A tribute to Tammy Faye

I found out today that Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) passed away from cancer, and I’m a little sad about it. I had never thought too much about her, dismissing her as the raccoon-eyed teary wife of a televangelist. I’ve never had a high opinion of religion, mainly because it seems a lot of people use it as a weapon to promote hatred. They appear to have lost sight of the message that Christ (and other prophets) taught, namely that of love, compassion and tolerance for one’s fellow human beings. That’s why I pretty much abandoned religion for spirituality.

But Tammy Faye was different.

My first real exposure to Tammy Faye was on season two of VH1’s The Surreal Life. I admit that I only watched to see how she would be able to interact with the likes of Ron Jeremy, one of the most famous male porn stars of all time. I expected that a former television preacher would have a tough time relating to him and the other housemates. Boy, was I wrong. Tammy Faye turned out to be one of the most wonderful people I have ever seen. She was kind, compassionate, tolerant and accepting. She gave Christians a good name for a change. I subsequently found out that even at the height of the PTL Club, she steadfastly refused to condemn homosexuality. She even dared to bring people living with AIDS on stage to pray for their health and well-being. She was a truly decent human being and the world has lost an advocate for tolerance and understanding.

As I said, I’m not a religious person, but I do respect those that try to spread the true message religion attempts to convey. So it with deepest respect of her belief and her life that I offer this sentiment:

Tammy Faye, may God keep you in His loving arms and shine His divine light on you for all time. God bless you and goodbye.