From today's Journal-Gazette letters:
Zealots’ smokescreen disguises terrorism
Early in my pastoral career, I discovered that the easiest place for the antichrist to operate is in Christian disguise. So it is with the zealots of the anti-abortion movement, most recently epitomized by Scott Roeder in the heinous murder of Dr. George Tiller.
While groups like Operation Rescue are trying to convince us that Roeder acted alone, there is ample evidence that he moved with the open encouragement of militant anti-abortion groups and incendiary voices like Bill O’Reilly, Alan Keyes, James Dobson, Randall Terry, Mark Crutcher, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.
Most of the above have one thing in common: They employ Christian language to justify the holiness of their cause and the righteousness of their deeds. To hear them talk, they are driven by a godly desire to protect the unborn – even to the extent of sanctifying blatant acts of violence.
With zealots like Roeder and their vociferous cheerleaders, I suspect that “the sanctity of life” is mostly a smokescreen. It provides a convenient springboard for encouraging and committing hate-filled acts of oppression, not only toward abortion-rights advocates but also to all manner of convenient scapegoats (women, Jews, Muslims, intellectuals, homosexuals and so-called “illegals”).
Roeder and his compatriots have shamed our nation by compromising the very moral code they claim to uphold. Until ordinary citizens are willing to stand up to these terrorists, the antichrist will continue to enjoy a field day in America.
THOMAS E. SAGENDORF Hamilton
