“Nelson Mandela was everything the world has said of him.

Madiba, as he’s affectionately called, was profound, humble, kind, calm, generous, strategic, funny, brimming with honesty and integrity, occasionally impish and with a heart that seemed as though it could encompass the world.

And encompass the world, it did. It’s always said that after 27 years in prison he turned the other cheek: in truth, he emerged from the fires of hell with nothing but wisdom and love, for his people and for the planet.

There will never be such another.”
 
- Stephen Lewis

Further proof that prison works :3

(and what a cutie he is)

Let's not forget that many Christian leaders were friendly toward the apartheid government and opposed the release of Nelson Mandela, labelling him a terrorist.

You won't see them saying too many things today.

Here is a small sample. It was also nice to see so many world leaders pause today, and say some good words about Mandela.

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2013/12/anglican-communion-leaders-pay-...

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/nelson.mandela.will.inspire.genera...

http://www.abc-usa.org/2013/12/06/remembering-nelson-mandela/

http://www.worldea.org/news/4309/wea-pays-tribute-to-nelson-mandela

http://geoffreymkeyte.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/nelson-mandela-from-the-w...

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/12/06/elca-presiding-bishop-...

http://m.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/utah-governor-morm...

http://www.cte.org.uk/Articles/381679/Churches_Together_in/Resources/New...

Never go to a funeral to learn the truth about someone. Lifted this piece from somewhere on the net to give this time some balance and space to breath a bit of reality.

"Mandela began as a terrorist and never turned his back on monsters like Arafat and Castro, whom he considered brothers in arms. When he was released from prison by de Klerk, he showed unexpected statesmanship, counseling reconciliation rather than revenge, no small achievement in a country in which the “liberation” movement (led by Mandela’s wife and party) placed oil filled inner tubes around the necks of former comrades and set them on fire.

But if a leader should be judged by his works, the country Mandela left behind is an indictment of his political career, not an achievement worthy of praise – let alone the unhinged adoration he is currently receiving across the political spectrum.

South Africa today is the murder capital of the world, a nation where a woman is raped every 30 seconds, often by AIDs carriers who go unpunished, and where whites are anything but the citizens of a democratic country which honors the principles of equality and freedom
.

Sorry, Walster, but the publication you just quoted named Glenn Beck their "Man of the Year" in 2009, and followed that up with "The Tea Party Movement" in 2010. I'm afraid we can't take you seriously. Not to mention that Honduras is the murder capital of the world, with a murder rate 3 times higher than that of South Africa.

I didn't bother fact checking anything else. If you want to impress people with right-wing crap, try some other place.

But there is no argument that Mandella did participate in acts of destruction and violence . It is why he was imprisioned.

It is better to recognise that he changed and embraced a forgiveness and reconciliation framework once released.

He was only moderately religious in a country that is quite religious but embraced the idea of forgiving those who wronged you.

But he was a violent man at the beginning.

Sadly, the hopes for South Africa have not been realized. A country that was a powerhouse is bogged down in corruption and