Saul Landau: Falwell and Robertson, Incorporated
[Saul Landau's new book is A BUSH AND BOTOX WORLD. His new film, "We Don't Play Golf Here," is available on DVD from roundworldmedia@gmail.com.]
As Bush implodes from scandal, a German friend asked why poor and middle class Americans voted for him and other Republicans. Two words help explain this discordant phenomenon: Falwell and Robertson. These two religious swindlers would give him a clue about how the super rich work and the soldiers of God steer the USA -- and maybe the world -- toward destruction. (I almost said Hell.)
In 1967, Reverend Jerry Falwell began his "Christian" reproductive apparatus by founding the Lynchburg Christian Academy. His "academically excellent" and "Christ-centered" K-12 school teaches Christian -- Falwellian -- lessons. In 1971, Falwell founded Liberty University, an institution of "higher learning" that has 22,000 students from 50 states and 80 nations.
Falwell's minions condition children from age 3 on. His "Christian" faculty indoctrinates the innocents through their doctorates. They have all committed themselves to Jesus Christ -- as Falwell sees and hears Him.
Falwell also publishes the monthly National Liberty Journal, with a circulation of 200,000 and Confidential, a weekly e-mail missile that reaches half a million zealous Christians.
In June 1979, Falwell launched the Moral Majority, an extremist lobbying movement. In two years, the far right Christian movement attracted more than 100,000 clergymen and women plus some seven million more laymen and women. Falwell indoctrinated his flock to oppose abortion, homosexuality and promiscuity. His Bible dictated 100% support for Israel, and ever higher Defense budgets. In 1980, the Moral Majority registered millions of voters for Ronald Reagan's election.
In 1982, making a film for Dutch television -- "Quest for Power: Sketches of the New American Right" -- I filmed Reverend Jerry Falwell at the Lynchburg, Virginia, Thomas Road Baptist Church. Hundreds of clean-cut Christians sat in brand new pews. Upstairs a modern TV studio with editing facilities, prepared to televise Reverend Jerry's sermon.
"Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all, he's my strength from day to day," sang six young, blond and perfectly coiffed chorus members. "When I am sad," they crooned in harmony, "he makes me glad. He's my prayer." The packaged white bread singers looked as if they had popped serious downers before performing.
Falwell then sermonized to the Old Time Gospel Hour. "God's plan, God's ideal, is one man, one woman for a life time," he smirked. "You can't improve on that." (Not like the Jewish fairy tale where a man proposes to a woman, she says "No and he lives happily ever after.)
Falwell's flock didn't laugh. They nodded. He talked of "the evil men, those who deny the existence of God, thus have no authority, no code of ethics." They stared. "One hundred 42 million have died as a result of Marxist Leninism," he reported, "because men do not know the principles of truth and have been seduced by the "evil man." He smirked. "I think of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Castro is nothing but the stooge of Brezhnev, exporting revolution through Nicaragua." Thus, he warned, Satan has "come dangerously close to our borders."
Outside the church, I asked Falwell how and where he got the 142 million figure.
"That's the way I calculated it," he replied. "And they wouldn't hesitate to double that figure if it suited their purposes. So you know what I think of 'em. Heh Heh" He jumped into his new pick-up truck and drove off.
Falwell never retracted the Castro being Brezhnev's stooge charge, despite Castro having survived for more than 25 years after Brezhnev croaked and 17 since the Soviets imploded. Falwell also opined: "the Antichrist is probably a Jewish man alive today." Anti Semitic? No way, says Falwell who backs Israel -- especially Israel's attempts to enlarge its borders.
He shares his pro-Israel and anti-Semitic penchant with fellow televangelist Pat Robertson. International Jewish bankers conspire to overthrow the U.S. government, claimed Robertson in his book, The New World Order. Robertson who founded and hosts the Television Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club" accused Jews and Freemasons of plotting to use occult finance to control Christians. Falwell and Robertson both want what right wing columnist Sam Frances summed up succinctly. "To take power in the United States," he told me on camera....
Read entire article at Counterpunch
As Bush implodes from scandal, a German friend asked why poor and middle class Americans voted for him and other Republicans. Two words help explain this discordant phenomenon: Falwell and Robertson. These two religious swindlers would give him a clue about how the super rich work and the soldiers of God steer the USA -- and maybe the world -- toward destruction. (I almost said Hell.)
In 1967, Reverend Jerry Falwell began his "Christian" reproductive apparatus by founding the Lynchburg Christian Academy. His "academically excellent" and "Christ-centered" K-12 school teaches Christian -- Falwellian -- lessons. In 1971, Falwell founded Liberty University, an institution of "higher learning" that has 22,000 students from 50 states and 80 nations.
Falwell's minions condition children from age 3 on. His "Christian" faculty indoctrinates the innocents through their doctorates. They have all committed themselves to Jesus Christ -- as Falwell sees and hears Him.
Falwell also publishes the monthly National Liberty Journal, with a circulation of 200,000 and Confidential, a weekly e-mail missile that reaches half a million zealous Christians.
In June 1979, Falwell launched the Moral Majority, an extremist lobbying movement. In two years, the far right Christian movement attracted more than 100,000 clergymen and women plus some seven million more laymen and women. Falwell indoctrinated his flock to oppose abortion, homosexuality and promiscuity. His Bible dictated 100% support for Israel, and ever higher Defense budgets. In 1980, the Moral Majority registered millions of voters for Ronald Reagan's election.
In 1982, making a film for Dutch television -- "Quest for Power: Sketches of the New American Right" -- I filmed Reverend Jerry Falwell at the Lynchburg, Virginia, Thomas Road Baptist Church. Hundreds of clean-cut Christians sat in brand new pews. Upstairs a modern TV studio with editing facilities, prepared to televise Reverend Jerry's sermon.
"Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all, he's my strength from day to day," sang six young, blond and perfectly coiffed chorus members. "When I am sad," they crooned in harmony, "he makes me glad. He's my prayer." The packaged white bread singers looked as if they had popped serious downers before performing.
Falwell then sermonized to the Old Time Gospel Hour. "God's plan, God's ideal, is one man, one woman for a life time," he smirked. "You can't improve on that." (Not like the Jewish fairy tale where a man proposes to a woman, she says "No and he lives happily ever after.)
Falwell's flock didn't laugh. They nodded. He talked of "the evil men, those who deny the existence of God, thus have no authority, no code of ethics." They stared. "One hundred 42 million have died as a result of Marxist Leninism," he reported, "because men do not know the principles of truth and have been seduced by the "evil man." He smirked. "I think of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Castro is nothing but the stooge of Brezhnev, exporting revolution through Nicaragua." Thus, he warned, Satan has "come dangerously close to our borders."
Outside the church, I asked Falwell how and where he got the 142 million figure.
"That's the way I calculated it," he replied. "And they wouldn't hesitate to double that figure if it suited their purposes. So you know what I think of 'em. Heh Heh" He jumped into his new pick-up truck and drove off.
Falwell never retracted the Castro being Brezhnev's stooge charge, despite Castro having survived for more than 25 years after Brezhnev croaked and 17 since the Soviets imploded. Falwell also opined: "the Antichrist is probably a Jewish man alive today." Anti Semitic? No way, says Falwell who backs Israel -- especially Israel's attempts to enlarge its borders.
He shares his pro-Israel and anti-Semitic penchant with fellow televangelist Pat Robertson. International Jewish bankers conspire to overthrow the U.S. government, claimed Robertson in his book, The New World Order. Robertson who founded and hosts the Television Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club" accused Jews and Freemasons of plotting to use occult finance to control Christians. Falwell and Robertson both want what right wing columnist Sam Frances summed up succinctly. "To take power in the United States," he told me on camera....