This congregation of hate and unChristian behavior was recently in Massachusetts to protest at the Harvard Jewish Center because the Jews killed Jesus and they were also to protest at a high school play in Framingham. This groups has also protested at military funerals with such hate filled signs as your son is burning in hell. I was not going to comment, because to do so brings them more into the news, but I feel as a Christian and a priest I have to speak.
I believe that they have the right to practice their religion whether I agree with it or not. I also agree that they have the right to protest as that is one of the guarantees we have in our Constitution but as I have written about before just because you can do something does not mean you should. With our freedoms comes an enormous amount of moral responsibility. Protest is you must but this is just not the place to do it. Human decency would dictate that a funeral is not the place.
I very rarely discuss the religion of another group here on the blog but this so called church ranks right up there with the guy who wanted to burn the Koran, in fact I believe they are in co hoots with each other.
The Christian Scripture that I read has Jesus telling his followers that we have, notice I said tells, us that we are love one another as he loved us. Christianity and Christians cannot hate anyone because it is not possible to be followers of Christ and hate. Hatred comes from the evil one and not from the God who is all love. All of humanity was created in the image and likeness of God and we are given the Divine Spark at our creation, to hate someone denies that image and likeness and therefore denies God. We do not have to agree with the behavior of people but we do have to love them. Protesting at funerals and holding up signs that say, “God hates fags” is not love and it is just bad theology because God is incapable of hating anyone or anything. At least the God that I believe in and serve.
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
This so called "church" you speak of is a family run group with the father,for lack of a better word,the minister and his family members,congregants.
These people are no better then a group of nuts who have no idea what the Bible says,except for their twisted interpretation of it.
Unfortunitly they sure are getting the attention they desire.
You don't have to worry they will not be allowed to protest at Elizabeth Edwards funeral,since she is rich and has influence,to bad the same can not be said for the father trying to sue this group for what they did at his son military funeral.
He is now trying to take it to the Supreme Court.
People have freedom of speach,but just because you can yell fire in a crowded theater does that mean you should?
I dont agree with her politics much, but she was a woman who seemed to behave with the utmost grace and class even in the midst of awful circumstances.
Protesting her is to protest class acts. Which tells you about the protesters.
There I am judging, when my first thought was judge not that you be not judged. DOH!
@Linda the 'fire in a crowded theater" is a false analogy. They are not causing immediate danger for those around them, and as vehemently as I hate the WBB church and what they proclaim, it is the guarantee of the founding fathers that there is a free marketplace of ideas.
I'm glad they're doing what they do, because it shows the world what they believe, and when you know what someone believes you can turn on your critical thinking and analyze what they believe to see if it coencides with reality.
Fr. Peter-Michael, however much I, an atheist, disagree with your theology at least we can agree that these people are vile. Though I would contend that they would likely believe themselves to have biblical support for their views.