Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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i'm implying that if he's going to take credit for Reagan, he should take some of the blame for Iraq

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It's a substantial leap to say that Falwell's influence in getting President Reagan elected in 1980 should mean he's responsible for a war started more than two decades afterwards.


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not really

Reagan election leads to Moral Majority
Moral Majority brings the Religious Right into the picture
The Religious Right tips the balance toward W
do you really think Gore would have gone into Iraq?

I'll say it: w/o Falwell's influence, George W. Bush is never elected President

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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I'll say it: w/o Falwell's influence, George W. Bush is never elected President

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This part of it is actually quite fair. I'd say it's undeniable.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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So that puts him on a level where it's appropriate to celebrate his death?

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How evil does someone need to be before it is acceptable to celebrate his death?

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I'd say more evil than Cheney, but less evil than the VT shooter.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

"
I'll say it: w/o Falwell's influence, George W. Bush is never elected President"

This is giving one man far too much credit for the lunacy of hundreds of thousands.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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i'm implying that if he's going to take credit for Reagan, he should take some of the blame for Iraq

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It's a substantial leap to say that Falwell's influence in getting President Reagan elected in 1980 should mean he's responsible for a war started more than two decades afterwards.

BTW, many of us think the election of President Reagan was a good thing.

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i'm happy he's gone because he was a hugely destructive force in this country, and perverted religion for his own political opinions and preferences.

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I have little doubt that far more people feel Falwell had a direct postitive impact on their life than feel he had "hugely descructive" impact on them or the country as a whole.

Falwell didn't pervert religion. He expressed the beliefs that he and tens of millions of Americans genuinely have.

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The same thing could have been, and was, said about Hitler.

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Do we now just compare people to Hitler when we want to discredit someone?

Can I say "Blarg very powerfully expresses his opinions here. But, remember that Hitler did the same thing. Blarg also seems inflexible- that reminds me a lot of Hitler".

The comparison is ludicrous. Hitler set into motion a war that killed tens of millions and left a continent in ruins. Falwell expressed his political views as a citizen in an open democratic society.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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lololol at you guys. Might want to reconsider your moral compass when another person's death brings you joy.

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The world is a better place without him. This should be a momentous occassion for anyone who isn't a religious wackjob like Falwell. I'm not referring out all religious folks, just the extremist bigots that believe things like Falwell does.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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So that puts him on a level where it's appropriate to celebrate his death?

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How evil does someone need to be before it is acceptable to celebrate his death?

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I'd say more evil than Cheney, but less evil than the VT shooter.

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I'd say more evil than Gilligan, but less evil than Cosby.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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i'm implying that if he's going to take credit for Reagan, he should take some of the blame for Iraq

[/ QUOTE ]

It's a substantial leap to say that Falwell's influence in getting President Reagan elected in 1980 should mean he's responsible for a war started more than two decades afterwards.

BTW, many of us think the election of President Reagan was a good thing.

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i'm happy he's gone because he was a hugely destructive force in this country, and perverted religion for his own political opinions and preferences.

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I have little doubt that far more people feel Falwell had a direct postitive impact on their life than feel he had "hugely descructive" impact on them or the country as a whole.

Falwell didn't pervert religion. He expressed the beliefs that he and tens of millions of Americans genuinely have.

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The same thing could have been, and was, said about Hitler.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do we now just compare people to Hitler when we want to discredit someone?

Can I say "Blarg very powerfully expresses his opinions here. But, remember that Hitler did the same thing. Blarg also seems inflexible- that reminds me a lot of Hitler".

The comparison is ludicrous. Hitler set into motion a war that killed tens of millions and left a continent in ruins. Falwell expressed his political views as a citizen in an open democratic society.

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I remain unconvinced that you didn't understand what I was saying.

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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"
I'll say it: w/o Falwell's influence, George W. Bush is never elected President"

This is giving one man far too much credit for the lunacy of hundreds of thousands.

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you clearly underestimate what one man's strangelhold on religious sheep can create

Re: Jerry Fallwell Gravely Ill
 

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pj - do you believe morality is relative or do you believe that some people have longer lists of acts/beliefs they fundamentally disagree with? And when I say fundamentally disagree with I mean you wouldn't want to be associated with a person who held such beliefs or did such acts.

related question - what is moral relativism?

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Boris,

I don't really have time to get into all this, unfortunately. But I'll just say that I am not completely a moral relativist -- which is someone who believes there is no such thing as any universal standard for morality, and all moral codes are pretty much just relative to whatever societal standard is there at the time, also having to do with your religion, culture, and background.

I think there are some universal truths regarding how human beings should behave towards one another, and that falls under the umbrella of morality. But I don't think that that code comes from something like God or whatever. It comes from the truth about the human condition.