fairwell falwell

Since hearing of his death late yesterday afternoon, I have been fighting the urge to do any of my own Falwell Fault Finding. Often, my frustrations come out in unconstructive ways, mainly yelling of hurtful words, clenching of fists, grinding of teeth, hate in my heart (only for the most extreme cases). Surprisingly, I felt very little of this when Andrea told me that Falwell had passed on. Firstly, it took me awhile to remember what he was known for (I'm bad with names, no matter what the subject). Secondly, though an effective way to get rid of unwanted pests, death is no laughing matter. And until I read this beautifully written article, I thought that I was the outsider among celebrating friends. If we are to react in an uncouth manner, then we are no better than the late Jerry Falwell. Yes, he spread many hateful messages that made me question his validity as a Christian, but he was still human. So I urge you, if you find him to be as wretched and vile a man as I do, don't allow your own hearts to turn black by rejoicing so soon. Give his family and friends their due respects while they mourn. There will be plenty of time to bash in the future. Until then, let us refine our debates and be ready for what is to come.

~ steph