Photographs of Rev. Falwell suggest he had a weight problem. So a heart attack may have been a natural outcome of various life-style choices. Or to paraphrase an infamous comment Rev. Falwell made on Sept. 14, 2001, his death was a sign of God's judgement on those who do not honor their body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Here's what Rev. Falwell said: "I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America; I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.' "
He said this on Pat Robertson's TV program, The 700 Club; both men seemed to agree the attacks were a sign of God's judgement on a "secularized" America.
Yesterday evening, NPR's All Things Considered interviewed Paul Weyreich, who had co-founded the Moral Majority with Falwell. Mr. Weyreich described the late Rev. Falwell as a man who showed compassion to those with "alternate lifestyles" (code for gays). Mr. Weyreich's estimation suggests the late preacher was able to "hate the sin, but love the sinner".
You sure wouldn't think so based on Rev. Falwell's pronouncements concerning homosexuals. For example: "AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals." In other words, in his view, it was not enough that gays burn in hell; they had to suffer extended agonizing deaths as well.
In brief, Rev. Falwell gave Christians a bad name. Any time I say I'm a Christian, I'm tempted to say I'm not the same sort of Christian that Falwell was, or that Pat Robertson is.
It's easy to judge people who act or believe differently than I do. I struggle against judging the late Rev. Falwell, against picturing him enduring the eternal punishments he would have wished on others.
Problem is, I proclaim myself a hypocrite the moment I make that judgement. The late Rev. Falwell deserves as much compassion as anyone else. Jesus might have called him "a white-washed tomb", as he did certain judgmental religious leaders of his own time. But, I suspect, Christ would accept Jerry Falwell into the Kingdom of Heaven.
That's assuming, of course, that Falwell was willing to enter once he learned that Heaven was full of gays, lesbians, transgendered individuals, ACLU members, and Democrats.
4 comments:
Love your last line.
In an interview on CNN his former ghost writer who has since come out of the closet said that both Falwell and Robertson proclaimed that they did not inspire violence and hate against gays and lesbians - love the sinner, hate the sin.
But he disagreed because of all of the young gay women and men who grew up in Christian households who so hated themselves that they turned to suicide.
His commentary stopped me in my tracks.
Thank you for this reflection.
Oscar Wilde said, on hearing of the demise of his nemesis Lord Douglas, "I have no doubt that he is burning in heaven."
Jerry Falwell is dead since yesterday, and he will be dead a long time. That is some consolation. Some. Not much.
A co-worker me told that his wife knew Falwell personally, and when she got the news of his death by cell phone while driving on the expressway, she was so upset she almost had a wreck and had to pull over.
I can't find it in my black heart to feel the slightest bit of sympathy for the bereaved. I couldn't squeeze out even a single crocodile tear if you tied me to a chair and made me watch the PTL Club until I was as mad as Jose Padilla.
On the other hand, I'm not singing and dancing like a Munchkin after Dorothy drops in on the Wicked Witch without leaving the house. Falwell was well past his "pull by" date, but the damage is already done. The man did a truly monumental amount of harm to our country and the planet in the three score and 13 years allotted to him by Fate. I do mourn. I mourn what he did in this life--I mourn that he ever lived.
Read more here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/16/181239/327
...ACLU members, Democrats and Muslims.
Falwell, like all of his ilk of any religious group, preyed upon the hopeless, the helpless and the gullible. By contrast, Elmer Gantry was sincere in his beliefs and true to the beliefs he promoted.
The world stands on the brink of catastrophic violence. Many around the world - to particularly include this country - pursue that violent confrontation under the banner of a twisted version of a major religion, particularly those in the mythological heritage of Abraham. It is the Falwell's and bin Landen's of the world who cynically fan those flames of prejudice, fear and hate. All the while the true reasons for that current and pending violence remains carefully hidden from view - unbridled and unquenchable lust for power and wealth.
Compassion for Falwell? In the words of Bob Dylan, "even Jesus would not forgive what you do."
Amen, Brother Dave.
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