MR ROGERS



Fred Rogers died early this morning. I admired him because he was an incredibly genuine person who was also incredibly famous -- two qualities which don't go together very often. And I admired him because he saw the importance of reaching pre-schoolers.

The Presbyterian Church USA sent out a press release this morning (Mr Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister) that said: "Editor's note - The Rev. Fred Rogers - who taught generations of children the quintessentially Christian but profoundly universal message 'Love yourself, love others' on his long-running television program 'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood' - died Feb. 27 at the age of 74 of stomach cancer..."

(I'm trying to figure out when "love yourself, love others" became the quintessential Christian message. I thought Jesus' message on this topic was that "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." Mark 12:30-31 [NLT] I certainly don't want to dispute the importance of what Mr. Rogers taught but to reduce the quintessential Christian message to "Love yourself, love others" is mistaken. It should be "Love God, love your neighbor [as you already love yourself]." Am I being too nit picky? No reflection on Fred but the Presbyterian News Service is missing the point.)

Greg Asimakoupoulos sent along one of his sorta' corny but sorta' serious sound-byte poems to the Abet list this morning:

There Goes the Neighborhood

Well, there goes the neighborhood.
By now you've heard the news.
Mister Rogers boarded the last trolley
last night and bid us all goodbye.
It's sad to say Fred is dead.
But instead of being swept with grief
let's celebtrate the fact that he was a beliver
and an ordained preacher at that.
Goodness, gracious how the Lord has used
that sweater-clad gentle man in the lives of kids we love.
Mr. Rogers was nothing short of Christlike
in his calm and caring ways.
He was a man of the cloth who offered
a security blanket to preschoolers
through puppets instead of a pulpit.
Thanks to King Friday and Prince Tuesday,
the message of Sunday was heard most everyday
by little lambs followed the lead of the shepherd
in canvas gym shoes.
Yes, Fred may be dead,
but it's such a good feeling to know he's alive
in the presence of the One he served.

Link to Fred Roger's quotes