"God Hates Fags?" Not According to Jesus and his Lawyers

That there are homophobes out there -- real, virulent gay haters -- is not news. And I've already detailed my disdain in particular for those who gay-hate in the name of God.

Nor is it news that everyone's got an opinion about what's going on with our soldiers in Iraq.

But can you imagine someone actually conflating their disdain for gays with the deaths of American soldiers?

You could play that horrid game of mental Twister if you'd heard of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Fred Phelps, the pastor of this so-called church, and his... -- his flock? His lemmings? -- believe that all soldiers' deaths are divine retribution for America's tolerance of homosexuals.

Just to sum up: God is killing service men and women because America is sooooo unbelievably tolerant of gays.

And if you really want to believe that, fine. Go sit in a corner and believe while intelligent people try to actually deal with the war and its human cost.

Problem is, this Westboro bunch chooses to not sit in some corner. They actively seek to inflict emotional pain in perhaps the most deranged manner possible; traveling the country showing up at the funerals of fallen soldiers - not gay soldiers, or soldiers who openly advocated inclusion. Just soldiers who gave their lives for their country. The group then heckles the families of the fallen at their supreme hour of grief. Throwing out lines and holding up posters like: "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and "God Hates Fags."

Pithy.

The conduct of these..."people" is not just depraved. It's illegal. Well, to a point.

The parents of one soldier whose funeral the Westboro flock berated sued the church. The church was found liable and hit up with an eleven million dollar verdict.

The verdict may be overturned on issues of free speech. As a believer in the freedom of speech to a degree I would accept that.

But I also accept that not all speech is protected. The family sued the church for emotional distress and invasion of privacy, and some states disregard "free speech" under such circumstances.

Time will tell how this suit ultimately tumbles.

Certainly hitting the Westboro bunch up for all the money in the world won't make them understand that God loves rather than hates. There are those who believe punitive damages are exactly the wrong way to punish such mongers. But at least this judgment is one step toward truly putting their broke behinds in a corner where they can huddle alone with nothing but their own hate to keep them warm.

Until they end up someplace that's, well, hot as hell.

Comments

[Reddaddy]

My father was minister. He never preached hate. He always preached about the love of God. He also preached about loving everyone. No where in the Bible does it condeme being Gay. As Gay man and a Vet. I find these people an insult to mankind. How many of them have served our courty in any form. Freedrom of speech is one thing. These people are abusing that. Their tax exempt status should be revoked. Every time they show up, the best solution is to ingone them.

[marleysghost]

Seems to me that Jesus welcomed the outcasts of his day and was accused of consorting with prostitutes, tax gatherers, and lepers. He was rebuked for it by the "proper" people of the day but carried on telling people that there were only two commandments (not 10 anymore). Love God and love your neighbor (fellow man/woman) just as you should love yourself.

Unless these people do as Jesus said they should do, they are not Christians and are guilty of false advertising. Perhaps we could say that they belong to the "Hateful People's Organization."

[GWHayduke]

www.GodHatesShrimp.com

[sierradrinker]

This guy has been around for years and his actions are nothing new. After all, I believe he picketed Matthew Sheppard's funeral too. What I can't stand the most is the conservative bloggers and media comparing this guy to Democrats. He ran for governor as Kansas as a democrat, and the ACLU stands behind his right to free speech. As with many issues of free speech, I abhor his message, but I will defend his right to say it.

[jackspratling]

I don't know why this is even an issue. The First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...

However, that DOESN'T limit an individual's right to seek recourse against another individual for intentional infliction of emotional distress, which is exactly what these guys did. The First Amendment is all about government restriction of speech, not private speech. Why isn't that front and center here?

[nikto]

IMO, for those who still seek spirituality, there is a "cure" to the follies and hypocrisies of organized religion----Take the religion right OUT of spirituality as did THE TRANSCENDENTALISTS, led by EMERSON, THOREAU, etc.

Seek Solitude in nature and spend hours contemplating life, death, eternity, existence, the meaning of everything, God's purpose in creation, etc etc etc

And be sure to leave your headphones/cellphone/Ipod whatever,
somewhere else. (important)

It requires no church, pastor, priest or pundit----Just YOU, nature (forest, field, mountain, stream, beach, sand dune, etc), and NO OTHER PEOPLE AROUND (or at least nearby).

For all those who do this honestly,
It gets results, I promise.

Obviously, some people will be afraid,
or skeptical.

But this process led the Transcendentalists to insightful and very moral conclusions such as: Slavery is wrong;Men & Women are equal;Nature is precious and must be preserved and protected; Technological "progress" has a dark, freedom-limiting aspect, etc etc etc etc

Meanwhile, many organized churches of the time (1840s/50s/60s) actively supported slavery and the inferiority of women, and commonly used the Bible to back it up!

The Bible & organized religion----Often polluted by human priorities like greed and power-lust.

Nature and a person alone with themselves and their "inner voice"----A much surer and trustable route to spirituality.

And you don't have to build a cabin by a pond like Thoreau---You can do it in your own backyard watching the hummingbirds
amidst the flowers!!

[Mark701]

In all probability, the pastor and his entire flock are mentally ill. I would also bet that a goodly number of them are closet gays and lesbians. How many times have we heard the "holier than thou" diatribes from anti-gay personel only to have it revealed that they are gay?

[OhgReaTone]

The Westboro Church is a compliment to the Iranian President - get rid of the undesirables - They learned who undesirables are in their court battle - The undesirables are those who would try to use our constitution to protect their insanity.
Ohg.
http://thefireside.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/thank-god-for-dead-soldiers/

[pvernier]

Man created God in his image.

Makes it that much easier to do such terrible things in the name of God.

[alsm9]

This is one of the huge problems with organized religion. They can make up any hate filled garbage they like, and they don't need any kind of proof to back up what they say because they have "faith". How do we battle hatred like that?

[Willard41]

This is why I'm not religious...not Phelps specifically, but the breed he represents. At best I'm a Deist, cause it makes me sound smart, but I really do believe that is where I fall in my sense of spirituality. That I just don't know what God has planned, and that makes sense...how could I comprehend that?

This is a case in point: how could a just God, a loving God, a tolerant God, allow this kind of sickening behavior to be carried out in his name? At the very least their tour bus, or trailer or whatever, should be carried away by some natural disaster, if not struck by lightning. Some sort of old testament, divine retribution should be levied here. But I guess we'll just have to settle for the court decision to take all their money.

[DocManhattan]

Completely baffling how people like that can call themselves 'Christians' and not have an ounce of compassion.

[Incredulous]

I think God is killing Americans in retribution for all the hate and violence they keep perpetrating in his name. I mean, if there is a God, isn't that more likely?
At least we can take comfort in the fact that Fred Phelps and his flock of festering freaks will burn in Hell for eternity for their sins against humanity.
Until then, ignore them the best you can

[SouthpawSass]

Well apparently not John. And I can prove it.
Robertson has just endorsed Giuliani... See?

[Gregorysf]

I hate this bastard as much as anyone, but all we're doing is giving him the publicity and attention he and his lovely family want. Put a blond wig on him and you'll have Ann Coulter. Yes it's a bitch having to share a planet with them. They are miserable tiny-souled people who are wasting this incarnation. Don't feed them by acknowledging them.