Moral
May 16, 2007
I’m surprised, and a bit gratified, at the response to Falwell’s death. The man inspired hate not only in those who disagreed with him but his followers as well.
Actually, that’s probably why he was so hated.
How soon before Pat Robertson blames this on secular humanism and rampant homosexuality?
I hope you rot in the same Hell to which you were so eager to send others.
Atrios is a bit more forgiving:
One hopes he finds that his God is a more forgiving being than he believed.
Jerry Falwell went to meet his lord and saviour today. All I can say is “Say howdy-doo for me you asshole.�
Mac says “I hope his afterlife is directly reflective of the following,” and lists some of the reasons we can’t bring ourselves to be sad at his passing.
For those of you inclined to think karma is eastern mystical bull-puckey and not a law of nature, consider this: Falwell put a hell of a lot of negativity into this world. He made a lot of people hate and a lot of people hated right back. On the other hand, if Jesus is real and meant what He taught I expect Falwell has plenty to answer for.
Update: Jason at the Wild Hunt explains that we have a lot to thank Falwell for. Seriously.
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May 16th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
The glib facetiousness of my post notwithstanding, I’m not *happy* the man is dead. Even if Falwell didn’t believe that the death of one diminishes us all, I try to. He had family, loved ones, and it’s not wrong to extend our sympathies their way. The man spewed a great deal of hatred — because he believed it was what his God demanded, or because it was an easy means to achieve political power — and he said a lot of unforgivable things. But still, I want to be *better* than Jerry Falwell. I want to learn from his example and do, by and large, the opposite. I want to forgive him. I’m certainly not dancing in the streets because he’s gone.
Of course, at the same time, I’m not convinced that Pat Robertson *won’t* try to blame this on somebody…
May 16th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I’m sure there are some folks who consider themselves glad he’s dead. But I think of it more as “happy he’s no longer around.” That’s a fine line, but it’s the difference between personal animosity and being aware of the political consequences.
Falwell did however have a knack for making political positions personal, and the more stuff I’m reminded of, the happier I am that we won’t be hearing from him again.
May 16th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I heard an interesting story on NPR “Evangelical Voters May Be Up for Grabs in ‘08″
“[C]hange is afoot in the evangelical world. Comments from high-profile evangelical leaders like Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson are no longer taken as gospel truth.”
The story goes on to discuss how some evangelicals are realizing that being “moral” isn’t just about sexual/social issues.
We might hope that Falwell’s views, while still held by a lot of evangelicals, are slowly being eclipsed by a more moderate evangelical position. I’d be much more comfortable with a “moral majority” that put issues like the environment and poverty at least as high as homosexuality and feminism. I’d still disagree with them, but at least there’d be some common ground…