The Westboro Baptist Church has “graced” the pages of Think Xian before. But I was sent the following and wanted to pass it on…not that I think there are any sympathizers here. (Although some may agree with their beliefs but not their methods.)
Apparently WBC was “inspired” by the soap operish murder scenario of the pregnant Marine recently. They saw it as another chance to picket a military installation, which they planned to do yesterday.
A friend sent me the insider invitation sent by the WBC to their people and I wanted you to see it for yourself:
Westboro Baptist Church
(WBC Chronicles – Since 1955)
3701 SW 12th St. Topeka, Kansas 66604 785-273-0325 www.godhatesfags.com
Religious Opinion and Bible Commentary on Current Events
Saturday, January 12, 2008
NEWS RELEASE
WBC to picket Camp Lejeune.
God Hates the U.S. Marines.
The wonderful, spit-and-polish Marine is over eight months pregnant and she says another wonderful Marine raped her, and now on the eve of his court martial where she is the star witness against him, she turns up dead, and he is a fugitive from justice. Wonderful. The few. The proud. Based on our extensive experience with Marines for over a decade, we can testify that these are typical Marines.
WBC will picket the filthy, lawless Marine Corps – at noon next Sat., Jan. 19 – at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; in religious protest and warning: “Be not ”’deceived; God is not mocked.” Gal. 6:7. God Hates Fags! & Fag Enablers. Ergo, God hates the Marines. The Marine Corps is saturated with vile fags and dykes. It matters not to them that they are violating the laws of God and man. Our leaders know of the problem, but they refuse to fix it, due to pressure from political leaders, because fags have enormous political influence – called in Scripture “The power of the dog.” Psa. 22:20. And the phenomenon is called by Tocqueville, “The worm in the American apple.”
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination. ” Lev. 18:22.
“Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ” Eph.5:6.
Hmmm.
Now, I take particular issue with this, as one of my sons has been a U.S. Marine for over five years. He just went to Iraq for the fourth time. So, to paint all Marines this way is especially sickening.
And to speak so strongly for God is so scary. Obviously they have the triune, sovereign God of the Universe pegged. And I’m sure He appreciates their help. (Now taking tongue firmly out of cheek.)
BUT…I have to return to my previous TC post of just a week ago…I admitted that one of the points Yancey made was particularly hard for me:
Remember, those Christians who peeve you so much—God chose them too. For some reason, I find it much easier to show grace and acceptance toward immoral unbelievers than toward uptight, judgmental Christians. Which, of course, turns me into a different kind of uptight, judgmental Christian.
Ouch.
And, of course, “love your enemies.”
Double ouch.
Can I just pull out that inimitable response, “Okay, I’ll love them, but I don’t have to like them!” (accompanied by a high-pitched whine and the stamping of feet)?
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January 20, 2008 at 14:44
I wanted to let you know that not all MARINES are bad. How dare you refer to those wonderful men and women who are out there fighting for your freedome? How can you say that GOD hates MARINES? It happens to be one bad one in a bushell. My son is a MARINE! I am a very VERY proud mother of a UNITED STATES MARINE! If you were really a Christian man, you would not say things like that. You are not a Christian. It is like saying that one particular race is bad because one decided to murder another. You need to give an apology to the UNITED STATES MARINES! You are obviously a liberal who is very judgemental. I am glad that I don’t know you personally because if I did, you would hear more than just what is in this.
January 20, 2008 at 15:16
Love doesn’t mean agree with your enemies…and I don’t think it can keep us from publicly crying out against this type of behavior by Christians. Jesus used really harsh language (“brood of vipers” comes to mind) against religious people. We can’t err so far on the side of “love” that we fail to rebuke and remind people of what Jesus is really all about (which is loving them). To do so would be catastrophic because the obnoxious, hateful “Christians” tend to be the most outspoken…if the people truly attempting to love take “love” to mean silence then the real message of the Gospel will be washed out by the sound of clanging cymbals.
January 20, 2008 at 16:19
Whoa, Barb, I didn’t say those things. WBC did. As a 5-year Marine dad, I have learned not to mess with Marine Moms! You, Barb, prove that perfectly. ;^)
January 20, 2008 at 16:58
I think a little background on the WBC might be helpful in understanding the motivations. Here is a web page that has the story of one of the children who left this church.
http://www.blank.org/addict/
It tells the story of some very violent physical and spiritual abuse by Fred Phelps the founder of this group which consists mainly of his own family. The oldest daughter who is the rather offensive spokesperson for the group has an illegitimate son that remains part of the group.
Considering the rather vindictive view of God that has been conditioned into them by their violent father, it becomes somewhat obvious that this daughter is trying to make up for this mistake by taking on the role of God’s champion as she understands it.
The form of Calvinism that they follow would not seem all that offensive in the time of John Calvin. If you read the history of John Calvin you will find even more sickening violence done in the name of a Old Testament style God, to those who lived in Geneva while John Calvin ruled that city. You will also find a similar scriptural basis for these acts.
January 20, 2008 at 23:17
I agree, Mikey. It is a lot easier for me to love the vilest of non-Christians than to love those most judgmental Christians. I agrre with your sentiments, that it is hard, but we must love them too. Good balance, brother.
As for the comment You are obviously a liberal who is very judgemental, that is a stereotype as well. It actually sounds more conservative (radically conservative) to me, with the hating gays part, but that type of behavior is certainly not typical of liberals or conservatives.
January 21, 2008 at 07:11
Hi Mikey,
Like yourselve I vary between cringeing in shame or venting outright anger when reading stuff like this from so called “Christians”. No wonder the world thinks we are a bunch of hate-filled bigots. I agree with Chris, the Bible says we have to love our neighbour but we don’t have to agree with him/her. In fact I found a verse in Leviticus which I think sums it up rather well. “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” Lev 19:17. We need to speak out against churches like this lest, by our silence, we share in their guilt.
Cheers
Bob
January 21, 2008 at 07:27
As a local leader in a well known Christian organization, I have been privileged to work directly and indirectly with many Marines, Guardsman, and other service personnel in community based service projects. I have never encountered any that remotely resemble the description offered by these very errant Christian…individuals. I could max out this blog with superlatives describing their behavior and character. As to the Christians who “peeve” me or anyone else, it may be that God chose them. I am confident that he did not ordain that they behave in an un-Christlike way. I will resist the draw to pass judgment on another’s experience in Christ. However, I am not blind to the fact that, just because a person or group takes the label Christian, it does not mean that they are, in fact, Christian.
January 21, 2008 at 10:46
Wait a minute—Westboro Baptists are Christians?
I don’t think so. There are “uptight, judgmental Christians”, people who don’t like, let’s say, Christian heavy metal rock or who don’t think that Christians should watch TV, and it is our responsibility to love them, that’s for sure.
Westboro Baptist is in a different category altogether—it’s a psychological, not a religious, phenomenon. Read just a little about the Rev. Phelps and you find that he has some really serious psychiatric problems, as illustrated by the whole concept of “picketing funerals.” While we do have a responsibility to love the individual members of this “church”, we also have a responsibility to repudiate anything they do or say as the worst kind of heresy, because that’s what it is.
January 21, 2008 at 12:22
Goodness. What might be a good way to love people who are able to think, say and do such things? I’m really not sure if I would naturally respond in a loving, Christian way if I were to come across someone saying things like this.
That’s one heck of a challenge you’ve laid at our doors.
January 21, 2008 at 12:44
Yancey’s point is very true and very convicting. We have to be careful of our thoughts and actions becoming unloving and judgmental. And yet, we cannot go to the opposite extreme of too much tolerance. Sometimes anger is justified.
We have great instructions on how to deal with sinful people in Matthew 18:15-17 and in 1 Corinthians 5. Interestingly, the response we should have towards those who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord is different from the response we should have towards non-believers. In all cases we should love and encourage to repentance. But it seems to me that our response towards sinful brothers and sisters in Christ should be more severe. Like the bonds of blood, we expect more and have more right to chastise our relatives then we do of strangers. But the bonds between members of the Body of Christ are even stronger, and so our responsibility to rebuke one another is even greater.
January 21, 2008 at 21:59
Mikey:
Whew! Nice job responding to Barb. I hope she hung around long enough to realize her mistake.
I, too, have a hard time having compassion for those who have access to the Truth but choose to distort it for their own purposes. That goes for a couple of the more popular “Christian” cult religions, too. The WBC is a truly scary distortion of what Christianity is all about, but it’s just the sort of idiosy that the press eats up. Their story does sort of make it easier to cope with those believers closer to home who ‘talk the talk’ but ‘walk the walk’ with a limp….(including myself.)
January 23, 2008 at 13:13
I read more on the “pastor” – a terrible, sad, sad story. I rushed home and just hugged on my kids. I cannot conceive of such cruelty.
The targeting of the Corps is weak, cowardly, and probably not even the source of their hate. I see lots of anti-government sentiment underlying this, as well.
Those who hate homosexuals with the most intensity are probably suppressing it themselves! c.f. Haggard’s saga, American Beauty, et. al.
January 23, 2008 at 13:13
Amy said: But it seems to me that our response towards sinful brothers and sisters in Christ should be more severe. Like the bonds of blood, we expect more and have more right to chastise our relatives then we do of strangers. But the bonds between members of the Body of Christ are even stronger, and so our responsibility to rebuke one another is even greater.
I think that’s an accurate and wise approach, in general. Of course, the WBC are likely not in any sort of fellowship with other believers; cults like this tend to be insular and even paranoid of outsiders. They should be treated as a cult, not as fellow believers who would even listen to such discipline, even given with love. I see them as “relatives” so to speak, who have disowned the family – for a hate-filled existence.
January 23, 2008 at 14:52
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6507971.stm
Reminds me of Gandalf talking about Gollum and pity.
January 23, 2008 at 14:53
Is ‘Think Xian’ a Chinese site? I jest, I jest!
January 23, 2008 at 19:54
I can’t believe anyone takes Phelps seriously, except perhaps for the local child protective services, which apparently doesn’t. There are some very good parodies which give him the treatment he deserves, including
http://www.godhatesfigs.com
and
http://www.godhatesshrimp.com
His targeting of the military (not just the marines) helps to put his insanity in perspective, but it is really uncalled for, especially when he shows up at funerals to berate grieving families.
Oh, just how does he manage to pose a rape which results in pregnancy as evidence of the evil of homosexuality anyway? He’s nuts.
January 23, 2008 at 20:49
John (post 14): OUCH! As an almost fanatic LoTR reader that is a very thought-provoking comparison. It doesn’t, however, help me figure out how best to help “Rev. Gollum’s” victims or how to prevent him from doing damage to others. We don’t seem to have an “Aragorn” available to go track him down and imprison him. Sigh! All allegories fail at some point. [Post 15 made me laugh out loud.]
January 24, 2008 at 02:32
“Remember, those Christians who peeve you so much—God chose them too.”
With all due respect they aren’t acting like Christians. They aren’t talking like Christians. They aren’t following Jesus. Thus I would beg to differ on the statement that they are Christians chosen by God.
“Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will inherit the kingdom of God.”
“26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” – Hebrews 10:26-31 (NIV)
Their complete and utter lack of compassion, mercy, self control, respect, and pure unadulterated unfettered hatred speaks volumes to whether or not the love of Jesus is in their hearts.
A close friend of my participated in an event by the Patriot Guard. A group of Bikers who go around to the funerals of fallen soldiers and block the view and sound of these “Christian” protesters who shout obscenities and all sorts of cruel and evil things at the GRIEVING PARENTS AND SPOUSES AND FRIENDS of people who were noble men and women who gave their lives for this country.
I had never seen my friend so distraught. Usually an even tempered, non emotional person, just beside himself at the gross hatred this Westboro church spews from its mouth.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. –
Matthew 7:21
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:8
These people aren’t from God.
Jesus said “You will know them by their fruits.”
And I’m certain these aren’t the fruits of the Spirit or my God.
January 24, 2008 at 09:57
Gotta admit that this is a source of pride in my life and something I struggle with daily: My intolerance and anger toward intolerant, angry “Christians,” while I pat myself on the back for my tolerance and love of non-believers. Seems a bit messed up, but it’s the mote in my eye.