The Westboro Baptist Church

Where do I begin?

When you read the name
Westboro Baptist Church
what comes to mind?

I have a few words that come to mind when I hear it, and they aren't pretty.
I took it into my hands to research a bit more of this group and their message. Their ideas, their actions.

Now before you go hating on churches in general, I will say that the Westboro Baptist Church is not affiliated, oddly enough, with any Baptist denomination.

Now why would that be? If the WBC has Baptist in their name, they should be a part of something bigger, right?

Well according to them they are. I went to their website, which is so appropriately titled "godhatesfags.com" and was absolutely repulsed by everything that was posted on their site. Their message? God Hates Fags, and God Hates America. I'm not the most patriotic person but the little logo of an upside-down American flag, an image which should only be reserved to indicate extreme distress or danger, insults me, and is frightening to see.

In various posts and in every single possible corner or the site, God Hates Fags and "the lie that God loves everyone" runs rampant. But they don't save all their hate for the gays, no. They proclaim that practically everyone who isn't them is "going to Hell" and will "perish and burn eternally". They are Anti-Semitist, and intolerant. The site itself screams at you with hate, and suitably fits the members' attitudes.

From the Christian-run site Christian Post:

"Westboro member Margie Phelps has commented in an interview that the group believes God sent 20 year old shooter, Adam Lanza, to shoot and kill the 20 children and six adults in Connecticut because the state had legalized gay marriage."

Let's check Wikipedia:

"The church has been actively involved in actions against gays since at least 1991, when it sought a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park six blocks northwest of the church.[7] In addition to conducting anti-gay protests at military funerals, the organization pickets other celebrity funerals and public events that are likely to get it media attention.[8]Protests have also been held demonstrating against Jews and some protests included stomping on the American flag."

In my opinion, the WBC is either a religious group gone unacceptably extremist and hateful, or a hate group disguised as a religious group.

Now whether the chicken or the egg came first, doesn't matter AT ALL. And I don't care.
I really want to see this group come to an end.

There were supposed to have been 25,000 signatures in the petition to the White House to legally recognize them as a hate group. By the time I finished this post, there were approximately 303,000 signatures.

Look at the stats now:

Legally recognize Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group. | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government