EDIT: Jerry Falwell has passed away

[NathanATX]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/...LHCfFF_jwL1vAI

LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in "gravely serious" condition after being found unconscious in his office Tuesday, a Liberty University executive said.

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Ron Godwin, the executive vice president of Falwell's Liberty University, said Falwell was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but "he has a history of heart challenges."

"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine and they found him unresponsive."

Godwin said Falwell was receiving emergency care. A hospital spokeswoman said she had "no information to release at this time" on Falwell

Falwell, a television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority, became the face of the religious right in the 1980s. He later founded the conservative Liberty University and serves as its president.

Falwell survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest.

[antonyh]

Originally Posted by NathanATX

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/...LHCfFF_jwL1vAI

LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in "gravely serious" condition after being found unconscious in his office Tuesday, a Liberty University executive said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ron Godwin, the executive vice president of Falwell's Liberty University, said Falwell was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but "he has a history of heart challenges."

"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine and they found him unresponsive."

Godwin said Falwell was receiving emergency care. A hospital spokeswoman said she had "no information to release at this time" on Falwell

Falwell, a television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority, became the face of the religious right in the 1980s. He later founded the conservative Liberty University and serves as its president.

Falwell survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest.

May he be in our thoughts and prayers.

[Zerbie]

I am not surprised that this has happened with him.

Thank you for posting Nate. I'll pray for his well-being, he has a lot to recover from.

[keltic63]

How awful. Yes, let's keep him in our prayers.

[Daniel]

Of course, I do not know his specific history with heart problems, but if my Dad is any indication- and he has lived with "heart challenges" for over 30 years- it isn't a walk in the park.

May the Lord be with Mr. Falwell and his family.

[NathanATX]

Jerry Falwell has just passed away.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18679412/

Moral Majority leader Falwell dies
Evangelical leader was found in his university office

U.S. evangelist Falwell hospitalized - paper
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 4 minutes ago
LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Rev. Jerry Falwell — founder of the Moral Majority and the face of the religious right in the 1980s — died Tuesday after being found unconscious in his office, a Liberty University executive said.

Ron Godwin, Liberty's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, had been found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital.

Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but noted that Falwell had “a history of heart challenges.”

[Zerbie]

Oh my word.

[Vanessa White]

I hold him and his entire family and community in my prayers........

[keltic63]

I'm struck by the pain I'm feeling about this. I'm encouraged that the things soulforce has taught me are allowing me to feel true sadness at this man's passing.

May God carry him home to his glorious new home. May God strengthen and comfort his family, his congregation, and the student body at Liberty.

[Sharone]

I will never forget meeting Dr. Falwell at my dad's church when I was a youngster, but my real vivid memories will be of meeting him again in 1999 as Soulforce took 200 people down to Lynchburg to discuss the discrimination that the Church perpetrates on GLBT people. While he was not as gracious a host as we would have liked, I think that he truly wanted to understand. He just couldn't get past his predjudices and what the Church has traditionally taught about homosexuality. He struck me as a very compassionate person and yet someone who seemed to put his foot in his mouth often. This made him look like he didn't care, but I didn't get that. God loved him and that's what matters. I pray today for his family and for the Thomas Road Baptist Church/Liberty University family.
Love,
Sharone

[Vanessa White]

I feel like my teachings here at SF are creating an alternate response than I would have had in the past as well, but I feel just plain old weird about it. I can't really tell how I feel. Anyone else having that going on? I absolutely do feel for his family, however. That is genuine. Otherwise, it feels like confusion.......

[dsdrane]

May God have mercy on his soul.

And may God's peace be with those who loved him and are in pain right now, as well as with those who have suffered directly or indirectly as a result of some of his words, who feel and have felt a different kind of pain.

[Daniel]

Hubby and I talked about this a short while ago, and he impressed on me the fact that Falwell was very racist at one point and then had all those earlier sermons expunged. That he was not able to see his way to changing his views about gay people is a great sadness.

And I am reminded of the Buddha's teaching here: There is suffering. And there is the suffering of suffering.

Certianly, Mr. Falwell was a man who meant to do good, even if that 'good' caused suffering to those in our community (the suffering of suffering), but that doesn't change for a minute his own suffering or that of his family.

May his soul be blessed. And may his family find solace.

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by Vanessa White

I feel like my teachings here at SF are creating an alternate response than I would have had in the past as well, but I feel just plain old weird about it. I can't really tell how I feel. Anyone else having that going on? I absolutely do feel for his family, however. That is genuine. Otherwise, it feels like confusion.......

I am reacting with grief and emotional volatility.
Falwell was the one whose words prompted me to hate "christians" for for over 15 years, and is still the reason why I won't consider going to a church. And I'm reacting to this news with tremendous sadness and sorrow.

I am also imagining that this news will be hard on Mel White. There was so much there probably unresolved.

In any event, wherever Jerry Falwell is now, I imagine he sees everything with clarity now. More than we have here. He is in a better place, and I hope that he is already at peace.

[keltic63]

Originally Posted by Vanessa White

I feel like my teachings here at SF are creating an alternate response than I would have had in the past as well, but I feel just plain old weird about it. I can't really tell how I feel. Anyone else having that going on? I absolutely do feel for his family, however. That is genuine. Otherwise, it feels like confusion.......

Originally Posted by Zerbie

I am reacting with grief and emotional volatility.
Falwell was the one whose words prompted me to hate "christians" for for over 15 years, and is still the reason why I won't consider going to a church. And I'm reacting to this news with tremendous sadness and sorrow.

I am also imagining that this news will be hard on Mel White. There was so much there probably unresolved.

In any event, wherever Jerry Falwell is now, I imagine he sees everything with clarity now. More than we have here. He is in a better place, and I hope that he is already at peace.

That may be it, Vanessa! I'm saddened on the human level; but there is also the loss that this disagreement we've had cannot be reconciled. There is no resolution to our disagreement with our adversary, whom we believed to be a child of God, whom we believed to be the victim of misinformation, and whom we had so hoped we could reconcile with before any of us moved on to the next life.

[tdogg]

I feel sad and am praying for Mr. Falwell's family and friends, that they have peace and comfort in his love for them and their memories of him. I've never actually 'emotionally' connected with Jerry, but no doubt numerous others have. It's a sad day.

Along with that are feelings that possibly as old beliefs and opinions pass on, new ones are allowed to form. I pray also that his prejudices and anti-gay beliefs will pass on too, and that perhaps somehow his spiritual being can reach others and show them there is nothing to fear from us. That we are all equal. That we are all loved by God one and the same.

The cycle of life provides for the passing of 'old' and the beginnings of 'new'. It's terribly sad and sometimes not to easy to understand or accept, but along with the sadness and confusion comes hope, and a joy that arises with new possibilities and far-reaching futures.

I hope that doesn't come off as sounding like I'm glad Jerry Falwell is dead. Only to point out that with every death, there is a new hope and a new beginning. My best friend's father passed away suddenly last week. My father isn't in the best of health. Sometimes I have a very difficult time understanding what life is all about. So it's more convincing myself of the new hopes and beginnings that spring out of life passing on.....

[NathanATX]

This really brings home that Soulforce is about reconciliation. We have to stay focused on that. We are working to end the suffering and injustice so there can be reconciliation and healing.

When our anger is directed at a person instead of the misinformation, we lose valueable time and heart space... for none of us are guaranteed a day on this planet.

As Keltic said, I am feeling most saddened by missing the opportunity to reconcile with Falwell. And I'm feeling regret for the times when I focused my anger on him instead of the misinformation.

[sjbouza]

I wonder what it is going to do to the "Moral Majority"? I know they still have good ole James Dobson out there still for the Fundies. I just hope that the person that steps into his shoes will be more tolerant than Falwell was. One can only hope and pray I guess. I just pray that whomever steps into those shoes will see that God loves all people no matter what. That Jesus doesnt discriminate and that the Bible also teaches everyone to Accept one another...ie Romans 15:7 (NIV) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. I think that is just as significant as any of the clobber verses.

As I re-read the rest of the posts I can really say that I dont know how I feel right now. I am saddened to say that when I first saw the news article on Yahoo News I actually was happy. Now I feel bad about those thoughts. As Vanessa said, I too feel really strange. Truthfully I dont know what to feel. I do have compassion and grief for the family, however, I am just not sure what to feel about the man himself. But like others said, he is in a better place and can finally see the truth. For that, I guess, I am happy. I too just wish he could have seen the truth before his passing, what a wonderful voice for us he could have been. I am sorry that I dont really have any feelings one way or another right now for the man.

I just pray that God blesses the family and friends of Mr Falwell in their time of grief.

[tdogg]

Great point Nate. Thanks for being you.

[Thaddus]

It looks like MSNBC is showing alot of repeat clips of Jerry with Rev. Mel White, but I am not sure because they do not identify who it is.