Paul Hill's World of Extremism

Convicted of murdering an abortion doctor and his guard in 1994, Paul Hill's theology and worldview have always been extreme, painted in stark colors of black and white with no apparent room for greys. The very concept that others might legitimately disagree with him appears to be an unknown concept.

The Pensacola News published a profile of his life, observing part:

[O]nce a pastor, he struggled because he was unable to compromise his black-and-white views. "He had difficulties in all of his pastorates, because he was so intense, he couldn`t live with people who didn`t agree with him," [Rev. Michael] Schneider said. "It was very hard for him to be patient with people, to listen to other people`s point of view, to be swayed one way or the other." ... "People often ask if he`s off his rocker? I don`t think so. He believes he`s right, has thought everything through and is acting on the courage of his convictions."

[Richard] Frierson recalls one incident in which Hill`s views trumped his compassion for a grieving family. "When a guy committed suicide, he said suicide was the most heinous of sins during the funeral," Frierson said. "That might have been when he started leaning over the edge."

Paul Hill appears to have always had a very unstable personality, one that tended towards extremism and violence. The radical anti-abortion movement encouraged and fed that instability - arguably, some sort of violent action on Hill's part may have been inevitable if he hadn't gotten help. Paul Hill is the logical conclusion of the extreme rhetoric of anti-abortion protestors. If abortion is no different than the murder of a child or an adult, then killing the would-be murderer is a legitimate last-resort response. Those who continually employ the rhetoric of murder in the abortion debate bear some responsibility for where Paul Hill is and what he has done - but I doubt that any would own up to it.

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• Religious Right
• Christian Extremism