Gotta love Falwell/Robertson's appreciation of history. 1812? I can understand that they ignore Hawaii because it wasn't officially a state yet, but what about the Civil War? How can they claim the Lord was protecting us during that bloodbath? Were they consistent, they could at least do the politically correct thing and say that 1861-65 was our punishment for slavery...
"Is there any way to demonstrate that Falwell's and Robertson's comments are NOT in line with the Bible?"
I think any discussion of evil and suffering and God's hand in it is wrong unless you quote from Job copiously. Falwell and Robertson are making the same mistakes of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in insisting that the suffering our nation went through on that day was somehow demanded by justice and God's wrath. Remember that Job was given the gift of suffering precisely because he was "blameless and upright," (1:8) not because he was being punished for some specific evil act on his own part.
Actually, I STILL see certain brands of far right fundie Xtians claiming that Lincoln was next to the antichrist for denying the states the right to secede. They blame the whole thing on him, although the conflict was brewing long before he took office. Interestingly enough, the Christians of that era came up with Bible verses on both sides of the slavery issue to support their side of it, and I STILL occasinally see really reactionary types babbling on about the "Children of Ham" and such... scary to think anyone would still condone slavery, but I've run across a few who do, because the Bible does.
In the south, there is an expression that pops up in conversation: "the war of northern aggression." I was born in Washington State and raised in Nebraska, so I was fairly mature before I heard this phrase, and it took me back.
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sophiaserpentia) wrote2004-08-19 02:51 pm
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"Is there any way to demonstrate that Falwell's and Robertson's comments are NOT in line with the Bible?"
I think any discussion of evil and suffering and God's hand in it is wrong unless you quote from Job copiously. Falwell and Robertson are making the same mistakes of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in insisting that the suffering our nation went through on that day was somehow demanded by justice and God's wrath. Remember that Job was given the gift of suffering precisely because he was "blameless and upright," (1:8) not because he was being punished for some specific evil act on his own part.
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Interestingly enough, the Christians of that era came up with Bible verses on both sides of the slavery issue to support their side of it, and I STILL occasinally see really reactionary types babbling on about the "Children of Ham" and such... scary to think anyone would still condone slavery, but I've run across a few who do, because the Bible does.
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Those wounds are still a long way from healing.
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Yeah, I've heard that phrase. I was raised in South Louisiana.