By
Christine Amarantus
Editor at Large
Published: February 22, 2010
Categorized in | Local News, National News, News
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church head off to picket on the corner of 10th Street and Ximeno Avenue, diagonally across from Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach. Photo by Christine Amarantus/Daily Titan Staff Writer
Shirley Phelps-Roper, 52, makes her way to the corner. She dons a tattered and bloodied American flag as an apron and pulls out her four signs with different messages of God’s wrath from a padded carrying case, holding them up like butterfly wings on either side of her. She guides her youngest of her 11 children, Luke, who is wearing a blue shirt with anti-homosexual sentiments, to stand beside her.
“We’re just here to tell you faithfully what the scripture says and to tell you also that your destruction is imminent,” said Phelps-Roper, daughter of the Westboro Baptist Church’s leader, Fred Phelps.
A man with a megaphone on the other side of the street chants, “USA! USA!”
Phelps-Roper answers back, “IED! IED!” (short for improvised explosive device).
Such devices have been known to kill American soldiers in the Middle East, which the WBC says they rejoice in. The group has been known to picket at funerals for American troops along with picketing Jewish temples and celebrations and anything remotely tied to homosexuality. Their next scheduled picket in Southern California will be at the Academy Awards in Hollywood.
“Protests, such as those organized by WBC, do not reflect a compassionate response to the human condition,” said Dr. Janet Bregar, a professor from Cal State Fullerton’s comparative religion department, “because they create harm and pain to those who are in a vulnerable state of grief, are not requested by those in grief and are forced upon those in situations where the excuse of free speech is used to coerce and force one worldview upon another in a public space.”
Bregar is expertised in Christian thought and world religions and is a reverend at Village Lutheran Church in Brentwood.
Groups like the WBC try to “stoke the fires of reactivity” by implying that an “apocalyptic situation will occur” in order to gain a larger membership, Bregar said.
“The differing perspectives of religious traditions and worldviews contradict each other and create a situation of moral insecurity for those people whose orientation is conservative and oriented toward scriptures as ‘direct revelation’ from God,” she said. “There is a freedom to make a personal choice about what is moral or not and usually allows for moral nuances and changes in truth claims which result in more complex decision making and a moral value upon individual authority and choice.”
Protected by the Bill of Rights to assemble, worship and say what they wish, members of the church have been arrested in the past for destruction of American flags. Phelps-Roper, who is also an attorney, has argued that these acts are constitutionally-protected.
“The first amendment is one of the jewels … one of the beautiful ornaments that God gave this nation,” she said. “They have no respect for it, and they won’t long have it.”
Phelps-Roper and her father have been banned from flying into the United Kingdom, where they intended to protest a production of “The Laramie Project” last year. The play, based on a true story, details the life of a young homosexual man who was beaten to death in Wyoming.
For more on the WBC protests visit: http://www.dailytitan.com/2010/02/westborobaptistprotest.
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The professor uses some extravagant explantions to try to explain away their insanity; whereas I would just urge readers to watch their parody of Michael Jackson’s Bad “God’s Mad” on YouTube.
God bless the Westboro Baptist Church for not backing down in the face of wickedness and Godless adversity. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so you can wallow in your favorite sin like a pig in poop. Choose this day whom you will serve … God or Satan. If God, then repent. (I know what you’re thinking, and no, I don’t belong to the WBC.)
Which of Shirley’s kids were born out of wedlock? Mary, go suck a big one.
I have read this about westboro baptist church. The only thing I learned that GOD HATE SINS but God don’t hate people. No one had right to judge while you are on earth. God only can judge them. We all have judgement day. You need to be careful of your statment. you said very harsh Jesus meet all gays, forgeins and all sinners. He would not say harsh thing. you all people are humans that where it come from. Christian people will never be perfect while you walk on the earth until get into heaven that’s PERFECT!!
“God bless the Westboro Baptist Church for not backing down in the face of wickedness and Godless adversity. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so you can wallow in your favorite sin like a pig in poop. Choose this day whom you will serve … God or Satan. If God, then repent”
WHAT THE F**K MARY
do you even know the things westboro says ..serosly do some researh thay have arbandned all the things that make the christan fath positive … thay show less love to ther fellow man then hitler ..thay suported sadum hussain LITERly
plus thay abusice there kids and proberly like you dount relisce the old testerman is no longer even imprtant to any one exsept jews who are another group thay hate …at least jews have morles..and a sence of logic
Mary,
If you think the WBC represents anything to do with God, I have news for you, according the the Westboro Baptist Church, you are going to burn in hell. Yes, you, because of the fact that you are not a member of their church, you are also going to burn in hell. They aren’t interested in saving souls, or bringing people to Christ. They believe in capital punishment for homosexuals, and they are rabidly anti-semitic. One of their signs sums it up “GOD HATES YOU”
It is simple, they are a cult, they just happen to be a Christian cult, but they exhibit all the behaviors of a cult: a tightly knit and highly controlling group led by a charismatic leader. They excommunicate and disown members who disagree with them (members of their own family!) Their beliefs happen to follow the ideas and whims of Fred “Gramps” Phelps.
They believe that they have special understanding of God, and that only their tiny group is going to heaven.
I think the District Weekly nodded toward your butterfly comment in their article about how to hold a sign the Westboro Baptist Church way: http://thedistrictweekly.com/2010/print/features/sign-sign-everywhere-a-sign/
This is a “look at me” hate group. Not a “church”.
Not a thing about them has anything to do with a church. I could say I am a church, but is what you do not wat you say. They are all about the hate, not the word.
This group has personally offended me. They are going to be protesting at my old high school in a few days, and as they describe us as rebellious, brain washed, libidinous brats. My school overall has the most intelligent students in the city, out of 4 high schools, and the highest graduation rate. We had clubs to accommodate all life styles, we do not judge, just like our savior asks us to…
This group is just strongly using the fear tactic to draw more people in. They make the Christian faith look awful.
One word to sum up these losers – Disturbing
Why have the state not removed the children from there care? They perform a form of child abuse on those kids who will never live a normal life – straight or gay – have friends, holidays or dates.
I have been watching these freaks and trying to understand how any human being could have so little compasion for families layig to rest fallen heros.
One picket says “thank god for 9/11″ very disturbing – is there really any diffrence between the middle eastern terrorist who have enough funds and bodies to cause this distruction and the few that are wbc members? With the hate they fill for the American people and the British people is it not accurate to assume that if they had the funds they would be just as dangerous?
Last comment as i dont want to waste any more time on these nasty, vile people – America keep your heads up and do what your doing loud and proud – gay, straight, bi or otherwise – lets just hope when someone they love passes over, it is made public and we can go and picket there funeral with a gay pride march
that would be worth the trip form London xx
You critics are doing what you accuse them of doing. You are the ones who are full of hate. I have read the most atrocious and vile things saaid about them. But like Christ they rejoice because that means they are fullfilling Christ’s words that the world would hate them also.
They have not once said that they hate fags. They have only said what the word of God says. Why don’t you sin loving pious pretenders crack open your bibles and read every verse instead of taking verses out of context? Psalms 5 clearly says that god hates the workers of iniquity as well as he does their sin. God changes not. He hated sinners then, He hates them now. He also loves them enough to send someone to tell them of their doom if they do not repent. But he knows who will hear and who will not.From the almost universal hatred shown his messengers it appears that God has already issued his decree against this nation and the world and if their message is not bringing sinners to Christ it’s because their mission is to be witnesses to your snowballing demise not to your salvation.