The influence of Francis Schaffer goes far past being a wild-haired preacher. He wrote a series of books which were foundational texts in many private evangelical schools -- including my first college. "The God Who Is There" was his attempt at making an argument for God that would be applicable in the post civil rights world. "Escape from Reason" was a repudiation of Nietzsche and Immanuel Kant -- making post-modern philosophy and theology into a straw man associated with war crimes, insanity, and drug use. Then "He is there and He is Not Silent" builds on the other two to make a case that abortion is the modern version of the war crimes and horrors of the first 2/3rds of the 20th Century.
As Christine O'Donnell and Sarah Palin make clear, anyone who went to a Christian college in the 1980's and 1990's was exposed to these books. (Yes, I was as well. Any comfort and confidence I gained from them crumbled when I saw evangelicals fomenting and even profiting off the civil war in Guatemala where I spent some time in 1989 as part of a mission trip.)
Francis Schaeffer's son, Frankie, is a gift to the world, debunking his father's academic words by the very comfortable European life the man enjoyed while legions were trained to fear and hate the Europeanization of the U.S. through his books. Oh, and also making plain the misogyny that was wrapped in such beautiful words in those books.
Until these mass delusions of religion are repudiated as the functioning propaganda arm of misogynist bigots, global society will never have a hope of progress. They're able to hide behind their "faith", as an excuse for clearly harmful actions, and bend truth to fit whatever narrative benefits their coffers. When fear was utilized by these abrahamic cults, they discovered the true power of ignorance over inquisitive human nature. And they continue that practice even today, when knowledge and learning are so readily available. Any nation that is guided at all by these illogical and fantastical principles will never be able to achieve solidarity, intelligence, or equality, because that is the true power of these moldable "truths".: To perpetuate ignorance and a segregated society.
This article brings back memories. In 1991, my wife and I drove overnight from St. Paul to join a counterprotest against Operation Rescue's Summer of Mercy in Wichita. It was frustrating, because among the speakers at the counterprotest, only Eleanor Smeal proposed an obvious action, which was to surround the clinic with pro-choice people and physically block the OR people from disrupting Dr. Tiller's clinic. But it was really an eye-opener.
A year later, we happened to drive by the Robbinsdale Clinic (MN) and saw the maniacs jumping on the front of cars waiving plastic fetuses. I went back there most Saturdays for about two years to join the clinic escorts. In 1993, OR came to the Twin Cities. We trained scores of college students and other on escorting and clinic defense. Soon it became obvious that the wind had gone out of their sails; they were outnumbered by the defenders.
Later that year, I drove to Des Moines, picked up three comrades, and drove all night to Denver where OR had promised to shut down all the clinics during the Pope's visit. They were defeated in Denver.
Later that year (or maybe 1994), I was asked to be a guard of Dr. Tiller when he addressed a pro-choice ecumenical group in St. Paul. In the course of my duties, I had a chance to chat with him. Of course I was shaken and angered when he was murdered, although I wasn't surprised.
I'll turn 75 in a couple of weeks, and all this was a long time ago. But I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in this struggle for human rights. Your generation will have their chance too.
The influence of Francis Schaffer goes far past being a wild-haired preacher. He wrote a series of books which were foundational texts in many private evangelical schools -- including my first college. "The God Who Is There" was his attempt at making an argument for God that would be applicable in the post civil rights world. "Escape from Reason" was a repudiation of Nietzsche and Immanuel Kant -- making post-modern philosophy and theology into a straw man associated with war crimes, insanity, and drug use. Then "He is there and He is Not Silent" builds on the other two to make a case that abortion is the modern version of the war crimes and horrors of the first 2/3rds of the 20th Century.
As Christine O'Donnell and Sarah Palin make clear, anyone who went to a Christian college in the 1980's and 1990's was exposed to these books. (Yes, I was as well. Any comfort and confidence I gained from them crumbled when I saw evangelicals fomenting and even profiting off the civil war in Guatemala where I spent some time in 1989 as part of a mission trip.)
Francis Schaeffer's son, Frankie, is a gift to the world, debunking his father's academic words by the very comfortable European life the man enjoyed while legions were trained to fear and hate the Europeanization of the U.S. through his books. Oh, and also making plain the misogyny that was wrapped in such beautiful words in those books.
Until these mass delusions of religion are repudiated as the functioning propaganda arm of misogynist bigots, global society will never have a hope of progress. They're able to hide behind their "faith", as an excuse for clearly harmful actions, and bend truth to fit whatever narrative benefits their coffers. When fear was utilized by these abrahamic cults, they discovered the true power of ignorance over inquisitive human nature. And they continue that practice even today, when knowledge and learning are so readily available. Any nation that is guided at all by these illogical and fantastical principles will never be able to achieve solidarity, intelligence, or equality, because that is the true power of these moldable "truths".: To perpetuate ignorance and a segregated society.
This article brings back memories. In 1991, my wife and I drove overnight from St. Paul to join a counterprotest against Operation Rescue's Summer of Mercy in Wichita. It was frustrating, because among the speakers at the counterprotest, only Eleanor Smeal proposed an obvious action, which was to surround the clinic with pro-choice people and physically block the OR people from disrupting Dr. Tiller's clinic. But it was really an eye-opener.
A year later, we happened to drive by the Robbinsdale Clinic (MN) and saw the maniacs jumping on the front of cars waiving plastic fetuses. I went back there most Saturdays for about two years to join the clinic escorts. In 1993, OR came to the Twin Cities. We trained scores of college students and other on escorting and clinic defense. Soon it became obvious that the wind had gone out of their sails; they were outnumbered by the defenders.
Later that year, I drove to Des Moines, picked up three comrades, and drove all night to Denver where OR had promised to shut down all the clinics during the Pope's visit. They were defeated in Denver.
Later that year (or maybe 1994), I was asked to be a guard of Dr. Tiller when he addressed a pro-choice ecumenical group in St. Paul. In the course of my duties, I had a chance to chat with him. Of course I was shaken and angered when he was murdered, although I wasn't surprised.
I'll turn 75 in a couple of weeks, and all this was a long time ago. But I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in this struggle for human rights. Your generation will have their chance too.