Army of God

 

About:

 

      The Army of God is an extremely radical, Christian terrorist anti-abortion organization whose headquarters is in Virginia. The organization has gained much attention throughout the past decades due to their strong message that sanctions violence in the name of the pro-life movement. The group has summarized their belief as such: “whatever force is legitimate to defend the life of a born child is legitimate to defend the life of an unborn child.”[1] The organization has even published a manual that teaches members how to build bombs, orchestrate an invasion, and physically harm abortion doctors. Multiple members of this organization have made headlines due to their involvement in various violent acts including kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder.

 

    The group first became known in 1982 when three members kidnapped Hector Zevallos, a doctor and abortion clinic owner, and his wife and held them for eight days. In more recent news, the Army of God supported member Paul Jennings Hill when he was pronounced guilty of the murder of both Dr. John Britton and his clinic escort James Barrett in 1994 by saying that “his actions [were] morally justified if they were necessary for the purpose of defending innocent human life.”[2]

 

 

 

 

Reaction to Death of Dr. George Tiller:

 

   In regard to the murder of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, the organization strongly supported the actions of Scott Roeder and revered him as an “American Hero”.[3] Their website refers to the murder as “justifiable homicide” by quoting Lamentations 2:19: “Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children…” They adamantly support this violent act and even encourage visitors to their site to write to Roeder in jail.

 

 

 

 

Where do they draw the line?

 

   It appears as though the Army of God has not yet drawn the line as to what is too extreme of an act done in the name of the anti-abortion movement. The organization has repeatedly condoned violent acts that range from kidnappings and bombings to murders. It has also stood by its convicted followers and supported their actions by claiming that they were necessary in order to defend the lives of innocent children. Its strong anti-abortion stance does not appear to falter for any circumstance and thus the organization has and will continue to encourage followers to act out against those who support and perform abortions.