邪惡帝國演講，裏根總統

邪惡帝國演講，羅納德·裏根總統

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Empire_speech

“邪惡帝國”演講是美國總統羅納德·裏根於 1983 年 3 月 8 日在冷戰和蘇聯-阿富汗戰爭高峰期向全國福音派協會發表的演講。在那次演講中，裏根將蘇聯稱為“邪惡帝國”和“現代世界邪惡的焦點”。裏根明確拒絕了美國和蘇聯對冷戰和兩國之間正在進行的核軍備競賽負有同等責任的觀點；相反，他斷言這場衝突是一場善與惡之間的戰鬥。

背景
裏根當時的首席演講撰稿人安東尼·R·多蘭為裏根創造了“邪惡帝國”一詞。[1]多蘭在 1982 年 6 月裏根在倫敦英國下議院發表的演講稿中也使用了類似的語言，但審閱者指出並刪除了這些措辭。[2] 多蘭在裏根在全國福音派協會第 41 屆年會上的演講稿中也使用了“邪惡帝國”一詞。[3] 看過演講稿的白宮工作人員，包括大衛·格根 (David Gergen)，一再刪除“邪惡帝國”部分；演講稿最終送到裏根手中，其中包含了“邪惡帝國”部分，工作人員批評者認為這次活動微不足道，不太可能引起注意。[4]

當裏根親自審閱和編輯草稿時，他擴展了有關國內事務的材料。[4] 多蘭在演講稿中提到“按需墮胎”是“巨大的道德邪惡”；裏根插話並補充說：“除非能夠證明未出生的孩子不是一個生命體”，否則其“生命權、自由權和追求幸福的權利必須受到保護”。[5] 裏根保留了“邪惡帝國”一詞，並沒有實質性地改變草案中強烈的反共基調。[6]

演講
1983 年 3 月 8 日，裏根在佛羅裏達州奧蘭多喜來登雙子塔酒店的 Citrus Crown 宴會廳舉行的全國福音派協會第 41 屆年會上發表了講話。[7] 這次演講是他第一次使用“邪惡帝國”一詞來指代蘇聯，被稱為“邪惡帝國”演講。在那次演講中，裏根說：[8][9]

是的，讓我們為所有生活在極權主義黑暗中的人的救贖祈禱——祈禱他們能發現認識上帝的喜悅。但在此之前，我們要意識到，盡管他們宣揚國家至高無上，宣稱國家對個人無所不能，並預言國家最終將統治地球上的所有民族，但他們卻是現代世界邪惡的焦點……因此，在你們討論核凍結提案時，我敦促你們警惕驕傲的誘惑——輕率地宣稱自己高於一切，並給雙方貼上同樣的錯誤標簽，無視曆史事實和邪惡帝國的侵略衝動，簡單地稱軍備競賽是一個巨大的誤解，從而將自己從正確與錯誤、善與惡的鬥爭中抽身而出。

觀眾對裏根的演講鼓掌。[10] 一支樂隊用歌曲《前進吧，基督士兵》為他伴奏。[11]

反響
同時期的媒體批評這次演講具有煽動性，批評者擔心這次演講對與蘇聯的軍備談判產生負麵影響。[12] 《基督教科學箴言報》認為，裏根的言論會鼓勵軍備競賽，並且“從邏輯上講，終有一天會走向戰爭”。[13] 在 1984 年的總統辯論中，裏根重申了他對蘇聯的評價，稱他“認為他們所做的許多事情在我們的任何道德觀念中都是邪惡的”，同時強調實用主義，並補充說：“我也認識到，作為世界上兩個超級大國，我們必須相互共存”。[14]

蘇聯則指責美國是一個試圖主宰整個世界的帝國主義超級大國，蘇聯正在“以人類的名義”與之作戰。在莫斯科，蘇聯國家通訊社塔斯社表示，“邪惡帝國”一詞表明裏根政府“隻會從對抗和好戰、瘋狂的反共產主義的角度思考問題”。[15]

1988 年 5 月至 6 月，在他第二任期內，也就是使用“邪惡帝國”一詞五年多之後，裏根在莫斯科拜訪了當時的蘇聯總書記、改革派米哈伊爾·戈爾巴喬夫。當記者問他是否仍然認為蘇聯是一個邪惡帝國時，裏根回答說他不再這麽認為了，當他使用這個詞時，已經是“另一個時代，另一個時代”了。[16] 戈爾巴喬夫在一次演講中談到裏根的聲明時說，蘇聯“注意到了這一點”；記者盧·坎農總結說，戈爾巴喬夫“認真聽取了裏根帶到莫斯科的和平信息”。[17]

解釋
G. 托馬斯·古德奈特將“邪惡帝國”描述為

裏根的“帝國”演講，以及“零選擇”和“星球大戰”演講，都是冷戰修辭方麵的一部分，重塑了公眾對核戰爭的看法。[18] 在前者中，裏根將核戰爭描述為“古老的善惡鬥爭”的延伸。[19] 通過將蘇聯描述為一個“邪惡帝國”，因此不合理且不值得信任，裏根的演講為反對和平提議提供了理由。[20] 曆史學家約翰·劉易斯·加迪斯稱這次演講是“一次修辭攻勢的完成，旨在揭露裏根認為的緩和政策的核心錯誤：蘇聯已經贏得了地緣政治、意識形態、經濟和道德合法性”，並認為這次演講“最能激發當時蘇聯領導層的焦慮”。[21] 據文學教授李羅姆·梅多沃伊 (Leerom Medovoi) 稱，裏根除了反對蘇聯聯盟的“邪惡帝國”演講將福音派聽眾的注意力引向國內政策，並將美國自由主義者描述為文化戰爭中的額外敵人，裏根稱其為“對道德意誌和信仰的考驗”。[22]

文本

羅納德·裏根，“邪惡帝國演講”（1983 年 3 月 8 日）

[1] 裏根總統：謝謝……[掌聲]……非常感謝……非常感謝……[掌聲平息]……非常感謝……各位牧師、霍金斯參議員、佛羅裏達州國會代表團的傑出成員以及你們所有人：

[2] 我無法告訴你們，你們的歡迎讓我多麽溫暖。我很高興今天能來到這裏。

[3] 全國福音派協會的各位以精神和人道主義工作而聞名。如果我現在不表達一份個人恩情，那將特別失職。感謝你們的祈禱。南希和我多次以多種方式感受到你們的存在。相信我，對我們來說，你們的祈禱改變了一切。

[4] 前幾天在白宮東廳的一次會議上，有人問我是否知道外麵有那麽多人在為總統祈禱。我不得不說：“是的，我知道。我感受到了。我相信代禱。”但在提問者問完這個問題後，我忍不住要說——或者至少要告訴他們，如果他有時在祈禱時聽到忙音，那隻是我先在那兒。[笑聲] 我想我理解亞伯拉罕·林肯的感受，他說：“我多次被一種壓倒性的信念逼得跪倒在地，我無處可去。”

[5] 帶著這次會議的喜悅和美好感覺，我去參加了一個政治招待會。現在，[笑聲] 我不知道為什麽，但那一點安排讓我想起了一個故事——[笑聲]——我會與你們分享：

[6] 一天，一位福音派牧師和一位政客一起來到天堂之門。聖彼得在辦完所有必要的手續後，帶他們去告訴他們他們的住處在哪裏。他把他們帶到一間小單人間，裏麵有一張床、一把椅子和一張桌子，並說這是給牧師的。這位政客有點擔心自己會遇到什麽。當聖彼得停在一座美麗的豪宅前，那裏有很多仆人，告訴他這些將是他的住處時，他簡直不敢相信。

[7] 他忍不住問道：“但是等等，怎麽——有什麽問題——我怎麽才能得到這座豪宅，而那位善良聖潔的人隻能得到一間單人間？”聖彼得說：“你必須了解這裏的情況。我們有成千上萬的神職人員。你是第一位成功的政治家。”[笑聲和掌聲]

[8] 但我不想助長刻板印象。[笑聲] 所以我告訴你們，在公共生活中，包括在座的各位，有許多敬畏上帝、獻身於社會、高尚的男女。是的，我們需要你們的幫助，讓我們永遠銘記最初將我們帶入公共領域的理念和原則。這些理想和原則的基礎是……對自由和個人自由的承諾，而這種承諾本身又植根於更深刻的認識，即隻有在熱切（發錯音並糾正自己）尋求和謙卑地接受上帝的祝福的地方，自由才會繁榮。

[9] 美國的民主實驗建立在這一洞察力之上。它的發現是我們開國元勳們的偉大勝利，威廉·佩恩曾這樣表達：“如果我們不接受上帝的統治，我們就必須接受暴君的統治。”傑斐遜在解釋人類不可剝奪的權利時說：“上帝給了我們生命，同時也給了我們自由。”喬治·華盛頓也說過：“在所有導致政治繁榮的性格和習慣中，宗教和道德是不可或缺的支撐。”

[10] 最後，美國民主最敏銳的觀察家亞曆克西斯·德·托克維爾在探索美國偉大和天才的秘密之後雄辯地說道——他

他說：“直到我走進美國的教堂，聽到她的講台上充滿正義的火焰，我才明白美國的偉大和天才。美國是好的。如果美國不再好，美國就不再偉大。”[掌聲]

[11] 好吧，我……[掌聲] ..好吧，我很高興今天能和你們在一起，你們通過保持美國的善良來保持美國的偉大。隻有通過你們和其他數百萬人的工作和祈禱，我們才有希望度過這個危險的世紀，讓自由的實驗繼續下去，這是人類最後、最好的希望。

[12] 我想讓你們知道，本屆政府的政治哲學是這樣的：在你們、她的人民、你們的家庭、教堂、社區、社區中，看到了美國的偉大——這些機構培養和滋養了關心他人和尊重上帝統治下的法治等價值觀。

[13] 現在，我不用說，這讓我們與許多人的主流態度對立，至少是與他們格格不入。他們轉向了現代世俗主義，拋棄了我們文明所基於的久經考驗的價值觀。無論他們的意圖多麽好，他們的價值體係都與大多數美國人的價值體係截然不同。雖然他們宣稱要把我們從過去的迷信中解放出來，但他們卻承擔起了通過政府規則和法規來監督我們的工作。有時他們的聲音比我們的聲音大，但他們還不是多數。[掌聲]

[14] 這種聲音優越性的一個例子是華盛頓目前正在進行的一場爭論。由於我參與其中，我一直在等待美國年輕人的父母們的意見。他們願意在多大程度上將他們作為父母的特權交給政府？

[15] 讓我盡可能簡短而簡單地陳述一下。一個由公民組成的組織，出於真誠的動機，深切關注未達到法定年齡的女孩非法生育和墮胎的增加，不久前建立了一個全國性的診所網絡，為這些女孩提供幫助，並希望緩解這種情況。現在，讓我再說一遍，我並不指責他們的意圖。然而，在他們善意的努力中，這些診所決定在父母不知情的情況下向未成年女孩提供建議和避孕藥物和設備。

[16] 多年來，聯邦政府一直提供資金資助這些診所。為此，國會下令盡一切努力最大限度地讓父母參與進來。然而，這些藥物和設備是在沒有征得父母同意的情況下開出的，也沒有在父母同意後通知他們。被稱為“性活躍”的女孩——這個詞已經取代了“濫交”這個詞——得到這種幫助是為了防止非法生育（很快糾正了自己）或墮胎。

[17] 好吧，我們已經命令接受聯邦資金的診所通知父母已經獲得了此類幫助。[掌聲] 一家全國領先的報紙在社論中對我們這樣做提出了“告密規則”一詞，我們因侵犯年輕人的隱私而受到批評。一位法官最近批準了一項禁令，禁止執行我們的規則。我看過電視小組節目討論這個問題，看到專欄作家對我們的錯誤發表高談闊論，但似乎沒有人提到道德在性問題上發揮的作用。[掌聲]

[18] 所有的猶太-基督教傳統都是錯誤的嗎？我們是否應該相信如此神聖的東西可以被視為純粹的物理事物，不會造成情感和心理傷害？難道父母沒有權利提供谘詢和建議，以防止他們的孩子犯下可能影響他們一生的錯誤嗎？ [聲音和強調聲略有增強——長時間的掌聲]

[19] 我們政府中的許多人都想知道父母對政府侵入家庭的看法。我們將在法庭上抗爭。父母的權利和家庭的權利優先於華盛頓的官僚和社會工程師的權利。[掌聲]

[20] 但反對通知父母的鬥爭實際上隻是許多試圖淡化傳統價值觀甚至廢除美國民主原有條款的嚐試中的一個例子。當宗教充滿活力並且承認上帝下的法治時，自由就會繁榮。[掌聲] 當我們的開國元勳通過《第一修正案》時，他們試圖保護教會免受政府幹涉。他們從未打算在政府和宗教信仰本身之間築起一道敵對之牆。[低聲同意，掌聲]

[21] 這方麵的證據滲透在我們的曆史和政府中。《獨立宣言》至少四次提到了至高無上的存在。 “我們信仰上帝”刻在我們的硬幣上。最高法院以宗教祈禱開始其程序。國會議員

以祈禱開始他們的課程。我隻是恰好相信美國的學生有權享有與最高法院法官和國會議員相同的權利。[掌聲中繼續]。

[22] 去年，我向國會提交了一份憲法修正案，要求恢複公立學校的祈禱。在本屆會議上，兩黨對修正案的支持日益增多，我呼籲國會迅速采取行動通過該修正案，允許我們的孩子祈禱。[掌聲]

[23] 也許你們中的一些人最近讀到了拉伯克學校的案件，其中一名法官實際上裁定，學區對宗教和非宗教學生團體給予平等待遇是違憲的，即使團體會議是在學生自己的時間舉行的。第一修正案從未打算要求政府歧視宗教言論。[掌聲]

[24] 參議員丹頓和哈特菲爾德已向國會提出立法，禁止歧視宗教形式的學生言論。這樣的立法將在很大程度上恢複公立學校學生的宗教言論自由。我希望國會能盡快審議這些法案。在你們的幫助下，我認為我們今年也有可能讓國會通過憲法修正案。[掌聲]

[25] 十多年前，最高法院的一項裁決徹底抹去了五十個州保護未出生嬰兒權利的法規。現在，墮胎每年奪走多達一百五十萬未出生嬰兒的生命。結束這場悲劇的人類生命立法總有一天會在國會獲得通過，你我都必須永不停歇，直到它通過。[掌聲] 除非能夠證明未出生的嬰兒不是生命體，否則其生命、自由和追求幸福的權利必須得到保護。 [掌聲]

[26] 你們……你們可能還記得，當墮胎法案開始實施時，許多人，我相信你們中的許多人，都警告說，這種做法會導致對人類生命的尊重下降，用來為墮胎法案辯護的哲學前提最終會被用來為其他對人類生命神聖性的攻擊——殺嬰或安樂死——辯護。可悲的是，這些警告被證明是完全正確的。就在去年，一家法院允許將一名殘疾嬰兒餓死。

[27] 我已指示衛生與公眾服務部向美國的每一家醫療機構明確表示，1973 年的《康複法案》保護所有殘疾人，包括嬰兒，免受基於殘疾的歧視。 [掌聲] 我們已采取進一步措施，要求每一位接受聯邦資金並為嬰兒提供醫療保健服務的機構必須在顯眼的地方張貼並持續張貼一份通知，說明“聯邦法律禁止在本機構歧視性地不喂養和照顧殘疾嬰兒”。 它還列出了一個 24 小時免費電話號碼，以便護士和其他人可以及時報告違規行為，以挽救嬰兒的生命。[掌聲]

[28] 此外，伊利諾伊州眾議員亨利·海德在國會提出的最新立法不僅增加了對公共資助墮胎的限製，還解決了整個殺嬰問題。 我敦促國會開始聽證會並通過立法，保護所有兒童的生命權，包括殘疾人或殘障兒童。

[29] 現在，我相信你有時一定會感到沮喪，但在這方麵你做得可能比你知道的要好。美國正在經曆一場偉大的精神覺醒，[掌聲]……傳統價值觀的複興是美國善良和偉大的基石。

[30] 華盛頓一家研究委員會最近進行的一項調查得出的結論是，美國人比其他國家的人更加虔誠；95% 的受訪者表示相信上帝，絕大多數人認為《十誡》對他們的生活具有真正的意義，另一項研究發現，絕大多數美國人反對通奸、青少年性行為、色情、墮胎和硬性毒品，而這項研究也表明，美國人對家庭關係和宗教信仰的重要性深表敬意。

[31] 我[掌聲]……我認為我們今天在這裏討論的問題必須是國家政治議程的關鍵部分。國會首次公開、嚴肅地辯論和處理祈禱和墮胎問題——這是巨大的進步。我再說一遍：美國正處於精神覺醒和道德複興之中。今天，我要用你們的聖經主題演講說：“是的，讓正義像河流一樣流淌，讓正義像永不枯竭的溪流一樣流淌。”

[32] 現在，[掌聲]……顯然，我談到的這種新的政治和社會共識大部分是基於對美國曆史的積極看法，這種看法為我們國家取得的成就感到自豪。

但我們永遠不能忘記，沒有任何政府計劃能夠使人完美。我們知道，生活在這個世界上意味著要處理哲學家所說的邪惡現象學，或者神學家所說的罪惡教義。

[33] 世界上有罪惡和邪惡，聖經和主耶穌要求我們全力反對它。我們的國家也必須處理邪惡的遺產。這片土地的榮耀在於它能夠超越我們過去的道德邪惡。例如，少數族裔公民為爭取平等權利而進行的長期鬥爭，曾經是分裂和內戰的根源，現在已成為所有美國人的驕傲。我們絕不能走回頭路。這個國家沒有種族主義、反猶太主義或其他形式的民族和種族仇恨的空間。 [長時間掌聲]

[34] 我知道你們和我一樣，對一些宣揚偏執和偏見的仇恨團體的死灰複燃感到震驚。利用你們講台上的強大聲音和你們教堂的強大地位，譴責和孤立我們中間的這些仇恨團體。上帝賜予我們的誡命清晰而簡單：“你要愛鄰如己。”[掌聲]

[35] 但無論我們的過去有什麽悲慘的事件，任何客觀的觀察者都必須對美國曆史持積極態度，這是一部希望實現、夢想成真的曆史。尤其是在本世紀，美國一直點燃著自由的火炬，但這不僅僅是為了我們自己，也是為了全世界數百萬人。

[36] 這就引出了我今天的最後一點。在我擔任總統後的第一次新聞發布會上，我回答了一個直接的問題，指出，作為優秀的馬克思列寧主義者，蘇聯領導人公開宣布，他們承認的唯一道德是能夠促進他們的事業，即世界革命的道德。我想我應該指出，我隻是引用了他們的指導精神列寧的話，他在 1920 年說，他們拒絕一切源於超自然思想（這是他們對宗教的稱呼）或階級觀念之外的思想的道德。道德完全服從於階級戰爭的利益。一切對於消滅舊的剝削社會秩序和團結無產階級所必需的都是道德的。

[37] 嗯，我認為許多有影響力的人拒絕接受蘇聯學說的這一基本事實，表明了曆史上人們不願看到極權主義政權的真麵目。我們在 20 世紀 30 年代就看到了這種現象。我們今天經常看到這種現象。

[38] 這並不意味著我們應該自我孤立，拒絕與他們尋求諒解。我打算盡我所能說服他們我們的和平意圖，提醒他們，正是西方在 20 世紀 40 年代和 50 年代拒絕利用其核壟斷來獲取領土利益，而現在卻提出削減 50% 的戰略彈道導彈並消除一整類陸基中程核導彈。[掌聲]

[39] 但與此同時，必須讓他們明白：我們永遠不會妥協我們的原則和標準。我們永遠不會放棄我們的自由。我們永遠不會放棄對上帝的信仰。[長時間的掌聲] 我們永遠不會停止尋求真正的和平，但我們可以保證，通過一些人提出的所謂核凍結解決方案，美國所代表的這些都不是事實。

[40] 事實是，現在凍結將是一個非常危險的騙局，因為那隻是和平的假象。現實是，我們必須通過實力來尋求和平。 [掌聲]

[41] 我會……[掌聲繼續]……如果我們能凍結蘇聯的全球欲望，我會同意凍結。[笑聲，掌聲] 凍結目前的武器水平將消除蘇聯在日內瓦進行認真談判的任何動機，並幾乎終結我們實現我們所提議的大規模裁軍的機會。相反，他們會通過凍結來實現他們的目標。

[42] 凍結將獎勵蘇聯龐大而無??與倫比的軍事集結。它將阻止美國和盟國防禦係統進行必要的、早就應該進行的現代化，並將使我們老化的軍隊越來越脆弱。而誠實的凍結將需要事先就限製的係統和數量以及確保有效核查和遵守的措施進行廣泛的談判。而所建議的那種凍結幾乎不可能得到核實。如此巨大的努力將使我們完全偏離目前關於實現大幅削減的談判。 [掌聲]

[43] 幾年前，我聽到一位年輕的父親，一位娛樂界非常傑出的年輕人，在加利福尼亞的一個大型集會上發表演講。當時正值冷戰時期，人們非常關注共產主義和我們自己的生活方式。他談到了這個話題。但突然間，我

聽到他說：“我愛我的小女兒勝過一切——”我對自己說：“哦，不，不要。你不能——不要這麽說。”但我低估了他。他接著說：“我寧願看到我的小女兒現在死去，仍然相信上帝，也不願讓她們在共產主義下長大，有一天死去時不再相信上帝。”[掌聲]

[44] 現場有成千上萬的年輕人。他們歡呼雀躍地站起來。他們立刻意識到他所說的話中深刻的真理，關於身體和靈魂，以及真正重要的東西。

[45] 是的，讓我們為所有生活在極權主義黑暗中的人的救贖祈禱——祈禱他們能發現認識上帝的喜悅。但在此之前，我們要意識到，盡管他們宣揚國家至高無上，宣稱國家對個人無所不能，並預言國家最終將統治地球上的所有民族，但他們卻是現代世界邪惡的焦點。

[46] C.S. 劉易斯在他令人難忘的《魔鬼家書》中寫道：“現在最大的邪惡不是在……狄更斯喜歡描繪的那些肮髒的‘犯罪窩點’裏。它……甚至不是在集中營和勞改營裏。在這些地方，我們看到了它的最終結果，但它是在幹淨、鋪著地毯、溫暖、光線充足的辦公室裏構思和安排的；推動、支持、進行和記錄的，是那些穿著白領、指甲修剪整齊、臉頰刮得很光滑的安靜的人，他們不需要提高聲音。”

[47] 好吧，因為這些“沉默寡言的人”不會“大聲說話”，因為他們有時會用兄弟情誼和和平的撫慰語氣說話，因為他們像之前的其他獨裁者一樣，總是提出“最後的領土要求”，有些人會讓我們相信他們的話，並適應他們的侵略衝動。但如果曆史能教會我們什麽的話，那就是對我們的對手的簡單綏靖或一廂情願的想法是愚蠢的。這意味著背叛我們的過去，浪費我們的自由。

[48] 所以，我敦促你們站出來反對那些讓美國處於軍事和道德劣勢的人。你知道，我一直相信老 Screwtape 會為你們教會的人盡最大努力。因此，在討論核凍結提案時，我敦促你們謹防驕傲的誘惑——輕率地……呃……宣稱自己高人一等，給雙方貼上同樣的錯誤標簽，無視曆史事實和邪惡帝國的侵略衝動，簡單地稱軍備競賽是一個巨大的誤解，從而將自己排除在正確與錯誤、善與惡的鬥爭之外。

[49] 我請你們抵製那些企圖讓你們不支持我們、本屆政府為保持美國強大和自由所做的努力的人的企圖，而我們正在談判——真正和可核實地削減世界核武庫，並有朝一日在上帝的幫助下徹底消除核武庫。[掌聲]

[50] 雖然美國的軍事實力很重要，但讓我在這裏補充一點，我始終認為，現在為世界而進行的鬥爭永遠不會由炸彈或火箭、軍隊或軍事力量來決定。我們今天麵臨的真正危機是精神危機；從根本上說，這是對道德意誌和信仰的考驗。

[51] 惠特克·錢伯斯（Whittaker Chambers）的宗教皈依使他見證了我們這個時代最可怕的創傷之一，即希斯-錢伯斯案。他寫道，西方世界的危機存在於西方對上帝的漠不關心的程度，存在於西方與共產主義合作試圖使人類脫離上帝而獨立存在的程度。然後他說，馬克思列寧主義實際上是第二古老的信仰，最早在伊甸園用誘惑的話語宣告：“你們將如神一樣。”

[52] 他寫道，西方世界可以應對這一挑戰，“但前提是它對上帝的信仰和他所要求的自由與共產主義對人的信仰一樣偉大。”

[53] 我相信我們會迎接挑戰。我認為共產主義是人類曆史上又一個悲傷、怪異的篇章，它的最後一頁現在還在書寫中。我之所以相信這一點，是因為我們尋求人類自由的力量源泉不是物質的，而是精神的。而且因為它沒有限製，它必須嚇倒那些奴役同胞的人，並最終戰勝他們。正如以賽亞所說：“疲乏的，他賜能力；無力的，他加力量。但那等候耶和華的，必從新得力。他們必如鷹展翅上騰；他們奔跑卻不疲倦。”[掌聲]

[54] 是的，改變你的世界。我們的開國元勳之一托馬斯·潘恩說過：“我們有能力重新開始這個世界。”我們可以做到，一起做任何教會都無法獨自完成的事情。

[55] 上帝保佑你們，非常感謝你們。 [長時間鼓掌]

Evil Empire speech, President Ronald Reagan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Empire_speech

The "Evil Empire" speech was a speech delivered by US President Ronald Reagan to the National Association of Evangelicals on March 8, 1983, at the height of the Cold War and the Soviet–Afghan War. In that speech, Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire" and as "the focus of evil in the modern world". Reagan explicitly rejected the notion that the United States and the Soviet Union were equally responsible for the Cold War and the ongoing nuclear arms race between the two nations; rather, he asserted that the conflict was a battle between good and evil.

Background
Reagan's chief speechwriter at the time, Anthony R. Dolan, coined the phrase "evil empire" for Reagan's use.[1] Dolan included similar language in a draft for Reagan's June 1982 speech before the British House of Commons in London, but reviewers flagged and struck the phrasing.[2] Dolan included the phrase "evil empire" in drafts for Reagan's speech at the National Association of Evangelicals' 41st annual convention.[3] White House staffers who saw drafts of the speech, including David Gergen, repeatedly struck the "evil empire" portion; the speech eventually reached Reagan with the "evil empire" portion included, staffer critics concluding the event would be minor and unlikely to attract attention.[4]

When Reagan reviewed and edited the draft himself, he extended the material on domestic matters.[4] Dolan had included a reference to "abortion on demand" as a "great moral evil"; Reagan cut the line and added a remark asserting that "until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity" its "right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness must be protected".[5] Reagan left the "evil empire" phrase and did not substantially alter the draft's strongly anti-communist tone.[6]

Speech
Reagan spoke at the 41st annual convention of the National Association of Evangelicals on March 8, 1983, in the Citrus Crown Ballroom of the Sheraton Twin Towers Hotel in Orlando, Florida.[7] The speech, marking his first recorded use of the phrase "evil empire" to refer to the Soviet Union, has become known as the "Evil Empire" speech. In that speech, Reagan said:[8][9]

Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness—pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world .... So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.

The audience applauded Reagan's speech.[10] A band played him off with the song "Onward, Christian Soldiers".[11]

Reception
Contemporaneous press criticized the speech as inflammatory, and critics worried the speech portended negatively for arms negotiations with the Soviet Union.[12] The Christian Science Monitor argued that Reagan's rhetoric would encourage an arms race and "would some day, in logic, point toward war".[13] During a 1984 presidential debate, Reagan reiterated his assessment of the Soviet Union, saying he "believe[d] that many of the things that they have done are evil in any concept of morality that we have", while also emphasizing pragmatism, adding, "I also recognize that as the two great superpowers in the world, we have to live with each other".[14]

The Soviet Union, for its part, alleged that the United States was an imperialist superpower seeking to dominate the entire world, and that the Soviet Union was fighting against it "in the name of humanity". In Moscow, the Soviet state-run press agency TASS said the "evil empire" words demonstrated that the Reagan administration "can think only in terms of confrontation and bellicose, lunatic anti-communism".[15]

During his second term in office, in May–June 1988, more than five years after using the term "evil empire", Reagan visited Mikhail Gorbachev, at the time General Secretary of the Soviet Union and a reformist, in Moscow. When asked by a reporter whether he still thought the Soviet Union was an evil empire, Reagan responded that he no longer did, and that when he used the term it was "another time, another era".[16] In a speech, Gorbachev said of Reagan's statement that the Soviet Union "t[ook] note of that"; journalist Lou Cannon concluded that Gorbachev "listened carefully to the message of peace that Reagan had brought with him to Moscow".[17]

Interpretation
G. Thomas Goodnight characterized the "evil empire" speech, along with the "Zero Option" and "Star Wars" speeches, as part of the rhetorical side of the Cold War and reshaped public perceptions of nuclear warfare.[18] In the former, Reagan depicted nuclear warfare as an extension of an "age old struggle between good and evil".[19] By characterizing the Soviet Union as an "evil empire" and therefore irrational and untrustworthy, the speech justified demurrals on peace proposals.[20] Historian John Lewis Gaddis called the speech the "complet[ion of] a rhetorical offensive designed to expose what Reagan saw as the central error of détente: the idea that the Soviet Union had earned geopolitical, ideological, economic, and moral legitimacy" and argued that it "could not have been better calculated to feed the anxieties" afflicting Soviet leadership at the time.[21] According to literature professor Leerom Medovoi, on top of opposing the Soviet Union, the "Evil Empire" speech directed the Evangelical audience's attention to domestic policy and characterized American liberals as being additional enemies in a culture war that Reagan called "a test of moral will and faith".[22]

Text  

RONALD REAGAN, “EVIL EMPIRE SPEECH” (8 MARCH 1983)
[1] President Reagan: Thank you…[Applause]…Thank you very much…Thank you very much…[Applause subsides]…Thank you very much…and, Reverend Clergy all, and Senator Hawkins, distinguished members of the Florida congressional delegation, and all of you:

[2] I can’t tell you how you have warmed my heart with your welcome. I’m delighted to be here today.

[3] Those of you in the National Association of Evangelicals are known for your spiritual and humanitarian work. And I would be especially remiss if I didn’t discharge right now one personal debt of gratitude. Thank you for your prayers. Nancy and I have felt their presence many times in many ways. And believe me, for us they’ve made all the difference.

[4] The other day in the East Room of the White House at a meeting there, someone asked me whether I was aware of all the people out there who were praying for the President. And I, had to say, “Yes, I am. I’ve felt it. I believe in intercessionary prayer.” But I couldn’t help but say to that questioner after he’d asked the question that–or at least say to them that if sometimes when he was praying he got a busy signal, it was just me in there ahead of him. [Laughter] I think I understand how Abraham Lincoln felt when he said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”

[5] From the joy and the good feeling of this conference, I go to a political reception. Now, [Laughter] I don’t know why, but that bit of scheduling reminds me of a story–[Laughter]–which I’ll share with you:

[6] An evangelical minister and a politician arrived at Heaven’s gate one day together. And St. Peter, after doing all the necessary formalities, took them in hand to show them where their quarters would be. And he took them to a small, single room with a bed, a chair, and a table and said this was for the clergyman. And the politician was a little worried about what might be in store for him. And he couldn’t believe it then when St. Peter stopped in front of a beautiful mansion with lovely grounds… many servants, and told him that these would be his quarters.

[7] And he couldn’t help but ask, he said, “But wait, how–there’s something wrong–how do I get this mansion while that good and holy man only gets a single room?” And St. Peter said, “You have to understand how things are up here. We’ve got thousands and thousands of clergy. You’re the first politician who ever made it.” [Laughter and Applause]

[8] But I don’t want to contribute to a stereotype. [Laughter] So I tell you there are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is… a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly (mispronounces and corrects himself) sought and humbly accepted.

[9] The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: “If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants.” Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.” And it was George Washington who said that “of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

[10] And finally, that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently, after he had gone on a search for the secret of America’s greatness and genius–and he said: “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and the genius of America. America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” [Applause]

[11] Well, I’m… [Applause] ..Well, I’m pleased to be here today with you who are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only through your work and prayers and those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous century and keep alive this experiment in liberty, this last, best hope of man.

[12] I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people, and in your families, churches, neighborhoods, communities–the institutions that foster and nourish values like concern for others and respect for the rule of law under God.

[13] Now, I don’t have to tell you that this puts us in opposition to, or at least out of step with, a–a prevailing attitude of many who have turned to a modern-day secularism, discarding the tried and time-tested values upon which our very civilization is based. No matter how well intentioned, their value system is radically different from that of most Americans. And while they proclaim that they’re freeing us from superstitions of the past, they’ve taken upon themselves the job of superintending us by government rule and regulation. Sometimes their voices are louder than ours, but they are not yet a majority. [Applause]

[14] An example of that vocal superiority is evident in a controversy now going on in Washington. And since I’m involved, I’ve been waiting to hear from the parents of young America. How far are they willing to go in giving to government their prerogatives as parents?

[15] Let me state the case as briefly and simply as I can. An organization of citizens, sincerely motivated, deeply concerned about the increase in illegitimate births and abortions involving girls well below the age of consent, some time ago established a nationwide network of clinics to offer help to these girls and, hopefully, alleviate this situation. Now, again, let me say, I do not fault their intent. However, in their well-intentioned effort, these clinics decided to provide advice and birth control drugs and devices to underage girls without the knowledge of their parents.

[16] For some years now, the federal government has helped with funds to subsidize these clinics. In providing for this, the Congress decreed that every effort would be made to maximize parental participation. Nevertheless, the drugs and devices are prescribed without getting parental consent or giving notification after they’ve done so. Girls termed “sexually active”–and that has replaced the word “promiscuous”–are given this help in order to prevent illegitimate worth/birth (quickly corrects himself) eh or abortion.

[17] Well, we have ordered clinics receiving federal funds to notify the parents such help has been given. [Applause] One of the nation’s leading newspapers has created the term “squeal rule” in editorializing against us for doing this, and we’re being criticized for violating the privacy of young people. A judge has recently granted an injunction against an enforcement of our rule. I’ve watched TV panel shows discuss this issue, seen columnists pontificating on our error, but no one seems to mention morality as playing a part in the subject of sex. [Applause]

[18] Is all of Judeo-Christian tradition wrong? Are we to believe that something so sacred can be looked upon as a purely physical thing with no potential for emotional and psychological harm? And isn’t it the parents’ right to give counsel and advice to keep their children from making mistakes that may affect their entire lives? [Slight crescendo of voice and emphasis–Long Applause]

[19] Many of us in government would like to know what parents think about this intrusion in their family by government. We’re going to fight in the courts. The right of parents and the rights of family take precedence over those of Washington-based bureaucrats and social engineers. [Applause]

[20] But the fight against parental notification is really only one example of many attempts to water down traditional values and even abrogate the original terms of American democracy. Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. [Applause] When our founding fathers passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government interference. They never intended to construct a wall of hostility between government and the concept of religious belief itself. [Murmurs of agreement, Applause]

[21] The evidence of this permeates our history and our government. The Declaration of Independence mentions the Supreme Being no less than four times. “In God We Trust” is engraved on our coinage. The Supreme Court opens its proceedings with a religious invocation. And the members of Congress open their sessions with a prayer. I just happen to believe the schoolchildren of the United States are entitled to the same privileges as [Continues over applause] Supreme Court Justices and Congressmen.

[22] Last year, I sent the Congress a constitutional amendment to restore prayer to public schools. Already this session, there’s growing bipartisan support for the amendment, and I am calling on the Congress to act speedily to pass it and to let our children pray. [Applause]

[23] Perhaps some of you, read recently about the Lubbock school case, where a judge actually ruled that it was unconstitutional for a school district to give equal treatment to religious and nonreligious student groups, even when the group meetings were being held during the students’ own time. The First Amendment never intended to require government to discriminate against religious speech. [Applause]

[24] Senators Denton and Hatfield have proposed legislation in the Congress on the whole question of prohibiting discrimination against religious forms of student speech. Such legislation could go far to restore freedom of religious speech for public school students. And I hope the Congress considers these bills quickly. And with your help, I think it’s possible we could also get the constitutional amendment through the Congress this year. [Applause]

[25] More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the books of fifty states, statutes protecting the rights of unborn children. Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to one and a half million unborn children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will someday pass the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. [Applause] Unless and until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected. [Applause]

[26] You…You may remember that when abortion on demand began, many, and indeed, I’m sure many of you, warned that the practice would lead to a decline in respect for human life, that the philosophical premises used to justify abortion on demand would ultimately be used to justify other attacks on the sacredness of human life–infanticide or mercy killing. Tragically enough, those warnings proved all too true. Only last year a court permitted the death by starvation of a handicapped infant.

[27] I have directed the Health and Human Services Department to make clear to every health care facility in the United States that the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects all handicapped persons against discrimination based on handicaps, including infants. [Applause] And we have taken the further step of requiring that each and every recipient of federal funds who provides health care… services to infants must post and keep posted in a conspicuous place a notice stating that “discriminatory failure to feed and care for handicapped infants in this facility is prohibited by federal law.” It also lists a twenty-four-hour; toll-free number so that nurses and others may report violations in time to save the infant’s life. [Applause]

[28] In addition, recent legislation introduced by–in the Congress–by Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois not only increases restrictions on publicly financed abortions, it also addresses this whole problem of infanticide. I urge the Congress to begin hearings and to adopt legislation that will protect the right of life to all children, including the disabled or handicapped.

[29] Now, I’m sure that you must get discouraged at times, but there you’ve done better than you know, perhaps. There’s a great spiritual awakening in America, a [Applause]…a renewal of the traditional values that have been the bedrock of America’s goodness and greatness.

[30] One recent survey by a Washington-based research council concluded that Americans were far more religious than the people of other nations; 95 percent of those surveyed expressed a belief in God and a huge majority believed the Ten Commandments had real meaning in their lives, and another study has found that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of adultery, teenage sex, pornography, abortion, and hard drugs, and this same study showed a deep reverence for the importance of family ties and religious belief.

[31] I [Applause]…I think the items that we’ve discussed here today must be a key part of the nation’s political agenda. For the first time the Congress is openly and seriously debating and dealing with the prayer and abortion issues–and that’s enormous progress right there. I repeat: America is in the midst of a spiritual awakening and a moral renewal. And with your biblical keynote, I say today, “Yes, let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

[32] Now, [Applause]…obviously, much of this new political and social consensus I’ve talked about is based on a positive view of American history, one that takes pride in our country’s accomplishments and record. But we must never forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man. We know that living in this world means dealing with what philosophers would call the phenomenology of evil or, as theologians would put it, the doctrine of sin.

[33] There is sin and evil in the world, and we’re enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal. The glory of this land has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past. For example, the long struggle of minority citizens…for equal rights, once a source of disunity and civil war is now a point of pride for all Americans. We must never go back. There is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country. [Long Applause]

[34] I know that you’ve been horrified, as have I, by the resurgence of some hate groups preaching bigotry and prejudice. Use the mighty voice of your pulpits and the powerful standing of your churches to denounce and isolate these hate groups in our midst. The commandment given us is clear and simple: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” [Applause]

[35] But whatever sad episodes exist in our past, any objective observer must hold a positive view of American history, a history that has been the story of hopes fulfilled and dreams made into reality. Especially in this century, America has kept alight the torch of freedom, but not just for ourselves, but for millions of others around the world.

[36] And this brings me to my final point today. During my first press conference as president, in answer to a direct question, I pointed out that, as good Marxist-Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause, which is world revolution. I think I should point out I was only quoting Lenin, their guiding spirit, who said in 1920 that they repudiate all morality that proceeds from supernatural ideas–that’s their name for religion–or ideas that are outside class conceptions. Morality is entirely subordinate to the interests of class war. And everything is moral that is necessary for the annihilation of the old exploiting social order and for uniting the proletariat.

[37] Well, I think the refusal of many influential people to accept this elementary fact of Soviet doctrine illustrates an historical reluctance to see totalitarian powers for what they are. We saw this phenomenon in the 1930s. We see it too often today.

[38] This doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves and refuse to seek an understanding with them. I intend to do everything I can to persuade them of our peaceful intent, to remind them that it was the West that refused to use its nuclear monopoly in the forties and fifties for territorial gain and which now pr-proposes 50 percent cut in strategic ballistic missiles and the elimination of an entire class of land-based, intermediate-range nuclear missiles. [Applause]

[39] At the same time, however, they must be made to understand: we will never compromise our principles and standards. We will never give away our freedom. We will never abandon our belief in God. [Long Applause] And we will never stop searching for a genuine peace, but we can assure none of these things America stands for through the so-called nuclear freeze solutions proposed by some.

[40] The truth is that a freeze now would be a very dangerous fraud, for that is merely the illusion of peace. The reality is that we must find peace through strength. [Applause]

[41] I would a-[Applause continuing]…I would agree to a freeze if only we could freeze the Soviets’ global desires. [Laughter, Applause] A freeze at current levels of weapons would remove any incentive for the Soviets to negotiate seriously in Geneva and virtually end our chances to achieve the major arms reductions which we have proposed. Instead, they would achieve their objectives through the freeze.

[42] A freeze would reward the Soviet Union for its enormous and unparalleled military buildup. It would prevent the essential and long overdue modernization of United States and allied defenses and would leave our aging forces increasingly vulnerable. And an honest freeze would require extensive prior negotiations on the systems and numbers to be limited and on the measures to ensure effective verification and compliance. And the kind of a freeze that has been suggested would be virtually impossible to verify. Such a major effort would divert us completely from our current negotiations on achieving substantial reductions. [Applause]

[43] I, a number of years ago, I heard a young father, a very prominent young man in the entertainment world, addressing a tremendous gathering in California. It was during the time of the cold war, and communism and our own way of life were very much on people’s minds. And he was speaking to that subject. And suddenly, though, I heard him saying, “I love my little girls more than anything–” And I said to myself, “Oh, no, don’t. You can’t — don’t say that.” But I had underestimated him. He went on: “I would rather see my little girls die now; still believing in God, than have them grow up under communism and one day die no longer believing in God.” [Applause]

[44] There were…There were thousands of young people in that audience. They came to their feet with shouts of joy. They had instantly recognized the profound truth in what he had said, with regard to the physical and the soul and what was truly important.

[45] Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness–pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.

[46] It was C.S. Lewis who, in his unforgettable “Screwtape Letters,” wrote: “The greatest evil is not done now…in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens loved to paint. It is…not even done in concentration camps and labor camps. In those we see its final result, but it is conceived and ordered; moved, seconded, carried and minuted in clear, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice.”

[47] Well, because these “quiet men” do not “raise their voices,” because they sometimes speak in soothing tones of brotherhood and peace, because, like other dictators before them, they’re always making “their final territorial demand,” some would have us accept them at their word and accommodate ourselves to their aggressive impulses. But if history teaches anything, it teaches that simpleminded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.

[48] So, I urge you to speak out against those who would place the United States in a position of military and moral inferiority. You know, I’ve always believed that old Screwtape reserved his best efforts for those of you in the Church. So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride–the temptation of blithely..uh..declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.

[49] I ask you to resist the attempts of those who would have you withhold your support for our efforts, this administration’s efforts, to keep America strong and free, while we negotiate–real and verifiable reductions in the world’s nuclear arsenals and one day, with God’s help, their total elimination. [Applause]

[50] While America’s military strength is important, let me add here that I’ve always maintained that the struggle now going on for the world will never be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and faith.

[51] Whittaker Chambers, the man whose own religious conversion made him a witness to one of the terrible traumas of our time, the Hiss-Chambers case, wrote that the crisis of the Western world exists to the degree in which the West is indifferent to God, the degree to which it collaborates in communism’s attempt to make man stand alone without God. And then he said, for Marxism-Leninism is actually the second-oldest faith, first proclaimed in the Garden of Eden with the words of temptation, “Ye shall be as gods.”

[52] The Western world can answer this challenge, he wrote, “but only provided that its faith in God and the freedom He enjoins is as great as communism’s faith in Man.”

[53] I believe we shall rise to the challenge. I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last–last pages even now are being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man. For in the words of Isaiah: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no…might He increased strength. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary.” [Applause]

[54] Yes, change your world. One of our founding fathers, Thomas Paine, said, “We have it within our power to begin the world over again.” We can do it, doing together what no one church could do by itself.

[55] God bless you, and thank you very much. [Long Applause]

CONTACT INFORMATION
Voices of Democracy: The U.S. Oratory Project
Shawn J. Parry-Giles
Department of Communication
2130 Skinner Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-7635

301-405-6527
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