Jerry Falwell Dies : Dispatches from the Culture Wars

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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

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Jerry Falwell Dies

Posted on: May 15, 2007 1:58 PM, by Ed Brayton

CNN is reporting that Jerry Falwell is dead, cause unknown. I'm sure his followers will mourn the loss; I will not. Falwell may have been a perfectly nice guy to his family and friends, but the reality is that he was a shameless liar, a demagogue and a driving force for a variety of anti-liberty causes.

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Wonkette offers a fitting epitaph:
http://wonkette.com/politics/dept%27-of-just-rewards/god-angrily-awaiting-jerry-falwells-arrival-260639.php

And "The Google Bomb Project" has a two-year old post that lists some of Falwell's more unsavory deeds:
http://googlebombproject.blogspot.com/2005/05/googlebomb-jerry-falwell.html

Posted by: Michael LoPrete | May 15, 2007 2:15 PM

Yep. Pretty much what I said. Sympathy to the family but, and I chose this word purposefully, fuck him. If there was a hell he'd surely be knocking on the gates right now.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | May 15, 2007 2:15 PM

Considering that he had described people like me enemies of this country, the cause of terrorist attacks, etc, it certainly is no tears on me. Only thing I might mourn with his death is that the very slim chance that he had for "redemption" of his hateful speech, is now all gone. All that is left is his legacy of religiously based hatred.

Posted by: daenku32 | May 15, 2007 2:19 PM

How big a spectacle will the funeral be?

Will it be televised?

Any bets on who shows up at the funeral; who gives the eulogy?

Posted by: khan | May 15, 2007 2:26 PM

Who will head that fine institution of higher learning?

Posted by: Ilya Zlatkovsky | May 15, 2007 2:27 PM

Here richly, with ridiculous display,
the politician's corpse was laid away.
While all of his acquaintance sneered & slanged,
I wept; for I had longed to see him hanged.

(Hilaire Belloc, French writer, 1870 - 1953)

Posted by: khan | May 15, 2007 2:30 PM

For a litle while -

De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est.

Posted by: Poly | May 15, 2007 3:02 PM

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Posted by: Dono | May 15, 2007 3:08 PM

Polly, to that I say, "Pfft!"

Also, "Ding dong, the witch is dead."

Posted by: Bruce H. | May 15, 2007 3:10 PM

"For a litle while - De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est."

Because lies are so much better than truth.

Posted by: Jokermage | May 15, 2007 3:12 PM

I was about to write: "Even though I'm not a Christian, I try to find room for forgiveness and empathy at times like this. After all, the guy never killed anyone."

However, the bastard never had room for empathy in his own life, even though it is a central moral principle of the religion he pretended to spread and practice. And if the best thing you can say about a hateful bigot is that he never personally killed anyone, his passing certainly deserves no condolences from rational people. Fuck him.

Posted by: Chuck | May 15, 2007 3:16 PM

If I wasn't just a bit queasy myself by the mental images, I'd advocate a fully-televised devouring of the carcass by feral dogs. Or a televised cremation.

If his family is offended, they don't have to watch.

Posted by: stogoe | May 15, 2007 3:42 PM

what's that old joke about standing up to give a eulogy, saying that we ought not speak ill of the dead, then calling for a moment of silence before promptly standing down again? that would be Falwell's funeral, in a more just world than ours.

Posted by: Nomen Nescio | May 15, 2007 3:42 PM

Well, He wasn't the worst of them (I reserve that for Wildmon, Sheldon, Cameron, Dobson, Robertson, Knight, Sears, LaBarbera in that order).

As. if. that. were. a. positive. thing. to. say.

Posted by: SharonB | May 15, 2007 3:59 PM

The world is a better place now the Falwell's no longer in it.

Posted by: MAJeff | May 15, 2007 4:01 PM

We shouldn't speak ill of the dead this soon after they've died, but given what he and "al Qaeda Pat" said about the dead -- and the USA -- just after 9/11, he probably has it coming to him. What goes around comes around.

So...if the death-toll of 9/11 and Katrina (and the post-Katrina levee collapse) was God's will, what about Falwell's death?

Posted by: Raging Bee | May 15, 2007 4:09 PM

De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est.

The classic response to that is: "De mortuis nil nisi verum, de vivis nil nisi bonum." Or, as Voltaire paraphrased it: "To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth."

Posted by: Alex | May 15, 2007 4:21 PM

Whether we will better or worse off with his death should be viewed to some extent within the context of who the media replaces him with in regards to a spokesperson for Christianity.

I realize Falwell did not speak for all of Christendom, but that was how it's been framed by both himself and the media, annoying many an Episcopalian or other liberal Christian. Will his airtime go to someone similiar to Philip Yancey or will it go to a Rick Scarborough type, that will be one measure on how much he will be missed.

Posted by: Michael Heath | May 15, 2007 4:25 PM

'De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est.'

Ive always wondered why. I mean, either there is an afterlife and they are getting their reward/punishment and nothing we say can harm them. Or there isnt and nothing we say can harm them. Plus why 'so soon after death'? If we wait a month to badmouth the douchebag does that really make it better in some way? Either way I had nothing good to say about him when he was alive, nothing good to say about him now and nothing good to say in a month. He was a terrible person and the only real problem I have is, since Im an athiest, I think he is completely snuffed out and will never know how wrong he was.

Posted by: jba | May 15, 2007 4:46 PM

So can anyone contact him and find out how he made out with regards to Pascal's wager?

Posted by: jufulu | May 15, 2007 4:50 PM

In situations like this, I try to be civilized; I try to be evolved.

The man was evil, pure and simple, who caused untold levels of pain and sorrow for decades, contributing heavily to a social regression which has resulted in an America that is as barbaric as Putin's Russia. So, the most civilized thing I can say is: good riddance!!

Posted by: gary l. day | May 15, 2007 4:59 PM

The man was evil, pure and simple, who caused untold levels of pain and sorrow for decades

And indirectly - death. Don't forget death. And I wouldn't leave his family without blame either - for sponging off the profits of the evil and hate that he spewed.

Posted by: Soldats | May 15, 2007 5:18 PM

The downside of being an atheist is that I can't be confident that he is in hell.

Posted by: Bill Poser | May 15, 2007 5:44 PM

Any chance Westboro Baptist will be there for this funeral?

Posted by: Spooky | May 15, 2007 6:16 PM

Chumbawamba are mostly awful, but they do an excellent and entirely self-explanatorially titled song called 'Passenger List For Doomed Flight 1721'. In their words: 'Jerry Falwell; bye bye!'

Posted by: Matthew Young | May 15, 2007 6:42 PM

I'd add my hatred of the man and joy of his death, but it wouldn't add anything that hasn't been said. I find the idea of hell to be one of the most morally sick ideas human beings have ever invented, and since it doesn't exist anyway, there's no point in making comments on whether or not Falwell is there.

Suffice to say, I'm glad that asshole is gone and I hope that Pat Robertson and Fred Phelps follow close behind.

Posted by: Chris Berez | May 15, 2007 7:32 PM

I was instantly reminded of what H.L. Mencken wrote upon the death of William Jennings Bryan:

He couldn't be President, but he could at least help magnificently in the solemn business of shutting off the presidency from every intelligent and self-respecting man.

http://purple.niagara.edu/chambers/mencken.html

Posted by: THobbes | May 15, 2007 7:46 PM

Lady Hope, who was at his death, says, reliably, that Falwell's last words were "and yet it moves", and not "rosebud".

Posted by: grasshopper | May 15, 2007 8:19 PM

gary l. day wrote:

In situations like this, I try to be civilized; I try to be evolved.

While I'm glad that some of us aspire to higher to things, I don't. In this case I just don't see the point in being anything other than honest to the point of crass about it:

Ding-freaking-dong!

(I'm saving "Ding-fucking-dong" for when Falwell's benevolent angel of cashy mercy Rev. Moon finally bites it.)

Posted by: Leni | May 15, 2007 8:27 PM

grasshopper wrote:

Lady Hope, who was at his death, says, reliably, that Falwell's last words were "and yet it moves", and not "rosebud".

ROFL!

*claps*

That was way better that the old Ding-dong, I'm sad to say.

Posted by: Leni | May 15, 2007 8:33 PM

Listening to National Radio they had a little sound bite of a recent interview. Falwell referenced the preying of someone (sounded like Isaya) in the Bible for 15 years more life.
Falwell said he had asked for 20 more years, with the right of renewal.
God I love the sense of humour He shows....

Posted by: Stevencnz | May 15, 2007 9:07 PM

I just watched Christopher Hitchens on CNN talking about Falwell and just ripping the hell out of him. I agreed with pretty much every word of it. In the context of the discussion between folks like me and the hardcore anti-theists, it served as a reminder that when it comes to our opposition to the religious right's agenda, we are very much of the same mind. Where I part company is when people think that all Christians are like Falwell. They aren't. So while I gleefully blast the Falwells and Robertsons of the world and their credulous and ignorant followers, I refuse to do the same to the millions of far more reasonable and intelligent Christians who, as a group, share my dislike for those men.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | May 15, 2007 10:26 PM

It's really too bad Falwell and Robertson survived Sam Kinison. It brings a smile to my face to imagine what he would have had to say about someone who gave/gives evangelical Christians such a bad name.

Posted by: Shawn Smith | May 15, 2007 11:13 PM

Uhm....he was better than Stalin. Thats the nicest thing I can say.

Posted by: Baratos | May 15, 2007 11:17 PM

Spooky:

According to their godhatesamerica site, yes, Westboro Baptist will be attending Falwell's funeral.

Posted by: Dave | May 15, 2007 11:37 PM

He never did get to meet the Jewish anti-Christ he predicted.

Posted by: Richard Bartholomew | May 16, 2007 2:44 AM

(not original, I know)

Speak only good of the dead.

Foulwell is dead - good.

Posted by: paulh | May 16, 2007 4:11 AM

I just have visions of him in Jerry Falwell being taken roughly from behind by a Homo Habilis that is shouting "Who's your daddy!" at him for all eternity.

Posted by: mah9 | May 16, 2007 6:46 AM

I just have visions of him in Jerry Falwell being taken roughly from behind by a Homo Habilis that is shouting "Who's your daddy!" at him for all eternity.

what would a H. habilis have had to do to deserve that?!

Posted by: Nomen Nescio | May 16, 2007 8:12 AM

"I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass."

-Barry Goldwater

Posted by: Pieter B | May 16, 2007 10:53 AM

Don't have much sympathy for the family. I'm sure you'll be hearing about one of his little fascist sons taking over the rackets that daddy left behind.

Posted by: Timothy | May 16, 2007 3:06 PM

Timothy Birdbrain isn't too happy with y'all speaking ill of the dead, see The Feral Dogs of Darwinism. He seems to confuse Ed's blog with The Panda's Thumb too.

Now, what did Rev. Falwell do that was so terrible? He prayed a lot. He followed the dictates of his conscience. He tried to defend decency and morality. He preached the Gospel.
Yet, to hear these people, you would think he was Jeffrey Dahmer, or Michael Devlin, or Pol Pot. The hatred is shocking when layed out in this manner, yet we see this displayed by this particular set on a regular basis. We should fear their ascent to power; they would put Stalin or Hitler to shame!

Unfortunately, they are becomming the mainstream of the Democrat Party, and hold sway over a sizable portion of the voting public.

The truly amazing thing is that these people are visiting something proporting to be a science blog! What has Jerry Falwell to do with them? It speaks volumes about why so many cling so desperately to Darwinism.

Well Falwell was a promoter of creationist pseudoscience, more recently hosting a Creation Mega-Conference at Liberty University. And I remember a number of years back he was hawking creationist books and videos on the Old Time Gospel Hour (eg. one was titled "God or Gorilla?").

Posted by: Jason Spaceman | May 16, 2007 7:36 PM

That's hilarious. Yep, we're criticizing him because he prayed a lot and defended "decency and morality." Because when I think decency and morality, the first person that comes to mind is a guy who argued that segregation was God's will, that feminists just need a man to tell them what to do, that AIDS is God's punishment for being gay and that gays and lesbians (along with "liberals" and the ACLU) are to be blamed for a terrorist bombing perpetrated by his fellow faith-based bigots. That just screams decency and morality.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | May 16, 2007 8:13 PM