Baptists to protest VT funerals, say they brought this on themselves

[itsbob]

Excellent point - Phelps and his wandering band of fellow hatemongers do not represent Baptism or Christianity. The best I can say about them is that they're attention whores.

They represent Baptists and Christianity just like the car bomber and IED manufacturer represent Islam. Where's the main Baptist Church telling them to stop? I don't know much about the Baptists, but who's in charge? Where are the churches doing the counter protests?

You get a bunch of bikers out there doing what's right, and nothing but silence from the churches?

Silence implies agreement.

 

[Tonio]

Where's the main Baptist Church telling them to stop? I don't know much about the Baptists, but who's in charge? Where are the churches doing the counter protests?

You get a bunch of bikers out there doing what's right, and nothing but silence from the churches?

Silence implies agreement.

Valid point. From my limited reading about the Southern Baptist Convention, it seems more conservative than the other denominations. It's possible that the Convention has already asked Phelps to knock it off but he simply ignored the request. And, it's possible that the Convention has already condemned his actions but that the media gave little ink or air time to the condemnation.

 

[vraiblonde]

They represent Baptists and Christianity just like the car bomber and IED manufacturer represent Islam. Where's the main Baptist Church telling them to stop?

The church groups have been VERY vocal in denouncing the Phelps freaks. Watch Fox News and you see them all the time. The Westboro Baptist church is independent, and not affiliated with the Baptist (whatever it's called, the whole bunch of them - association?). Any group can call itself a church of ANY religion, and there's nothing the real church groups can do about it.

But real church groups criticize them all the time. Even Jerry Fallwell calls them a "hate group".

 

[Pete]

I don't think any Baptist organization hold exclusive rights to the name "Baptist"

 

[Magnum]

Well this is not good. I plan on attending a funeral tomorrow

 

[Bronwyn]

is not affiliated with any national Baptist organization

Your thread title makes it sound like a REAL Baptist church was planning on protesting at the funerals. After reading in to your post I see that you correctly quoted that they are not affiliated with the real church. There are many cults out there that like to think they follow a twisted version of Christianity, but in truth they don't.

I request that you don't think to them as "true" examples of Christian behavior and beliefs. TY

 

[itsbob]

The church groups have been VERY vocal in denouncing the Phelps freaks. Watch Fox News and you see them all the time. The Westboro Baptist church is independent, and not affiliated with the Baptist (whatever it's called, the whole bunch of them - association?). Any group can call itself a church of ANY religion, and there's nothing the real church groups can do about it.

But real church groups criticize them all the time. Even Jerry Fallwell calls them a "hate group".

http://www.ifilm.com/video/2781259

Good video of a town doing the right thing.



You'd think if you were Baptist your church would be going out of it's way to silence these people, to stand up and show the world that these aren't the REAL Baptists. How many people does Westboro have as memberes? Any time I see them on TV there only seems to be 5 or 6 of them protesting, you'd think the local Baptist church would want to get 10 times that amount of people to block their access..

 

[Toxick]

http://www.ifilm.com/video/2781259

Good video of a town doing the right thing.

Please to describe...

Streaming media is a giant no-no where I am. I don't need a spanking this early in the week.


Is there major carnage and ass-kickery?

 

[itsbob]

Please to describe...

Streaming media is a giant no-no where I am. I don't need a spanking this early in the week.


Is there major carnage and ass-kickery?

Cops try to evacuate the protesters from Westboro, as a VERY pissed off mass of townfolk are approaching. I don't know what town, but they are there protesting at a soldiers funeral.
It appears the cops get them out of there JUST in time (bummer) as they are leaving in a van with sirens wailing, rocks break out a side window, and you can see people in the background screaming, and yelling..

 

[vraiblonde]

You'd think if you were Baptist your church would be going out of it's way to silence these people, to stand up and show the world that these aren't the REAL Baptists. How many people does Westboro have as memberes? Any time I see them on TV there only seems to be 5 or 6 of them protesting, you'd think the local Baptist church would want to get 10 times that amount of people to block their access..

The church groups (most of them, anyway) that actually get airtime feel that counter-protests only feed the publicity. A lot of them think it's best to ignore these freaks in hopes they'll go away and they've implored the media to stop covering their activities.

But it's well-known that church organizations do not condone the WBC's actions in any way, shape or form. Even the religious people who are against homosexuality do not even remotely support the disruption of a funeral, and they have been vocal in their condemnation in the media outlets that have allowed them some press.

Now.

Much like Forestal's misleading headline for this thread, many news outlets like to portray the WBC as "Christians" and "evangelicals" (you know, the ones that got George Bush into office). It's just part of the anti-religion virus that is infecting the Left. This is why you rarely see Christians speaking out against WBC, except for on Fox - the other networks don't invite them on. O'Reilly and Hannity have them on all the time. Even Colmes had to suck it up and condemn them, although he tried the old "free speech" argument for about a second and a half before coming to.

 

[aps45819]

Cops try to evacuate the protesters from Westboro, as a VERY pissed off mass of townfolk are approaching. I don't know what town, but they are there protesting at a soldiers funeral.
It appears the cops get them out of there JUST in time (bummer) as they are leaving in a van with sirens wailing, rocks break out a side window, and you can see people in the background screaming, and yelling..

That's what they want. Then they file law suits against the local authorities for failing to provide them "equal protedtion". They have also filed suits aginst the employers of those outraged by them.

 

[kom526]

Does anybody get the idea that some extremely pizzed off college student(s) aren't going to give flying rat's f*$k about a lawsuit from these dumbazzes? Eventually, someone from the WBC will get killed and then what, are they going to protest that funeral?

 

[Tonio]

Much like Forestal's misleading headline for this thread, many news outlets like to portray the WBC as "Christians" and "evangelicals" (you know, the ones that got George Bush into office). It's just part of the anti-religion virus that is infecting the Left.

I suspect that most of that is not outright bias, but simply ignorance about the nuances of the various Christian doctrines. The reporters often treat "evangelical" and "fundamentalist" as the same thing, when they are most definitely not. Even among reporters who know the difference, they often use the word "fundamentalism" as a synonym for Biblical literalism, although I understand that are some minor differences. Plus, it's normal and understandable for a member of a denomination to know only a little about the doctrines of other denominations. How many, say, Methodists or Lutherans can say they really understand, say, Catholicism or Seventh-Day Adventism?

Part of the problem is that most news outlets do not have reporters who cover religion issues full time. Whenever a religious controversy arises, they assign the stories to general-assignment reporters who may be knowledgable only about their own religions or religious upbringings.

 

[Redskinsmama]

The members of the westboro "baptist" church are all family. The majority of protestors are his children and grandchildren. Both fred and his daughter are lawyers also and are very well versed in first ammendment law. they have won almost every case they have ever brought to court. the ones they didn't lose, were either dismissed or settled. this is the same group that goes around and threatens to put up a matthew shepherd "memorial" (when i say memorial, the statue reads "matthew shepherd burned in hell on blah blah blah date, and then reads a mixed up bible verse to express their ignorant message) whereever there is a 10 commandments monument. The ten commandments statues are dropping all around the country b/c of this ignorant man. People are becoming wise though, and have found very genious tactics to cover their picketing. I hope that VA tech mourners can handle the protests b/c i would hate to see something horrible happen and Fred Phelps get the attention he so craves.

 

[jeep_ma]

Announced on the God hates fags website......

Westboro Baptist Church hereby cancels all pending pickets, and agrees not to schedule future pickets, related to The Virginia Tech Massacre, on the following terms and conditions; to wit: In consideration for 3 hours of national radio time with Mike Gallagher on his National Radio Show -- next Tuesday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon New York time -- Westboro Baptist Church has agreed to cancel all pickets now pending and not to schedule future pickets related to The Virginia Tech Massacre. Westboro Baptist Church representatives will appear in studio with Mr. Gallagher, and will freely discuss WBC's religious position relative to such tragedies as The Virginia Tech Massacre

 

[Tonio]

In consideration for 3 hours of national radio time with Mike Gallagher on his National Radio Show

I find that almost comically ironic, for this reason:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002004.html

When researching a depressingly copious array of real-life campus massacres for a fictional variation on those macabre melees in my last novel, "We Need to Talk About Kevin," I grew to appreciate that every school shooter has his own sorry story. Yet the one motivation that seems to tie all these misguided characters together is a yearning for media recognition. In an era that has lost touch with the distinction between fame and infamy, so driving is the need to be noticed -- for any reason -- that even posthumous attention will do.

By the way, I had never heard of Mike Gallagher.

 

[Magnum]

Well I did not see any protesting today. Very crowded, tons of people but no problems.

 

[vraiblonde]

Announced on the God hates fags website......

Westboro Baptist Church hereby cancels all pending pickets, and agrees not to schedule future pickets, related to The Virginia Tech Massacre, on the following terms and conditions; to wit: In consideration for 3 hours of national radio time with Mike Gallagher on his National Radio Show -- next Tuesday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon New York time -- Westboro Baptist Church has agreed to cancel all pickets now pending and not to schedule future pickets related to The Virginia Tech Massacre. Westboro Baptist Church representatives will appear in studio with Mr. Gallagher, and will freely discuss WBC's religious position relative to such tragedies as The Virginia Tech Massacre

I say let 'em talk. Gallagher gave them an hour in exchange for them not protesting the Amish kids' killings awhile back. That was an hour well-spent because #1, they weren't disrupting the funerals, and #2, these people sound like absolute loony tunes. Just so filled with hate and ugliness it was scary.

Yeah, let 'em talk. I have no problem with the whole world knowing what a bunch of psychos these people are. Being anti-homosexual is one thing, but the WBC people are just crazy.

 

[Arista]

When I went to the University of Oklahoma, these chuckleheads would show up to the campus every month or so with signs saying that God hated institutes of higher education and that we were all sinners and going to burn in hell. One of them got up in my face and told me I should be home tending to my husband. I pretty much laughed at him and told him to get bent. Usually they got heckled right off the campus.

I thought "true Christians" were compassionate and loved even the sinner. I'm just sayin', Shirley Phelps-Roper...

 

[Vince]

Yeah, I was right. This is the same group that went around passing out flyers with "Thank God for IEDS" at soldiers funerals. Their website has listings of funerals they are going to "protest". I say Thank God for the Patriot Riders.

These people need their