ELIZABETH EDWARDS: A woman of note...

I was puzzled to read that the WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH announced that they will be protesting at Elizabeth Edward’s funeral.

If you remember, members of the Westboro Church are the assholes (sorry...no other word fits) that protest at the funerals of soldiers killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan. Why? - Because the U.S. allows homosexuality in this country. Has nothing to do with the soldiers being buried; the church wants to tell us that God is killing these soldiers because we allow homosexuality to exist in this country. So why protest at Elizabeth Edward’s funeral?

Well, it seems Elizabeth, in her final statement on Facebook, right before she died, said: “You all know I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends and a faith in the power of resilience and hope”. There is no mention of Jesus or God at all and that must have pissed the church off.

We all know her story: loss of a son in a car accident, husband’s infidelity and breast cancer. On the other hand, her husband was a millionaire and they lived well.

Elizabeth and her husband attended a Methodist church but all politicians (as hypocritical as some may be) and their families must show a good Christian side to be elected so I don’t see much in that but Elizabeth did grow up in Japan (father a navy pilot) and knew Shintos and Buddhists quite well and therefore was probably exposed to much more than strict Christian dogma and that may explain her religious views as she was dying.

She also said that her God was not an intervening God and she did not think she could pray to him to cure her. Similar principle held by the Founding Fathers who were deist and believed that a deity created the world but had nothing to do with it after he created it.

She also said that she did not believe one should lead hi/her life in a way that would reward him or her with eternal life in heaven; one should do what is right because it is the right thing to do; something I have been saying for some time which presupposes in a sense, that there is nothing after death waiting for you so do your best for humanity’s sake and not for some phony reward.

Kind of reminds me of Mother Teresa who near her death said there is no God because how could he allow such suffering to exist after all her good works and prayers.

It also reminds me of the Book of Job in the Old Testament where Job (a very good and holy person) put up with all the terrible trials that God visited upon him without ever complaining against God. The lesson here is that bad things happen to good people just because they do or that shit just happens or the God we invented really does not exist (because He is an invention) so don’t expect him to do anything to help you.

It appears Elizabeth Edwards, a smart woman, had some serious thoughts about her existence and her lot in life and her ending. She questioned if she was to blame for what befell her and her family; could she have done something to prevent what happened? I think we will all have similar thoughts when the time comes.

At least she was not like the assholes in Westboro, blaming the current misery and suffering in the world and in the U.S. on sins we have committed and thus garnering the wrath and punishment of God. The Jews used to blame themselves for all the shit that befell them (Holocaust…) until they woke up and saw the absurdity of their thinking – at least some of them.

I will follow this issue because I think it has sparked some debate…which is a healthy thing.

Related articles

• Elizabeth Edwards Funeral To Be Picketed By Westboro Baptist Church (huffingtonpost.com)
• Loons Plan Protest of Elizabeth Edwards' Funeral (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Radicalized Kansas Baptists plan to terrorize Edward's funeral (nowpublic.com)
• Elizabeth Edwards' funeral Saturday open to the public (latimesblogs.latimes.com)