In Their Own Words

Remarks in uniform by new Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin:
[Speaking about Somalian Muslim soldier]
I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.
Church in Daytona Beach, Fla.
January 2003

The battle that we're in is a spiritual battle. Satan wants to destroy this nation, he wants to destroy us as a nation, and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army.
First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Okla., June 2002

Why do they hate us? The answer to that is because we're a Christian nation. We are hated because we are a nation of believers. [Our] spiritual enemy will only be defeated if we come against them in the name of Jesus.
George Bush was not elected by a majority of the voters in the United States. He was appointed by God.
Good Shepherd Community Church, Sandy, Ore., June 2003
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 16, 2003

He [William Boykin] is an officer that has an outstanding record in the United States armed forces.
Defense Sec. Donald H. Rumsfeld
Associated Press, Oct. 16, 2003

'If I could just get a nuclear device inside Foggy Bottom, I think that's the answer.' I mean, you get through this [book, Dangerous Diplomacy: How the State Department Endangers America's Security by Joel Mowbray], and you say, 'We've got to blow that thing up.'
Rev. Pat Robertson, "700 Club"
Associated Press, Oct. 12, 2003

I lack sufficient capabilities to express my disdain [for Robertson's remarks].
State Dept. spokesman Richard Boucher
Associated Press, Oct. 12, 2003

The [church sex abuse] scandals in the United States received disproportionate attention from the media. There are thieves in every country, but it's hard to say that everyone is a thief.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano
Vatican Secretary of State
Reuters/Boston Globe, Oct. 11, 2003

I have long defended the constitutionality of depicting the Ten Commandments in a courthouse, and a depiction of the Ten Commandments hangs on the wall of my office, as it has for years. Because I consider the Ten Commandments to be the cornerstone of law for Western civilization, I do not consider their display in a courthouse, as they are displayed in the Supreme Court of the United States [sic], to be an establishment of religion.
Ala. Atty. General William H. Pryor Jr.
Bush judicial nominee
Mobile Register, Oct. 19, 2003

There should be a display of the Ten Commandments in the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt
Ten Commandments Defense Act sponsor
TomPaine.com, Oct. 15, 2003

If we want to maintain an ethical and social system, we should build one based on spiritual and moral values that transcend any interest. God is vital.
Former dictator Rev. Efrain Rios Montt
Guatemalan presidential candidate
Associated Press, Oct. 7, 2003

The spermatozoon can easily pass through the 'net' that is formed by the condom.
Vatican official Alfonso Lopez Trujillo
(calling condoms a health danger)
Associated Press, Oct. 9, 2003

[I expect Iraq to be] an Islamic country by faith, just as we are a Judeo-Christian. . . Well, it's hard to tell any more, but we are a country of many faiths now.
Sec. of State Colin Powell
Charlie Rose Show, Sept. 22, 2003
Reuters: Oct. 23, 2003

Any kid would be proud to have my parents. We were really, really bad.
Testimony by 12-year-old who was denied food and tied up, and whose adopted brother Brian Edgar, 9, was tortured and killed by his religious parents, Rev. Chasity Edgar, and Neil Edgar, Olathe, Kan., both found guilty of first-degree murder

To learn you must love discipline.
9-year-old adopted Edgar daughter
Kansas City Star, Sept. 29, 2003

Where Was God?

High School cross country runners gathering for a pre-run prayer on the side of a highway in Luling, Texas, were struck by a car on Oct. 11. One student was killed and at least three were injured. Source: Associated Press, Oct. 6, 13, 2003

A church bus driver fell asleep while driving on Interstate 20, near Tullulah, La., and slammed into a parked tractor-trailer. The accident killed eight senior citizens and injured seven other passengers on an outing sponsored by the First Baptist Church in Eldorado, Texas. Source: AP, Oct. 14, 2003

On her way home from a Sunday student rally to promote a Billy Graham Crusade, Alicia Layne, 19, died in a three-car accident on Interstate 35. Her 15-year-old sister was severely injured and six others were released after treatment at a hospital. Prior to her accident, the Oklahoma City Community College student had attended Sunday school at Immanuel Baptist Church, performed her daily bible reading, joined her family for another worship service, and even prayed with her parents about the safety of the trip. Source: Daily Oklahoman, June 6, 2003

Mary Corrigan, who worked as a house parent at the former Baptist Children's Home in Kouts, Ind., was charged with six counts of neglect of foster children. She and two friends confined three young Indianapolis children in a bathroom for months without any clothing and little food, forced children to sit in ice-cold baths for hours, and let them out only to clean the house.

"These kids were living in a house of horrors," said the Marion Co. prosecutor. Former Baptist Home residents also alleged mistreatment, such as being forced to drink vinegar by Corrigan for committing "sins." Corrigan's Indianapolis home was licensed.Source: Indianapolis Star, Aug. 28, 2003