I Used to Belong to the Moral Majority

Jerry Falwell's death yesterday caused me to reflect on my childhood years attending a conservative Christian church, which culminated in active involvement with the organization Campus Crusade for Christ during my early years at Northwestern.  I never actually belonged to Falwell's "Moral Majority," which was prominent in the 1980's. But many of my other influences had strong resonances with Falwell's organization.

Since his death I've heard phrases that seem strange to my ear today but were once commonplace, such as, "disciples for Christ," and "unabashed love for the Lord." In certain precincts of Manhattan, such talk is clear evidence of imbecility.  But for much of this country--for many of the people I grew up with and like--it is the poetry of Sunday morning.

So I am conflicted in the wake of Falwell's death. I will not certainly miss his demonization of homosexuals; even in death, it's hard to forgive his attempt to pin the September 11 attacks on people like my brother Jeremy.  On the other hand, Jerry Falwell was a hero and spokesman for millions of Americans who live somewhere between Manhattan and Berkeley. It's both inaccurate and sanctimonious to refuse to understand his legacy.

Comments

[MarkD]

Marcus, this was a very interesting entry. I too grew up in a conservative church. I think in the end my view of fundamentalist like Falwell comes down to this. I don’t see him and the views he represents as evil. I respect people who have a deep seated faith. But in the end, one has to ask themselves. Does the fundamentalist view of God ring true?

What has always disturbed me about fundamentalism is that their literalist translation of the Bible seems to result in actions that seem contrary to the assumption that God is a loving caring God. There are several things that caused me to turn away from the fundamentalist point of view. When one literally interprets the events portrayed in the Bible you quickly come to a paradox. The story of Jericho is one example. Is it an act of love for God to destroy a city merely because they were sitting on land God promised to another people? Without warning I might add. Is that an act of love? The story of Jonah is another story, when interpreted literally, it paints a very disturbing picture of God. Would a loving omnipresent God allow himself to be tempted by evil? Would a loving God really bring death and destruction on an individual merely to test him? Is that an act of love? If you truly believe (as I do) that God is the embodiment of love, then how could you possibly believe these horrible stories attributed to him? Then what about the Adam and Eve story. The Bible says that Adam was created in God’s image and that Eve was only created later as a companion to Adam. That begs the question then, if God is omnipresent and eternal – why does God have reproduction organs? Why would he give reproduction organs to Adam when he (at first seemed) intended to make only Adam? If God is omnipresent, why would he have a need for Adam in the first place? Fundamentalists say that our purpose is to serve God, but if God is omnipresent, why does he need servants? Then there is the issue of human free will. If free will truly is a gift from God and represents his love for humanity then why would he punish people when they exercise that free will? And even more gravely, why would he make us imperfect then subject us to eternal hell when we fall short of perfection?

In the end, for me, it boils down to this. I feel sorry for people like Falwell. How horrible to go through life in fear of God.

[Wevbo]

I think it's reasonable to appreciate Falwell's impact on a portion of Americans, while remaining confused and disturbed regarding the content of his message, and its appeal.

Falwell was a true American archetype, the second, third, fourth coming of Charles Coughlin, and his message of righteous inclusion appealed to Americans of all varieties of Christianity. Great. On the other hand, the content of that message was underlined by an "us and them" mentality; as he succeeded, the "them" because more and more ridiculous and simplistic. It is hard to maintain that you are a persecuted minority when that minority swings elections and greatly influences the larger national political coalition. His enemies became cartoonishly larger than life, as did he.

I grew up in a middle-class Kansas Catholic church. People there were as compassionate, intolerant, gracious, ignorant, zealous, humane, and as two-faced as people anywhere I've lived. Participate in the public forum, and you deserve the scrutiny that that participation brings. Politicians are generally hucksters, no matter who their base, and Falwell was no exception.

[Phillip_Bach]

I suppose I'm considered a "fundamentalist," insofar as I believe in the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Though I don't think that necessarily requires taking every single verse in the Bible literally. To me, the question is whether you take it seriously.

MarkD, you said in closing, "How horrible to go through life in fear of God." Jesus refers to God as our "Heavenly Father," and that's probably the best analogy I can think of. As children, hopefully we love our father, but we also have a healthy sense of fear of punishment if we get out of line. Likewise, Jesus teaches us to love God, but also clearly teaches us to fear him. Yet as we grow in our relationship with Him, he becomes like a friend, and "perfect love casts out all fear."

You mentioned a whole string of examples from Scripture - I could go into those individually if you wish, though time doesn't permit it at the moment. Suffice to say for now that love and the right kind of fear can properly co-exist, even in many of our human relationships.

As for Falwell, in the last few years I've noticed myself wincing more and more when he or Pat Robertson opened their mouths. I agree with some (but not all) of his political goals, and virtually none of his prophetic statements, about 9/11 or otherwise. I do give him credit for getting people of faith more involved in the political process. But one unintended consequence of his movement is that many conservative Christians now vote based on a handful of pre-defined "Christian issues" like abortion, school prayer, etc. at the expense of "liberal" issues which could be informed by Biblical principles (poverty, civil rights, etc).

[MarkD]

Philip, nothing would be worse then a religious debate on a blog. As I said in my first entry. I respect people’s right to believe as they see fit. If a fundamentalist Christian point of view provides you comfort then who am I to judge your perception of the truth? In fact, debating with you this past year, I have built a great deal of respect for you and your point of view. I am just saying that, for me, the fundamentalist point of view rings false. It is not how I wish to conduct my life, nor the way I wish to interpret God. And that is the point, as imperfect humans we cannot know divine truth. We can only define divine truth using our own imperfect points of reference.

I think you and I believe in the same God, we just have a different understanding of who He is. I agree with you regarding a child’s view of his/her father. You love and fear your father at the same time. Thing is, I am not a child. I loved my father dearly as an adult, I never wished to disappoint him nor to cause him anguish. But I am my own person, I have my own free will. I would not nor did not make the same choices my father made. Nor did I walk the same path. Though we were very different, I loved him for what he was and he loved me for what I was. As an adult, I never feared him. As an adult I would hope that he loved me and wished me well even if I chose a different path then the one he wanted for me. As an adult, I can’t imagine he would wish punishment and estrangement on me if I failed to live according to his rules. We accepted each other for what we were and we loved each other as we were. That is what love is. I expect no less from God (who by definition is perfect love). There is no room for fear in perfect love. There is no need for fear in perfect love. It stands on its own.