Memorial services and pep rallies

There has been a fair amount of praise for Obama’s speech from the right, which is a positive sign. But one criticism keeps popping up. Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson summarized it when he said that “you can either have a pep rally or a memorial service, you can’t have both at the same time”. Having watched the speech, I was a little puzzled about this. Then I realized that Protestant don’t do funerals like Catholics. There is no Mass of the Resurrection where the community comes together the pray for the dead and commend their soul to God. Protestants don’t believe in praying for the dead, because prayers for the dead presuppose that penance plays a role in salvation. Instead, Protestants do memorial services where you are supposed to say nice things about the person, in a solemn and dignified manner. If that is the way to mourn the dead, then an exuberant celebration might be inappropriate. But I saw last nights event not as a quasi-funeral service, but as a civic attempt to unite people. This is virtuous its own way, but is in no way close to a funeral. It’s funny how these elements of a Protestant mindset are so entrenched in the culture that they go unnoticed.