THE DEVIL IS DEAD!!!! I didn't know enough about Jerry Falwell to post here.... but there is a lot of anger, hate and good riddance... So I thought I might read a little off the internet- 1. Falwell founded the religious right as a political movement to get government to stop abortion, stop gay marriage and try to elect who he thought would be pro Christian politicians. (by his own definition) 2. He was very political trying to get laws enacted that favored his moral views. 3. He said some very stupid things, especially right after 9-11. 4. Seemed to make Jesus into a political activist. 5. Pastor of a baptist church for over 50 yrs. Saw some of his sermons, most seemed basic Christian salvation messages. 6. Founded Liberty University as a Christian College. 7. Activist against gays and abortionists. 8. Very Republican and highly involved with lobbying. Well, he was not my type of minister. But I also noticed some other things he did- Founded and funded the Center- offering after school care and programs for inner city children Founded Elim a rehab center for alcoholics Hope Aglow ministry a nationwide effort to help those in prison. It is sad to me that the focus of a minister could not be these beneficial programs that meet the needs of people and show the love of God to the less fortunate. But somewhere he mixed up compassion for activism... in my opinion. Sometimes a man can get misguided and trying to do a good thing, what he might think is a loving and good thing, he gets off track, smells the power and becomes a crusader against evil. This was not the way Jesus lived and died. I will not curse this man, I will feel sad that he might have had the best intentions to serve God, but chose a focus that was not representative of Jesus Christ. He did not try to physically harm any gay people as far as I could research. He did not advocate violence, though his statements surely stirred hatred. He did not bomb an abortion clinic to my knowledge. From what I have read I do not like what he represented or what he did one bit. It hurts Jesus and Christianity. I will not judge or condemn him. Let him rest in 'hopefully' peace. Let God be his judge. That is a sobering thought, since God judges impartially and punishes those He does not forgive. It is my hope that this man found the same forgiveness, I found, the undeserving kind- GRACE.
Except if they were gay. Or if they supported a woman's right to choose. Or if they were registered Democrats. etc. etc......ad nauseum. The world is a better place without Jerry Falwell.
Perhaps it's a fixable flaw of mine, but I don't think in that general level all the time. I guess I should feel compassion for the families of powerful people who persecute others when that powerful person dies...just because I'm human, and I should be better than that. Or since we're at that general level of awareness, the family members of anyone who has done immense wrong should also have my sympathy as well. I don't wish harm or ill on the family, but I'm not going to reach out to them for a guy I obviously didn't like. It would not be genuine to me. Conversely, they don't owe me or his critics anything. I don't know, Sishir. Maybe if I were younger, I probably would. I don't feel that connection with that family I don't know about.
Jerry was sort of like Bush, a good guy to probably have some polical or other banter with at a bar. Allegedly neither of them have drank much in recent years. It is true the type of politics that Jerry espoused and had his type of Christians vote, for, has made tens of millions of ordinary non-rich people desperately miserable. His politics have led to a few million deaths, when you include Iraq, poor or sick people in this country dying, at times at their own hands from despair etc.
Hitler or Falwell! Friends, before the iron grows too cold, I'd like to play a little game called Hitler or Falwell! This is a simple game of Godwinism, in which I present a quote and YOU guess who said it! Let's begin, shall we? 1. My feelings as a Christian point me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. Easy, right? Let's continue! 2. This 'turn the other cheek' business is all well and good but it's not what Jesus fought and died for. 3. Secular schools can never be tolerated because such a school has no religious instruction and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith.... We need believing people. 4. I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be! 5. Universal education is the most corroding and disintegrating poison that liberalism has ever invented for its own destruction. 6. We were convinced that the people needs and requires this faith. We have therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it out. 7. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit … We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theater, and in the press. . .we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess. 8. This the national government will regard its first and foremost duty to restore the unity of spirit and purpose of our people. It will preserve and defend the foundations upon which the power of our nation rests. It will take Christianity, as the basis of our collective morality, and the family as the nucleus of our people and state, under its firm protection....May God Almighty take our work into his grace, give true form to our will, bless our insight, and endow us with the trust of our people. 9. Remain strong in your faith, as you were in former years. In this faith, in its close-knit unity our people to-day goes straight forward on its way and no power on earth will avail to stop it. 10. We're fighting against humanism, we're fighting against liberalism ... we are fighting against all the systems of Satan that are destroying our nation today . Hitler or Falwell answer key below! How many did YOU get right? Spoiler 1. Hitler 2. Falwell 3. Hitler 4. Falwell 5. Hitler 6. Hitler 7. Hitler 8. Hitler 9. Hitler 10. Falwell
do you really feel completely comfortable with saying things like this? you absolutely feel 100% about this?
We all have flaws and I suspect one of mine is coming off as a holier than thou ass lecturing people but if you decry the hate spouted by people like Falwell is it right to hate back? Falwell was mean spirited and bigoted but isn't it mean spirited to celebrate his death. I can understand why you, RMTex, Rhad and others feel the way you do but if we ever going to get over the kind of hate that people like Falwell espoused we shouldn't hate people like Falwell. Now the Utah Jazz though is another story..
Yep, it is pretty factual as far as I can see. I have personally seen some of the ones in this country who took their lives or tried to out of despair at Falwell's politics. I have not personally met any of the Iraqis the politics he supported have killed unnessarily. Most of the world feels this way and it a majority or close to it belief here. An unecessary wrong war has led to lots of deaths. OK not yet a 1,000,000 yet in this war,but moving there. I did not support the first war or the genocidal sanctions. Ok, maybe somewhat less than 2,000,000 dead Iraqis so far.
yes i believe in eye for an eye. hate others cause they hate me. if that makes me a bad guy, so be it. atleast im honest with myself.
Maybe there are some people who are celebrating to an end or a pause of all the damage he has wrought? I won't excuse myself of that reason, but it's not a cut and dried portrait of petty hate. I still think of his life as a damn shame more than some personification of evil. I also think hate can't be denied or repressed. If you have love or compassion to another group of people, that alone can be the source of hate in others. There are ways to address hate, but this was what I felt about the guy. I signed a binding contract to hate the Jazz.
I see, your problem with the man is really more the politics he supports. Gotta be careful with that though, there are 52 million people who felt the same way he did. Thats a lot of people to have harsh feelings towards.
when are people going to stop paying attention to them? its like theyre doing this just for the attention..
It's hard to ignore them because they seem to one-up themselves every month or so. I would not be surprised if the Phelps family turned out to be the former Jackass crew or Borat in disguise.
Those people can't even spell the word Jesus. They're the byproduct of first cousins having sex with each other.
I would like to believe that we have the ability to overcome hate. I can understand why people hate Falwell and are happy to see him dead but I still believe we have the capacity for compassion and forgiveness even to those who were hatefull themselves. The only way our society survives is through tolerance even of those who are hateful.
I'm beginning to believe you are correct. There must be some kind of farm or hatchery where they grow idiots like this from embryos.
