One of the biggest things that sickens me about many “Christian” groups is their propensity to back up their wicked, hateful ideas with obscure Biblical references.

     By now, most everyone in the country has heard something about the so-called “Reverend,” Fred Phelps, of the Westboro Baptist Church — either heard about him personally, or the work he’s done as an Anti-American (“God Hates the USA!”), as an instigator of violence against homosexuals (“God Hates Fags!”), or as an instigator of hatred against Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Roman Catholics, George Bush, Jews, Women, Rye Bread, Israel.  Carpet, and your next door neighbor’s cat.  And Catholics.  And Jews.  And Fruit Roll-ups.
     What self-respecting Christian could possibly follow an asshat like this?  Apparently, up to about 200.  The number frequently changes, mind you, and could be as low as 15.

     The WBC is labeled a Hate Group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and is rightfully on the Anti-Defamation League watch list.  The group is so hateful, in fact, that even Michael Moore and the Ku Klux Klan have attempted to counter them.

     He and his “faithful followers” have protested the funerals of U.S. Soldiers, and are now turning their vileness towards victims of Virginia Tech shooting:

WBC will preach at the funerals of the Virginia Tech students killed on campus during a shooting rampage April 16, 2007. You describe this as monumental horror, but you know nothing of horror — yet. Your bloody tyrant Bush says he is ‘horrified’ by it all. You know nothing of horror — yet. Your true horror is coming. ‘They shall also gird themselves with sackloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads’ (Eze. 7:18).

Why did this happen, you ask? It’s simple. Your military chose to shoot at the servants of God today, and all they got for their effort was terror. Then, the LORD your God sent a crazed madman to shoot at your children. Was God asleep while this took place? Was He on vacation? Of course not. He willed this to happen to punish you for assailing His servants.

     But in reading the above, what strikes me most is that Phelps claims that God inspired a man to kill our children as punishment for our country’s involved in Iraq.  When I consider the fact that Phelps has repeatedly been anti-Muslim, I find his credibility in this case pretty weak.  But, apparently, anywhere from 14-200 people (discounting Phelps, himself) are able to ignore that little inconsistency…

     And to debunk it a little further…
     Back in the Garden of Eden, Cain became jealous of his brother, Abel, because he felt that God favored Abel.  While they were out in the fields, Cain killed Abel.  Why didn’t God protect Abel?  Was God asleep while this took place?  Was He on vacation?  Of course not.
     God allows us Free Will.  That was the gift of the Forbidden Fruit.

     There is Separation of Church and State in this country.  Religious Freedom is guaranteed by the First Amendment — “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”
     What that Amendment means is that they’re not going to come and shut down Mr. Phelps “Church” because his Religion and Free Speech is protected.  Put simply, they stay out of his domain, so long as he and his followers don’t take action on the garbage they’re preaching…

     “The hell with your flag.  The hell with your fag army, your fag courts, your fag-run government,” says Phelps.  “This is the hypocritical, fag-infested, fag-run United States of America and we’re supposed to respect that fag rag flag?”
     Yes, he is supposed to Respect it.  This Country, and that Flag that it represents, are what gave him the right to spread his filth in the name of Religion.

     I would also have them remember that Government will stay out of their Church’s domain only so much as their Church stays out of the Government’s domain.  With every legal line they cross while spouting their politics and hatred, they become less and less a Church, and more and more a Hate Group who spout Bible Verses.

Tips: Slublog, LissaKay