The Westboro Baptist Church - Hate Group or?

[MissGentleman]

I hate Westboro. I hate the Phelpses, I hate their extreme right ideologies.

When they're sitting around wanting to ruin a girl's graduation because she wanted to go to prom with another girl, they're also picketing gay funerals and pride marches. I really hope that one day their uber-fundie crap will be considered a hate crime and Fred Phelps will be arrested.

They're giving Christianity a bad name with these terrible acts.

All I can say is God hates Westboro Baptist.

[lyric]

I'm a documentary addict, and not too long ago, I was nosing around on Netflix and found a documentary about the Phelps family. There isn't an eloquent way to say it - these people are just nuts. Hate in any form is dangerous, and so is any group who promotes hate with such rabid conviction.

I'm not sure if this video is posted anywhere else on BFP or not, but Toxic just pointed this out to me. Has anyone seen what happened when Michael Moore took on Phelps and his family of lunatics?

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra_fAYl4Th4"]YouTube- Michael Moore vs Westboro Baptist Church[/nomedia]

[Nat]

Anti-Gay Protesters Pepper Sprayed at Marine's Funeral



A 62-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to fire pepper spray at members of the radical Westboro Baptist Church as they protested the funeral of a U.S. Marine.

The incident took place at around 10 a.m. Saturday in Omaha, Neb., where some 20 followers of the extremist Kansas sect -- who believe the deaths of American soldiers are divine retribution for the country's tolerance of homosexuality -- were staging a demonstration a block away from the funeral of Staff Sgt. Michael Bock. The 26-year-old Marine was killed in combat in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on Aug. 13.

Police told KETV that the group was facing off with counter-protesters when local resident George Vogel drove by in a pick-up truck. Officers on duty say they saw the driver extend his arm, and spray what they described as a "large amount" of mace into the air after turning a corner. When they later stopped and searched the pick-up, they allegedly found an "industrial-sized" pepper spray dispenser.

"Initial indications are he was probably targeting the Westboro Baptist Church [protesters]," police spokesman Michael Pecha told CNN.

However, it appears as though instead of hitting the radicals -- who were waving signs reading "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates Your Tears" -- Vogel sprayed a small group of counter-protesters. "You couldn't see, you couldn't breathe," Gina Moulas, who had stretched an American flag in front of the church members so mourners wouldn't see them, told the Omaha World-Herald. "It burns like someone poured gas on you and lit it."

Another anti-Westboro demonstrator Leah Kossakoski, whose husband is in the Air Force, told the paper: "The good guys got hit."

Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro leader pastor Fred Phelps, told CNN that no one in her group was injured, as they had covered their faces with their signs.

Vogel has been charged with 16 counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of felony assault on a police officer for the mace exposure, officer Pecha told CNN. He's also been slapped with one count of child neglect, since his child was in the truck at the time of the incident.

The drive-by spraying happened as Bock's family and friends were inside Omaha's First United Methodist Church. Some 600 members of the Patriot Freedom Riders, who escort the bodies of soldiers and protect their families, had ringed the chapel to shield mourners from the extremists.

Scott Knudsen, the Patriot Guard Riders captain for Nebraska, told CNN that members of his organization only ever attend funerals when they are invited by families, and never engage with church members or counter-protesters. "We don't get close to them," Knudsen said of the Westboro members. "We have our backs to them."

Knudsen added that he was disturbed Vogel's vigilantism. "It's inappropriate," he said. "It's a funeral service."

[DomnNC]

A nice lil article by CNN on Nate Phelps. I agree they are a hate group indeed and don't represent the kind of Christianity that I was raised in and know. One of these days they are going to attend the wrong funeral and a few of them are going to not make it home.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/16/wes...x.html?npt=NP1

They fund their trips by awards they get in court from suing city or county governments who try to restrict their "free speech" or even suing members of the deceased's family if they attempt to stop them. The guy who took them to court over his Marine son's funeral has to pay them $116,000 in compensation for their lawyers (which happen to be 3 of Phelp's kids). Also their "church" membership is less than 100 with 90% of that being family. The dude has 13 kids.

[The_Lady_Snow]

2 of his children have left that fold, The rest of The kids aré ALL involved including grandkids. They aré now fully aware of their rights AND have S
a Supreme Court backing. Phelps (the dad) will die but his hate legacy is here to stay.

[Linus]

Nate Phelps has a website: http://natephelps.com/

Him, he's ok. In fact, reading his story is interesting.

[dixie]

To me they are nothing more than a cult, no different than the Branch Davidians, Christian Identity Movement, Heaven's Gate, etc etc. They use all these "freedom" tactics to cover their hate group agenda. I'm waiting on the day though when they go too far and begin actually perpetrating hate crimes against the ones they choose to speak out against. (Then, if they go the route of some of the other religious cult groups, it'll probably end up with either a Waco-type situation or some type of mass suicide.) These folks are just wayyyyy too nutty. And the brainwashing of the children is just sad and pathetic. Happy that Nate and a few of the others stood against them and left.

[suebee]

Originally Posted by DomnNC

A nice lil article by CNN on Nate Phelps. I agree they are a hate group indeed and don't represent the kind of Christianity that I was raised in and know. One of these days they are going to attend the wrong funeral and a few of them are going to not make it home.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/16/wes...x.html?npt=NP1

They fund their trips by awards they get in court from suing city or county governments who try to restrict their "free speech" or even suing members of the deceased's family if they attempt to stop them. The guy who took them to court over his Marine son's funeral has to pay them $116,000 in compensation for their lawyers (which happen to be 3 of Phelp's kids). Also their "church" membership is less than 100 with 90% of that being family. The dude has 13 kids.

I saw a video of an interview of Nate Phelps when he was in Canada one time. He seemed like a very gentle and intellegent man despite the upbringing he had to overcome.

ETA: Had I taken a second to search.....

[Camo Eagle]

Yes def a hate group to the fullest.
Sadly they hide behind religion & freedom of speech.

I will nev fig out how a so called Church can use the word Hate in their campaigns. That goes against everything taught in the Bible. Then they even make signs that say God hates so and so.
Excuse me, God & Jesus nev hated anyone, and I dont think they would condone it said in their names.
Perhaps they should be more worried about explaining all this on their judgement day, instead of what someone else is doing.

Unfortunately, even though its just words that some say are harmless, they do inspire nut balls to commit physical acts.

Makes Military folks sick knowing this is how "freedom of speech" is being used, but we dont get to pick and choose.

[Gráinne]

One could point to any number of atrocities carried out by any of the "big three" religions, far worse than Phelps. I know that's controversial to say, but Phelps (so far) has not killed anyone, nor exiled people, or tried to wipe out an entire group.

While I find them and their message repugnant, I disagree with a "hate speech" law. Who would decide what's hate speech and what isn't? Who would decide the penalties? We'd have a whole lot of people in prison if someone got the power to just lock them up for saying something they didn't like. I'd be scared to death much more of my speech watched by whatever political party was in power, than a tiny group carrying signs. China, for example. A beautiful country and people, but the most terrifying experience of my life.

I have every sympathy with the family of the serviceman who brought suit all the way to the Supreme Court. I too wish the Phelps would just go away. But if you silence one, you silence all.