Falwell in 'gravely serious' condition

[peejay 327]

I'll drink a beer in Jerry's honor tonight. I don't live in a dry county. There are more Catholics than Baptists in these parts.

[chri'stina 190]

I don't understand what being "right with God" means and why a god that judges people would completely disregard an entire lifetime of good and bad deeds depending on how the person felt in their last moments.

You may not understand it, but I do believe it. That's part of my beliefs. God is merciful to the last moment of someone's life, and whether they turn to him or not makes a big difference. I know you may not believe that. To me, no one is really good. We have all done bad things. So I don't know what meter of goodness would be used to let ppl in heaven. To me, salvation and other things in my beliefs makes more sense.

Edited May 15, 2007 by stina&suj

[Alex+R 0]

I don't understand what being "right with God" means and why a god that judges people would completely disregard an entire lifetime of good and bad deeds depending on how the person felt in their last moments.

You may not understand it, but I do believe it. That's part of my beliefs. God is merciful to the last moment of someone's life, and whether they turn to him or not makes a big difference. I know you may not believe that.

I really meant that I didn't understand it. It wasn't meant as a criticism of a religion I don't follow. Does it really mean in the Christian faith that God cares more about how you feel about him than how you behave toward others?

[chri'stina 190]

I don't understand what being "right with God" means and why a god that judges people would completely disregard an entire lifetime of good and bad deeds depending on how the person felt in their last moments.

You may not understand it, but I do believe it. That's part of my beliefs. God is merciful to the last moment of someone's life, and whether they turn to him or not makes a big difference. I know you may not believe that.

I really meant that I didn't understand it. It wasn't meant as a criticism of a religion I don't follow. Does it really mean in the Christian faith that God cares more about how you feel about him than how you behave toward others?

I have to go cook dinner, I am already behind with dinner and Suj will be home soon. oops. But maybe someone else can help like Scott&Lai. I do think God cares about ppl's actions, but he also forgives if asked, even if at the last minute. "Then why not wait to the last minute" some ppl say. Well, b/c we don't know when our last minute is, so why risk it when you can have a happy life pleasing God before that time comes. Sorry I can't explain it much better right now...maybe someone else can help.

[Scott & Lai 12]

I don't understand what being "right with God" means and why a god that judges people would completely disregard an entire lifetime of good and bad deeds depending on how the person felt in their last moments.

You may not understand it, but I do believe it. That's part of my beliefs. God is merciful to the last moment of someone's life, and whether they turn to him or not makes a big difference. I know you may not believe that.

I really meant that I didn't understand it. It wasn't meant as a criticism of a religion I don't follow. Does it really mean in the Christian faith that God cares more about how you feel about him than how you behave toward others?

I have to go cook dinner, I am already behind with dinner and Suj will be home soon. oops. But maybe someone else can help like Scott&Lai. I do think God cares about ppl's actions, but he also forgives if asked, even if at the last minute. "Then why not wait to the last minute" some ppl say. Well, b/c we don't know when our last minute is, so why risk it when you can have a happy life pleasing God before that time comes. Sorry I can't explain it much better right now...maybe someone else can help.

Maybe in a couple hours when I'm home from work

[natty bumppo 297]

I'll drink a beer in Jerry's honor tonight. I don't live in a dry county. There are more Catholics than Baptists in these parts.

Lynchburg City is not dry ...

And the surrounding counties of Bedford, Amherst, Campbell, and Appomattox are also not dry …

I think there will be a few hoisted tonight there too

[Dr_LHA 3]

Jerry Falwell dead?

Can Pat Robertson be next?

The world needs rid of these homophobic, racist, hatemongering bigots and their Taliban form of Christanity.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I don't even know who the guy in that picture is.

That is Larry Flint the owner of Hussler. He and falwell sparred on many an occation.

Also looks a lot like erstwhile (and unmissed by Westerners--still alive, btw) PM Jean Chretien.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

To be honest, comparing Falwell to Saddam is laughable. Did Falwell have people killed or tortured?

He may have tortured some ppl's ear drums with his words, but did he kill people? Not that I know of.

Not directly, but Jerry Falwell has been poisoning political discourse in the United States for decades. I feel the USA is better off without him.

"for decades"? He wasn't known in pol circles till around 1981/1982 (I had never heard of him prior to that, though my dad had--as they had both attended Columbia U at the same time for grad studies, © 1957-1960)

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

If there's a hell, Falwell's there now.

Falwell certainly was a controversial figure. I don't remember ever agreeing with him or appreciating his contribution to whatever debate. But there's really no need to trample on the man's grave.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

IMO, my dad may have made better decisions listening to Jerry than to his own dad (which was how he decided to return to Bombay in 1960)--having no evidence of them actually DISCUSSING.

[chri'stina 190]

I don't understand what being "right with God" means and why a god that judges people would completely disregard an entire lifetime of good and bad deeds depending on how the person felt in their last moments.

You may not understand it, but I do believe it. That's part of my beliefs. God is merciful to the last moment of someone's life, and whether they turn to him or not makes a big difference. I know you may not believe that.

I really meant that I didn't understand it. It wasn't meant as a criticism of a religion I don't follow. Does it really mean in the Christian faith that God cares more about how you feel about him than how you behave toward others?

I have to go cook dinner, I am already behind with dinner and Suj will be home soon. oops. But maybe someone else can help like Scott&Lai. I do think God cares about ppl's actions, but he also forgives if asked, even if at the last minute. "Then why not wait to the last minute" some ppl say. Well, b/c we don't know when our last minute is, so why risk it when you can have a happy life pleasing God before that time comes. Sorry I can't explain it much better right now...maybe someone else can help.

Back just to clarify what I said cuz I was rushing earlier.

Basically what I already said, about God being willing to forgive someone even in the last moments of their life. The bible has a lot of examples of ppl who did messed up things, and then were forgiven by God at various stages of life.

Really, if it were based on how much of our lives we were good, then there would be problems. For instance, I have lived my life trying to please God. I never went through a rebellious stage. Ever since I could understand about it, I wanted to try to do what the bible says. I am not perfect at all. I have made lots of mistakes. But still, I have consciously tried to live the right way my whole life.

So I could be mad that some ppl who live almost their whole life badly, doing certain things the bible says is wrong to do, and they do it over and over again, can repent at any time and be forgiven-and this should include starting to live their life the way Jesus says to. Because if it was a point system of goodness, I was considered a goody two shoes when younger (but not a weak person), and have really tried to live the way my beliefs say to. But that is not God's point. I know it's b/c he loves everyone and wants everyone with him. So I could be mad that while I have tried so hard, I only get the same reward as those who didn't even try most of their lives. But it's not a point system. So I would be wrong to think that way. That's like the Prodigal Son story in the bible.

If getting to heaven was based on being "good", a problem is-- whose definition of good would be used to determine who gets in? Those who haven't killed someone? Those who didn't sleep around before marriage? Those who never shoplifted? If it was based that way, I find it hard to determine what is good enough for heaven.

God has his own definition, according to the bible, on what is accepted into heaven. And not one drop of sin is allowed in. And I really think all of us have sinned, even if some have sinned less than others. So goodness doesn't mean anything, because no one has been 100% good. In our beliefs, only Jesus has been. That's essential to the belief. And that is a reason we believe Jesus died(and came back to life). There had to be a consequence for our sin our we wouldn't see heaven. In the Old Testament, it was the sacrifices. They were symbolic of the blood that would have to be shed to pay for sin.

So when Jesus died, his blood was supposed to have paid the final price for sin, as a sacrifice. No more animal sacrifices had to happen. Then he offered to us, that if we accept that he is the Messiah foretold in the O.T., and that his blood was shed to pay the price for our sin, we will join him in heaven. (But I also enjoy knowing him every day, not just for going to heaven.)

We believe his blood and death paid the price for every humans sin, and that the catch is that we have to accept who he was and believe he did it. It's a gift that we have to accept, and if we don't then we don't get the benefits of it.

It still means we should try to live a good life of course. A life that he would be proud of.

In that way, our sins are covered by his blood, and we are not condemned to hell.

And like I said, I believe every person has sinned before, so how can they expect to get in to heaven based on their goodness. That's why a horrible person, who honestly asks forgiveness from God even at the last moment, is promised to be saved according to what I wrote above. To me, that shows how merciful God is.

Lots of mercy is given to unworthy ppl in the bible. For example is Paul (Saul) who killed early Christians, Peter after he denied Jesus 3 times in public, King David after he did some very rotten things like killing off someone so he could have his wife, Samson who slept with prostitutes, King Nebuchadnezzar who lived his life horribly but in the last moments turned to God, and the list could go on and on. The main thing is, each of those ppl were forgiven after seeking repentance with God. And in the bible, it does not show God ever turning away from the ppl who asked to be forgiven, no matter how bad they were.

Sorry that was long. I didn't mean for it to be, it just takes a lot of words to explain why I believe it.

[Scott & Lai 12]

I don't understand what being "right with God" means and why a god that judges people would completely disregard an entire lifetime of good and bad deeds depending on how the person felt in their last moments.

You may not understand it, but I do believe it. That's part of my beliefs. God is merciful to the last moment of someone's life, and whether they turn to him or not makes a big difference. I know you may not believe that.

I really meant that I didn't understand it. It wasn't meant as a criticism of a religion I don't follow. Does it really mean in the Christian faith that God cares more about how you feel about him than how you behave toward others?

I have to go cook dinner, I am already behind with dinner and Suj will be home soon. oops. But maybe someone else can help like Scott&Lai. I do think God cares about ppl's actions, but he also forgives if asked, even if at the last minute. "Then why not wait to the last minute" some ppl say. Well, b/c we don't know when our last minute is, so why risk it when you can have a happy life pleasing God before that time comes. Sorry I can't explain it much better right now...maybe someone else can help.

Being "right with God" means being in a right relationship with Him, which no one is in himself due to our fallen nature. God doesn't weigh our good and bad deeds to determine whether we are "good enough" to get into heaven. We aren't measured against other people (or that might work), but against God. The standard is being perfect as He is. And we really can't separate our attitude towards God from our behaviour towards others. Jesus summed up the entire Law of God with two commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." None of us comes even close to doing that, not even the most righteous among us (and anyone who is at all aware of his true nature will not think to put himself in that high category).

Since we can't earn heaven by our deeds, God in Christ did that for us, living the only perfect life, and dying a death for the sins of all the world. All we can "do" is trust that that life and death save us. It is that trust in Christ that ultimately matters. But having said that, it doesn't mean that our behaviour towards others doesn't matter; that will flow out of faith in Christ. It is just that those things don't determine where we go when we die.

[homesick_american 1]

To be honest, comparing Falwell to Saddam is laughable. Did Falwell have people killed or tortured?

He may have tortured some ppl's ear drums with his words, but did he kill people? Not that I know of.

Not directly, but Jerry Falwell has been poisoning political discourse in the United States for decades. I feel the USA is better off without him.

"for decades"? He wasn't known in pol circles till around 1981/1982 (I had never heard of him prior to that, though my dad had--as they had both attended Columbia U at the same time for grad studies, © 1957-1960)

1980-1989 is a decade.

1990-1999 is a decade.

2000-2007 is almost a decade.

More than one decade requires the use of the plural 'decades', hence what I said was correct.

Also...it's pretty arrogant to assume that just because YOU (a foreigner) had not heard of him before the early 1980s that he was not around or influencing people before then. Read up on him sometime, you'll see just what a scumbag he was.

[peezey 0]

Anyone who defends this sick fuc!k of a man posing as God's rep on earth really needs their heads examined. And, yes, we can judge people based on their deeds, because we are mortal, of this earth, and that is all we know, especially those of us who don't lose their minds in this whole god thing. And Falwell's deeds were disgusting, sick, unforgivable.