Westboro is the church that runs the “God hates fags” website. They have recently been having protests at funerals of soldiers who have died in Iraq. Their reasoning is that the soldiers deaths is a sign of God’s punishment on America for her tolerance of homosexuality.
Folks like Fred Phelps (the pastor) and the Westboro church, in presuming to speak as Christians, misrepresent legitimate Churches and the voice of true disciples of Christ. In addition to their logical non sequitur of the connection of a heterosexual soldier’s heroic death and gay characters on TV sitcoms, they fail to make the distinction between God’s judgment of sin even while continuing to love the sinner. Moreover, they ignore the continual offer of grace and God’s love to ALL people. God’s pronouncement of judgment is always to be accompanied with a call to repentance and the offer of grace. The Phelps clan (most of the church is his extended family) is driven by personal hatred instead of God’s love.
I post this today because when I see acts of hatred that appeal to religious belief, I always look for people from within that religion to condemn those acts. Phelps simply does not represent the Christian church and no protest at a funeral should be considered ‘religious expression’. I would love to see Churches counter protest Phelps, by surrounding them until their picket signs can’t be seen and singing Amazing Grace until their shouts were inaudible.
Couldn’t agree with you more. There was a documentary shown over here about the Westboro Baptist Church, and they showed clips of them protesting outside a soldier’s funeral. Having watched it, I’m quite glad that someone has finally taken them to task. I’m generally uneasy with legislation restricting any form of personal or religious expression, but in this case it’s wholly justified. The concern is that people will inevitably mis-associate their views with mainstream Christianity, and, theology aside, the way they “nurture” their kids is disgusting, worthy of social services stepping in.
I couldn’t agree more. I was appalled to read this sort of thing was being done in the name of Christianity.