The posters are going like hot cakes and the Chamber has had to print several hundred more to keep up with demand. The Phelps protests are scheduled at various locations around the capital city, including the capital building itself and a local synagogue and university. Church groups, student groups and civic organizations have rallied together to stand up to the Phelps klan, so if nothing else, the community is more united than ever because of these hateful people.
In a related story, Westboro will also be protesting in Blacksburg, Va. today at three sites near rthe Virginia Tech campus. WDBJ7 reports:
Members of Westboro Baptist Church claim God cursed Tech and sent the shooter on April 16th, 2007. The group informed the town they'll be at three locations: outside the Jewish Community Center, along Main Street and in front of Blacksburg Middle School. A positive counter demonstration is set for noon at the Graduate Life Center Plaza. Blacksburg Police say they've done extensive planning to protect everyone. Extra officers will be on duty.
News7's Justin McLeod has learned Morgan Harrington's father plans to be there Friday. The family has heard Westboro Baptist Church plans to be there because of Morgan Harrington's death. Her father told News7 by phone Thursday he has seen posters on the group's website involving his daughter that he finds appalling and disturbing. Morgan Harrington is the Virginia Tech student who went missing after a Metallica concert at UVA's John Paul Jones arena in October. Her remains were found several months later in a field just outside of Charlottesville.
When you visit the site you'll find a bio of the fictitious founder, Pastor Ben Bigots who allegedly grew up with Phelps with whom he has been engaged in a life-long competition to see who is more hateful and intolerant.
This is how Eastboro explains their purpose on their site:
Good evening gentle friend.Check it out if you need some comic relief after all the intensity of standing up for equality. We all need to take a breather sometimes.
Welcome to the Eastboro Baptist Church homepage. This page is dedicated to preaching the Gospel truth about the soul-damning, nation-destroying notion that "It is OK to be different from us."
"GOD HATES EVERYONE EXCEPT US" -- though elliptical -- is a profound theological statement, which the world needs to hear more than it needs oxygen, water and bread. The three words, fully expounded, show:
the absolute sovereignty of "GOD" in all matters whatsoever (e.g., Jeremiah 32:17, Isaiah 45:7, Amos 3:6, Proverbs 16:4, Matthew 19:26, Romans 9:11-24, Romans 11:33-36, etc.),
the doctrine of reprobation or God's "HATE" involving eternal retribution or the everlasting punishment of most of mankind in Hell forever (e.g., Leviticus 20:13,23, Psalm 5:5, Psalm 11:5, Malachi 1:1-3, Romans 9:11-13, Matthew 7:13,23, John 12:39-40, 1 Peter 2:8, Jude 4, Revelation 13:8, 20:15, 21:27, etc.), and
the certainty that all impenitent “people who disagree with our beliefs” (under the elegant metaphor of "EVERYONE EXCEPT US" fueling the fires of God's wrath) will inevitably go to Hell (e.g., Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-11
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Call me cynical, but doing any kind of counter protest against Phelps at this date really doesn't rank high on things I want to do.
ReplyDeleteI get so sick of hearing people talk about how they protest the funerals of soldiers and make other outrageous claims such as the mine disaster being cause by WV's tolerance for gays and lesbians. So what? Did any of those outraged people give a damn when they protested the funerals of guys who died of AIDS? Of course they didn't. Probably because deep down, like the vast majority of people that believe imaginary friends live on clouds and listen to their requests via a prayer line, they felt that people who died of AIDS deserved it.
I just have a hard time feeling sympathy for people who most likely wouldn't raise a finger to help or protect our community. And more likely, rush damage our community at the ballot box. All, of course, because Jesus tells them to.
Thom,
ReplyDeleteI totally get it. I can only hope that with the world's attention being focused on Virginia's rabidly anti-gay governor and attorney general and now the Phelps Klan, maybe Virginians, at least the liberal ones, will start to wake up and smell the coffee. Change takes time, even more so in Virginia, but we're making progress.
And you're right. The people that show up to counter-protest Westboro because of the dead soldiers and students didn't give a shit when it was AIDS patients dying. But check out the story at Collegiate Times that talks about junior high school students in Blacksburg wearing t-shirts to school supporting gay rights. And a little child shall lead them.
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/15356/westboro-baptist-church-protests-stir-strong-emotions