{photo by Chris Pizello/Invision/AP, File}
On January 27, 2021, actress Cloris Leachman passed away. The world lost an acting legend who lived a decorated life, earning her 22 Emmy nominations, 8 Emmy awards, Golden Globe Award, Academy Award, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Without a doubt one of the more successful actresses of all-time. Leachman was also a vegetarian and animal rights activist. Her family asked that anyone wishing to donate on her behalf do so to PETA.
Cloris Leachman starred in one of my favorite comedies of all-time, Mel Brook’s 1974 classic, Young Frankenstein. In the Movie, the very mention of her character Frau Blücher excited the horses. It caused Marty Feldman, a.k.a. Igor, to engage in horseplay by intentionally repeating her name to get the horses to neigh loudly. It causes me to laugh just mentioning this classic scene.
Here is the link to the scene for which I am referring:
Leachman was also a self-proclaimed atheist, but was she? An atheist is someone who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods. When you research her works, quotes, and activism, you discover someone who believed in many things and did so with love. The evidence would strongly suggest that she believed in the power of love, and if God is love, she believed in God. Leachman didn’t have God in a box, so it was difficult for her to label something by attempting to narrow God down to a particular faith, tradition, religion, or set of beliefs.
I’ve been so relieved and so grateful to not have a god to believe in. ~ Cloris Leachman
She sure used God’s name a lot for someone who claims not to have believed in God.
For the love of God, will someone please punch me in the face so I can see some stars? ~ Cloris Leachman
The bible states that God has one purpose: an eternal purpose (Ephesians 3:9-13). The DNA for that purpose is embedded in the nature of every human being; one could say we are born with eternity in our hearts. This God-given desire to be in a relationship with something other than this physical world is a constant yearning everyone experiences. Depending on your upbringing and the influences in your life will dictate how you pursue this yearning. Many will attempt to fill this void with the pursuit of worldly endeavors, education, career, fame, fortune, sex, booze, drugs, food, music, etc.
The only way to fill the void in your soul (soul = mind, emotions, and will) is to engage the One who created the soul in the first place, that one is God, may you find God now. The shortcomings of the church, the evil carried out in God’s name, and the hypocrisy of many who claim to follow God are enough to turn anyone away from the idea that God is specific to any one set of beliefs and can be put into the box of certainty.
What you believe comes from the heart, not your mouth. For Leachman, she loved animals, loved people, and loved life, and I would argue she loved God, even though she struggled with the concept of a God because of the disconnect in the world with those who named and claimed God with certainty. An adage says, “the heart of the problem is a problem with the heart.” When she meets God, I believe God will look at her heart and not merely her words. Jesus always referenced the heart when defining those he was teaching or confronting. He may mention your words, but it was still in connection with your heart.
Why can’t we build orphanages next to homes for the elderly? If someone were sitting in a rocker, it wouldn’t be long before a kid will be in his lap. ~ Cloris Leachman
One of Leachman’s last acting roles was in the movie “I Can Only Imagine,” she played the role of “memaw.” One of her lines in the film was,
“Imagine what he is seeing up there, just imagine!” ~ Memaw.
I Can Only Imagine a movie about the song’s title, performed by the band MercyMe. The song is based on their lead singer’s painful story, Bart Millard. It only fits that her last role in a major motion picture is in a movie centered on a belief in God. I can only imagine what it’s like for Cloris Leachman as she finally meets her Creator. None of us will know for sure until we get there, but I am confident that we will see Cloris Leachman in eternity because of her heart, not because she struggled to define the source of her yearning.
Here is the link to the greatest selling contemporary Christian song of all time, “I Can Only Imagine.” I hope you enjoy the video and makes a difference in your spiritual journey:
Thank you for clarifying that all the words of Jesus, and supporting scriptures, that one must accept Him and only Him as they way to God, salvation & eternal life have suddenly disappeared from every Bible in order for Ms. Leachman to enter heaven.
Whew.
She really dodged a bullet. I guess Hitler, Mao, Fidel, and Stalin are all with Cloris in heaven because they swerved to avoid killing a dog as they drove to watch the mass executions of those they hated.
Hello Vince,
I hear your response. I have studied the life of Jesus and believe in a Jesus looking God. I don’t think a loving God full of grace and mercy will allow any of His sheep to be separated from eternity because they didn’t understand the scripture with clarity, their doubts of God because of the hypocrisy they witnessed from many Christians, or because they didn’t recite the right words. That sort of Pharisaical legalism is what Jesus pushed back hard against. Jesus looked at your heart, and in this woman’s life, I believe He’ll look at hers too.
Think about the thief on the cross. Jesus didn’t ask him if he was baptized, knew how old the earth was, or if he confessed with his lips that Jesus Christ was the only way to God, did he? No, the thief asked Jesus not to forget him, and Jesus said, “I won’t.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” 43 He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43 The Message).
Of course, there is much mystery regarding the afterlife. We will all meet Jesus, both believers and nonbelievers. But not all believers who confess with their lips that Jesus is Lord will be welcomed in the kingdom of God because of their heart (Matthew 7:21). Many give lip service to loving the Lord, but their actions are rooted in self.
Leachman’s life was public, and the record speaks for itself; she loved life, people, animals, and creation. I would say she has a much better chance to be with Jesus than the many contemporary Pharisees in our day. To place Leachman in the same category as Hitler, Mao, Fidel, and Stalin, is like putting Hank Aaron in the same category as Al Capone. I understand your concern and respect your position, but I believe the heart is at the core of what Jesus looks at, and from what I can tell, Cloris Leachman had an incredible heart. Her reason for being atheistic was due to the hypocrisy she witnessed out of countless people, including many leaders in the world, who claim to be Christian but don’t back it up with their actions. Again, I understand your argument and don’t entirely disagree, but all the evidence from Jesus points to the heart, not the lips.
Shalom,
Harold Long