Thursday, May 17, 2007 | Reason : Commentary | print version

Faith-Based Fraud

by Christopher Hitchens, slate.com

Thanks to Manfred for the link.

Reposted from:
http://www.slate.com/id/2166337/

Jerry Falwell's foul rantings prove you can get away with anything if you have "Reverend" in front of your name.

The discovery of the carcass of Jerry Falwell on the floor of an obscure office in Virginia has almost zero significance, except perhaps for two categories of the species labeled "credulous idiot." The first such category consists of those who expected Falwell (and themselves) to be bodily raptured out of the biosphere and assumed into the heavens, leaving pilotless planes and driverless trucks and taxis to crash with their innocent victims as collateral damage. This group is so stupid and uncultured that it may perhaps be forgiven. It is so far "left behind" that almost its only pleasure is to gloat at the idea of others being abandoned in the same condition.

The second such category is of slightly more importance, because it consists of the editors, producers, publicists, and a host of other media riffraff who allowed Falwell to prove, almost every week, that there is no vileness that cannot be freely uttered by a man whose name is prefaced with the word Reverend. Try this: Call a TV station and tell them that you know the Antichrist is already on earth and is an adult Jewish male. See how far you get. Then try the same thing and add that you are the Rev. Jim-Bob Vermin. "Why, Reverend, come right on the show!" What a fool Don Imus was. If he had paid the paltry few bucks to make himself a certified clergyman, he could be jeering and sneering to the present hour.

Click here to continue:
http://www.slate.com/id/2166337/

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1. Comment #41879 by USA_Limey on May 17, 2007 at 8:47 am

Go on Hitchy my son!

.... sorry that will probably only resonate with fellow Brits.

:-)

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2. Comment #41883 by vertigo25 on May 17, 2007 at 9:03 am

Limey: nah... us 'Mericans got it, too... but you spelled it wrong. It's "Gawan Ma-sun."

At any rate.

Not just to play devil's advocate, but don't you think it's ironic that Hitch's point is that because Falwell (an others) was a "man of the cloth," he could get away with saying hateful things, but those who aren't "faithful" don't get to?

I mean... Hitch, himself, has a reputation of vitriolic discourse.

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3. Comment #41888 by Fire1974 on May 17, 2007 at 9:12 am

"What a fool Don Imus was. If he had paid the paltry few bucks to make himself a certified clergyman, he could be jeering and sneering to the present hour."

LOL!!! So sadly true.

However, the living Jerry Falwell was no more a fair match with Hitchens than the now dead one. This is really sad and unfair. I sincerely hope Hitchens is finished kicking the dead horses ass.

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4. Comment #41896 by Tony B. on May 17, 2007 at 9:23 am

vertigo25,

Hitchens directs his vitriol at specific individuals and institutions who have a track record of transgressions (to him, at least). The kind of hate spewed by Falwell and his breathren is directed at entire swaths of nameless people who he believes are immoral and hell-bound. I think there is a definite distinction.

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5. Comment #41933 by Bremas on May 17, 2007 at 10:13 am

Read the first sentence only and had to comment.

"The discovery of the carcass of Jerry Falwell on the floor"

Might be back in a moment after I read the second sentence.

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6. Comment #41995 by sppach on May 17, 2007 at 12:27 pm

Same as above, read first sentence but had to carry on, glad i did, wonderful piece.

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7. Comment #42004 by the great teapot on May 17, 2007 at 12:37 pm

Nope, never heard of him before.
Doesn't sound like I've missed much.

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8. Comment #42076 by Machoduck on May 17, 2007 at 3:11 pm

... And even more kudos to Chris!

Usualy, I think that the dead should be left alone - but this bastard, this fundamentalist SOAB, this religious hypacrate and large-scale biggot... He deserves every drop of spit that would land on his grave!

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9. Comment #42128 by Tyler Durden on May 17, 2007 at 4:59 pm

I've been trying to comment on the death of Falwell without resorting to name-calling and by simply using his own idiotic and hateful words against him - but Hitchens shows how to have your cake and eat it :)

Superb interview with Cooper on CNN. Go Hitch!!

Penn and Teller on "The Bible". Class!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RV46fsmx6E

Disclaimer: No animals were hurt in the writing of this post, however some species may have become extinct during the thought process.

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10. Comment #42137 by Nails on May 17, 2007 at 5:26 pm

Cracking link Tyler, wish I'd seen it earlier.

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11. Comment #42150 by Aussie on May 17, 2007 at 5:48 pm

Could not atheists award the title "Reverend" to their own and hence compete on an equal footing:

Archbishop Dawkins

Rabbi Harris

Pastor Dennett

Reverend Hitchens

Intense respect would then be due to such holy men.

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12. Comment #42170 by GodlessHeathen on May 17, 2007 at 6:44 pm

Close yer font tag, friend Tyler. =^.^=

Aussie: I'd say distinguished titles are already possessed by the lot, PhD, Master of the Art or Science and all that. What needs be done is restoration of the kind of respect for the efforts required to earn such titles deserves. (Such respect has not vanished, so the task is accomplish-able.)

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13. Comment #42180 by bouwe on May 17, 2007 at 8:28 pm

..the carcass of Jerry Falwell..

In GING he randomly refers to people as mammals. Here he refers to the dead (mammalian) body of Falwell as a "carcass". The tone of this piece might cast Hitch as "the Vulture"!!!???

It is an interesting literary device to shock readers out of their delusion-induced complacency that they aren't a part of the animal kingdom. Of course, everybody knows that they actually are (apart from creationists), however Hitch likes to remind them, just in case the comforts of civilization and the delusional consolations of religion have lulled the odd reader's sensibility away from cold hard reality.

It is brilliant, I love it. However, others will see it as odd. If so, then good , it serves its purpose of giving a reality shock.

However, why keep coming back to pointing out that we are mammals? He should alternate it with a few random "hominid" references. Maybe go further out, too, like point out that they are vertebrates as well!!

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14. Comment #42196 by freeurmind on May 17, 2007 at 10:05 pm

I can't stop smiling,I enjoyed reading this immensely ,since the guy is getting so much adulation from the "Jesus Camp" I think it's only "fair and balanced" to have someone get his "carcass" kicked even after his departure into "heavens"(he must be there right?).Way to go .

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15. Comment #42300 by CJ22 on May 18, 2007 at 3:39 am

I was talking to a Mormon friend who refused to 'cast the first stone' as she put it and condemn the guy outright. I pointed out that given she was a Mormon, Falwell would almost certainly have taken an Al Sharpton stance on her faith, and probably despise her as much as me (more perhaps).

It seems that no matter how weird or extreme your beliefs are, you're never so far beyond the pail as the people who simply don't believe. In their club, better a BELIEVING extremist hatemongering nutcase than any kind of atheist. The priority for this kind of mind-set seems to be that you BELIEVE. What you believe is almost secondary. Those of us unwilling to make that leap into double-think by our very existance expose them as fools, and they can't tolerate that.

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16. Comment #42540 by konquererz on May 18, 2007 at 11:03 am

From his wobbly base of opportunist fund raising and degree-mill money-spinning in Lynchburg, Va., he set out to puddle his sausage-sized fingers into the intimate arrangements of people who had done no harm.

OMG Thats the funniest thing I have read all week! The deceased will now be referred to as Reverend Sausage Finger!

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17. Comment #42711 by SciFi on May 19, 2007 at 6:11 am

Agreed, konquererz, funny as one of Falwell's acolytes proclaiming "it's so sad; I can't believe I'll never see him again (!!)". (I did post something similar against another article).

From my POV, Falwell was one of the most disgusting, bigoted and morally bankrupt individuals to have a public voice in the last 50 years. (Yes, I get it about the despots and dictators - I'm making a seperate case here!). It says little for the current mind set in the US that he was given so much credence at so many societal levels. It's great that Hitchens has the courage to come out and condemn both before and after the pig's passing.

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18. Comment #47220 by COMA on June 3, 2007 at 3:08 pm