How deep can hate and hypocrisy get?
One of the country’s most conservative religious leaders, Jerry Falwell, died recently at age 73, apparently of natural causes right in his office at Liberty University. Founder of the religious-political group, Moral Majority, Falwell was known for his condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and pornography as three of the greatest sins threatening the “American family” and the USA.
Now, Friend Falwell and I would probably never agree on a lot of things. His particular kind of theocratic influence on politics to me is an even greater threat to the fabric of our democracy than the three biggest “sins” I mention here. Nevertheless, I would not speak ill of the man. It’s not seemly, and from what I have heard, he was apparently a warm, caring individual, despite his public persona.
It’s no surprise that some other liberals say they are just pleased as they could be that Falwell has gone to meet his Maker. What stupifies me is that someone on the other end of the spectrum — a self-professed Christian — would celebrate Falwell’s death.
Falwell, it seems, is in Hell now because he wasn’t Christian enough! Or at least that is what Fred Phelps, rightwing religious whackjob, claims.
Phelps is hauptführer of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS. These are the people that claim God hates America, Sweden, and mostly everyone but Phelps and WBC, because they tolerate the very mortal existence of gays and lesbians. These are the heartless SOBs that protest at the funerals of gays, lesbians and US servicemen and women.
From their website, a direct quote:
WBC will preach at the memorial service of the corpulent false prophet Jerry Falwell, who spent his entire life prophesying lies and false doctrines like “God loves everyone”.
There is little doubt that Falwell split Hell wide open the instant he died….
Later in the same diatribe, the WBC calls Billy Graham — another famous televangelist approaching the Pearly Gates — a “backslider.” That’s like calling Mother Teresa a whore. (Actually, they probably would, since she was Catholic and Phelps and the WBC are extreme predestinarian Calvinists. Only they “know” God’s will, they claim. Everyone is on the express train to Hell.)
Let’s parse their statement. Falwell probably did say God loves everyone — I recall Jesus saying something like that in the NT and of course there’s John 3:16. Phelps says that’s a lie; God hates homosexuals and by association anyone who tolerates homosexuals and homosexuality.
So Jesus and John were also lying? Or did the editors of the NT leave out the fine print about gays and lesbians and now only Phelps & Co. have the original contract?
Neither. Phelps is a lunatic, a religious nutcase who has turned a tiny church into a hate-mongering group of mindless sheep by passing his own bigotry off as God’s will. His appearance at Falwell’s funeral will only confirm that fact in the public’s mind.
Wikipedia lists Phelps’ birthyear as 1929, just a little bit older than Falwell, and almost 10 years younger than Graham (born 1918). So it’s quite possible that Phelps could soon be joining Falwell in the afterlife. He might find himself even deeper in the circles of the Inferno than he claims Falwell is, perhaps in the Eighth Circle, where false prophets and other frauds end up.
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