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Title: Opinion piece about Westboro Baptist Church.
Source:
sltrib.com
URL Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifest ... oro-baptist-god-corey.html.csp
Published: Sep 12, 2010
Author: Corey J. Hodges
Post Date: 2010-09-12 14:14:49 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 131793
Comments: 131
Westboro Baptist Church preaches that all the world’s tragedies can be blamed on society’s tolerance of gays.
Pastor Fred Phelps Sr. leads the Topeka, Kan., congregation of 70 to 80 members, most of whom are his children and grandchildren. Although Westboro identifies itself as Baptist, it is not affiliated with any known Baptist convention or association.
The congregation has made headlines by picketing at military funerals, arguing that the soldiers’ deaths are God’s punishment for homosexuality. The group also protested at the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s funeral, calling him a “false prophet,” and recently in West Virginia, where 29 miners were killed, with signs that read, “Thank God for dead miners.”
Albert Snyder, the grieving father of one fallen soldier, sued Westboro for invading his privacy and inflicting emotional distress (Snyder’s son was not gay). The legal dispute is now headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
There is no biblical defense for Westboro’s hateful message and insensitive demonstrations. The group’s philosophy and approach are riddled with contradictions. Westboro cannot truly believe in the Bible, which speaks of God’s love, mercy and grace. Jesus vehemently opposed earthly agents of condemnation. He said, in Matthew, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. … Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye.” Westboro’s hate is a huge plank.
Some argue that, although Westboro’s protests are despicable, they are not illegal. The fear is that if the high court restricts the group’s First Amendment right, it will have dire consequences for all of us. Private speech endorsing religion is protected under the Constitution’s Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses. People of faith always worry that a ruling limiting First Amendment rights could affect religious speech.
It seems, therefore, that the only way to combat the Westboro radicals and other hate groups is through counter-protests. When Westboro showed up in West Virginia, counter-demonstrators staged a far bigger rally.
While Westboro’s actions may be not be illegal, they are immoral and unethical. People of faith must remember that the law cannot be the sole decider of behavior. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard. The law may permit us to do certain things, but our religious convictions should restrain us.
Corey J. Hodges is pastor of New Pilgrim Baptist Church. He can be reached at coreyjhodges@comcast.net.
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#1. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
We, I'm glad to see you are doing your part to see His work is not perverted by hateful people. Even though you are posting this to disparage others, you are aligning your work with His. You just need to straighten out your attitude problem.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
What makes you believe that you speak for God?
I don't speak for God. He's quite capable of doing that himself. Give up your moral relativism and embrace values. You will clean out your mind and heart.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
My dear sir, I do not need your spin on why I post things. It is the FReeper preaching to the choir model that makes you default to the assumption all I do is to slam and shut others up. I believe a healthy forum (which this one is not) has an impartial staff running it, and allows all people of all viewpoint in to engage in lively discussion and debate. Just a reality check, dude. Thanks for your opinion and for sharing.
Ping me when he says something.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
Standing by your convictions is not easy sometimes, standing by unpopular convictions like the Word of God, can be dangersous at times, it takes guts, perserverance, and those who go through life in a fog, not knowing what, or who to believe in, they can't deal with it unless it's with anger, and an attitude...it's all they have, it's takes faith in something to behave any other way, all they have is raw emotions. jmo
"I really wanna care. I wanna feel somethin'. Let me dig a little deeper:. No, My give-a-damn's busted"~ Messina Jo Dee
I agree. Hate the sinful, perverted behavior but love the sinner. Libs hate that, for some sick reason.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
Sure you do...do you want to give me the several examples of you doing so to me alone?
Did you ever get around to apologizing to me?
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
Stop feeling picked on and embrace values. Throw away your moral relativism. You will be much more fulfilled.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
FReeper grade propaganda who's only purpose is to try to dampen discourse. The people I see as the worst at distinguishing between people and behavior are FReeper grade conservatives that don't like diversity of opinion.
Picked on?!? By you?!? BWAHAHAHAHAHA... Stop pretending that you speak for a Ghost.
Is that both of you expressing your love for me? [snicker]
Ha...
It's hard to live up to sometimes, but that is what we are taught to do.
"I really wanna care. I wanna feel somethin'. Let me dig a little deeper:. No, My give-a-damn's busted"~ Messina Jo Dee
That tag line just drives you to distraction, doesn't it? I think I'll keep it around awhile . . . :-P
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
:-P Any tagline that is portrayed as an 'original' Murron quote is just too funny. Maybe you'd better try to find who she stole it from. I would guess BE.
Denial is not a river in Egypt.
Nope. I've used the imaginary friends line several times in the last 30 years or so...
Thanks. Irony isn't what you do to wrinkled clothing...
Whining mold, I see you responded to whore's invitation to spam. Class shows through. If whore were honest and had virtue, he would have explained to you that I previously tried to iron out authorship with him (whore) and he devolved to catty name-calling. Frustrated by this, I returned Murron to the authorship since that is where I first read the quote. Don't like it or Murron? I don't care. Get a life and stop being at war's beck and call.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
Bull. It drives you crazy and that is why this page is filling up with your troll proteges.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
Ground Control to Major Thom... [snicker]
More of that love coming thru...
You mean protégé. Don't forget the accents.
The Bible says a whole lot more about economic injustice that it does about homosexuality. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.
Instead of your over protestation and feeble attempts at stifling debate here, why don't you just find the source of the plagiarizer's quote. Believe me, she didn't make it up herself. She'll be taking credit for your stuff fairly soon too. LOLOL
They all steal from each other to the point they all sound the same. There's not an original thought in the whole group.
In case you don't know, Rudgear thinks that all of us are war's sock puppets, controlled totally by him.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
Not to mention that what is said in the Old Testament has completely different meanings then those attributed to them. For example, Genesis 19 is a major 'slam dunk them' passage conservative Christians use to condemn homosexuality; but it's real meaning is about Condemning the raping of strangers for the purpose of humiliation. All of the alleged Old testament passages used as evidence God condemns homosexuality are misunderstood and translated wrongly toward the furthering of modern bigotry.
Darn you!!!!
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FROM THE SITE'S TWO PREMIER LIBERALS, NO LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, God for the great laugh.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
What are you laughing at?
No, I think you are all his suck puppets.
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
You really are that deluded you can't even admit it to yourself in the privacy of your own thoughts, can you?
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
Raping of strangers is a theme of the OT. It usually starts with the townsfolk wanting to rape a male visitor, and ends with the visitor's host offering them his wife or daughters instead. Women were worth less than cowshit in the OT.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
He's just another poster pigeon holer so Tull won't feel lonesome with his wrong assessments.
That's not what you told me yesterday.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
J'adore les jeux marionnette
They were mighty friendly to strangers in the OT, when they weren't slaughtering the women and children of the tribe in the next valley over.
Comments (42 - 131) not displayed.
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#2. To: Rudgear (#1)
#3. To: war (#2)
#4. To: Rudgear (#1)
#5. To: Rudgear (#3)
I don't speak for God. He's quite capable of doing that himself.
#6. To: Rudgear (#1)
Even though you are posting this to disparage others, you are aligning your work with His. You just need to straighten out your attitude problem.
#7. To: Murron (#6)
#8. To: Rudgear (#3)
I don't speak for God.
#9. To: Murron (#6)
#10. To: war (#8)
#11. To: Rudgear (#7)
"Libs hate that, for some sick reason."
#12. To: Rudgear (#10)
Stop feeling picked on and embrace values.
#13. To: Rudgear, Murron (#7)
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over. (Murron)
#14. To: war (#13)
#15. To: Ferret Mike (#14)
#16. To: Rudgear (#7)
(Edited)
Hate the sinful, perverted behavior but love the sinner.
#17. To: war (#13)
#18. To: Rudgear (#17)
That tag line just drives you to distraction, doesn't it? I think I'll keep it around awhile . . .
#19. To: war (#13)
[snicker]
#20. To: Rudgear (#17)
#21. To: hondo68 (#19)
#22. To: mininggold, war (#18)
#23. To: war (#20)
#24. To: Rudgear (#23)
#25. To: Rudgear (#22)
Whining mold, I see you responded to whore's invitation to spam.
#26. To: Rudgear (#23)
#27. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
Westboro Baptist Church preaches that all the world’s tragedies can be blamed on society’s tolerance of gays.
#28. To: Rudgear (#22)
Whining mold, I see you responded to whore's invitation to spam. Class shows through. If whore were honest and had virtue, he would have explained to you that I previously tried to iron out authorship with him (whore) and he devolved to catty name-calling. Frustrated by this, I returned Murron to the authorship since that is where I first read the quote. Don't like it or Murron? I don't care. Get a life and stop being at war's beck and call.
#29. To: war (#25)
More of that love coming thru...
#30. To: mininggold, war, lucysmom, go65, Brian S, Rudgear (#28)
#31. To: lucysmom (#27)
(Edited)
#32. To: Skip Intro (#30)
Rudgear thinks that all of us are war's sock puppets
#33. To: mininggold (#29)
They all steal from each other to the point they all sound the same. There's not an original thought in the whole group.
#34. To: Rudgear (#33)
#35. To: war, skivvy (#32)
#36. To: war (#34)
#37. To: Ferret Mike (#31)
but it's real meaning is about Condemning the raping of strangers for the purpose of humiliation.
#38. To: war (#34)
What are you laughing at?
#39. To: Rudgear (#35)
No, I think you are all his suck puppets.
#40. To: Rudgear (#35)
#41. To: Skip Intro (#37)
Raping of strangers is a theme of the OT. It usually starts with the townsfolk wanting to rape a male visitor, and ends with the visitor's host offering them his wife or daughters instead.
.
.
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