Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name

One of the meanings of the word "devil" is slanderer, and to this extent at least, Devil is a title richly deserved by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. His passing this week has unleashed a flood of commentary, a great deal of it based upon several decades' worth of his hate speech condemning everything and everyone from the civil rights movement, homosexuals, feminists, Jews and other non-Christians, non-evangelical/born-again Christians, Democrats, the ACLU... the list goes on and on. In Jerry's world, there was no end to his list of enemies and destroyers of his vision of a Christian America. Likewise, there was no insult too debased, no claim too fantastic to fling against those he imagined to be a threat to the moral foundation of the American Republic. The extent of Falwell's power and influence is a matter of some debate, but if his reach exceeded his grasp it did not deter him from continuously striving to grab that brass ring.

Hate is a many-headed creature, of course, and the loss of Falwell does not leave the far, far right without other champions. There continue to be members of the "Religious" Right who will go to any extreme to prove they can out-hate anyone. Seeing as how Rev. Falwell and others of his ilk are self-described Christians, it is worth recalling the words of Jesus, the putative founder of the belief and value system they espouse: "Stop judging, that you will not be judged." And, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them."

- Doug L.

Bill Maher's Touching Tribute to Jerry Falwell


FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:

Slate.com:

"Faith-Based Fraud." (May 16, 2007)

"The Devil and Jerry Falwell." (May 15, 2007)

"Jerry Falwell's Hit Parade." (May 15, 2007)

"The Legacy of Falwell's Bully Pulpit." The Washington Post, May 19, 2007

"Jerry Falwell's Deal with the Devil." Baltimore Chronicle, May 16, 2007

Jerry Falwell-Pat Robertson-Usama Bin Laden Quiz (FunnyStrange.com)