Let ye without sin...

I pay Jerry Falwell no more respect in death than I paid him in life. What can I say? The devil makes me do it.

A post on The Economist blog reminisces on some words of "wisdom" attributed to this true believer. It's amazing how easily hate can be repackaged. A response to the post below says it all - ironically, with a quote from the ultimate conservative: "As Barry Goldwater once said, 'the religious right scares the hell out of me'."

Well, RIP, JF. Good luck to you as you meet your maker.

19:08 GMT +00:00
Falwell's funeral
Posted by:
Economist.com NEW YORK

Jerry Falwell, the face of the religious right for a time, passed away today, aged 73. In my current state of bereavement I'm finding it difficult to sum up Mr Falwell's impact on politics and culture. So I'll leave you with a few of his more interesting quotes, followed by an important question.

On AIDS:
AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals.

On the Antichrist:
[He] will, by necessity, be a Jewish male.

On the separation of church and state:
The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the devil to keep Christians from running their own country.

And, of course, on the September 11th attacks:
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.'

The question: Who from the Bush administration will attend this man's funeral? (I predict a lot of officials will have last-minute scheduling conflicts.)

Update: A colleague asks a better question—which of the presidential candidates will attend Mr Falwell's funeral?


Permalink:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2007/05/falwells_funeral.cfm