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Article: Mixed preaching, politics; TV evangelist, Moral Majority founder helped elect Reagan, led fight against abortion, gays
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- May 16, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2007 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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THE REV. JERRY FALWELL - 1933-2007
LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell used the power of
television to transform the religious right into a mighty force in
American politics.
The founder of the Moral Majority collapsed at his Liberty
University office and died Tuesday. He was 73. Dr. Carl Moore, his
physician, said Mr. Falwell had a heart condition and presumably
died of a heart rhythm abnormality.
Mr. Falwell was driven into politics by the 1973 Supreme Court
ruling that established the right to an abortion. In 1979, he
founded the Moral Majority, a conservative lobbying group. His
group's greatest triumphs came just a year later, when Ronald Reagan
was elected president.
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