Re More on Falwell and Robertson

[Guest guest]

US religious leaders respond: The different approaches of Billy Graham and

Jerry Falwell.

 

This was in today's SF Chronicle:

 

Like so many aspects of life in the United States, the face of organized

religion has shown itself this past week to be a visage of great beauty and

painful ugliness -- from the no-nonsense, unmistakably American grace of

Episcopalian Bishop Jane Dixon at the National Cathedral to the immorality

of Molotov cocktails and bullets aimed at dozens of Islamic mosques across

the land.

 

And, of course, there is always Jerry Falwell around to don the mask of the

clown.

 

Yes, yes, I know this alleged man of God -- and his equally unholy twin,

Pat Robertson -- have millions of followers in our country. And when I say

followers, I do mean followers. To take Falwell and Robertson seriously,

folks have to practice a kind of Greyhound bus-style of religion; you leave

the driving -- and the thinking -- to someone else.

 

For those of us who prefer to use all the lobes of the brains God gave us

-- and recognized that divine voice in national memorial services yesterday

-- the two stars of the "700 Club" come off like a theological Dumb and

Dumber.

 

Until this week, when Falwell and Robertson popped up with some truly

idiotic reflections on the terrorist attacks in New York and Virginia, both

had most recently distinguished themselves for outing Teletubby Tinky Winky

as "gay" (Falwell), and warning Orlando, Fla., of earthquakes, terrorism or

a meteor for the sin of Disney World's annual "Gay Days" (Robertson).

 

In this week's pronouncements, Falwell placed blame for the terrorist

destruction on the ACLU, gay rights and pro-choice advocates and all who

work to keep church and state separate.

 

His rationale: God has specifically protected the United States since "her

inception" but has grown angry at our increasing secularism and,

apparently, has disconnected his celestial security gate to let all manner

of murderous infidels have at us.

The way Robertson sees it, the U.S. Supreme Court shares the blame because

the court has "essentially stuck its finger in God's eye" by legalizing

abortion and curbing prayer in public schools.

 

Maybe it's because I'm a habitual optimist or because -- unlike Stephen

Sondheim's Sweeney Todd -- I do not "serve a dark and a vengeful God," but

I'll take the 82-year-old likes of the Rev. Billy Graham over Jerry and Pat

any day. In peace or war.

 

Frail of flesh and admittedly "an old man" now, Graham reminded our nation

yesterday why he has held the respect of presidents and the proletariat

through almost seven decades of national ministry. He delivered a keynote

sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., that was devoid of

superstitious quid pro quo and tortured reasoning.

 

His voice raspy but strong, he spoke of "the mystery and reality of evil"

and "the brevity and uncertainty of life." Asking the question that humans

have asked since the dawn of time -- Why does God let evil happen? -- he

admitted he still does not know.

 

Practical man that he has always been, Graham emphasized what it is we

Americans can know -- that national tragedies such as ours this week can

teach us "a lesson about our need for each other. . . . The perpetrators

who have taken this on to tear us apart -- it has had the opposite effect."

 

Like Falwell and Robertson, Graham declared that we do indeed "need a

spiritual renewal and revival in this nation." But, unlike the pathetic

pair, he has no intention of trying to shame or scare us into such a

renewal. Instead, he asked us to remember the most basic symbol of our

dominant national faith.

 

"From the cross," he said, "God declares, 'I love you.' "

 

Maybe someday, when Jerry and Pat run out of all their other ideas, they

will meditate on that.

 

by Stephanie Salter

sfchronicle.com