LYNCHBURG, Va. — A Liberty University student who told a family member he had made bombs and planned to attend the funeral of the Rev. Jerry Falwell was apparently upset about an anti-gay fringe group that protested at the funeral, authorities said.Officials were still trying to figure out what Mark David Uhl planned to do with the bombs. Police do not believe he intended to disrupt the funeral Tuesday or harm the Falwell family, Campbell County Sheriff Terry Gaddy said.

Uhl, 19, was being held without bond in the Campbell County Adult Detention Center on charges of manufacturing an explosive device. It was not known if he had a lawyer, and messages seeking comment left at numbers believed to belong to his family were not returned.

Uhl, of Amissville, was arrested Monday night after a family member contacted authorities, who found homemade bombs in the trunk of Uhl’s car, Major Steve Hutcherson said.

Gaddy described the five bombs as “sort of like napalm” and about the size of soda cans.

“We do not believe the Falwells were ever in any danger,” he said.

The funeral proceeded at Thomas Road Baptist Church without incident. More than 10,000 people attended the service on the campus of the evangelical university, which Falwell founded.

Investigators determined that Uhl had problems with a group that protested at the funeral, Gaddy said. The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church sent about a dozen members to protest across the street from the funeral, claiming Falwell was a friend to gays. The group also has picketed soldiers’ burials, claiming the deaths are God’s punishment for a nation that supports homosexuality.

I read this late yesterday before they had identified the protest group. It is Jerry Falwell’s funeral so I could think of many groups that he certainly insulted and raged against during his life but just couldn’t figure out which one would bother to protest the funeral. I did think it would be odd to be making a spectacle of oneself at the funeral. He certainly wasn’t someone I enjoyed in any way and I was certainly outraged by the hate he inspired but the man is dead. He is never going to spew his hate speech again so why would any group feel the need to protest. I was just dying to know who was going to protest and surprise, surprise it wasn’t any of the groups that Rev. Falwell denigrated during his life it was more Christians. I guess those Westboro Baptists just didn’t think he was quite hateful enough for them. I can’t imagine how but so they protested.

Of course the home-grown terrorist from Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University is ironic since for the last week there has been any number of people screaming at me that terrorists come from elsewhere and are only worshiping Allah. Take note, this one was a good Christian boy raised by a good Christian family, going to a good Christian university.

I never will understand how a person who believes in the most charitable, tolerant, caring man could hate with such utter disregard to the teaching he brought them. I can’t help but believe that if (and understand that is a big if) Christianity is the true faith that none of them will be sitting with Jesus come the afterlife.

Technorati Tags: Jerry Falwell, Liberty University, Mark David Uhl, Christian, Westboro Baptist Church

AUSTIN — The first prayer ever delivered by a Muslim cleric in the Texas Senate will occur today — outraging some conservatives because it occurs just before Easter.

The invocation will be delivered by Dallas Central Mosque Imam Yusuf Kavakci at the invitation of Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, who is Jewish.

Her spokeswoman, Jennifer Ransom Rice, said the invitation was extended because Wednesday is the Texas Muslims Legislative Day at the Capitol.

Harris County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill said the timing of the prayer outraged him.

“I’m shocked that the day before the Easter recess that a Muslim is leading the prayer. They should be having a celebration about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

The Easter holiday is Sunday. Passover, a major Jewish holiday, began this week and continues into next week.

Rice said Muslims plan an interfaith relations program with Rev. George Bithos of the Texas Conference of Churches and Suzii Paynter of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.

Do Christian clergy usually deliver an invocation celebrating Jesus the day before the Easter recess? Do Jewish clergy deliver some sort of specific invocation before one of their main celebrations? What about Hindus? Pagans?

I realize that we live in a society where the majority of the population counts itself as Christian of some form or another and that Christianity is reflected in our secular culture as well. But is this really the first time that a Muslim Cleric will deliver the invocation in the Senate?

Technorati Tags: Texas Senate, invocation, prayer, Muslim, Christian, Florence Shapiro, Texas Muslim Legislative Day, Jared Woodfill, Texas Conference of Churches