Mark Steyn: People who hate people

The Spectator (U.K.) ^ | 10/06/2001 | Mark Steyn

[winstonchurchill]

His is a pinhead--good riddance to him.

I guess it's easier to launch a conclusory ad hominem attack than deal with the intellectual question he raises. Unfortunately, your little Mohammedan-like response isn't very enlightening.

[Billthedrill]

You thank him. I find his attempt to cast the murder of 6000 people in terms of some weird collective revenge on the entire country by God to be utterly grotesque. His God may be perfectly capable of taking the life of 6000 innocents in order to admonish the country; mine, nor His Son, is not.

[winstonchurchill]

You thank him. I find his attempt to cast the murder of 6000 people in terms of some weird collective revenge on the entire country by God to be utterly grotesque. His God may be perfectly capable of taking the life of 6000 innocents in order to admonish the country; mine, nor His Son, is not.

No one, including Falwell, said it was 'revenge ... by God.' But just read the OT some time. God regularly said He allowed evil to befall His people in order to bring them back to His way (for example to abandon idol worship).

So while it would be presumptuous of Falwell to answer the question, it is certainly proper -- perhaps necessary -- to ask it.

[Rocko]

Bump.

[Rocko]

Another bump.

[Dr. Frank fan]

Oh my. Fantastic piece.

[TheGoodDoc]

A Canadian who speaks the truth. Very refreshing and worth a bump.

[Billthedrill]

But just read the OT some time.

Thanks for the advice, but I've read it many times. You might try reading the New Testament. That God isn't into mass extermination for moral lessons, and that, incidentally, is precisely what Falwell suggested.

[lancer]

Heroism breeds heroism.

[beckett]

Would you do this, though? Tell me who you think is a good spokesman for Christian values on the public stage today?

Kurt Wise or Bill Dembski. But both are far too sensible to step into the political lion's den. I guess Ralph Reed has the savvy, but, since he doesn't have the pastoral credentials, I guess he's out. Likewise Gary Bauer.

So that leaves James Dobson, I suppose. He's a lot better than Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. The former is basically a decent man who nevertheless, as I said earlier, is a pinhead who hasn't figured out the far ranging impact of his public utterences in over twenty years on the public stage, and the latter is an egomaniac who's phoniness is written all over his face.

I would prefer John Hagee or Jack Van Impe to either of them.

The important thing is that whoever does it must fully understand the mentality that pervades public discourse in this country. He must be able to recognize rhetorical traps when they are laid for him and show skill, daring and intelligence in avoiding those traps while still getting a Christian message out.

[Squire]

Thanks for the excellent post. Whoa.

[mardler]

BTTT for a fantastic piece. interesting that Steyn took a small hit for his comments on Falwell, but no-one seems to have noticed his zing at Tony Blair (see the Kyoto reference), which to me at least is far braver and perceptive of him.

Blair's speech may well have been good oratory, but beware of how far past fixing the terrorism problem he went.

[BibChr]

Thank you.

[lambo]

Thanks yet again, Pokey. This is the best I've seen in five years of reading Steyn. And this issue of The Spectator won't arrive for at least a week.

While I'm here -- this is addressed to all -- is there some facility on FR by means of which one can prevent posts from a particular poster from appearing on one's screen; something similar to a filter in a newsgroup? I won't name names, but a certain Phillips-Brooks-wannabe with a mail-order M.Div. and no church -- and far too much spare time to spend on the computer in a world so in need of more front-line imitators of Christ -- has shat on more threads on this forum than I can count. It's beginning to spoil the experience for me, and I don't doubt for many others.

One hopes that Heaven will be segregated according to I.Q., but until then, is there some way I can avoid having to scroll past the fecal matter he flings over threads to which he has nothing to contribute but venom, ignorance, or the aforementioned substance?

[winstonchurchill]

Any day the U.S could get hit again and maybe hundreds of thousands could die from a bio-weapon attack...and all people can worry about is "profanity."

And your gratuitous profanity helps us prevent that in exactly what way?

I share your anger just not your disregard for God's commandments.

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

I can add a couple of causal relationships that the talking heads may have overlooked:

Terrorism breeds reprisals.
Murder breeds vengeance.
Overwhelming Moslem civilian support for terrorist acts breeds justification for strategic bombing.

But, hey, don't blame me . . . I'm just a victim of forces beyond my control.

[leilani]

Oh boy. You know, I feel incredibly shallow to think this,let alone say it, but some of the BEST WRITING that's been produced since I can remember seems to have come out of this horrible atrocity.WOW! Bump.

[summer]

Great article; thanks for the flag. :)

[Timesink]

but I hope I can measure up to his example.

Hey, perhaps you can. I'm sure Beamer didn't know what he was capable of himself until 9.11.