JERRY FALWELL

Well, he's dead.

My first, instinctive reaction was "Woo hoo." Between him and Pat Robertson, I can't think of anyone else who has damaged the reputation of God and people who believe in Him more. Maybe his church now has 20,000 people, but I'd say that he's probably created more atheists in his time. My reaction was summed up perfectly in this email from a friend of mine:

"Good fucking riddance.

"I'd love to see the look on his face when he realizes the racist, homophobic, intolerant god he worshipped is actually the devil."

But then, I remembered watching a video of a group of radical Muslim clerics clapping and praising God for the deaths of 3,000 people in New York City in 2001. My reaction then had been, "How could you, as religious leaders, not know that God does not rejoice at death, even the death of his enemies? And how could you not know that anyone who does so rejoice does not know God?"

As hateful as the man was, I know I shouldn't rejoice at his death.

And you know what? I really do believe that the racist, homophobic, intolerant and hateful god Jerry Falwell worshipped was the devil. I don't think I could say that somewhere deep down there wasn't a real believer in the real God who was just misguided and confused, but racism and hatred are not the fruits of righteousness, and if we're supposed to know a tree by its fruits, Jerry Falwell was no apple.

I really do believe that there is a God to whom we must answer when we die. And I really do believe that Jerry Falwell has a lot of answers to give right now, and that I really, really, really would not want to be in his shoes.

That's not something to rejoice over. I genuinely feel sorrow for him.