http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3D5502785

Book Excerpt: 'Thy Kingdom Come'

by Randall Balmer

'Thy Kingdom Come'

NPR.org, June 22, 2006 =B7 In the 1980s, in order to solidify their shift
from divorce to abortion, the Religious Right constructed an abortion myt=

one accepted by most Americans as true. Simply put, the abortion myth is
this: Leaders of the Religious Right would have us believe that their
movement began in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v.
Wade decision. Politically conservative evangelical leaders were so moral=

outraged by the ruling that they instantly shed their apolitical stupor in
order to mobilize politically in defense of the sanctity of life. Most of
these leaders did so reluctantly and at great personal sacrifice, risking
the obloquy of their congregants and the contempt of liberals and "secular
humanists," who were trying their best to ruin America. But these selfles=

courageous leaders of the Religious Right, inspired by the opponents of
slavery in the nineteenth century, trudged dutifully into battle in order
to defend those innocent unborn children, newly endangered by the Supreme
Court's misguided Roe decision.

It's a compelling story, no question about it. Except for one thing: It
isn't true.

Although various Roman Catholic groups denounced the ruling, and
Christianity Today complained that the Roe decision "runs counter to the
moral teachings of Christianity through the ages but also to the moral
sense of the American people," the vast majority of evangelical leaders
said virtually nothing about it; many of those who did comment actually
applauded the decision. W. Barry Garrett of Baptist Press wrote, "Religio=

liberty, human equality and justice are advanced by the Supreme Court
abortion decision." Indeed, even before the Roe decision, the messengers
(delegates) to the 1971 Southern Baptist Convention gathering in St. Loui=

Missouri, adopted a resolution that stated, "we call upon Southern Baptis=

to work for legislation that will allow the possibility of abortion under
such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity,
and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the
emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother." W.A. Criswell,
former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First
Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, expressed his satisfaction with the Roe =

Wade ruling. "I have always felt that it was only after a child was born
and had a life separate from its mother that it became an individual
person," the redoubtable fundamentalist declared, "and it has always,
therefore, seemed to me that what is best for the mother and for the futu=

should be allowed."

The Religious Right's self-portrayal as mobilizing in response to the Roe
decision was so pervasive among evangelicals that few questioned it. But =

attendance at an unusual gathering in Washington, D.C., finally alerted me
to the abortion myth. In November
[end excerpt]

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You are invited to check out the following:

The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm

American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm

The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html

[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]

HRSepCnS =B7 Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/

[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]

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. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why =

page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisne=

256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
. . .
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USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote

"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"

That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.

It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.

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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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