Ahhh. The original “cash in on this new-fangled television thing for evangelizing” is finally gone.
I won’t say “good riddance” but, you know…
The god I believe in isn’t short on cash, mister.
RIP? I hope not.
I guess in this case no matter what you thought of him, you can be glad he’s dead.
Except the last couple of lines. That would be weird.
Anti-semite, hated gays, and urged his buddy Dick Nixon to step up bombing campaigns of civilians in Vietnam while donning pom-poms and cheerleading any mention of US troops going to war since.
Peach of a guy.
I grew up in a conservative, evangelical Christian home where Billy Graham was held in high regard. He was spreading the Word to the World, something my parents were passionate about. Others with similar aims like Luis Palau were likewise highly respected. However, that’s not to say that we supported every mega-church style organization. My brothers and I were taught to draw a line between the 700 Club and PTL types, which existed mostly to make themselves bigger, and what folks like Palau and Graham were doing.
As I grew up and started developing my own beliefs, it became clear to me that Graham wasn’t the paragon that I’d been told he was. His was a very literal faith, reading the Bible with little interpretation or consideration for the real world. That led him to hold some terrible views on gays, the role of women, etc. And he seemed to think that the USA was the only important world power, with no regard for other nations. I don’t like saying that I’m glad anyone is dead (though I may make an exception when the Donald goes) but I will say that attitudes like Grahams are best buried.
But I will say this for Graham - I always respected how he did his business. He always insisted on audits for his campaigns to avoid corruption, and was never in the kind of sexual scandals that consumed the Jim Bakkers of the world. Held himself to a standard that many of his peers could not.
He has gone to his reward. Which, for an atheist like me, is having his corpse eaten by worms. Couldn’t be happier about that.
This was my exact same upbringing as well. I’m going to say this. My parents, my family had to take a long hard journey to admit they were duped and see how bad organizations were. And I’d like to see the 700 Club buried too as they preyed on people like my Mom who were dealing with terrible fears and unknowns having two children born with Cystic Fibrosis. All the fake healing stuff makes me so angry when I look back on it.
And if by some chance athiests are wrong and there is a Heaven and judgement… Well, just a darn shame that Billy Graham moment won’t be televised.
I thought he was already dead. So in my head I’m enjoying his second death.
I’m pretty sure there was a TV special on Billy’s resurrection that raised a few million for “charity”.
Despite the recent poor reputation of his son Franklin, I still think well of Billy and his life’s work.
Yeah, he was a peach.
Take Bakker and Robertson, please.
Yeah, in my mind’s eye I can see him with a spit running from his nether end to his mouth, turning over an open fire somewhere for all eternity.