So, God bless the Bill of Rights!

In considering their ideology, they have offended the "word" of God.  As a young boy in Sunday School - what happened to that loving God who loved everyone?  Were those pictures of Jesus hugging random adorable children a lie? I hope not - those pictures were cute. According to this woman, people who are homosexuals and who died in 9/11 are evil... I find it hard to believe that all gays and all 2,974 died in 9/11 were all evil.  I'm sure some of those people weren't fantastic people, but no one deserves to die like that - and some of the nicest people I've met are gay or closeted - I have my suspicions!

I haven't picked up my bible since senior year of high school, but these people have inspired me to do some of my own research.  Of course the words, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." mean nothing... Of course the words, "Love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back."  Technically, those people at Westboro should be hugging the crap out of "fags" and giving them money!  

That pretty lady from Fox News was getting at this - Leviticus 19:18 "Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Go figure.  You know immediately following that it says "Do not put on a garment woven out of two different types of thread."  I wonder if she adheres to that... Would she adhere to this?- Deuteronomy 25:11-12 - "When two men are fighting and the wife of one intervenes to save her husband from the blows of his opponents, if she stretches out her hand and seizes the latter by his private parts (aka his nads), you shall chop off her hand without pity."  I can't speak to what she would do, but man, can you imagine that kind of bar brawl?!

The things I have learned from my bible study (today) are the following.

-Love everyone - even "fags".

-Lend money like there's no tomorrow - and anticipate no return! This means I'm writing a letter to WBC right now asking them to pay off my school loans for free because I asked them to and God told them to lend me the money.

-Don't be mixing your woven threads.  "Is that a cotton blend?! You're so going to hell."

-My wife is never to grab at genitals while I am wrestling with another man.  That is the exact opposite of a happy ending.

-The bible is more relevant now than ever.

Thanks Mrs. Phelps-Roper for teaching me the way through your craziness!

JJRC

Westboro Baptist Church (WBC Chronicles - Since 1955) 3701 SW 12th Street Topeka, Kansas 66604 785-273-0325 GodHatesFags.com Religious Opinion and Bible Commentary on Current Events Wednesday, July 2,2008 NEWS RELEASE God Hates the U.S. Military. Thank God for another dead pregnant soldier. Yes. We at WBC know these American troops well. Many are fags and dykes. Many are what the Bible calls Chaff-People, meaning they are absolutely worthless - fit only to be killed in battle or via suicide or some cheap and easy way - and then cast into Hell, there to be tormented for ever by Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell. Mat. 10:28. WBC to picket Fort Bragg Like the murdered pregnant Marine a short while back, if appears this Fort Bragg female was murdered by a fellow soldier. We will picket in religious protest and warning; to wit: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked." Gal. 6:7. Fort Bragg Gospel Picket: Bragg Blvd. & Knox St. Fayetteville, North Carolina Wednesday, July 16, at 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

As for citing the source, sorry, I would rather wait until after the Phelps’ have finished with their slanderous, libelous, and shedding of innocent blood “Gospel Picket.” Now that’s an oxymoron: "Gospel Picket." The Gospel means “good news,” while pickets usually refer to a protesting against something of sorts. What are the Phelps’ doing, protesting against the Good News? Without equivocation, my answer is yes!...

And religious preachers like Perry Stone, Rod Parsley, John Hagee, Myles Munroe, and Fredrick Price have the wherewithal to claim that such "hate speech" against homosexuals is acceptably endorsable by God Himself. Maybe now those same preachers will come to see that spitefully hating and verbally damning homosexuals to hell in the name of God, is in fact "hate speech," especially when the same Christ Jesus who saved and forgave them from their sins is the very same Christ Jesus who saves and forgives homosexuals from their sins.

In any event, I pray for the families and citizens who will be forced to see and/or hear the Phelps’ "Gospel Picket." May the LORD protect the gates of your eyes and ears, and the gates of your heart and mind from the Phelps' hatefilled message(s).

For anyone that is unaware about who these fanatics are, they are a independent Baptist church situated in Topkea Kansas that has actually been officially labeled as a "hate group" by the Southern poverty law center.  Their antics include running websites such as GodHatesFags.com, picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, attempting to link pretty much all terrible events in this country to the "homosexual agenda", picketing the funerals of homosexuals killed via hate crimes, attempting to picket the funerals of the Amish children killed in a shooting, praised the earthquakes in china, thanked god for 9/11, and is going to picket and protest the funeral for late comedian George Carlin.

Normally I would be slightly more irate at stories like this, but it seems to be the general consensus that these people are just fucking out of their minds, they hate everything and everyone and seriously believe that all the worlds problems stem from homosexuality.  All too often the right to be a religious dickhead is upheld over ones personal freedom and liberty.  It is OK the exclude gays from some school activities because it is a christian based club that is doing the excluding, and forcing them to accept the gay members would infringe on their right to practice their religious tenement to hate gays without any rhyme or reason.  (source the God Delusion, read it)

However in this case laws have been based making it a felony to protest someones funeral in many of the states that the WBC has protested in, along with many lawsuits being filed against and won by family members of those targeted by their insane hate campaign.

Hopefully this group of hateful god worshippers will never gain any real crediblity and can continue to provide the non insane members of this country something to both laugh at and aspire never to be.

This is a follow-up post to that which I originally wrote on June 24th: Fred Phelps, One Tin Soldier’s ”Fall From Grace”–a photo presentation. 

At the time of posting, I really could not find the words to say regarding the Phelps’. There are so many issues surrounding homosexuals and religious hate messages that it is difficult to know where to begin, at least from a professional, biblical, and scholarly perspective.  

Sure, I could just spout off my opinions and write filth in response to the Phelps’, however, that’s not quite the person I would like to be. Instead, I chose to approach it from a flippant perspective, which helps to maintain a sense of sanity and humor; yet, likewise, from a scriptural perspective, which helps to maintain a sense of love, life, worth, purpose, and direction when it comes to being a gay Christian. 

So, here it goes…. 

Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church family are simply one of many extreme, radical, religious hate groups who proudly believe in, and teach, hatred and damnation toward gays, rather than love and salvation in Christ.  

The Phelps’ apparently believe that GOD hates everyone, everywhere–everyone everywhere except for Fred Phelps, his family, and any religious person, group, or entity that happily and proudly hates and damns gays to hell. Indeed, “God laughs” when a gay person dies because, as we all know, homosexuals are worthy of nothing more than death by execution, murder, sickness, torture, etc.  

In fact, did you know that GOD created AIDS just so He could kill all the gays, fags, homos, dykes, and lesbians in America and throughout Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world? That’s a Fred Phelps fact, a fact for which the ever-loving Pat Robertson and his Christian Coalition entity, his 700 Club, and his Christian Broadcasting News family likewise believe, including the now deceased gay hater Jerry Fallwell.   

The Phelps’ also appear to believe that any person, state, entity, government, or country which supports homosexuals is likewise damned to hell. Hence, according to the Phelps’ doctrine, it is because of the fags that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq. You see, dead soldiers, dead sons, dead daughters, and dead children are GOD’s will for those who directly or indirectly support or condone homosexuals. As I understood it from watching a Fred Phelps television interview, it is because of the gay soldiers that the entire U.S. Military is cursed to hell. (Unbelievable, but true. With people like the Phelps’ in America, who needs enemies?)

According to the Phelps’ doctrine, it is because of the fags that “GOD hates America” (and other countries, too); it is because of the fags that “America is doomed”; it is because of the fags that the world is in chaos; it is because of the fags that GOD is filled with hate, destruction, terror, death, and wrath.

In case the point has not yet been made clear: The Phelps’ believe that “fags doom nations.” Wow! Thank you Fred Phelps for empowering us as homosexuals. You obviously see something good in us that we ourselves have yet to see. Just think, if homosexuals have the power to bring down nations, how much more power must we have in exalting the word of the LORD to those very nations!

 As it is written in 1 John 4:7-8: "Beloved, Let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves, is born of God, and knows God. He that does not love, does not know God; for God is love."

On that note, suffice it to say, irrespective of the the gay slayers, the hatemongers, and all the other hate-filled radical religious groups out there, this gay person is going to continue to seek the LORD daily in an effort to walk in faith, hope, and love toward those who actually believe that they are doing the will of GOD by hating, killing, and damning us to hell. After all, it is the “gift of GOD that we are saved by grace through faith–it is not of ourselves and it is not of our works, lest any man should boast” (see Ephesians 2:8-9).

 Anyway, there are a myriad of scriptural, spiritual, moral, political, and religious issues that could be discussed here…. But for now, this is where this post ends.  

Sunday marks Gay Pride Day and what better way to mark the day than put up one of my greatest hits from YouTube. Ahhh yes, the Phelps Family from the Westboro Baptist Church. You may know these people, they carry the God Hates Fags signs at funerals of soldiers, people who have died of AIDS, Billy Graham crusades and pretty much any other event.  They beleive that unless you are in their inbred posse, you are a fag.  Catholic - you are a fag and will burn in hell. A solider serving in the armed forces - you are a fag because you serve a nation that allows homosexuality to exist. I love taunting these people to no end. So Happy Gay Pride weekend to all who are gay, their family and their friends.  God loves you no matter what the Westboro Baptist Church says. And for the record, so do I.  I am pretty sure if Jesus were around today he would not be holding a sign saying God hates anyone, let alone fags.  Hell, he may even go to the parade himself. Why? Well, that's the kind of guy he was.  He kept company with those who were downtrodden and marginalized. He would open up a can of serious whoop ass on Fred Phelps and his ilk faster than he cleaned that temple out of the moneychangers. So enjoy the weekend and know that people support you and love you, despite what some morons think.

The world's best IRL trolls strike again: Westboro Baptist Church to picket George Carlin's funeral. Or at least they're threating to; but if Carlin's funeral is going to be held any significant distance away from Kansas, they might back out. Much like they threatened to picket Heath Ledger's funeral, then realized that after getting sued for $11 million dollars they couldn't scrounge up bus fare to Wichita, never mind plane tickets to Australia.

I'm not sure which part of this press release is more hilarious:

• the repeated reference to Carlin as a "potty-mouth"--what are you guys, 3 years old?,
• the accusation that Carlin was both an agnostic and an atheist,
• the stern "God will not be mocked!" bullshit, when God waited more than 70 years to strike Carlin down,
• or the revelation that Keith Olbermann and Jerry Seinfeld will also eventually wind up in hell.

I know a lot of people hate the WBC, and I used to be one of them, but it's pointless to hate them, really. They have no influence at all; any conservative politician with ambition beyond County Animal Carcass Removal would never--even if they privately agree with them--publicly endorse them, because they're too pants-shittingly insane for even the GOP. They've done way less damage to the LGBT community than groups like Focus on the Family or Concerned Women for America, who have power and money. Wasting time and effort to silence the WBC is totally couterproductive.

It makes more sense to just view them as unintentional comedy, and laugh at their stupid antics. They hate and fear your laughter much more than they do your hatred, believe me.

Phelps claims that homosexuals are an abomination to God, which is why God hates them so much. Do you know seven things that God deems to be an abomination? Do you know six things which God hates? If not, then please either view this video or simply read Proverbs 6:16-19, or better yet, do both. You just might find out how Fred Phelps and his family are an abomination to God. I wonder if the Phelps’ have figured that out yet. 

Anyway, there’s so much to say about all of the Phelps’ issues, until there’s nearly nothing to say at all, at least not in this single post. A person could devote hours upon hours trying to explain his or her opposing perspectives and beliefs to the Phelps’ and it just wouldn’t matter; they believe what they believe, and that is all that matters to them. However, the Phelps’ obvious anger, hatred, and loss of hope does not have to become your anger, hatred, or loss of hope, nor my anger, hatred, or loss of hope. The Phelps’ are not our judges. And anyway, hatred begets hatred.

Phelps video updated: June 29, 2008

This "church," while claiming to be Christians and speaking for God, is
really nothing more than a hate group.  Their main message is to attack the
sin of homosexuality.  While they quote the Bible and many of the things
they say about this sin and God's judgment for sin are true, they do great
damage to the cause of Christ and make it that much more difficult for those
who are truly serving the Lord since they offer zero love, zero hope, and
never preach the Gospel.  Sadly, any time you go into the marketplace and
speak out against the sin of homosexuality, non-believers will always label
you as being part of Phelps and Westboro.

I had an interesting morning last Wednesday.  I received a call from the
producer of the Bubba the Love Sponge program around 7am.  He told me they
were having Shirley Phelps, the daughter of Fred Phelps and the media "face"
of this hate group, on their program and wanted to know if I would come on
and debate her.  I am always ready for those type of opportunities and
agreed to appear on the program with her.  Phelps and their group were in
Jacksonville to picket the funeral of a soldier, which has been their
primary way in the past few years of attracting publicity.  They claim the
war in Iraq is God's judgment on this nation for condoning the sin of
homosexuality, which just goes to show you how confused their beliefs are.

Bubba offered Shirley and her group 30 minutes of airtime on his #1 rated
program that airs in the Tampa and Jacksonville markets if she would agree
not to picket the soldier's funeral, and she agreed.   Knowing that
commercials on his program go for apx $700/min, I thought it was a pretty
generous offer.  She also agreed to take a phone call from "a pastor who
disagrees with her group" during her 30 minutes, which of course was me.
Here is a link to the audio of our 20 minute chat,
http://liveprayer.com/bubba2.cfm

In a situation like this, you really aren't debating the other person or
trying to convince them of anything.  Someone like Phelps has her talking
points and has been totally brainwashed with her false beliefs and theology,
so there is virtually nothing to be accomplished in trying to change what
she believes.  It is the listening audience that you are speaking to.  It is
their hearts and minds you are trying to influence.  The ultimate goal was
to help those listening understand that Phelps and her family did NOT
represent Christianity.  Despite the fact she can quote the Bible endlessly,
she is not preaching the WHOLE Word of God and is no different than any
other cult or false religion that tries to use the Bible to justify their
beliefs.

The three main points I zeroed in on was the fact Phelps and the Westboro
folks had no fruit, no love, and offered people no hope.  The Bible states
that you know a tree by the fruit it bears.  A great way to judge the
effectiveness of any work of God is by the fruit they produce.  Phelps and
her family produce ZERO fruit, a clear sign to anyone that they are not of
God.  This group also shows zero love.  God is love.  You can tell people
the truth but still do it in love.  The message of this group is totally
void of any love.  Lastly, they offer people no hope.  You can call sin sin,
but you have to offer the sinner hope.  Jesus is the hope for even the most
wretched person, but in the false theology of the Phelps, sinners are
offered no hope.

I found it interesting that she immediately began to attack me personally,
calling me a fool and other names, though admitting she didn't even know me
or anything about my work for the Lord.  During the course of our
conversation, I also exposed the fact she believes people don't have the
free will to  accept or reject Christ, meaning we really aren't responsible
for our salvation and some have no hope at all of being saved.  What an
incredible lie from hell that is.  She also admitted to my amazement that we
aren't supposed to preach the Gospel and lead lost souls to faith in Jesus
Christ.  I am sure this was lost on most of the listeners, but I found that
belief the best case that these people are not of God and are false prophets
in every sense of the word.

By the end of 20 minutes, it was evident Shirley was very frustrated with me
and had enough.  It was probably one of the few times in her life that she
has had been in a media setting with someone who could expose her false
theology and challenge her Biblically.  In most of these cases she makes
herself sound like a true spokesman of the Lord because she can quote some
scripture, getting away with it because she is dealing with a secular press
who is Biblically illiterate.  I've got news for you, satan quoted scripture
also, and like Shirley, out of context to suit his needs and agenda!  In
nearly 20 years of ministry, I have been in the presence of pure evil on too
many occasions.  I can honestly say that last Wednesday I spoke with a woman
who was not some poor confused soul, but a true tool of satan and evil in
every sense of the word.

I love you and care about you so much.  The Phelps/Westboro hate mongers are
a classic example of how you can be correct according to God's Word about a
particular issue, but still not of God.  The Mormon cult is in perfect
alignment with the Bible on many issues, but is still a cult from the pits
of hell since their final authority is not the Bible but the Book of Mormon
and the writings of their cults founder Joey Smith.  The Muslims are in line
with God's Word on some issues, but not of God since their faith is in a
false, non-existent god they call allah and they reject faith in Jesus
Christ as the way to be saved.  Other cults, false religions, and spiritual
beliefs may believe in some things the Bible teaches, but that does not make
them of God.

Pray for the Phelps family and those who sadly follow their hate-filled
teachings.  Pray that they will come to know the Lord and His grace, mercy,
and hope.  Pray that their influence will be limited so the damage they do
is minimized.  It is incumbent that we boldly call sin what it is, warn
people of God's coming wrath, but make sure we also share His love and hope
and that through faith in Jesus Christ men can escape the eternal horrors of
hell and reside for all eternity in a mansion in Glory.  My challenge for
you today is to examine the fruit of your life often and allow the Lord to
use you to bring His Truth, love, and hope to those you meet along your
journey each day.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.605441&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom presided over the first such ceremony yesterday evening at 5:01, just past the deadline, of a lesbian couple in their 80s who had been together for 55 years. Monogamous couples in extremely long-term relationships allowed to make their union legal?! This country is certainly going to hell in a handbasket!! *eyeroll*

(Tell me again how gay marriage threatens heterosexual marriage? That's what I always hear the bigots bleating, but none of them are ever really able to explain how that works.)

Not everyone is welcoming the marriages: the country clerks of Kern and Butte counties have suspended all weddings that were scheduled to take place at their offices, and won't be holding any more for the forseeable future, meaning no one, gay or straight, can get married there. Petty cunts. I hope all their kids and spouses turn out to be gay.

KTVU reports that 3 members of the Westboro Baptist Church are in Contra Costa County--the county immediately to the east of mine. It's a good thing I don't drive anymore, or I'd be sorely tempted to go over there and "accidentally" run them over on the courthouse lawn.

THE GAYS ARE RECRUITING.

Fellow Bible-toting Neo-Conservatives, we need to act now. If you know a gay person, beat them up. If not, then place an ad in a gay dating service, get a date, and beat him up. Also, be sure to join and donate to the Westboro Baptist Church to actively contribute to the anti-gay movement.

I try not to make it a point to discuss things that seem silly.  I did comment on this horrid crowd of people at one time, but I always make it a point to thoroughly investigate and read up on people that make me very sick - which explains my dislike of Obama incidentally.  So, I read some articles, watched an entire documentary on the Westboro Baptist Church where they allowed a man to come in and spend a few days with them.  He got to know the entire family and other than the picket scenes where they go, they turned out to be a normal interacting family that were courteous to him.

They lost my interest though after a few things:  1.) When asked a series of questions, Fred Phelps (the originator) was condescending and rude, avoided answering questions, and basically told the fella he was doomed for hell.  2.) The fact he was so unlike them, yet, it was okay to bring him in sort of proved to me that this was a crusade of folks looking for media attention - and searching it out every chance they get.

Finally, tonight I stumbled upon three videos.  The first was a parody of "We Are the World" where the Phelps re-wrote the words to the same melody and re-titled it "God Hates the World."

In the video - they depict everyone from Jerry Falwell, to the US Military, to President Bush as people doomed for hell.  What I found interesting was the comment sections where extremist atheist types commented on why Christianity is bad and why God is a crock.

It all began to make sense of why the popularity of these lunatics has increased so much.  Two things are served.  First, the apparent starving media whores they are - in search of their own riches - will do ANYTHING for attention.  Second, it gives the irreligious basis for denouncing religion and Christianity as a whole.  While Shirley Phelps-Roper remarks about "fags eating feces" it seems they are licking the behinds of the atheists and vice-versa.  (Sort of like Democrats in Congress that love for blacks and gays to continue feeling like victims to prey on both communities for votes.)

That, plus the fact that Christ died for all sins.  Can you imagine the poor Lord (according to the gospel of the Westboro Baptist Church) having these folks as His eternal company?  Talk about wrath!

Moving ahead, there was one final 2-part video that caught my attention of a street evangelist who called the Westboro Baptist Church over one of their latest websites entitled "God Hates Ireland!"  The fella was Irish and apparently had a bone to pick with Fred Phelps' granddaughter, Sarah.  You can tell by her jumpiness that he gave her a biblical run for her money. 

In ending, he makes an excellent point.  If God had this "wrath" as they proclaim, why would He selectively destroy one person, slowly, at a time?  Could he just wipe all the "bad people" out at once?

Part of their rationale explains that soldiers in Iraq are dying solely because of God's wrath on America particularly for accepting homosexuality.  This doesn't make sense on the basis that we lost 600,000 in the Civil War, 300,000 in WW2, and 60,000 in Vietnam.  We now know the war in Iraq is being won, the terrorists are running for cover, Iraq's army is stronger than ever, violence has dropped massively to the point where even the media has stopped writing about the war since there is barely anything negative to report.

Everything accomplished by our great military, at the cost of 3,000 greatest Americans, and comparing this to the numbers of Americans lost in previous wars, wouldn't this mean that God must be in a pretty good mood now?

They're attention whores and liberals love them because it allows them to denounce Christianity.  Beware of future conversations with liberals as they use this in their arsenal of irreligious arguments. 

Here is an account of a pastor attending the Southern Baptist Convention who took the step of “witnessing” to a man who was part of a Westboro demonstration. An interesting part of the discussion is that the person whom the pastor was speaking with responds. He links to a Westboro Baptist blog, where (not surprisingly, in my opinion) comments are not allowed. It seems like the authors may be to confident in themselves to allow for rebuke (and some would agree with me that there is a lot of rebuke that could be made).

(h/t Craig)

An excerpt:

As I spoke to the gentleman who was standing on the American Flag while holding two different signs high above his head, I noticed that he had a little boy (most likely his son) who was also standing there beneath this man. The young boy was also holding a sign with a very judgmental message. So, there I was in front of the infamous radical Westboro hate group. The first thing I said was, “I serve a Savior who forgives.” He responded by saying that I serve a false god and that I (along with all of the SBC) am a liar. When I asked him why he accused me of being a liar, he informed me that “You preach a message of love when God really does not love everyone - he hates most people.”

As I stood beside the busy intersection adjacent to the Convention Center, I asked him, “How many people have you seen saved through your preaching?” He responded, “We have seen several people come and join our church.” I said, “Joining your church is different than salvation. Have you seen anyone repent of their sins and turn to God through Jesus Christ as a result of your hate messages?” He responded, “The Bible says that it will be like the days of Noah in the last days, and how many were saved through Noah’s preaching?” I responded, “So, you think that only you and your small group from Westboro will be saved?” I continued, “You don’t believe that God saves people during the last days? What you should consider is that Christ has sent us out to preach the true gospel that saves rather than a hate message. We are not to make ourselves judges over people, but we are to preach the gospel. The true gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. If we will do that, people will be saved. Paul also informed us that it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save them that believe. Therefore, God did not intend for us to be judges over others, He called us to take His gospel message to the world.”

Again, go and read the whole thing here.

PWNED!!

(Westboro Baptist Church Member)

picture: dunno source, via our lolcat builder. lol caption: Sean M

» Recaption This

Lørdag kveld viste NRK en britisk dokumenter om den beryktede baptistmenigheten Westboro Baptist Church, som har gjort seg berømte med plakater av typen "God hates fags". Menighetens 70 medlemmer bruker tiden sin på hatefulle og krenkende demonstrasjoner, blant annet i forbindelse med begravelsene til amerikanske soldater som har falt i Irak. Westboro-baptistene mener Gud bruker krigen for å fordømme og straffe USA. Hvorfor? Fordi USA tillater homofili. De falne soldatene er derfor Guds fiender, noe de mener det er nødvendig å skrike opp i ansiktet på sørgende foreldre og enker.

Westboro er kanskje det mest ekstreme man kan finne av religiøs hatfanatisme med kristen etikett i dag. Men da jeg så dokumentaren, slo det meg at det stort sett bare er virkemidlene og noen politiske "analyser" som skiller dem fra den kristne fundamentalismen vi finner i Norge og som dominerer store deler av frikirkeligheten og luthersk lavkirkelighet.

Westboros rendyrking av hat og krenkelser som religiøst uttrykk gjør at menigheten tydeliggjør mange trekk som det er lett å kjenne igjen. Her er noen momenter som "God hates fags"-menigheten har til felles med det kristne høyre i Norge.

- Ideen om å besitte absolutt innsikt i absolutt sannhet. Uten forbehold.

- Ideen om at sannheten om vår tid og vårt samfunn kan leses direkte ut av bibeltekster.

- Ideen om å være utvalgt.

- Underkastelse og lydighet som ideal.

- Hensynet til Gud går foran (og på bekostning av) hensynet til mennesker.

- Hat mot homofili, mot liberalitet, mot humanisme og mot sekularisme.

- Et voldsomt og kontrollerende fokus på seksualitet.

- En forestilling om at motstand og avsky fra omgivelsene bekrefter "sannheten" i egen posisjon. (Se, vi blir forfulgt, akkurat som det står. Se, ordet om korset er til anstøt bla bla)

- En total likegyldighet i forhold til hvordan man blir oppfattet av dem man angivelig ønsker å nå med et budskap.

- En systematisk idiotforklaring av alle som tenker annerledes eller stiller kritiske spørsmål. Alle kritikere avfeies som dumme, kunnskapsløse eller onde.

- All systemkritikk er bare "mennesketanker". Selv hevder de at de utelukkende gjengir Guds tanker.

- Et sterkt indre samhold og en dyrkning av utenforskapet.

- En romantisk ide om å være forfulgt.

- Mennesker blir bedømt moralsk i henhold til hvilken religiøs etikett de bærer, ikke ut fra handlinger og holdninger.

- Følelsesmessig likegyldighet til menneskers påståtte fortapelse og evige pine. (Kanskje mer enn det: At de vantro skal straffes i all evighet er noe man nærmest ser frem til med glede og forventning.)

- En autoritær og patriarkalsk kultur som systematisk krenker og undertrykker kvinner og barn.

Kristenkonservative som leser om Westboro eller ser dokumentaren, bør bruke denne menigheten som et speil og som en advarsel. Dette er nemlig et ektefødt barn av deres egen ideologi, teologi og tradisjon. Forutsetningen for fenomenet Westboro er den samme bibelfundamentalismen, det samme gudsbildet, det samme menneskesynet og den samme virkelighetsforståelsen som de står for selv.

Og jeg har jo allerede sett kommentarer på nettet hvor norske kristenfundamentalister uttrykker beundring for Westboro-baptistenes "overgivelse" og "alvor", selv om man tar avstand fra noen politiske/teologiske analyser og noen uttrykksformer.

Vi skal ikke glemme at norske kristenfundamentalister også har brukt krenkende og ekstreme demonstrasjoner som uttrykk og arbeidsform. Abortprestene Knudsen og Nessas blodige fosterdukker er ett eksempel. Pastor Torps usmakelige demonstrasjoner i forbindelse med partnerskapsinngåelser er et annet.

Så kort er det fra norske kristenfundamentalister til the Westboro country.

Takei and Altman plan to marry Sept. 14 in the Democracy Forum at the Japanese National Museum in Los Angeles.

Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in "Star Trek," will be the best man and Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, will be the matron of honor. Castmate Leonard Nimoy will be among the 200 guests, but probably not William Shatner. Takei has said Shatner didn't treat him and most of the cast very well.

Schade, dass DeForest Kelly nicht mehr lebt. Er wäre sicher gerne dazu gekommen.

So, wie George Takei auf die Anwesenheit von Mr Shattner verzichten kann, so kann er gewiß auch auf die Damen und Herren Christen der Westboro Baptist Church verzichten.

First let me say that I think you guys are absolutely right.  God has a hatred for homosexuals.  A hatred that will end with them spending eternity in hell if they do not repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior, and Forgiver of sins.  1 Corinthians 6:9-10 would support us in this regard:  "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

So not only does God hate homosexuals, but He also hates all people who unrepentantly sin.  But keep reading:

"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

From this it seems that some of those that Paul was writing to in the Corinthian church may have been homosexuals before coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Is this not the end that we hope for, brethren?  That they will turn from their homosexuality and be "sanctified" and "justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God?"

You and I may not have ever engaged in homosexuality, but James tells us that if we are guilty of any sin, then we are transgressors of the law.  And he tells us to speak and act "as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty."  Why?  Because "judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:8-13).

I admire that you guys speak boldly as you ought to about the truths of the Word of God.  However, I fear that the way that you do so may cause people to reject the Truth- not because of the Truth itself, but because of the offensively outspoken manner that you employ in proclaiming it.

The goal is not only to proclaim the Truth, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also to proclaim it in a way that will lead sinners to repent and believe. 

Where is the compassion of Moses in Exodus 32:32?  Where is the compassion of Paul in Romans 9:3?  We will all stand before God on the ultimate Day of the Lord.  James tells us that those who do not show mercy will not receive mercy.  When we stand before God, we will all be found wanting- but for the precious blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

You who have received mercy and forgiveness by that blood begrudge the mercy of God by turning away from the God who has cancelled your debt and turning to whip your servant for not being able to pay his debt (Matthew 25:14-30).

One last point: Jesus told us that the world will know we are his disciples if we have love for one another (John 13:35).  He also told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).  Belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior should make us look different from the world- moreso than it does in most churches.  However, what sets us apart should be first our love for one another, and second that we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these texts, and where picketing funerals with outrageous (albeit true) signs is encouraged by Jesus or His apostles.

Humbly,
David Hamilton

What an example of an utter shit to humanity and a disgrace to Buddhism. Sounds like she should be more into the Westboro Baptist Church [of "God Hates Fags" infamy] line of 'faith' because, of course the people of Sichuan deserved the earthquake for China's 'mistreatment of Tibet' just as the Burmese deserved Cyclone Nargis [must have been their government's bad karma, eh? Too bad for all those thousands who died...] and hurricane Katrina was retribution for all those fags down there in Americaland. What a pity.

And - alright - it's good that she was brought over by her 'Tibetan friends' [who have more sense of propriety than that silly little airhead] but truly, people like her helping? Truly, the needy are blessed by your gracious conduct.

Someone didn't learn their dogma correctly: what happened to the loving and the altruism?

Anyways...here's a tidbit. I stumbled upon this picture and it struck me as ironic...who'd have thought that Darth Vader started out so...innocent? Not sure who the artist is...but nice job. It makes my art look pathetic.

I also came upon another picture that I thought was pretty sweet...it's a depiction of Mario fighting Bowser in the style of traditional Japanese artwork. Also, note the Vader helmet in the corner...hmm.

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So, while stumbling on Firefox, tonight, I came upon the most sickening website for a church I've ever seen. The church's name is Westboro Baptist Church. Located in Topeka, KS, they feel that the best way to spread the word of God and news of God is by...well...hating. The website alone is called Godhatesfags.com and it is the most revolting thing I think I've ever seen "preached" by any religious group...but it especially bugs me because I am a Christian. They claim in a long, drawn-out writing that God does not love everyone, but rather hates a large majority of mankind. It just goes against everything that the Bible teaches...especially when it says, "38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' -Matthew 22:38-39. I've always remembered that verse when it came to my feelings about others. Also, the Bible is clear that we should not judge others... "1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"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?" -Matthew 7:1-3.

I'm not wanting to sit here and preach, but it is sickening. This church preaches hate, they put out horrible press releases...they're everything that turns people away from God. I just don't know who they think they are and what they think they're accomplishing...but I do know that they should be stood up to or shut down. Freedom of religion should not extend into areas of slander and persecution. They picket at funerals of people that they oppose. Can you imagine...? It's horrible. They're not worth the price of the dirt it would take to bury them. I can just imagine that they will be first in line come judgment day and I do not think God will find favor with them.

I don't know how to speak out against this group and others like it...but I do think it should be done. If anyone has info on standing up to these types of groups, let me know.  And if you're still not convinced that they're screwed up, then check out their picket signs.

Out of curiosity, what do you think of the Westboro Baptist Church?'

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I dunno.  I think they probably should have respect for the solders.  I mean even if the guys are up in heaven with God now, there families just lost there son, right?  That's still hard to deel with.  The solders are American Heros.  God didn't kill them, Iraq terrorists did.  There right that God hates the homosexual lifestyle of Hollywierd, but I don't think He punishes the world by taking his own Chosen People.  He sent AIDS to the world to and we can see the gay agenda is a unhealthy lifestyle.

I guess what I think of the Westborough Baptist Church is I respect what there trying to do, but its wrong to blame God for what the terrorists are doing.

Time is important for a whole lot of different reasons. Some would say that it is not and that nothing we do matters because Jesus is coming back “soon and very soon.” So what if He is? Would this change the statement of time being important? I don't think so. So if time is important, how come?

I believe time to be important because it is a gift from God. He has given everyone on this earth a journey. This journey consists time. Some get a lot of time and others not so much. Even those who would get a whole lifetime of time the Bible says that their life is like a vapor (James 4:14). So if it is like a vapor how should we approach this life?

Some may want to waste this life because it is too short. Since it is so short they want to waste their life on themselves. We only have one life to live, right? I actually agree with that. Though we may die physically our life moves on into eternity. I do not agree with the part that we should waste it though.

It is easy to see how some would waste this life on themselves. People will always waste it on themselves when they are not sure what the point of this life is. But time is important when one considers the mission. What is the mission?

The mission is to go. But we do not go without a purpose. We go with the purpose of making disciples. Disciples of whom? Of Jesus. Jesus is the Lord and Savior of the earth, despite popular opinion. We baptize those who have taken on the apprenticeship program of Him. Continuing to teach everything He taught His original audience.

What does it look like to be His apprentice?

We are to be salt and light. Salt adds flavor to what it is added. Have we added flavor to somebody else's life? How do we add flavor? Take your everyday occurrences. Ask yourself how you can make someone else's life better. Have you made someone's life better today? Usually if we pay attention to the other person's love language then we will know how to bless them. If a person encourages you a lot then this may mean they are actually the ones needing the encouragement. Take the time to learn somebody's love language.

Do not murder. Oh this one seems pretty simple for most, right? Well Jesus raised the bar of this expectation. He says we are not to even be angry with our brother. Why? I think we usually get angry at people for some of the dumbest reasons. Have you gotten mad at somebody when they pulled in front of you in traffic? Have you taken the time to think of the people who have gotten mad at you for pulling in front of them?

The reason we should not get mad is because of at least three reasons. First is that most of the time we are just as guilty of making stupid mistakes. Second is because anger is always easier than love and forgiveness. We don't grow into what God created us to be when we choose anger. The last reason is because we should forgive because God has forgiven us. God is the only one who has the right not to forgive because He has caused no offense, but still He chooses to forgive those who are under Jesus. Actually Matthew 6:15 says, “But if you do not forgive others, then you Father will not forgive you.

Being non-judgmental. We apprentices get accused of being judgmental all the time. Well there are quite a few followers of Christ who think for some reason they have been appointed by God to judge others. The only time we are to do something that looks like judgment is when a brother or sister in Christ is living a contradictory life. Say for example I profess to be a follower of Jesus but at the same time I love to get high on drugs and sleep with prostitutes. I need to ask myself if this is a lifestyle that God originally designed for me to live. It is clearly not. Jesus didn't get high on the local drugs of Israel and he didn't hate prostitutes by paying for their services. Brothers and sisters in Christ are supposed to walk this road together in Christ's Ekklesia. If you have a family member who is taking drugs and sleeping with hookers would you not be concerned? Would you be judgmental to approach him about his choices? He might think so, but your motivation is love for him. You don't want to see him get hurt. This is the same thing that should be happening in the body of Christ. If one of our brothers or sisters in Christ are making hurtful choices we are to come along side them and help them see the error of their way (sorry to sound so churchy).

Now to the judgment part. God did not call us to hold up signs at funerals that say God hates Fags. God loves those who are homosexual believe it or not. Is their lifestyle choices not part of God's original design? No it isn't, but so is any lifestyle choice you make outside of becoming more like Jesus. Hate, lying, murder, stealing, lusting (even good o'l heterosexual lusting), wanting needlessly, hoarding. Have you ever done even one of these for a second? Of course we have. I have lied plenty of times... the other sins on the list are none of your business or I am just too ashamed to admit my unJesus like nature. We are supposed to love people and lead them to jesus. There is no perquisite for someone to come to Jesus for help, accept the desire to be saved by Him. We do not give up our lifestyle choices before coming to Him. We come to Him so He can help us with our poor choices, oh and that need to be restored to God thing.

These are just a few characteristics of His apprentices. Time is important. We need to make each day count for Jesus. We have a mission. This life is not just about us. How can we spread His kingdom here on earth. How can we influence others to become His apprentices? How can we stop looking to the sky for His return? Oh I believe that He is coming back but I do not see the point in wasting our time guessing about when. He will come back when He comes back. Live each moment of your life like now is the moment of His return. What do you want Him to find you doing? Is it wasting time looking to the sky or would be that He finds you spreading His kingdom and bringing others along for the ride? May He find us working our tails off! Grace and peace to you.

Because of Jesus,

David Knapp

(photo by  kansasexplorer)

13 May, 2008

3701 SW 12th St., Topeka, KS

Not-Particularly-Reverand Phelps,

  Although I am on vacation at present, I still read the newspaper and have seen you carrying signs stating that I hate fags. First of all, that book you're getting all this from is an unauthorized biography, the authors of which, believe you me, would be in for a good, old-fashioned suing if they weren't dead.  Secondly, some of my best friends are fags, (Shiva, for instance).  And lastly, while I am on vacation, my lawyers are not; so if you keep up these libelous actions I will sue your ass.

Oh So Sincerely Wishing You Were Here,
~Gawd