Jerry Falwell: Dead

I've been trying to decide what to say about the death of America's premier evangelical charlatan. Instead I'll let Christopher Hitchens do it.

The evil that he did will live after him. This is not just because of the wickedness that he actually preached, but because of the hole that he made in the "wall of separation" that ought to divide religion from politics. In his dingy racist past, Falwell attacked those churchmen who mixed the two worlds of faith and politics and called for civil rights. Then he realized that two could play at this game and learned to play it himself.

Origins

It's foundational, but the phrase "separation of church and state" never actually appears in the U.S. Constitution. It was written by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. Key quote:

...that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.

The author's claim that Jefferson was a man of deep religious conviction is still in dispute. But you can read the letter here.

Saving Aimee. Or Not.

Went with the usual suspects to see Saving Aimee at Signature tonight. This musical about the original superstar evangelist, Aimee Semple McPherson, was written by--hold me back--Kathy Lee Gifford. There are so many things wrong with this situation, I don't even know where to start. Simplistic, insulting, repetitive, and loud, Aimee was nonetheless exceptionally well produced, as one would expect of Signature. But ultimately, it's like hiring Martin Scorcese to make the Family Circus movie. Sigh.

Kirk Cameron Proves God Exists

The usually unreadable Slate digs deep.

[T]he God Squad had but three arguments on behalf of the big guy: All things have makers; the human conscience is evidence of a higher moral power; if you read the Gospel, then Christ will be revealed to you. For reasons too stupid to type, this was not an airtight case, and the atheists made quick work of it in tones of juvenile sarcasm.

Now let's pray for Passion of Tina Yothers?