Televangelists Are Bad People

The recent death of "Moral Majority" founder and hateful bigot Jerry Falwell -- and the resultant sickening, sycophantic media coverage of his legacy -- brings up the question: why do Americans tolerate hate-peddling televangelists? These so-called Christian leaders, who contribute nothing to political or religious discourse except for hateful, divisive nonsense, are widely regarded -- even by the allegedly liberal media, which has every reason to despise them -- as prominent, respectable members of society.

The two most prominent American televangelists, who were largely responsible for the rise of the "Christian conservative" movement that now animates the Republican party's more authoritarian, moralistic legislative agenda, are the contemptible Pat Robertson and the late Falwell. Both of these men were instrumental in the transformation of American conservatism into an authoritarian movement that has embraced criminalization of homosexuality, dangerous nationalist apocalypticism, and all sorts of other destructive, intolerant, and ridiculous political causes. What is most disturbing is that these men have been taken relatively seriously, and have unquestionably influenced the policies of the highest levels of government.

The list of Robertson and Falwell's hateful public statements is much too long to cover in its entirety here, however the shocking depth of their ignorance and bigotry can be grasped by considering the following statements:

Speaking about Muslims on The 700 Club, Robertson said: "These people are crazed fanatics, and I want to say it now: I believe it's motivated by demonic power. It is Satanic and it's time we recognize what we're dealing with. ...by the way, Islam is not a religion of peace."

Also on The 700 Club, mere days after the 9/11 attacks, Jerry Falwell said: "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen."

In addition to this, both men have earned reputations as shameless liars, often wildly exaggerating or totally fabricating claims. For example, 76-year-old Robertson famously claimed to be able to leg press 2,000 pounds -- a feat that is impossible for most athletes in the prime of their life, and totally impossible for an elderly man.

In 1984, Falwell was forced to pay a gay activist $5,000 after lying about hateful statements he had made regarding homosexuals. Falwell appealed the decision, claiming that the judge in the case was biased because he was Jewish. He lost the case again, and was forced to pay another $2,875.

Both Robertson and Falwell have also claimed to have "faith healing" powers, despite the total lack of evidence that anyone had ever been healed by their actions. Of course both men became obscenely rich by exploiting these fantastic claims of having healing powers, by conning gullible and desperate people out of their money.

Robertson's corruption and total moral bankruptcy goes far beyond "faith healing" chicanery. In 2003, it was revealed that Robertson had established extensive business relations and a personal friendship with Liberian warlord and dictator Charles Taylor, who was known to be responsible for numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity. Taylor had also been accused of harboring and assisting al Qaeda terrorists around the time of the 1998 embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. Despite all this, Robertson continued to advocate for and associate with Taylor, and was granted rights to utilize Liberian gold mines. Robertson also used funds raised for charity under his "Operation Blessing" program to airlift diamond-mining equipment as part of a corporate program established with Zaire dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

Robertson only escaped criminal prosecution for these plainly illegal activities when Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley refused to bring charges against Robertson. What could justify Earley's total disregard for the law in letting Robertson get away with plainly illegal activities? Earley had received his largest campaign contribution, $35,000, from none other than Robertson 2 years earlier, just as the investigation against Robertson was starting to move forward.

In short, Robertson and Falwell are among the most contemptible, corrupt, immoral and dishonorable people one could imagine, yet for some reason the mainstream media continues to place them on a pedestal as models of Christian goodness and as moral leaders. While the vast influence they have had on American politics is undeniable, most of this influence has served to propagate hateful, ignorant ideas and encourage extremist, fundamentalist views of Christianity. It is well past time for the media to stop enabling those like Robertson and Falwell, who degrade the integrity of our society and government with their hateful, corrupt and dishonest dealings.