The Supreme Court began listening today to testimony in the case between Albert Snyder and the fun-loving folk as Westboro Baptist Church. The case itself could make one vomit, but what outrages me even more than the trial is the fact that only 2 people (out of the seven I've spoken to) have ever heard of the Westboro Baptist Church. And while I'll be the first to admit that ignorance is often bliss, it is also often dangerous.
If you are asking the question "Westboro who?" I'll assume you still have a rotary phone, no cable or internet, and you avoid reading newspapers. Westboro Baptist Church is lead by the Rev. Fred Phlelps, and consists mostly of his extended (and thoroughly brainwashed) family. The good Rev. Fred routinely straps "God Hates Fags" signs on his eight and nine-year-old grand children and places them on street corners. Even worse, he and his merry band of misfit in-laws routinely show up at soldier's funerals with signs that say things like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "God Hates the United States", "Thank God for IEDs", and "Fags Killed Your Son."
After disrupting the funeral of Albert Snyder's son, who died in battle, Mr. Snyder filed a ten million dollar lawsuit, which was reduced by a judge to five million, and later overturned by a district court. The matter is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. The question is, does the freedom of speech cover harassment at funerals? It's a good question. Did Albert Snyder's son die defending the right for hate-mongers like Rev. Fred and his brood to spew their venom at his funeral?
What bothers me, however, is not seeing the Westboro gang standing on a street corner with signs telling us all the people God hates and is killing. What bothers me is the fact that there are never other Christians standing on the same corner telling the world just how far Fred's head is up his own backside. Where are the Christians shouting "This is not my God!"? Why haven't the American Baptist and the Southern Baptist Conference risen up and declared that this micro-cult does not represent ANY Baptist denomination other than their own.
In a perfect world you would not be able to even see Westboro's wretched signs, because for every one of them there would be fifty Christians with signs declaring the love of God. John tells us that God is, by very definition, the personification of Love (1 John chapter 4), and in the Gospel of John (3:16) we are told that God loved the world (which includes soldiers and fags) so much that He gave His only Son to die for the world.
This is the God I know. It is NOT the god Westboro puts on their signs. And I do believe they are listening to a god, but it is not the God of the Bible. So if the Westboro clan ever find reason to show in the Northwest, I'm going to do what I believe every other Christian should do. I'm going to tell people about the God of mercy, grace and love. I'll be the one with the "God Loves Fags" sign.
