reagan happily took up their agenda. Not all Republicans were happy with their new cousins, but they liked the numbers. Goldwater was livid about it! Ironically, he was written off as stubborn (true) and obsolete (false), yet he was one of the few that saw the writing on the wall. (see link below)

So, jumping to GWB's first term... we have a Republican Party that has traded 'fiscal conservatism' for 'social conservatism', and a 'morality rule' that's grown out of increased pressure from, and bowing to, the right-wing religious influence. This is what's behind Bush... a party with a strong sense of righteousness and intolerance, so his "my way, or the highway" approach fits snugly within the parameters.

Answer 2

Mixing religion and politics is a sure-fire way to destroy this country and what it stands for. There is no greater danger to our country--not terrorism--not nuclear war---not economic ruin---than the government being seized by religious radicals. Religious wars are the most ruthless, violent and ruinous wars of all.

Our Founding Fathers, having experienced religious wars in Europe, wrote the Constitution specifically to insure that a state religion would never be forced on the population and that people could worship privately as they pleased. (or NOT).

Answer 3

Reverend Jesse Jackson, an activist, Al Sharpton an American civil rights activist and minister, and Martin Luther King, a baptist preacher all have mixed their religion and politics. Everyone has the right to free speech. being a minster does not rob you of this right.

we could not ask that they fore go their rights to this because of their faith. they are still Americans.

Answer 4

I don't think it's good for the US either but I wouldn't say that Falwell alone is responsible for it.

Answer 5

anyone who feels the need to attempt to influence religious followers, in the name of politics, has created a political machine of their faith, and have become just as divisive as any untrustworthy politician.
Religion and politics should never mix.

The values that most people find important are responsible for the myths of religion, just as they are responsible for the laws. Religion didn't come into existence before these values. Religious folks just claim responsibility for them, because they feel it lends credibility to their beliefs.
With or without religion, most civilized people find acts such as murder and theft wrong, so to say religion is responsible for our laws, is a complete fallacy and very poor argument.

Want proof?
Do you think executing criminals for theft and murder was invented on the day Christ was nailed to a cross?
Sorry, but they didn't just invent that form of execution when they condemned Christ.
Criminals were punished for those crimes long before Christ was born when man was worshipping the sun and moon.

Sorry the truth, doesn't agree with right-wing perceptions of life. When man was nothing but tribes of nomads, these crimes were punished by several different methods, that included death or banishment.

Don't get me wrong, I am not at all saying religion isn't good for society, because it is a very good way to teach the values in which they arose, but to think the government should be a tool to force others to live by one's faith based beliefs, outside of the common values shared by society, isn't freedom by any stretch of the imagination.

Answer 6

It isn't entirely his fault. He's among many people who are to blame for it.

He certainly hurt the focal issue that he fought for and stood by for so long more than he helped it though.

Answer 7

Not just Jerry Falwell, but the entire religious right or moron majority if you will - Pat Buchanon, Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed...

What made it worse, is that the GOP figured out during the 80's that religion was a great manipulator...and it still seems to be working today.

Answer 8

wake up hippie! You obviously dont know the foundation of the United States. Over 95% of the founding fathers and framers of the constitution were Christian. Also, the phrase seperation of church and state are not found in the US constitution at all. They are found in the soviet union constitution. No the morality and laws we find in the constitution were used from the Bible. The deal was they wanted God in the nation and in the public square but they didnt want to establish a state church.
Teaching biblical principles of love honor right from wrong was their idea just pick up a text book from 1800 and you will see.
So stop believing the indoctrination of anti God anti american and learn the truth before you spout off lies

Answer 9

Rev. Falwell led the advance of concerned citizens to rise up and be noticed for their point of view. Was he "responsible", for organization, maybe, for the root desire to be heard and reckoned with, no. Yes, the mix of religious point of view is good for the political and moral base of operation of this country. Many of the points of common law that you enjoy have a religious foundation. Consider this point, would you really like something that you want to do, and have no repercussions for it, done to you? Think about it, and I would hope that you can see that the moral voice of the religious is a needed voice in American government.

Answer 10

Actually,I remember Jimmy Carter going on quite a bit about it. He was a "Born Again". Well,at least he said he was. And his mother Miz Lillian would go on about it too.

I guess most of you weren't around yet when he was prez.