The Westboro Baptist Church

The logo for the Westboro Baptist Church website

The Westboro Baptist Church is a church based in Kansas that has raised extreme controversy in the Unites States.  This church is described as a homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group.  The people who support this church are constantly arranging protests around the country.  Often times they arrange several protests around the country in one week.  What do they protest?  The church pickets institution, individuals, and other religions that they think support homosexuality or don't follow the rules that they believe God created for all of us.  These people believe that every single American and also every American institution is "sinful", this means that any group could be targeted to protest by this group.  This group just recently used the iPhone to announce a protest at the funeral of recently deceased Apple representative, Steve Jobs.  Protesting on somebody's funeral, and using the technology that the person created to announce the protest is just immoral.  How can you criticize somebody for not being moral when you are immoral yourself.  

Young member of the WBC protesting

This church is mainly made up of members of the Phelps family members.  However, this church has gained national recognition and controversy for their protests on the funerals of celebrities and American soldiers.  Why do these people do the things that they do?  The churches members believe that God punishes Americans for their tolerance for sin, which includes the acceptance of homosexuality.  These people claim to follow the teachings of the bible, and they preach against all forms of sin.  When this group protests at funerals and events they hold up signs that say things like "God Hates Fags" and "Fags Burn in Hell".  These signs that they protest with are offensive to many groups of people.  That is why this group is almost nationally hated.  This group crushes the human dignity of many different groups.  

Group mocking the protests of the Westboro Baptist Church

If these people claim to follow the teachings of God and the bible.  Then I have one question for you; "Why do you not follow one of Gods most important teachings in the bible, which is to love all others?"  The members of this church should treat others the way that they would like to be treated.  I think that what these people protest is just wrong.  America's soldiers fight to keep our country safe and free for all Americans and these people are protesting the death of soldiers.  Now keeping in mind that everybody is entitled to their opinion.  I believe that these people can believe whatever they want.  It's going to far when you are expressing hatred to almost all people for not believing in what you believe in.  What makes you think that what you believe is what God wants for all of us.  


I was brought up as a Roman Catholic.  I know that Christianity is not the only religion, that other religions believe in different thing.  However, I think that I would have trouble finding a different religion that agrees with most of the things that the Westboro Baptist Church does.  I attend church on a regular basis.  I do express my opinions about my religion calmly and rationally with other people.  I would never fight with somebody to try and convince them that what they believe in is wrong.  I was taught that God loves all people unconditionally.  That he forgives us for our sins if we are willing to ask for his forgiveness.  The Westboro Baptist Church believes that everybody is a sinner; and they would be correct.  According to Roman Catholic teaching, every human being is born with original sin, which is humanity's state of sin resulting from the fall of man.  Even the members of the Westboro Baptist Church were born with original sin.  So I have to ask "What makes you think that God hates all sinners, when you yourselves are sinners just like the rest of us?"  Why don't you help support a charity like almost any other religion, instead of criticizing those who need.  

WBC member protesting

One of the main slogans of this church is "God Hates Fags".  First of all, a fag or faggot is defined as a bundle of sticks.  So the slogan of this church, when broken down is "God Hates a Bundle of Sticks", which makes no logical sense (what does God have against a bundle of sticks?).  The word fag is often used to describe a homosexual.  This is because of the fact that in the distant past, societies used to beat homosexuals with a bundle of sticks.  Another slogan of this church is "God Hates Sinners".  In my mind, I interpret all people to be sinners because of the teaching in the bible that all people are born with original sin.  That means that, if God hates sinners, then he hates all people, including the people of the Westboro Baptist Church.  Ergo, if God hates sinners, he hates the members of the Westboro Baptist Church and the rest of humanity.  If I were creating a slogan for an argument against these people it would be "God most likely isn't a huge fan of you either".  


Keeping in mind the golden rule that God gave us, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, are the members of the Westboro Baptist Church trying to tell people that they want people to protest at their funerals with signs that say things like "You're going to Hell" and "God hates you".  That is one of the hints that I get from the actions of the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.  If God hates us (regular Americans) then he must really find the members of this church to be extremely irritating.  I know I do.  After learning about this group from the things on the internet, I am easily able to see why nobody likes this group.  The members of the Westboro Baptist Church deny people to have the human dignity that each person is given.  These people want everybody to believe what they believe.  We all know that this would never happen until these people are the last people on earth.  

Person mocking the members of the Westboro Baptist Church

In conclusion, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church raise extreme amounts of controversy in the United States because of the protests and unchangeable opinions that they have.  Everybody is entitled to have their own opinion.  However, I believe that these people have violated the privacy of some Americans and celebrities by protesting at a funeral.  I just recently learned about this church, and already I am angered by all of the things I have read about them online.  In my opinion, they are childish, hardheaded, narrow-minded, and somewhat annoying people.  Who do these people think they are, to judge other people based on their personal beliefs.  If they were following the teachings of the bible correctly, they would leave the judging up to God, for he is the ultimate judge of souls at the end of time.  


Information for this post was found on the following websites:
 ~ http://www.godhatesfags.com/
 ~ http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/WBC/default.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=3&item=WBC
 ~ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/westboro-baptist-church-uses-iphone-to-announce-steve-jobs-funeral-protest/2011/10/06/gIQAJqBjPL_blog.html