Gone- Fallwell
I am not sad that Jerry Fallwell is dead. I am not happy that Jerry Fallwell is dead. I neither mourn nor celebrate his passing. His family, I am sure, mourns.
I am sorry that no one was ever able to convince him that God's love was wider than he thought, more inclusive.
I am sorry that Fallwell's contorted view of a faith I love causes people to wince when I say I am a Christian, as they wait to see if I am going to be cruel, or mean, or rejecting.
I am sorry that so many of his followers are anti-intellectual. I am worried that his legacy of intolerance and suspicion will be carried out by his
powerful and influential colleagues.
Jerry is with God now, experiencing the grace and love that he might have thought would be denied to others. My prayer is that his eyes are finally opened.
For those of you who are not from America, here are some quotations attributed to Rev Fallwell that hint at the spiritual damage that has been done. Damage that has been done by the man himself, the people who believed him, and all of us who may have kept too silent.
And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. 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."
-- Rev Jerry Falwell, blaming civil libertarians, feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights supporters for the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, The Washington Post (September 14, 2001)
"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!"
“Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions”
“If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being”
"It is God's planet - and he's taking care of it. And I don't believe that anything we do will raise or lower the temperature one point."
“Someone must not be afraid to say, ‘moral perversion is wrong.’ If we do not act now, homosexuals will own America!.. If you and I do not speak up now, this homosexual steamroller will literally crush all decent men, women, and children who get in its way…and our nation will pay a terrible price!”
“I listen to feminists and all these radical gals - most of them are failures. They’ve blown it. Some of them have been married, but they married some Casper Milquetoast who asked permission to go to the bathroom. These women just need a man in the house. That’s all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they’re mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They’re sexist. They hate men - that’s their problem.”
Jerry Fallwell, RIP.
I am sorry that no one was ever able to convince him that God's love was wider than he thought, more inclusive.
I am sorry that Fallwell's contorted view of a faith I love causes people to wince when I say I am a Christian, as they wait to see if I am going to be cruel, or mean, or rejecting.
I am sorry that so many of his followers are anti-intellectual. I am worried that his legacy of intolerance and suspicion will be carried out by his
powerful and influential colleagues.
Jerry is with God now, experiencing the grace and love that he might have thought would be denied to others. My prayer is that his eyes are finally opened.
For those of you who are not from America, here are some quotations attributed to Rev Fallwell that hint at the spiritual damage that has been done. Damage that has been done by the man himself, the people who believed him, and all of us who may have kept too silent.
And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. 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."
-- Rev Jerry Falwell, blaming civil libertarians, feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights supporters for the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, The Washington Post (September 14, 2001)
"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!"
“Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions”
“If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being”
"It is God's planet - and he's taking care of it. And I don't believe that anything we do will raise or lower the temperature one point."
“Someone must not be afraid to say, ‘moral perversion is wrong.’ If we do not act now, homosexuals will own America!.. If you and I do not speak up now, this homosexual steamroller will literally crush all decent men, women, and children who get in its way…and our nation will pay a terrible price!”
“I listen to feminists and all these radical gals - most of them are failures. They’ve blown it. Some of them have been married, but they married some Casper Milquetoast who asked permission to go to the bathroom. These women just need a man in the house. That’s all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they’re mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They’re sexist. They hate men - that’s their problem.”
Jerry Fallwell, RIP.
posted by Mata H at Wednesday, May 16, 2007
9 Comments:
Jerry just needed to rest. In peace or not. That's all he ever needed. Never underestimate his political prowess - a talent we naively separate from religiousness in this millennium. He rocked our world to be sure, but the joke is he made society question things most of us had already answered. I refuse to believe the media hype - with all their respected guest commentators (his heretofore detractors) - that behind his ravings was a deeply devoted man. The works, words, and results speak for themselves: it was all always about those divisive edges he shoved into all our lives, those crowbar edges that created today's social and political embarrassments. Should one find anything admirable, it can't be more than the deliberate and, frankly, brilliant, subterfuge that now even within days of his death seems oh, so apparent.
Indeed I hope his eyes are now open... and that's all I can say about that.
You took the words right out of my mouth....can I hear a big AMEN???
well said, mata. well said indeed.
Not for nothing, but did anyone love another soul *more* because of Jerry Fallwell?
Sorry, but by that measure, his was a life wasted, not well lived at all.
In the truest sense of the term, I just say, "Good bye."
i concure sister...~Jim Wallis hit the nail on the head - check his thoughts at www.sojo.net
ps, why do people post anonymous?
well i guess it's true that i need someone to tell me what time of day it is and lead me home most days....
doesn't have to be a man though! ;)
A graceful post, Mata. Well said.
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