Phelp's church may protest at Amish girl's funerals

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, aka Phelp's Church, may protest the funerals of the 5 Amish girls killed by a gunman this week. They contend that the protest is about PA Gov. Ed Rendell, who has publicly spoken out against the church.



I realize that the right thing to do would be to support these freak's First Amendment rights, but there have to be limits. Whatever happened to common decency?

Residents of the area vowed to not let the protestors anywhere near the funerals. I hope the police turn their back while they are being asked to leave.

[edit on 4-10-2006 by UM_Gazz]

[edit on 4-10-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]

There is another thread following this news item.

Radical Baptists from Kansas Say They will Picket Amish Funerals in PA

Also the group has apparently changed their mind about the protest. According to their website it has been called off because "one of their representatives is going to be on the Mike Gallagher show". I guess this one person was integral to their entire plans for the picketing.

My guess is that they realized they had bitten off more then they could chew this time and are finding a reason to back out of their plans.

Westboro Baptist Church -- Press Release

Groups like this are why more states are passing laws not allowing protests to take place at funerals, so their constitutional right to peacefully assemble are not interfered with.

Free speech is that way. You have to take the good with the bad. I am disgusted by these fools who are NO DIFFERENT then OBL, or any other religious extremist, but you cannot pick and chose who get to speak no matter how asinie they may be :shk:

I wonder how they would like it if if we showed at any personal tragedy one of those publicity whores may suffer and see how they like a little "free speech"

What is wrong with these people.

Somebody said something negative about their beliefs and one of their congregation kills 5 young girls and all they can think about is protesting what somebody said?

What is to be said about the 5 girls one of their own murdered, or executed.

Did they even show any remorse for the girls one of their own killed, not that I have heard yet. That to me, is almost like they condone this.

They are almost treating this like the execution of these girls was called for because of the words of somebody else, and know this will give them the platform they need to get their message out.

Isn't this how terrorists work? JUST A COMPARISON!! I'm not calling them terrorists.

Here is a classic example of a group that gives the rest of us that are Christians a bad name.

This Independent Church pastor has decided he needs some air time for free and he is going to get it by either getting his face on the news or blackmailing the press:

But the daughter of the church's pastor, Rev. Fred Phelps, told FOXNews.com on Wednesday the church would cancel the protests if given media time on radio and television as a platform to espouse Westboro's beliefs.

I hope I am not the only person that realizes this is blackmail, plain and simple. How can these folks even consider following a pastor that goes against the basic tenants of the Bible. The problem is that many of these Independent Churches are started by someone that considers themselves to have a calling from God but has no formal seminary schooling. The Baptist Church is renowned for having this problem. Half of their churches actually fall under the category of cult more so then church, and have no parent organization to keep the pastors from going over the deep end on a power trip.

I would suggest that other true Christian Churches lean on this pastor, hard. I would hope that the Kentucky State Police find out what their mode of transport is and tie them up with all kinds of stuff, like impounding their vehicles. If none of that happens, it would be good to see the news agency step up, and offer time, make a tape, then turn in the pastor for blackmail.

A friend of mine got involved with one of these Baptist churches and I swear they honestly believe that their church, which is in Michigan, is the direct and original church that comes straight from john the Baptist. It is frightening to see the kind of twisted logic these churches use and they way that they take over the lives of their members and totally brainwash them.

Churches are tax-exempt businesses, whose business is influencing people's minds through spirituality. What is a struggling preacherpeneur to do? As they say, any publicity is good publicity. The pastor runs an independent church and he has to compete with lots of large corporate franchises. What is he supposed to do?

He may have some loyal followers, but attracting new people is tough. He is just trying to get the word out to more people. How many more people can benefit from being part of his church?

Maybe it's about time the churches, like any other organisation, started paying taxes.
When they overstep the mark and start dabbling in politics, even openly calling for their congregations to vote for a particular candidate or party, they should lose any tax exempt status.

The major church organisations are not short of a few pennies, holding large stock and property portfolios, all paid for by loyal worshippers.

If they want t politicise their preaching then hit them where it REALLY hurts

Originally posted by Keyhole
What is wrong with these people.

Somebody said something negative about their beliefs and one of their congregation kills 5 young girls and all they can think about is protesting what somebody said?

What is to be said about the 5 girls one of their own murdered, or executed.

Did they even show any remorse for the girls one of their own killed, not that I have heard yet. That to me, is almost like they condone this.

They are almost treating this like the execution of these girls was called for because of the words of somebody else, and know this will give them the platform they need to get their message out.

Isn't this how terrorists work? JUST A COMPARISON!! I'm not calling them terrorists.

it is my understanding that this church(and I use this term loosly)is a closed congregation consisting of the phelps family only and is funded by there own money and they are commonly regaurded by the locals of kansas as legal bullys willing to sue at the drop of a hat
while I have not tryed to attend one of there meetings and there for cannot garentee it to be closed
I can say there antics have caused much grief here around the kansas city area

What would Jesus do? Slap the living crap (at the very least) out of the so-called Rev. Fred Phelps for taking his name in vain.

[edit on 5-10-2006 by grover]

The daughter of the church founder, Shirley Phelps-Roper, appeared on Fox New's Hannity and Colmes show last night. This is at least her second appearance on their show.

If you want a glimpse into madness, watch this video clip. It's about 4 and a half minutes long.

Hannity and Colmes

After the last child is buried, it would be great to see a protest of Phelp's church with more protesters then that church's building capacity!

They could carry signs that say "Church of last week's murderer" and "God Bless the child killers that attend this church."

Give them they media they so desperately want. Except, like any good genie, flip their wish around on them and give them EXACTLY what they want. EXACTLY!!!

Where is a vigilante when you want one around?

Originally posted by jsobecky
The daughter of the church founder, Shirley Phelps-Roper, appeared on Fox New's Hannity and Colmes show last night. This is at least her second appearance on their show.

If you want a glimpse into madness, watch this video clip. It's about 4 and a half minutes long.

Hannity and Colmes

Sad, really sad... and people complain about the Muslims funnymentalists when we have people such as these. There is really no difference between them...they both have the same basic, closed minded judgementalism and arrogance...only the religion is different. And the Fred Phelps are not alone, the Christian Reconstructionists are just as frightening as the Taliban.

That is not the Jesus I encounter when I read the Gospels...The soul of the Jesus I know is one of compassion and mercy.

Without compassion we are no better than our prejudices.

[edit on 5-10-2006 by grover]

Originally posted by grover
That is not the Jesus I encounter when I read the Gospels...The soul of the Jesus I know is one of compassion and mercy.

Without compassion we are no better than our prejudices.

I have seen her on several TV shows, and this is the one question I always wish someone would ask her. What kind of G_d does that to his creations?

It would not surprise me one bit if the Westboro "Baptist Church" would protest it. These "church" goers are sick because of what they do. These people were brainwashed into thinking that God hates us, and that God has told them to hate us. Nowhere in the Holy Bible does it state that a person or a group of people should hate a group of people because of their beliefs or what they do. Nor does it state that God hates people because of what they do or what they believe in.

These are the people whom, in reaction of outrage at their bigotry try and turn the tables on their critics by saying that they (their critics) are the ones are bigots because they do not tolerate their religious beliefs. I have seen this argument in both print to letters to the editor here in SW Va. as well as heard it on TV.

It is a profound travesty of any true spirituality to attribute your own personal bigotry to God.

The Lord knows I don't think much of most folks that claim to revere and follow the teaching of the Jesus, because often they do not practice what the rhetoric they preach. The grieving grandfather specifically and the Amish in general are an exception. I could not find the forgiveness in my heart that this man is showing and I doubt that many reading this thread could either.

PARADISE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.

"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.

"It was one of the most touching things I have seen in 25 years of Christian ministry."
CNN Link

As for the good reverend phelps, the Amish will forgive him and pray for him too.
.

Free speech has its limits. The Phelps Church has already been mandated not to protest soldiers' funerals, so why should this be any different. Theirs speeches could incite violence and unlawful behavior. He should stick to the pulpit and analyze how his congregation leads their lives, not the lives of others

Phelps and company have a habit of threatening to attend something like this but then don't show. A few years ago a man walked into a gay bar here and started shooting. Several people were wounded and 1 man was killed. Well the so-called reverend threatened to attend the man's funeral and protest but he wanted the local police to assure his safety from the possible reprocussions of his "free speech". Well the police refused and as a result he didn't show. Coward.

originaly posted by DF1:

he Lord knows I don't think much of most folks that claim to revere and follow the teaching of the Jesus, because often they do not practice what the rhetoric they preach. The grieving grandfather specifically and the Amish in general are an exception. I could not find the forgiveness in my heart that this man is showing and I doubt that many reading this thread could either.

Well stated, and I agree. I am fortunate to share Undisclosed with Moravian/Amish/ Menonite neighbors--you could not ask for better or more peaceful people.

I think Phelps' Pro-IED campaign is the worst of all

We aren’t anti-war protestors; we aren’t anti-don’t-ask-don’t-tell protestors; we’re the prophets of God….This war had to happen; Bush has to be persuaded to stay in this war; America had to become Babylon. This is the means by which, God is punishing America, and nothing is going to change that fact. We’re going to stay on message….You don’t define us; our duty to God does. Whether it’s by hurricane, IED, terrorists, or other means, God is punishing this nation. He has become an active enemy fighting against America. That is our message…

-- www.godhatesfags.com, December 12, 2005