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Gentleman Hyde
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As most of you probably know by now, former Illinois congressman Henry Hyde passed away early this morning. Hyde, a 16-term legislator and former Democrat, was passionately pro-life. The National Right to Life Committee issued a statement on his death which included this, probably Hyde’s best-remembered commentary on the issue of abortion:
When the time comes as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I’ve often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God - and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world - and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, ‘Spare him because he loved us,’ - and God will look at you and say not, ‘Did you succeed?’ but ‘Did you try?’
For Hyde, whose 1976 amendment banning the federal funding of abortion has likely saved thousands of lives — maybe hundreds of thousands — the answer should be, “Yes, Lord. I tried.”
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One more diversion
At the risk of sounding like one of those angry nitpickers decried on “Christians Duke It Out Online,” this is theologically awful.
Could you elaborate, StuBob?
Too bad to lose a pro-life Democrat, a rare thing indeed.
Henry Hyde was a very staunch Republican.
He was my Congressman for many years, and an alum of my law school. I met him on occaision through my political and election work. He was a great gentleman. He had strong opinions but was able to express them civilly and could disagree with you strongly while maintaining a friendly relationship. Mr. Hyde’s type of strong partisanship is what we are missing these days (where every disagreement seems to become a total personal jihad).
TRR —
Before the Throne, Jesus Christ stands as our only advocate. There is no children’s choir pleading on our behalf. All of our righteous acts, including pro-life righteous acts, are “as filthy rags.”
StuBob writes:Before the Throne, Jesus Christ stands as our only advocate. There is no children’s choir pleading on our behalf. All of our righteous acts, including pro-life righteous acts, are “as filthy rags.”
Theologically, I agree with StuBob. Hyde was Catholic and though I don’t agree with him theologically, I loved the way what he wrote expressed his passion for the unborn — a passion that is also surely God’s.
While I didn’t agree with Henry Hyde politically, he was an honorable and decent fellow whenever I saw him on CSPAN.
StuBob has this right. While we may give Henry Hyde much credit for standing up against the abortion license, this in itself would be as chaff in any final judgment.
In terms of worldly matters Rep. Hyde showed his greatest courage in leading the House to impeach Pres. Clinton based on his honest judgment that, with Clinton’s perjury to the American public and the judicial system, he had committed he met the constitutional standard for impeachment.
Anlir - He was every bit the same in other contexts. Even among private groups consisting solely of other strong Repubicans, he was a gentleman toward those who opposed him politically. There aren’t a lot like him left anymore, and politics is poorer for it.
Henry Hyde had an affair that broke up the woman’s family and then later demanded Bill Clinton be impeached for … having an affair.
He shrugged off his own infidelity as a “youthful indiscretion,” even though he was in his 40s at the time.
How surprised I am (not) to see him being sainted here. I’m not meaning to speak ill of the dead, but really, aren’t Christians supposed to be discerning about these things?
You’re right about that KRM.
A Class Act SteveG—real classy. The good man is dead Steve, beyond your cheap shots. He couldn’t care less what you think—as do I.
KRM
To fix your Gravatar, try sending a short note fully explaining your problem to their link for filing a complaint about an “objectionable” gravatar. At the time, I couldn’t find any other way to contact them and a couple of days after I tried that, mine was fixed.
demanded Bill Clinton be impeached for … having an affair.
You know better than that.
I do hope that he is a true believer and has Jesus as his advocate–that too was my first thought when I read the quote. But as a former citizen of Illinois, I have the utmost respect for this man.
You know, I totally forgot about his affair. But it’s ok. We all screw up in life, some more than others. In death, we can let some things slide. Irregardless, he was still a decent fellow when it came to his dealings with his colleagues in the House.
Anlir, my criticism isn’t of Henry Hyde so much, though perhaps I should not have brought up in a thread about his passing.
It troubles me to see that for some conservative Christians, a political figure can commit pretty much any sin he likes and as long as he says the right things about certain hot-button issues and opposes Democrats, nobody cares.
The silence on this blog from any of the authors about yesterday’s revelations of how Giuliani billed expenses related to his adulterous trysts to the city taxpayers is another example. Whether a questioner at last night’s Republican debate was connected to the HRC campaign is an issue; whether Rudy robbed the coffers of several small city agencies to cover his costs of vacationing with his mistress gets a yawn.
It seems to me it’s a moral judgment of convenience. If a pro-choice Democrat did what Hyde did, the regulars on this site would never stop talking about how sleazy, evil, destructive and immoral it was. But because Hyde was a pro-life Republican, nobody cares.
That doesn’t seem terribly Biblical to me.
But yes, that’s not what the thread is about so this is the last I’ll say on it.
SteveG - No one claimed that Hyde was perfect or a candidate for sainthood (in the Catholic sort of sense of the word). He was human like us all. But he was a classy person and pracitced politics in a way that was better than today’s norm.
And you are telling lies here, are you going to be as harsh on yourself as upon Mr. Hyde (or anyone you disagree with)?
What lies?
I’m sorry, but I do have to say something to STEVEG. Everyone of us sins–against God and against each other. That is a given which none of us can deny; not even you. Henry Hyde sinned and not just by breaking the seventh and tenth commandments (if what you say is true). We all do as bad or worse every day (do you lust after wealth, fame, security, etc.; if so you worship idols and not the true God).
As Jesus said, “Take the log out of your own eye before you try to remove the splinter from anothers. Henry Hyde will answer to God for his sins and transgressions; so will all of us. On the day of his passing, we can remember his humanity and his love of the unborn without in any way condoning or ignoring any grevious sin he may have committed. You said it aright–save it for another thread.
#4 Megadittos StuBob. I have deep unflagging admiration for Mother Theresa. Yet with all her selfless service to the rejected and outcast, she adamantly and often proclaimed that her only hope of Salvation was in the atoning blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
That is not to say that she or Congressman Hyde were in any way wrong to advocate for innocent unborn human life.
Of Hyde’s indiscretions and lapses let us say no more. He stands before a judge far greater than anyone on this thread.
Steve G, I spoze when you reach 80+ you’ll view stuff you did in your forties as youthful indiscretions as will I!
If one of the WOTW authors starts a thread where it would be appropriate to discuss the substance of what I said, I’ll respond to some of these later statements (Dr. Dave, Sawgunner).
As it is, I regret having spoken up on it here and hijacking this thread, so I will have to remain silent and hope other commenters will bring it back on track.
I apologize specifically to Lynn for taking the wrong turn.
Condolences to Mr. Hyde’s family.
SteveG - Lies? Say, for example, that Clinton was impeached for his sexual misconduct when he was impeached for perjury (committed in testimony that related to the philandering in a sexual harrassment suit).
Thank you for this tribute to Henry Hyde - The life of the unborn was important to this man, as it should be to every person.
God knows each of our hearts, we cannot hide our thoughts from HIM -