Gee, with Jerry Falwell dead and gone, who is going to tell me I'm wrong for believing in the separation of Church and State? Who is going to blame me for 9/11?I believe in God and I accept Jesus as my Savior. I also whole-heartedly believe in America, and am proud of our heritage of religious freedom -- including the freedom to worship no gods at all. Jerry Falwell exploited his narrow view of Christianity for political gain, blurring the lines of Church and State and turning extremely personal issues literally into Federal cases.
No greater example of his cynical view of faith and government is his statement after 9/11. On September 13, 2001, he looked into a TV camera and said the following:
"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.'"
Way to heal us, Rev.!
I am a feminist and a dues-paying member of the ACLU. I also worked in one of Chicago's highest-profile office buildings on 9/11 and was escorted out by Daley cops. I'd never ducked under yellow police tape before. I am not completely over that day. I probably never will be. Watching those towers come down left a mark on my soul as indelible as the vaccination mark on my arm. How dare he?
What kind of man thinks of political posturing and power at a time like that?
I know he apologized the next day, but I don't believe it was sincere. I don't have to. I don't have to forgive him, either.
Fortunately for Rev. Falwell, the Lord I believe in loves all His children unconditionally. (Even feminists and gays!) So going by this Gal's view of the world and the afterlife, Jer is forgiven and right with the Lord. He will just never be right with this Gal.
Bravo. Well said.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely.
I thought this bigoted popinjay was an abomination, like all these evangelists who want to shove the country back to the nineteenth century when prejudice, intolerance and instituionalized bigotry were the norm. I don't believe there is a heaven, but if there were, Falwell would be in for a rude awakening when he finds out that people who make a career out of hatred are not welcome.
ReplyDeleteHey he nailed me all over the place in that comment. I think its best to just ignore him, so when he died, I barely mentioned it. Much better then stirring up his followers. That was well said though
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