Since I have used him as an example of righteous zeal on numerous occasions, I knew that I could not allow the death of Rev. Jerry Falwell to pass without comment. I will not, however, repeat or join in with any of the people who are already expressing their satisfaction with today's news.
Though he enjoyed popular support among many evangelicals, the vast majority of thinking people (believers and non-believers alike) had grown tired of his scathing, thoughtless, and disrespectful one-liners directed towards women's rights groups, homosexuals, and other 'secularists.' His death, therefore, should not be seen as a victory or success for anyone. As despicable as his views were, there is a family in Virginia grieving the loss of a father.
I know that many news outlets will focus on his founding of the Moral Majority and his role in getting "values voters" to the polls. But since one's death does not make one a "better" person, but simply a "dead" person, I hope that reporters will not shy away from giving adequate airtime to his numerous offensive statements, and the high-level politicians that still sought his counsel. Having advocated such divisive and unsustainable morals, I am confident that history will not be kind to the narrow moral absolutism of which he was so proud.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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2 comments:
As always, I applaud your ability to marry tact and honesty...it’s a skill many of us could learn from, especially at a time like this when mixed emotions run high. It is hard to know exactly what to say or, in this case, not say. Do we recognize the man's charisma and persuasive ability? Do we give into the temptation to breathe a guilty sigh of relief at his passing? These moments, like Falwell himself, are lines in the sand, allowing us the opportunity to see ourselves for what we truly are. The fact of the matter is that the lion's share of Falwell's opinions, however we may feel about them, did not begin, nor will they end, with him. We as believers, nonbelievers, liberals and conservatives must remember that we “wrestle not with flesh and blood” but opinions, ideas and, in many cases, ignorance. Rather than promote further hatred and division, perhaps Falwell’s death can be viewed as an opportunity for self examination. Love him or hate him, he strengthened the opinions of countless people, specifically those of his opponents. If we cannot be grateful for the man, we should at least find solace in that. Whether out of "bitten tongues" or quiet respect, it seems a moment of silence best serves this man’s memory.
Interestingly enough, though I was the most recent (and only) respondee to your Falwell entry, I couldn’t help but include this tidbit. Evidently the Monday prior to Falwell’s May 22 burial, Mark Uhl, a Liberty student, was arrested for making bombs in protest to the event…or so I thought. In actuality, Uhl’s TNT experiment was intended as a preventative measure devised “to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral” (AP). There are, obviously, extremists in every group. Uhl is hardly exemplary. And while I’m curious who took this kid’s shift at the local abortion clinic, my greater concern is that this is far bigger than Uhl himself. It is the sort of extremism that paints Christianity in a distorted, if not deplorable, light. Though I can’t begin to know Uhl’s heart or motives, his act, at least, is less than an accurate reflection of the pacifist Carpenter he claims to represent. My hope for others is that they continue to differentiate between Falwellian and Christian…my hope for my self is that I stop judging my own demographic so fiercely that I become as bad, or worse, than those I criticize. Christian or otherwise, I hope we take this opportunity to let Falwell, and any residual hatemongering, rest in peace.
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