Deaths.....

[dwivian]

By now you've probably read that Jerry Falwell died in his office at Liberty University.

Many people were exultant that his influence in the world was at an end. Alas, it isn't that simple. Larger-than-life people exceed death for many years, and will have their ideas and projects continue for generations. The Moral Majority and Liberty University aren't going to close their doors anytime soon.

I will not claim happiness at his death, for this reason:

By dying, Mr. Falwell never got the opportunity (though doubtful that he'd take it) to redeem himself for all the negativity and damage he did. He never fixed the world he broke. That, alone, makes me mourn his passing. We have an obligation to leave the world better than we entered it. He failed. I mourn the lost opportunity to be a good and faithful steward, to use his talents to the benefit of his creator, to give a strong example of how to live the lessons and examples of Jesus Christ, and not of the Pharisees.

Tammy Faye (Bakker) Messner took the last years of her life and has done amazing things to undo the damage of her husband Jim, and to extend good will and grace to those in need. She will die of cancer soon, but worked hard to be the best person she could be. I will mourn her loss, but I praise her works.

Yolanda King died today, and left behind a legacy of human rights advocacy and an acting career in which she played strong black roles including Rosa Parks in a miniseries about the early civil rights movement. I now mourn the loss of such a young person (she was 51), but give credit to her for working to further her father's message, despite the efforts of Sharpton and Jackson to perpetuate racial disharmony.

Two good, one not-so-much. All deserve mourning, of some kind.

Comments

[sir-alf.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that. Peace.

[martinhesselius.livejournal.com]

Well said.

[dwivian]

Doesn't keep me from watching Teletubbies in the background while I work from home, though.... ;)

[azbound.livejournal.com]

That was so well said. Thank you.

[librarygal.livejournal.com]

I like what Time had to say:

It will be tempting to call Falwell's passing the end of an era, but that risks missing the larger point. The movement he helped lead was never monolithic, or as tidy as its critics imagine — or obedient to earthly powers. In every generation, Christians have wrestled with the question of whether their efforts are better spent changing laws or changing hearts, and how to proceed when those goals seem to conflict. Falwell enthusiastically practiced the politics of division, flinging damnation at those who disagreed with his vision of a Godly America. Now a rising generation of Christian leaders is looking for ways to bring people together: the politics of division may be a shrewd electoral strategy, but it's a shallow spiritual one. Their God is bigger than their party, more mysterious, more forgiving and more embracing. It is only partly wishful thinking when a progressive evangelical counterforce to Falwell like Jim Wallis declares, "The Evangelicals have left the Right. They now reside with Jesus."

[herbpixie.livejournal.com]

I can't celebrate the loss of life, no matter how much I might disagree with someone's views. I certainly understand why the animosity is there. I wish he had seen things differently, and I wish that he had used his influence in other ways. But I am not going to play judge and jury. Right or wrong, people mourn him. I will not laugh in the face of their grief. I will not spew hate about a dead man.

You and I differ in our spiritual paths, but I have great respect for the high esteem you place on life. Thank you for presenting a different point of view when people who are less than revered have passed on. This is not the first time you've done it, and I appreciate your posts on the subject.

[jost.livejournal.com]

I agree with your viewpoints here. I found it offensive to watch post after post from people about Falwell being gone and how they hated him and his actions and were glad he was dead. While I almost never agreed with the man, the people rejoicing over his passing are engaging in exactly the same behavior that they decried him for practicing; hating others for their viewpoints and opinions. The divisiveness and binary nature of modern society is a real problem we will be forced to face sometime soon as people will be forced to realize that just because other person X is in political party/group/church/neighborhood/etc that holds different views than I do does not mean they're evil or wrong or disposable.

[ann-mcn.livejournal.com]

Well said, and thank you.

I'd been trying to get my thoughts in order about him and his death, and you did it precisely.

[lady-autumnstar.livejournal.com]

As I listened to the radio this morning I heard someone say that even while they disagreed with Falwell's religion and politics, they liked him as a person. He was a good man when he was off camera; very intelligent and entertaining. This is the man I will mourn.