Larry Flynt: My Final Farewell to the Falwells

[Nevilledog]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/larry-flynt-on-his-final-farewell-to-the-falwells

When I heard that Jerry Falwell Jr. had resigned the presidency of Liberty University in disgrace, it struck me as the belated ending to a long personal saga with the Falwell clan—and an essential footnote to the role of religion and free speech in America. For those unfamiliar with ancient history, it began in the 1970s, soon after I started publishing Hustler.

Jerry Falwell Sr., then head of the Moral Majority Christian interest group, sued me for libel and the “intentional infliction of emotional distress” over a Hustler parody of a Campari ad that used the liqueur’s slogan: “You’ll never forget your first time.” The parody featured an interview with Falwell waxing nostalgic about his “first time”—with his mother in a Virginia outhouse.

The legal battle lasted five years, from 1983 to 1988, including three decisions against me in federal courts. There was an important principle at stake: the right of artists, writers, and publishers to satirize public figures. Finally, I was vindicated by the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision written by conservative Chief Justice William Rehnquist. This case is often cited as a landmark ruling for the preservation of our First Amendment rights to free speech.

Ironically, Falwell Sr. and I actually became friends later. We enjoyed many cordial visits, participated in debates across the country, and even exchanged Christmas cards. I have to concede that his friendship with me proves that, for the most part, he was practicing an essential tenet of his faith, forgiveness, and was a sincere Christian.

*snip*

[roamer65]

1. Get em Larry!

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

Which brings us to Donald Trump. If there is one person who could be said to have lifted the orange buffoon over the hump in 2016, it’s arguably Jerry Falwell Jr. The evangelical base, crucial for the election of any national GOP politician, was not warming up to Trump in the primaries, for good reason. Here was a man who had violated almost every principle of the Christian faith: he was married three times; accused of multiple extramarital affairs; repeatedly defrauded investors, contractors, and students; habitually lied; and practiced thinly disguised sexism and racism.

But Jerry Jr. assured his nervous flock that Trump “lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the great commandment.” After the Access Hollywood tape came out, with Trump bragging about grabbing women’s pussies with impunity because he’s a rich bastard, the flock started getting cold feet again. But Jerry Jr. came galloping to the rescue with these choice bits of flimflammery: “God called King David a man after God’s own heart even though he was an adulterer and a murderer. You have to choose the leader that would make the best king or president and not necessarily someone who would be a good pastor.” And this: “It’s such a distortion of the teachings of Jesus to say that what he taught us to do personally—to love our neighbors as ourselves, help the poor—can somehow be imputed on a nation. Jesus never told Caesar how to run Rome.”

Many of the flock were not convinced by these rationalizations. Dozens of graduates from Liberty University returned their diplomas in protest, accusing Falwell Jr. of having corrupted the university’s “core mission and defiled its core beliefs, substituting the worship of power and influence for the worship of God.” Another former Liberty student, Kaitlyn Schiess, summed it up best in a recent New York Times editorial: “At Liberty, our minds may have been receiving correct content, but our hearts were being trained to love wrongly: to love political power, physical security and economic prosperity as higher goods than they are… A thirst for political power—and sometimes, obtaining that power—begets more than corruption: It often involves sexual immorality, degraded moral judgment and financial malpractice.”

It’s possible Jerry Falwell Jr. will find forgiveness from his flock, but even if he doesn’t, the $10 million severance payout from Liberty University will surely ease his pain. As for the rest of the country, I repeat the sentiment that has guided me for decades: If there were ever to be a Second Coming of Jesus Christ, I have no doubt that his first order of business would be picking up a whip and banishing forever all the hucksters and false prophets who have perverted his message.

[underpants]

3. Oh this is soooo funny

[global1]

4. Is HBO's Series "The Righteous Gemstones" Modeled After The Falwell's?.....nt

[stopdiggin]

5. So the real take away here

from Flynt's perspective -- is that Falwell senior was a true Christian (which doesn't necessarily include belief in such founding principles as the Constitution or the 1st Amend) -- and Falwell Jr. is a huckster and a carnival barker, with little relationship to Christianity (or principles of any kind) at all.

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[Ilsa]

6. So that's what the outhouse story was about!

I didn't know the details.

So Jerry is bringing an end to the dynasty. Never too soon.