Westboro Baptist scheduled to protest 9 year old's funeral

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Gotta ask, because I don't understand: What exactly are they protesting in all of this? Or is this just Rebel Without a Cause, RAtM nonsense?

My understanding (granted, nothing this group does makes sense to sane people) is that they feel that God hates gays. Therefore, anytime there is a tragedy it is God having an active hand in punishing us Evil Queer Loving Americans. It is also just an attention-getting thing for their twisted "message" of gays being sinners.

Like I said, it doesn't really make sense. But there ya go.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

My understanding (granted, nothing this group does makes sense to sane people) is that they feel that God hates gays. Therefore, anytime there is a tragedy it is God having an active hand in punishing us Evil Queer Loving Americans. It is also just an attention-getting thing.

Like I said, it doesn't really make sense. But there ya go.

So does that make the Book of Job one big helping of gay porn? Seriously, how does this even make sense to them? Jesus didn't say to love our neighbours, except the gay ones. Ok, I'm done.

[ForeverRoses]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

My understanding (granted, nothing this group does makes sense to sane people) is that they feel that God hates gays. Therefore, anytime there is a tragedy it is God having an active hand in punishing us Evil Queer Loving Americans. It is also just an attention-getting thing for their twisted "message" of gays being sinners.

Like I said, it doesn't really make sense. But there ya go.

They also hate Roman Catholics and Christina Green was Catholic. They switch up some of the "God Hates Fags" posters with the "Pope is the AntiChrist" and other anti-catholic ones.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

They also hate Roman Catholics and Christina Green was Catholic. They switch up some of the "God Hates Fags" posters with the "Pope is the AntiChrist" and other anti-catholic ones.

Oh, yeah. That too. Forgot about that one.

When any "religious" group gets sooooo tunnel-visioned on one element of their book of worship (be it Bible, Qaran, etc) we wind up with whackos. Plain and simple.

Eventually, one of the members of this group (just can't call them a "church") will die. Eventually.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoses

They also hate Roman Catholics and Christina Green was Catholic. They switch up some of the "God Hates Fags" posters with the "Pope is the AntiChrist" and other anti-catholic ones.

Wow. Didn't know this.

[Drolefille]

What they're really about is suing the locales they protest at for failing to protect them from assault, along with suing whoever actually hits them. The whole church is Phelps' family and many of them are lawyers.

[Animate]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

ETA: ps they give Baptists a bad name. That's my opinion.

They give people a bad name.

[KSig RC]

We should all be happy that Westboro is as active and prolific as they are. The more their insane views are associated with the anti-gay movement, the better off homosexuals will be - let's try to get them to support the BCS, the designated hitter, non-EZPass toll booths, the penny, and sundry other stupid shit while we're at it.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

What they're really about is suing the locales they protest at for failing to protect them from assault, along with suing whoever actually hits them. The whole church is Phelps' family and many of them are lawyers.

Is this how they make their money to travel all over the place? I often wondered how they afforded all that travel. Do they have jobs outside of the church or do they live an insulated life?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

We should all be happy that Westboro is as active and prolific as they are. The more their insane views are associated with the anti-gay movement, the better off homosexuals will be - let's try to get them to support the BCS, the designated hitter, non-EZPass toll booths, the penny, and sundry other stupid shit while we're at it.

The Prop 8 group pretty much failed on their own when their views were put in front of a judge in court. Extremists of all stripes are more than annoying.

Originally Posted by Blondie93

Is this how they make their money to travel all over the place? I often wondered how they afforded all that travel. Do they have jobs outside of the church or do they live an insulated life?

They spend a LOT of money, and I'm not sure where it all comes from myself.
From wiki from a BBC doc:

Later in the documentary, Phelps-Roper agrees that the $200,000 the church annually spends to fly to funerals to protest was money spent to spread "God's hate."[54]

Fred Phelps himself was disbarred for his conduct over 30 years ago now I think. But I recall that a surprisingly high percentage of his 71 member church were lawyers including most/all of his (THIRTEEN) children and some spouses too. He has collected damages from an associated law firm -Phelps something or other - and I suspect that they actually work as well. But their beliefs are so vitriolic against not just gays or catholics but pretty much EVERY non-white, non-Christian group. (But they're not racist they swear.) I'm not sure how well they actually work with other people. Assuming they practice what they preach.

Church views

The Westboro Baptist Church considers membership in most religious groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church or Islam, as akin to devil worship, and states these other churches to be "Satanic frauds preaching Arminian lies."[50] All non-Christian entities, non-Protestant Christian churches, and all Protestant Christian churches that do not strongly condemn homosexuality are said to be sending their members to Hell.

Views on homosexuality

The group bases its work around the belief expressed by its best known slogan and the address of its primary Web site, God Hates Fags, asserting that every tragedy in the world is linked to homosexuality—specifically society's increasing tolerance and acceptance of the so-called homosexual agenda. The group maintains that God hates gays above all other kinds of "sinners"[55] and that homosexuality should be a capital crime.[56]

Views on religions
Catholicism

Westboro Baptist refers to Catholic priests as "vampires" and "Draculas" and talks of Catholic priests sucking semen out of male children's genitals like vampires suck blood from their victims. In addition, WBC calls Pope Benedict XVI such epithets as "The Godfather of Pedophiles" and "Pervert Pope".

The WBC also criticizes Catholicism, as it does Eastern Orthodoxy, for venerating the Virgin Mary, the Saints, relics, and icons; accusing the Catholic church of commiting idolatry.

Protestantism

Though the main purpose of the Priests Rape Boys website is to criticize Catholicism, the WBC also criticizes several mainline Protestant churches on the website, including Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Baptists. The WBC explains that

"their preachers have shirked their responsibility to tell people the truth about sin, and instead lie to them about what the Lord their God doth require of them. If these lying, false prophets told people the truth about what God says regarding those who suffer sin upon their neighbor (Lev. 19:17–18), there wouldn't be any butts in the seats when the plate got passed. These preachers are not preachers of righteousness, they are teachers having itching ears (2Tim 4:3), and they absolutely count on the abysmal bible illiteracy of their parishioners ... "Priests rape boys" is indeed an air-tight, three word case against all of the mainline 'christian' churches - their preachers and members, without exception. They are all going to Hell!"[59]


Islam

In response to a Newsweek article alleging that American soldiers flushed copies of the Qur'an down the toilet at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Fred Phelps released this statement:[61]

So what if our guys flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet? We hope they did. They probably did; We hope they flush more. Mohammed was a demon-possessed whoremonger and pedophile who contrived a 300-page work of Satanic fiction: The Quran! Like America's own whoremonger and pedophile wangled his own hokey Book of Mormon!


Hinduism

The WBC maintains a God Hates India webpage where they state that "80% of India's population claim to practice Hinduism ... "A country full of idolatry inevitably results in a nation full of fags and fag-enablers, because that's what happens when you depart from the Living God!"[63]

Judaism


the only true Jews are Christians. The rest of the people who claim to be Jews aren't, and they are nothing more than typical, impenitent sinners ... the vast majority of Jews support fags. In fact, it is the official policy of Reformed Jews to support same-sex marriage. Of course, there are Jews who still believe God's law, but most of them have even departed from that. It doesn't matter if you're a Jew or a Gentile...as long as you believe in Christ."[64]

In 1996, Phelps began a campaign called "Topeka's Baptist Holocaust", whereby he attempted to draw attention to attacks perpetrated against WBC picketers, saying that they were not random but organized attacks orchestrated by Jews and homosexuals. Phelps announced, "Jews killed Christ", and "Fag Jew Nazis are worse than ordinary Nazis. They've had more experience. The First Holocaust was a Jewish Holocaust against Christians. The latest Holocaust is by Topeka Jews against Westboro Baptist Church."[65]

A March 25, 2006 flier regarding a Jewish adversary of Phelps uses the phrase "bloody Jew" four times and the phrase "evil Jew" more than once every twelve sentences. A sampling of WBC's fliers regarding Judaism can be found at the ADL's website.[67] Phelps has also been targeted by the Anti-Defamation League for his anti-Semitic statements.[67][68]
Views on race and ethnicity

Founder Fred Phelps is a veteran of the Civil Rights movement (1955–1968),[69] and the Church attempts to distance itself from racism.[70] Despite this, Phelps' group did protest outside Coretta Scott King's funeral.[71]

On the subject of neo-Nazis, the KKK, and other violent extremist groups: "We don't believe in physical violence of any kind, and the Scripture doesn't support racism. ... The only true Nazis in this world are fags."[72]

The church has previously condemned particular nations, such as Italy, which it described as a nation of "mobster-breeding perverts".[73]
Views on Barack Obama

The Westboro Baptist Church believes that Barack Obama is the Antichrist, and that he forms an Unholy Trinity with Satan and Pope Benedict XVI, who they believe is the False Prophet.[74]

[KSUViolet06]

LOL at this:

Though the main purpose of the Priests Rape Boys website is to criticize Catholicism, the WBC also criticizes several mainline Protestant churches on the website, including Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Baptists.

So, basically, every Christian who's not a member of Westboro is doomed to hell. Awesome.

[knight_shadow]

Westboro Baptist Church criticizes Baptists?

wtf.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

LOL at this:

Though the main purpose of the Priests Rape Boys website is to criticize Catholicism, the WBC also criticizes several mainline Protestant churches on the website, including Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Baptists.

So, basically, every Christian who's not a member of Westboro is doomed to hell. Awesome.

Yep, pretty much. Along with every non-Christian and Obama who is the anti-christ.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Gotta ask, because I don't understand: What exactly are they protesting in all of this? Or is this just Rebel Without a Cause, RAtM nonsense?

Anything bad that happens in America is basically due to our acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle - it is God's punishment to us. Hence why their signs will usually read 'Thank God for ____ (In AZ, it was going to say Shooters).

Originally Posted by Blondie93

Is this how they make their money to travel all over the place? I often wondered how they afforded all that travel. Do they have jobs outside of the church or do they live an insulated life?

The majority of them are lawyers that is how they make their living (believe it or not, they have actual clients). Before Fred Phelps was disbarred and went psycho, he was actually a normal, upstanding person with political connections. Ironically, very active in the civil rights arena as well.

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Westboro Baptist Church criticizes Baptists?

wtf.

They are "Baptists" in the most extreme sense. I do not equate them to what is normally thought of as "Baptist" doctrine with the probable exception that they believe one has to be reborn through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. If one accepts this then they are to be "baptized" in the Spirit. This is done through total immersion.

I was raised "Southern Baptist" but left that for Methodism long ago. Guess I am going to hell as well.