I guess this being the interweb and all, it is fashionable to say things like 'ding, dong the wicked witch is dead'. But really, what did this man do to you? Say a few things you didn't agree with? So what? I personally respect anyone that can make you think critically about yourself and your own beliefs. There are plenty of a**holes out there who say stupid stuff everyday. Do you honestly wish they were dead?
Most of you have only been around and contemplating such things for a short time, but I was around when the 'Moral Majority' came into being. Wow, what an interesting idea. I had never even thought of such a concept. Was I part of the moral majority or not? We had great fun in college assuring everyone we were part of the immoral majority
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According to political scientists, Falwell was instrumental in getting Ronald Reagan elected. He tried to make people make a decision. What is wrong with that? If you didn't agree with him, he prayed for you and wished you would see it his way. He didn't kill anybody. He didn't physically force anyone to believe in him. He was passionate, I think that is an admirable trait in anyone.
He felt passionately that the country at that time was suffering from, for lack of a better term, a lack of backbone. Jimmy Carter was a nice guy and all but we were being looked down on and taken advantage of in the world. Falwell felt that Reagan would govern in a way that more closely represented the ideals that this country was founded on and tried to convince people of that.
Now, all that being said, they guy sure did speak his mind as he got older. The things he said after 9/11 were uncalled for. I think he certainly realized that when he very quickly apologized for what he said. I can make the argument that his views on gays and lesbians are what brought the discussion to the fore and actually provoked the discussion re: equal rights. It mobilized the gay and lesbian community to action and forced them 'out of the closet' sooner and IMO allowed their cause to be furthered faster.
He was a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Honest, hardworking, and (right or wrong) passionate about what he believed in. Not much more you can ask for in a man. Rest in Peace Jerry Falwell and may God have mercy on your soul