Easterbrook's article on the hypocrisy of mourning Pope John Paul II's death reeks of the arrogance and too clever by half arguments usually seen among college freshmen just discovering atheism and the attendant joys of Biblical contradiction. Mourning is a rejection of Christian theology? Snort.
When we mourn, we don't mourn for the dead. Unless they were young or cut down in a tragic, painful fashion, we almost always mourn for us. We who'll lack their presence, live with their memories, carry our guilt, leave unsaid words that needed to be spoken. Whether in heaven or oblivion, they're beyond the reach of earthly cares -- we mourn because we're not, and death is often hardest on the survivors. So c'mon Gregg -- none of this bull about grief being an inherent repudiation of Catholic doctrine. Missing someone terribly and believing in heaven are not mutually exclusive positions.
