Farewell Falwell

- the death of US televangelist Jerry Falwell

Written 15 May 2007 - (61 lines)

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NOTE:
Lines written spontaneously on hearing of
the death of Jerry Falwell on 15 May 2007.
This is so far my only freestyle poem,
and to highlight that fact the text is
"left justified" as opposed to "centered".

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For fiftyfive years you preached the Gospel
According to your understanding of it

Partially thanks to your ceaseless work over the decades
Thirty or forty maybe fifty million Americans
Would now describe themselves as Evangelical Christians
Who in the mindless pursuit of Christian Zionism
Would apparently be quite content
Not to say enraptured
To blow up the Holy Land
And the entire Middle East
Using any means available
To speed up the return of the Messiah

What a benighted, fundamentalist, radical, extremist
Indeed, what an evil ideology -
What a sick and perverse worldview to hold

It also runs counter to the Torah
Which is part of the Bible you loved so much
And which you blindly relied upon
So why did you not read it properly?
It teaches that ANY human intervention
To facilitate the restoration of the land of Israel
Before which the Messiah is apparently not due
Is expressly proscribed

Repeat:
Is expressly proscribed

And in your ignorance and arrogance
You once called Muhammad (peace be upon him):
"A terrorist, a violent man, a man of war"

And you said:
"This turn-the-other-cheek business is all well and good
But it is not what Jesus fought and died for
What we need to do is take the battle to the Muslim heathens
And do unto them before they do unto us
You've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops
And I am for the president
Chase them all over the world
If it takes ten years
Blow them all away in the name of the Lord"

Again:
What a benighted, fundamentalist, radical, extremist
Indeed, what an evil ideology -
What a sick and perverse worldview to hold

But any violent actions against the West
Are only, in the words of Osama bin Laden:
"Your goods returned to you"
Are only, in the words of Ayman al-Zawahiri:
"A sip from the glass that Muslims have been drinking from"

Was that really impossible for you to understand?
Who is the fundamentalist here?
Who is the terrorist?

And if you really wanted to know what happened on 11 September 2001
You should have asked Dick Cheney
But you missed that chance
And he will not go to Heaven -
But who knows, you may still meet...

So farewell Falwell
All is well that ends well!
You will be missed by many
But not by me...

PS: When are Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, John Hagee, Jim Bakker,
Ellis Skolfield (who claims to be a prophet) and the others joining you??

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Copyright © 2007 - IBRAHEEM (O.E.H.Johansen) - All Rights Reserved