When evangelicals were pro-choice

[sinkingfeeling]

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/my-take-when-evangelicals-were-pro-choice/?hpt=hp_t3

In 1968, Christianity Today published a special issue on contraception and abortion, encapsulating the consensus among evangelical thinkers at the time. In the leading article, professor Bruce Waltke, of the famously conservative Dallas Theological Seminary, explained the Bible plainly teaches that life begins at birth:

“God does not regard the fetus as a soul, no matter how far gestation has progressed. The Law plainly exacts: 'If a man kills any human life he will be put to death' (Lev. 24:17). But according to Exodus 21:22–24, the destruction of the fetus is not a capital offense… Clearly, then, in contrast to the mother, the fetus is not reckoned as a soul.”

The magazine Christian Life agreed, insisting, “The Bible definitely pinpoints a difference in the value of a fetus and an adult.” And the Southern Baptist Convention passed a 1971 resolution affirming abortion should be legal not only to protect the life of the mother, but to protect her emotional health as well.

As evangelical leaders formed common cause with Catholics on topics like feminism and homosexuality, they began re-interpreting the Bible as teaching the Roman Catholic position on abortion.

Falwell’s first major treatment of the issue, in a 1980 book chapter called, significantly, “The Right to Life,” declared, “The Bible clearly states that life begins at conception… (Abortion) is murder according to the Word of God.”

But before casting their ballots, such evangelicals would benefit from pausing to look back at their own history. In doing so, they might consider the possibility that they aren’t submitting to the dictates of a timeless biblical truth, but instead, to the goals of a well-organized political initiative only a little more than 30 years old.

[Bluenorthwest]

1. Evangelicals do not have a faith, they have situational ethics. My attitude toward them

has changed. They support Mitt Romney who is a polytheist, who denies the virgin birth, who claims he will eventually earn god status and his own planet, who says of the many gods, the main god involved in human affairs lives on a planet called Kolob which he believes because it says so in a book that is NOT the Bible.
So called 'Christian Right' folks who claimed the Bible's words were of tantamount importance to them have shown themselves to have no regard at all for their faith when their Party is at stake. The same people who shout at gay people 'the Bible says so' now support a candidate whose faith contradicts the Bible, adds more books to 'Scripture', a candidate who is not even monotheistic. Next time one of them mentions the 'Bible' I will just laugh at them.
I used to see them as deluded but sincere, like frightened kids. Now it is clear that they don't much adhere to their Bible. One God or many gods, they don't really care. We can all become Gods ourselves? They are fine with that. Baptism of the dead, they are fine with that. Jesus and Satan were brothers? That's fine with them now. The Bible, suddenly, is expandable and open to great revision.
They have no faith, they have rhetoric they take up which serves the goals of the moment politically. The Evangelicals and Christian Right spent years on end calling Mormonism a cult, then like Billy Graham and the Southern Baptists suddenly they say Mormonism is not a cult, suddenly they all believe in Kolob and polytheism, they are all dropping the 'Virgin' from mention of Mary...empty, heretical people who are by the standards they claimed to hold, blashpemous and apostate.
They are just bigots, racists, and homophobes and sexists who will pull any words from Bible or Mormon Book to throw at others.
They have discarded their entire 'faith' for Mitt. After shunning and libeling so many others for not being of their faith, now they embrace both Mitt and his 'Jesus is Satan's brother' rountine. Fuck them for attacking others over things they don't even believe and never did.

[d_r]

3. +1

what you said.

I'll add that in the temple initiation film, Satan tells everyone to put on their aprons and they all do. It literally blows my mind that evangelicals hitch on to this wagon.

I saw a crazy right-wing post on the internet saying that democrats were modern day Baal and Moloch worshipers - dude, take a look at that baptismal pool in the mormon temple where they are baptizing children in place of dead people.

[yurbud]

4. they are getting more preaching from right wing talk radio than their pastor

who can't compete since he only has twice on Sunday and Wednesday night at most.

What has infected the political side from religious side is "maximal conservativism" that is, whoever can say and do the most conservative thing wins because it is purest.

[hymkn]

6. faith

very interesting article..just have faith

[jsr]

2. Great article

[ellenfl]

5. wow. eom

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. I was deeply embedded in the Evangelical world from late 1971 to mid 1979 - I barely ever heard any

mention of Abortion or any other contentious political issue for that matter. There was no standard Evangelical position on Abortion or any other contentious political issue until the end of the 70's or early 80's. In fact Evangelicals as a whole were not any more likely to be Republicans then they were to be Democrats. Most were fairly apolitical concerned more with winning souls for the Lord in preparation for his imminent second coming. Being politically partisan was seen by most - but not all - Evangelicals as hampering the ability to spread the Gospel and win souls for the Lord in preparation for his imminent second coming. Then some Faustian bargain was made in the late 70's that changed everything.

[freshwest]

8. +1,000.

[Lars39]

9. Paige Patterson, Southern Baptists

Conservative takeover pretty much complete by 1986 or so.