I live down the road from Elizabeth Edwards' house in Chapel Hill and I drive past her property just about every day. I can always tell when something is going on by the big lineup of news trucks parked across the road with their huge antennas pointed skyward. A local Republican supporter owns a property there with a big parking lot that he is always happy to let them use. This past week was no exception (although this might be the final time they will get to enjoy such a feeding frenzy in this location at her expense) and I passed several of them on my way to work the day after her death was announced.
So this morning, after thinking that all of this was finally over, I was amazed (or maybe "appalled" is a better word) to read this: http://www.politicsdaily.com/...
It seems that even after death, Elizabeth Edwards' ideas are such a threat to good Christians everywhere that they must be attacked. She dared to say "maybe not" and such a thing as thought just can't be allowed; their own beliefs of God and all that goes with it must always be defended and anyone who would dare to think otherwise is an enemy that must be attacked and defeated.
So what is the source of this kind of thinking that never allows alternative viewpoints? To me it seems clear that right-wing thinking is always rooted in fear. Fear of liberals, or new ideas, fear of not knowing, fear of "them"; this is a basis of many modern religions and is certainly the basis of conservatism (from the Latin conservare, "to preserve"). It no longer matters what the guy whose teachings they claim to follow supposedly said. His teachings of turning the other cheek no longer apply in today's world of terrorism. Fear overrules all else. I can remember my mom coaching my behavior based on the fear of going to hell, an idea she embraced to the end of her life. That and encouragement of guilt.
But where does this idea come from that God must be defended so rigorously? To begin with I find the notion this modern God is so wimpy that he must be defended at every turn almost laughable. But maybe no moreso than the modern right-winger's idea that they can invoke this God to help them win a football game or a battle because their team is obviously the "right" team. This modern idea of God is difficult for me to understand and their ability to cherry-pick which things they follow from this Jesus guy is even more ludicrous.
So while I found Elizabeth Edwards view that gave more power to family, friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope, (her words) than to the traditional belief in God quite refreshing, to some this was yet another opportunity to attack such ideas. I will miss her vibrancy and ability to think outside the box and belief in herself, and I am sure the news trucks will be off to some other location to report some other "newsworthy events".