Westboro Baptist Church

[Astoria]

Nothing more dangerous than a nutter who thinks they're on a holy mission from God. Can't remember where that's from but I think it's pretty true. People just need to ignore them because they're clearly after attention any way they can.

 

[Kaisius]

Ideally, we would ignore this cult, and allow them to fade away, back into ignominy they so richly deserve. And, that will happen eventually. Admittedly though, that's not very satisfying. They are doing this for the attention, so getting angry at them fuels the fire. The answer, I think, to treat them like the (bad) jokes they are, and laugh at them.

 

[Requx]

I dislike them, but they are walking advertisments for Aethism so I don't hate them as much as you do.

 

[SilverUchiha]

I thought religion was crazy before Westboro. And I didn't necessarily need affirmation in my beliefs. that being said, I very much dislike people using religious beliefs as an excuse to make stupid claims and act like total attention whores because they are biggotted or something else. I'm not saying EVERYONE in EVERY RELIGION does this... but there are enough loud voices of this type that it really puts a negative perception on religious people as a whole.

Kind of like school-shootings being loosely connected to games. The only reason that games=violence to some people is because we have a few cases of overly violent people who happen to play games making idiots of themselves and demonizing the whole culture/subculture in one swoop. Those who have the loudest voice (even if a minority) will drown out the rest who don't speak up (even if they are the majority).

 

[Gitty101]

Do not give these people attention. It is what they want. They are using religion to justify their hatred and make it legal to publicly express.

The more attention you give them, the more the plague spreads.

This. If you ignore it, hopefully they'll fade into obscurity. One can only hope.

 

[lacktheknack]

'Christian' in the same way that I'm 'a 30-foot tall sentient Jell-O mold'.

I really, really hate to defend WBC, but I'm tired of hearing people say this. The fact of the matter is that your interpretation of the Bible and the beliefs you hold aren't any more or less valid than theirs. Just because you don't agree how they practice their Christianity doesn't make them not Christians.

But... they make their stuff up. Out of air. For their own purposes.

THAT'S why we keep going on about how they aren't Christians. Imagine if a high-profile group said that a central part of being atheistic was to eat puppies. And they said that over and over again.

 

[Canid117]

Just ignore them and eventually they will go away.

 

[Rotting Corpse]

Alright so i think that we have all seen the news about these people and wether you think that they are crazy or not i think that more people need to stand up to them and maybe tell them that being media whores is not the way to go to get Gods word out to the public.

The problem is that they see every word someone speaks against them and their message as vindication of their beliefs. That's how insane these people are. I am an atheist and it's really nice to finally hear at least one moderate christian admitting that these people are making you all look bad and that you should do something about it.

A lot of christians will just say "They're not real christians." The people who say that think that people shouldn't judge the whole religion on these few nut jobs that get so much attention. The problem for these people is that the world isn't going to do that just because they think the world should.

Moderate christians need to realize that if they want their religion to look better in the public eye, then they need to clean up their own backyard. Westboro is making christianity as a whole look even worse than the catholics are.

 

[Samechiel]

But... they make their stuff up. Out of air. For their own purposes.

*cough* Well, depending on who you ask, all Christians do that. But to play Devil's Advocate:

And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. -Leviticus 20:13

So that's just one thing right there. If you'd like, I can rattle off a whole list of not-very-nice things in the bible that can be interpereted any way you want them to be. The fact is that for every good thing in the bible, there's at least one bad thing, and usually more. What the WBC is doing is exactly what every other Christian in the world does: picking out the parts of their religion that they like while ignoring the parts they don't.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

You know who said that? Jesus. You know what he was talking about? The Old Testament. Everything in there still holds true, no matter how bad it was or how much you want to ignore it.

Just because their interpretation is different from yours doesn't mean they aren't Christian.

 

[Kortney]

I'm kind of glad US Christians are finally starting to deal with people thinking they are crazy because of one tiny sect called the WBC. As a Muslim, I've been trying to explain to idiots that I'm not a part Al Qaeda for almost a decade now! Finally the shoe is on the other foot!

Seriously though, they are just crack pots. They bring hurt into other people's lives and should be ignored by the whole community. They act like a bunch of trolls.

 

[Kortney]

But... they make their stuff up. Out of air. For their own purposes.

*cough* Well, depending on who you ask, all Christians do that. But to play Devil's Advocate:

And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. -Leviticus 20:13

So that's just one thing right there. If you'd like, I can rattle off a whole list of not-very-nice things in the bible that can be interpereted any way you want them to be. The fact is that for every good thing in the bible, there's at least one bad thing, and usually more. What the WBC is doing is exactly what every other Christian in the world does: picking out the parts of their religion that they like while ignoring the parts they don't.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

You know who said that? Jesus. You know what he was talking about? The Old Testament. Everything in there still holds true, no matter how bad it was or how much you want to ignore it.

Just because their interpretation is different from yours doesn't mean they aren't Christian.

Yeah, but that doesn't mean they aren't trolls. I'm pretty sure the Bible actually mentions animal sacrifice more than it does homosexuality. So, according to their logic of interpreting the Bible literally, shouldn't they be advocating the sacrifice of animals too?

I think they are just attention seeking bastards who don't really care about the Bible. They want to rile up as many people as possible because of their warped views. I don't think you can attempt to rationalise what they believe.

 

[Samechiel]

Yeah, but that doesn't mean they aren't trolls.

I wasn't arguing against them being trolls. I was arguing against the people saying they weren't Christians.

shouldn't they be advocating the sacrifice of animals too?

Didn't read my post, I see. Well, to quote myself:

What the WBC is doing is exactly what every other Christian in the world does: picking out the parts of their religion that they like while ignoring the parts they don't.

I don't think you can attempt to rationalise what they believe.

I my honest opinion, I don't think that any religion can rationalize what they believe. To me, they're all equally invalid. WBC isn't any more or less crazy than the rest of you, they're just the loudest assholes to come out of this crop.

 

[Terminate421]

Do not give these people attention. It is what they want. They are using religion to justify their hatred and make it legal to publicly express.

The more attention you give them, the more the plague spreads.

And even if we do ignore them they will continue to use their hate language. Its futile.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

They're using "religion" as a thin veil over their true intentions, which is baiting people into lawsuits. That's all they really do. Either they get refused a permit to protest and sue the city, or they be so obnoxious that somebody assaults them, and they sue.

As a Christian, though, I see that they're blasphemers. If you study the Bible, blasphemy is worse than sexual deviancy, warmongering, drunkenness, and many other sins. All these can be forgiven, but using the name of the Lord in such a manner, lying about Him, and eroding the image of the faith, is something that He has said will not be forgiven.

 

[jawakiller]

Indirectly, the bible does say homosexual activities are a sin. [Please Note: I do not support Westboro Baptist Church or agree with everything they do.] I know this will cause a flamewar and I may get banned because of it but I'm tired of people saying stuff about a book they never read (one or two pages doesn't count). First, read (in a real bible, like NIV, NKJV, NASB or even the message will work) 1 Corinthians 6:18... Sexual immorality is bad. Sexual immorality is simply a sexual act outside of marriage. Then read chapter seven, as much as you like. That is where the bible define marriage. This might even support monogamy (no promises). If you don't have a bible, google it. Then I found this and I'll give it to you in greek.
ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι θεοῦ βασιλείαν οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται... 1 Corinthians 6:9

ἀρσενοκοῖται translates into homosexual... It turns out God did have something to say about homosexuality.

I'm not trying to offend anyone, I'm only quoting the bible.

 

[Romidude]

WBC are real life trolls. Ignore them, and they will shrivel up from lack of attention.

 

[EvilestDeath]

Alright so i think that we have all seen the news about these people and wether you think that they are crazy or not i think that more people need to stand up to them and maybe tell them that being media whores is not the way to go to get Gods word out to the public.

Im Baptist.... I believe that God is here watching over us....

that said these people are not Godly people they are nothing but a bunch of lunitics that think that they can do whatever they want because they are "Doing Gods bidding"

No, No you are not Westboro you are doing is making the whole country believe that religion is crazy... you are working AGAINST God

Maybe if someone stood all around your church and houses with "God hates Westboro" or similar signs like that they might get the message...

Heck i say the moment one of them dies we get THOUSANDS of people to come and protest at their funeral. I say we line the streets with people with signs and stuff saying varrious things. An eye for an eye makes everyone blind but you know what sometimes you got to poke some eyes. Im sorry if i have some nerd rage over this stuff but now that i have said something I'm kind of glad that i did.

God Hates Fags - Assumption

I Hates leeches - FACT

NEVER suggest to get more people to stand against them. They are trolls and what do trolls love? Attention! Do some research and learn that fighting back gives them more power. The law will take care of any illegal actions they do but for the time being they are breaking no laws and your not helping getting rid of them by trying to rally up people against them.

They have started to weaken and it is showing with their desperate attempts to gain the attention you are trying to give to them. Don't post thread's like this, it is disgraceful and counter productive. Report news, don't rant about something like many have done before you in years past...and they have failed just as you will.

Fuck that church and their radical beliefs but leave them alone and you'll see them making mistakes to try and get the attention they are denied. That is when you rally the troops and call them out on actual legal infringements. And besides since they don't allow outsiders into their group and seem to be making no attempt to increase their population they will die off eventually.

tl;dr Shut up and stop with the ranting. Thousands have said the same things before and like you, have done nothing productive.

 

[Happy Toki Toki]

I'm with Arizona Kyle here - people need to stand up and take the fight to injustice not just say "don't give them attention" thats just a cowards excuse.

If no one confronts them then they will walk over everyone.

 

[Fraught]

I don't give a single fuck about those guys. I don't know much anything about them, because I largely ignore them.

So I'm doing God's work.