Tammy Faye passes away

somehow i've missed something

i hope tammy faye fans will not take this as speaking ill of the dead, but i've only ever known her as the co-conspirator in the mammoth ptl swindle.  she lived large by suckering others, along with her 1st husband.  when and how did she become so beloved, and of gay people in particular?

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 23:58:55 PM CDT

PTL

One answer to your question, I think, is that Jim and Tammy never engaged in gay-bashing on the PTL club. They showed that it's possible to run a religious swindle without resorting to scaring people about gays (and, frankly, I suspect that a lot of the financial disaster was the result of blind optimism rather than a deliberate intention to set out to fleece the sheep). Add to that her good-natured sense of humor in dealing with her and her husband's foibles (remember those t-shirts "I ran in to Tammy Faye in the mall"?) I used to watch their show occasionally, and found it a refreshing change from the usual televangelist fare: "People That Love", rather than "Let's Find Somebody to Hate".

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by: phelps @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 02:48:31 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

In the years after PTL dissolved

it became clear that Tammy Faye really was appalled at the way American culture treats homosexuals, especially homosexual teenagers. She really did believe that the love of Jesus extends to everybody and that harshly judging strangers was not a Christian thing to do. She walked the walk.

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by: oddjob @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 08:38:04 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

"The Eyes of Tammy Faye"

It's a documentary from the year 2000 exploring her life and career as televangelist up through the PTL scandals.  I haven't seen in but I remember when it came out; it seems to have catalyzed the cultural transformation by which Tammy Faye became a beloved camp figure.  RuPaul was the narrator.

And actually, I wonder if she was thinking of the making of the film when she said that the gays came to her rescue after her downfall.

"Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" -- Iowa state motto

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by: Sportin' Life @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 10:14:18 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Tammy Faye, A woman that truly emulated Christ and his teachings

Through her, I know God has a sense of humor with people and the happenings of this world.  She lived a full bountiful and amazing life, may she also find peace in the next world. I will miss Tammy and her wonderful bubbliness of life.

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by: RogernDC @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 00:05:34 AM CDT

Respectfully

My opinion of Tammy changed, for the positive, when I regularly watched the short lived 'Jimmy J & Tammy Faye' tv show. Then grew even more positive when I saw her on the 'The Surreal Life'.

phelps post nails it! I too used to "check in" on the PTL show occassionally.

 

Rest in Peace, Tammy!

      "A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither"

Thomas Jefferson

"The mob is the mother of tyrants"

Diogenes

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by: Markpat @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 07:18:45 AM CDT

A wonderful friend of our community

As has been noted, the Bakkers never Gay Bashed, and others continue to raise millions demonizing us. Tammy Fay showed that one could be a Chrsitain and be loving. R.I.P.

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by: zenrain @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 08:21:20 AM CDT

Eyes of Tammy Faye

Watch the Eyes of Tammy Faye and you will understand.  She was a special woman.  I think she was deluded in many ways, but I  have nothing but sympathy for her.  She had a tough life.

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by: tony @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 15:17:02 PM CDT

(W)TF

I have no specific reason not to take the pro-gay-ness about which others here have spoken at face value.  But, what part of that excuses her participation in the criminal enterprise that was the PTL Club? 

Yes, the whole thing culminated with that bizarre video of Jerry Falwell on the waterslide and, later, Jim in the slam.  But, even if, somehow, she was not actually involved in the criminal acts themselves (and, despite her never being prosecuted, I still cannot fathom her being totally innocent), she lived a disgustingly lavish lifestyle at the expense of people who were conned.  Have all of her defenders forgotten that obnoxious video of her and Jim with his expensive antique car (smirking 'The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys,' through that make up of hers that not even the blindest drag queen would wear)?

Kat

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 15:54:00 PM CDT

I can't really judge

I didn't know her personally so I don't know what her mindset was. My impression is that Jim took care of the finances and she just trusted him and God to make everything ok.  Yes, she was probably naive to the point of stupidity, even criminality, but what I get from her interviews is that she truly believed that God was everywhere, loving everyone, and filling the world with magical surprises and blessings. Of course, the drugs may have helped a little bit with that.

The reason that I believe that she was sincerely pro-gay and truly loving toward all people is that she never seemed to hesitate, even when it was in her financial interests. She had an AIDS victim on her show at the height of the panic, when even non-Christian TV wouldn't touch it except to fan the fear and hysteria.  But she treated him with dignity and respect, not as a sinner or a leper, but as a person who needed prayer and support.  She also had a gay co-host on another one of her shows, again something that was very controversial within Christian circles.

She obviously made a lot of mistakes, but I don't judge her because I never saw her judge anyone else.  She always seemed to want to believe the best about people and sometimes that was her greatest weakness.  If she was shamming to get more money and attention, I would rather see televangelists scamming people out of money with love and false hope than hate and fear.

What the hell was I doing in Oaxaca in 1992, on the eve of the Zapatista revolution?

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by: Cambridge Kid @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 16:10:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

So does Pope Benedict the Fancy

...she lived a disgustingly lavish lifestyle at the expense of people who were conned.

Holy grifters, all of them.

"Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" -- Iowa state motto

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by: Sportin' Life @ Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 19:04:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I saw just the commercial for the Larry King show, and couldn't watch it

My sympathy for Tammy Faye's son, her THIEVING self loathing faggot husband (james)was beyond any sympathy from me. I hope she is at peace.

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by: underbear1 @ Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 13:23:25 PM CDT

Tammy Faye

I haven't been online in a few days..... But I had read in the Sunday Chicago Sun-Times that Tammy Faye had passed on.  After seeing the Larry King video I had no idea that she was that far advanced. 

She tugged at my heart for years.  She was genuinely a good person, at times taken advantage of for her goodness and big heart.  She raised her children right, and lived right.  I hope she finds eternal peace.

Charley sez ---- Bat sh*t crazies amuse me!

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by: vwboy81 @ Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 07:02:24 AM CDT