Defendant on trial for murder of Dr. George Tiller says his religious beliefs justified his actions. (Updated below with jury's verdict.)
A letter to the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg from a scholar of religious extremism.
“Who Will Rid Me of This Troublesome Doctor?”: Bill O’Reilly, King Henry II, and George Tiller
Thomas Becket was murdered at the suggestion of the powerful King Henry II, who then did public penance. Do pundits like Bill O’Reilly, who spoke so hatefully of George Tiller, likewise bear some responsibility for that crime?
PBS Airs Segment “Abortion Providers Under Siege” and redefines the issue.
On Religion, Abortion, and Politics: Dr. George Tiller's Christian Ethics
A Lutheran pastor explains how the murdered abortion provider could have been a Christian in good standing with his church and faith community—and how the politics of abortion is tied to the history of racism.
Having publicly assured Tiller’s executioner that he acted in “righteousness and mercy,” affable Lutheran pastor Michael Bray, “chaplain” of Christian extremists, spoke with the author a few years back on why America is like Nazi Germany, why it’s okay to kill active abortion providers, and what he means when he says he’s “pro-choice.”
Muslims Murder, Christians Don’t: What Went Missing in Analysis of Tiller’s Executioner
While much of the media had no trouble detailing the religious commitment of the Muslim killer of an army recruiter, most profiles painted Scott Roeder as a right-wing, anti-government, anti-abortionist, with a prior arrest history and mental problems. His connection with extremist Christian groups, apparently, is irrelevant.
While everyone on both sides of the abortion issue seems to condemn the murder of George Tiller, few admit the malignant effects of "baby killer" rhetoric.
Abortion Provider George Tiller Murdered at Church
The killing of a doctor who performed abortions—and saved many women’s lives—may be the result of a culture of religious extremism around the issue of abortion. Is violence the inevitable result of hate speech?