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| {{dablink|This article refers to the Westboro Baptist Church of ], and is not related to the Westboro Baptist Church of ] or ]}} | |||
| ], ] ]] | |||
| '''Westboro Baptist Church''' (WBC) is a controversial organization headed by ] and based in ], ]. | |||
| == God hates the Westboro Baptist Church == | |||
| The small church runs numerous websites such as GodHatesFags.com,<ref></ref> GodHatesAmerica.com and others expressing condemnation of ], ], ], and ] people (]), ], ] and ], as well as populations it believes are supporting the forementioned groups, including ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| The organization is monitored by the ],<ref name="adl-phelps"> | |||
| {{cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/special_reports/wbc/default.asp|title=Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church|author=]|year=2006|accessdate=2007-02-23}}</ref> and is classified as a hate group by the ].<ref name="splc-hate">]. Accessed 5 October 2006.</ref><ref>]. Accessed 5 October 2006.</ref> Although well-known in LGBT communities for picketing ] events and funerals, the group achieved national notoriety due to its picketing of funeral processions for soldiers killed in ] combat,<ref name="funeral">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305279,00.html|title=Father of Marine Killed in Iraq Sues Church for Cheering Death|publisher=Associated Press via Fox News|year=2007|accessdate=2007-10-26}}</ref> which functions as an extension of the Phelps' anti-United States beliefs. | |||
| While its members identify themselves as ]s, the church is an independent church not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations, nor does any Baptist institution recognize the church as a Bible-believing fellowship. The church describes itself as following ] and ] principles. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of ], ] ].<ref name="date-sermon">{{cite web|url=http://www.godhatesamerica.com/sound/ghfsermons/OSBH19880131.mp3|title=Sermon preached by Fred Phelps|year=1987|accessdate=2007-05-10}}</ref> | |||
| The church bases its work around the belief expressed by its best known ] and the address of its primary website, "God hates fags", and expresses the idea, based on its Biblical ], that nearly every tragedy in the world is linked to ] – specifically society's increasing tolerance and acceptance of the so-called "]." The group maintains that God hates homosexuals above all other kinds of "sinners"<ref name="wbc-faq"></ref> and that homosexuality should be a ].<ref>, ] ]</ref> | |||
| ==Composition== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] claims that WBC consists of "about 150 members".<ref name="sky-video">, ], ] ]</ref> ] claims there are 71 members.<ref>, ]</ref> A compilation of the names of Phelps' grandchildren and great-grandchildren, combined with his nine "loyal" children and their spouses, though, numbers 90{{Fact|date=August 2007}}. Those who followed Phelps Sr. after he was voted out of his old congregation, Eastside Baptist Church (a traditional Baptist church), were the Hockenbargers (whose offspring later married into the Phelps clan), George Stutzman, Chris Davis (who also married into the Phelps clan) and Theresa Davis (whose relationship, if any, to Chris Davis is unknown). In ] ], Steve Drain, a documentary filmmaker, interviewed several Westboro members while taping a documentary on religious groups,<ref></ref> and came to accept their theology. The family (Steve and Luci Drain, along with daughters and son) joined the church.<ref></ref> The Drains are not related to either the Phelpses or the Hockenbargers, nor to anyone else from the original group. | |||
| In addition, at the outset several other Eastside members joined Westboro, but after Phelps began his activities (most notably his shooting of a dog that was irritating him{{Fact|date=February 2007}}), those members returned to Eastside or went elsewhere. | |||
| Phelps does not permit Westboro members to marry persons outside the church. As relatively few individuals have joined Westboro, there have been at least two marriages between the Phelps and Hockenbarger clans, resulting in some members having dual genealogical relationships{{Fact|date=November 2007}}. In the documentary ''The Most Hated Family in America'', the young girls in the church express no interest in getting married, because "that's not what we are about" and "we're living in the last of the last days, times are very short".<ref>'']''</ref> | |||
| ] ]., daughter of Fred Phelps and an attorney at the Phelps Chartered Law firm, is a prominent member of WBC and often a spokesperson for WBC. For the last couple of years, she has been running the day-to-day operations of the church.<ref>''The Most Hated Family in America''</ref> | |||
| ==Phelps Chartered law firm== | |||
| All the principals of the Phelps Chartered law firm <ref></ref>, a firm founded by WBC founder Fred Phelps, are members of WBC. Phelps Chartered handles most of WBC's legal work and has received significant awards of attorney's fees from the ] when WBC has been improperly prevented from picketing.<ref name='fees paid to Phelps Chartered'> {{cite web|url=http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/jan2006/20060114_pandering-demagogic-legislatures.pdf |title=To the pandering, demagogic legislatures now passing laws to stop WBC's Gospel preaching at godless Military funerals. |accessdate=2007-04-03 |date=2006-01-14 |format=PDF |work=Westboro Baptist Church |publisher=Westboro Baptist Church }}</ref> | |||
| ==Activities and statements== | |||
| {{seealso|Targets of Westboro Baptist Church}} | |||
| The group carries out daily picketing in ] (purportedly six per day with fifteen on Sunday, "Lord willing", according to the index page of its main website<ref></ref>) and travels nationally to picket the ]s of homosexual victims of ], homosexual-bashing or death related to ], as well as other events related or peripherally related to homosexual people. They have been known to protest outside theaters in Topeka, under the premise that live theaters (especially ] ]) are a haven for homosexuality, as well as protesting at ] ] games, and live ] concerts in Topeka. Whilst being filmed by ], they were shown picketing a local appliance store because the store "sold Swedish vacuum cleaners" and the Swedish government had recently imprisoned a pastor for preaching against homosexuality.<ref></ref> They have also shown interest in picketing productions of the play ''].''<ref>, ] ]</ref> Recently, they have shifted their interest to picketing at the funerals of soldiers killed in the ], believing this to be more of "God's judgment" on America. The FAQ section of the website states that, in their view, soldiers did not join the military out of a sense of patriotism, but because they are "lazy, incompetent ]s" unable to find work elsewhere.<ref name="wbc-faq"/> Some states, including Kansas, have passed laws prohibiting picketing at funerals. Westboro has also protested at the funerals of people ranging from ] to ] to ]. In the autumn of ], the father of a fallen Marine whose funeral was picketed by the WBC was awarded $11 million in damages by a jury.<ref name="funeral"/><ref name="funeral2">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307058,00.html|title=Jury Awards Father Nearly $11 Million in Funeral Protesters Case|publisher=Associated Press via Fox News|year=2007|accessdate=2007-11-01}}</ref> | |||
| One of Westboro's followers estimated that the church spends $250,000 a year traveling around the world to picket<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1755712,00.html</ref>. In the 1990s the church won a series of lawsuits against the City of Topeka and ] for efforts taken to prevent or hinder WBC picketing. As a result, the church was awarded approximately $200,000 in ]s and costs associated with the litigation. Otherwise, all of the church's money comes from the combined income of its congregants and money won in lawsuits against their opponents. | |||
| Phelps Sr., his supporters and members of his church attend the aforementioned gatherings, as well as other homosexual-related events, with signs bearing anti-homosexual slogans. Phelps Sr. has characterized the ] as "100,000 living ]s slobberin' around 45,000 dead fags" and declared ], a fundraiser for AIDS research, to be a "world-famous filthy Jew whore." Other regular anti-homosexual slogans of Westboro include "Homosexuality = Death," "Fags Die, God Laughs," "] Rots in Hell," "AIDS: Kills Fags Dead" and "] is a ] Slut." (The latter was carried at an "Equality Rocks" rock concert and fundraiser; at the event DeGeneres commented that she wasn't offended so much by the slogan as the fact that they had drawn ]s all over her face on the poster.) | |||
| A collection of Westboro signs and slogans can be seen at their website called . | |||
| Other slogans are<ref>WBC. . Accessed ] ]</ref> | |||
| * God Hates You<ref name="signtimes">{{cite web|url= http://www.thesignsofthetimes.net|title=The Signs of the Times|author=Westboro Baptist Church|accessdate=2007-02-23}}</ref> | |||
| * God Hates Your Tears<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huntingtonnews.net/state/060113-woolum-picket.html|title= Controversial Kansas Church to Picket January 15 Sago Disaster Memorial Service in Buckhannon|author= Brandon Woolum|work= Huntington News Network|accessdate=2007-02-23|date=2006-01-13}}</ref> | |||
| * God Hates Fag Enablers<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * God Is Your Enemy<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * Thank God for 9/11<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * Thank God for the ]<ref>{{cite news|work=Santa Fe Reporter|url=http://sfreporter.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=1&num=90|title= Father Knows Best|author=Nathan Dinsdale|accessdate=2007-02-23|date=2005-04-20}}</ref> | |||
| * Thank God for ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.godhatesfags.com/featured/20050831_thank-god-for-katrina.html|title=Thank God for Katrina|author=Westboro Baptist Church|accessdate=2007-02-23}}</ref> | |||
| * Thank God for Dead Soldiers<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * Thank God for ]s<ref name="signtimes"/> (improvised explosive devices) | |||
| * Thank God for California fires | |||
| * Thank God for AIDS<ref name="wbc-faq"/> | |||
| * Fag ] (carried at Christmas time) | |||
| * Fag Flag (with an American flag)<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * Fags Doom Nations (]) | |||
| * Fags Are Worthy of Death (]) | |||
| * Fags Eat Feces = Scat | |||
| * Fag Troops<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * ] Therapy (complete with two stick figures mounting) | |||
| * Repent or Perish<ref>{{cite paper|author=Westboro Baptist Church|title=Rejoice, Because Your Names are Written in Heaven|url=http://www.godhatesfags.com/featured/epics/2006/20060115_buckhannon-wv-prose-epic.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-02-23|date=2006-01-15}}</ref> | |||
| * Dyke ]s and Fag ]s (carried outside Catholic churches) | |||
| * Dyke Sows Wed Here (complete with pictures of pigs in wedding dresses covered with feces; carried at lesbian weddings) | |||
| * Brides of ] (referring to lesbian weddings) | |||
| * Don't Worship the Dead<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * Disney Fags (used during ] at the Expo Center.) | |||
| * Your Pastor Is A Whore<ref name="signtimes"/> | |||
| * ] Semper Fag | |||
| When ], a homosexual ], died of AIDS-related causes in ], Phelps Sr. sent a photo of Kevin to his parents. The photo contained the caption: "Kevin Oldham: Dead Fag".<ref> 'The Capital Journal''. (August 3, 1994).</ref> | |||
| The group came into the national spotlight in ], when they were featured on ] for picketing the funeral of ], a young man from ] who was ] to death by two men because of his homosexuality.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Though Phelps Sr. claimed that Shepard's murder was unjust (and the Westboro's website states that Shepard's murderers face the same fate as Shepard – eternity in hell unless they repent), his overt activism against Shepard's ], regardless of the ] of Shepard's ] and ] (he called Shepard's mother, Judy, a ] and a "mother from Hell" during the memorial service and told her she'd "soon be joining Matthew"). | |||
| On Westboro's website, Phelps Sr. maintains a "Perpetual Gospel Memorial" to Shepard. There is a similar "memorial" to ], a lesbian woman killed in a dog attack. Some direct quotes/images from the Shepard page: | |||
| * A photograph of Matthew Shepard's face with animated flames dancing across it. When the cursor is moved across his face, viewers with a sound card will hear screams and a high-pitched voice shrieking "For God's sake, listen to Phelps!" | |||
| * A counter which displays how many days Matthew Shepard has "Been in Hell". | |||
| * "WBC does not support the murder of Matthew Shepard: 'thou shalt not kill.' Unless his killers repent, they will receive the same sentence that Matthew Shepard received – eternal fire. However, the truth about Matthew Shepard needs to be known. He lived a ] lifestyle. He got himself killed trolling for anonymous homosexual sex in a bar at midnight".<ref></ref> | |||
| On ] ], Phelps picketed five churches (three ] and two ]) and the Federal Courthouse for allegedly legalizing same sex marriages in ]. Two women married in Vermont had their marriage mistakenly annulled by a federal judge in ]. The ruling was quickly reversed. The community response was to hold several counter-protests and hold a large multi-faith service in the town's city auditorium.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
| The group has also picketed ] revivals, alleging that the ] will burn in Hell for failing to propagate the "God Hates Fags" doctrine. In October 2004, the group protested Graham's mass meetings, calling the 85 year-old preacher a "Hell-bound ]". | |||
| In press releases, WBC referred to ] mayor ] as a "] tyrant". McClinton, who is black, was portrayed in the press release as a gorilla in a suit with a ] armband.<ref>GodHatesFags.com. Accessed October 5, 2006.</ref> | |||
| ], ]]] | |||
| On ] ], Westboro members protested the memorial of ] victims claiming that the mining accident was God's revenge against America for its tolerance of homosexuality.<ref></ref> Footage of the protest, including several members dancing, was later shown on ]. | |||
| In July 2005, the Westboro Baptist Church declared its intention to picket the memorial service of Cpl. ] in ], ]. French, aged 19 years old, was killed on ] in the ]i city of ], where she served as an ammunition specialist with the 116th Brigade Combat Team's 145th Support Battalion. Her death is seen by the church as divine punishment of the United States. Phelps Sr. was quoted as saying, "Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all ] that are worth a dime."<ref>Oxley, Chuck. Seattlep.com. Accessed October 5, 2006.</ref> | |||
| The Westboro Baptist Church declared its intention to picket the funerals of other soldiers as well and did so in August 2005. A group from the church protested at the funeral of Spc. Edward Myers, a soldier from ], ], who died in Iraq. ] (one of Phelps Sr.'s daughters and the main author of the WBC Epics and Hate Letters) told a television reporter, "Who would serve a nation that is Godless and has flipped off, defiantly defied, defiantly flipped off, the Lord their God?" She then reiterated her belief that Myers was burning in Hell.<ref>KMBC-TV. (August 5, 2005).</ref> | |||
| After ] coach ] "came out" as openly homosexual, WBC members announced plans to picket the University and all of Missouri's lacrosse games.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
| In the wake of the ], members of Westboro Baptist Church planned on picketing the funerals of the five girls killed in the shooting. Their signs were going to call the girls "whores" and that they are "burning in hell". In an attempt to stop them, news radio personality/host ] attempted to dissuade them. After first rejecting a monetary offer, Gallagher offered them an hour of unrestricted airtime on his show. WBC accepted, and the picket was called off.<ref>, ''The Age'', October 5, 2006</ref> On ] ], members of WBC were "hosts" of the Mike Gallagher's radio show, with Gallagher giving periodic warnings to listeners that they (the members of WBC) did not represent the views of him or the station. | |||
| In February of 2007, the WBC threatened to picket the funeral of ten ] family members who died in a fire as well as a similar one in Tennessee where four children died in a fire. In both instances, fliers were sent to the communities stating that God “hates” both states “for promoting sodomy and immorality” and for the states “rabidly persecuting” the church. However, on the Friday before the Bardstown funerals, the church elected to use an hour of radio time to promote their message.<ref>, ''Lexington Herald Leader'', February 7, 2007</ref> | |||
| Recently the WBC has also been picketing against ] because the pastor ] was convicted for hate speech after having called homosexuality a cancer in one of his sermons. WBC has also been sending abusive faxes to ]. | |||
| On the day of the April 16, 2007 campus massacre on the ] campus, the church declared its intent to protest the funerals of the students killed. This was announced on the church's www.godhatesamerica.com website. On April 19, 2007, ], the Internet registrar responsible for that website and its associated domain had suspended its registration, returning a "]" ] server entry of "suspended for spam and abuse". Within hours, however, the domain had been restored.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} In a deal similar to that struck for the victims of the ] school shooting, Gallagher and the church have independently announced that the church has agreed to not protest these funerals in lieu of three hours of unrestricted airtime on his show. | |||
| On ], ] they have announced they will be picketing those who have died when the ] collapsed. <ref>http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/aug2007/20070802_minneapolis-bridge-collapse.pdf</ref>. | |||
| On ], ] they announced they would be present at the ]] re-opening of ] in ] to "thank God" for the ] and would be present at the victims' funerals. | |||
| <ref>http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/20071206_bellevue-whoremongers-mall-shooting.pdf</ref> | |||
| ===Criminal record=== | |||
| In 1993, Charles F. Hockenbarger, Karl Hockenbarger, Timothy Phelps, Jonathan Phelps, Phelps Sr. and Margie Phelps were brought up on a variety of criminal charges stemming from information gathered following a raid on Westboro. Several charges were later dropped; the trials that followed saw every member of Westboro Baptist Church over the age of fifteen testifying in the defense of their family and fellow congregants; over 100 defense witnesses were called in all. Timothy Phelps, Charles F. Hockenbarger and Karl Hockenbarger were all found not guilty. Jon Phelps was found guilty of witness intimidation and misdemeanor battery, and has defended the actions that led to that arrest and guilty verdict as recently as ] ] on ], while Margie Phelps was found guilty of filing a false report and Phelps Sr. was found guilty of disorderly conduct as defined by aggravated intimidation of a witness; all three lost their appeals. All six filed lawsuits against the city and took their cases to appeals court, where their lawsuits were dismissed. | |||
| ]' grandson Benjamin Phelps, convicted of assault and disorderly conduct in 1995. He was the person who informed his grandfather about the existence of the ] and made the first "GodHatesFags" page. The cited Bible verse, Romans 9:13, does not mention homosexuality, but is a biblical example of God hating a certain person (in this case, ]).]] | |||
| In 1995, Phelps Sr.'s eldest grandson, Benjamin Phelps, was convicted of assault and disorderly conduct after spitting into the face of a passerby during a picket and then laughing. The ]s of a nearby business caught the incident on tape.<ref>, Roger Myers, ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'', ] ]</ref> | |||
| Also in 2004, Margie Phelps and her son Jacob were arrested for ], disorderly conduct and failure to obey after disregarding a police officer's order that they were not allowed to enter a company's private property with chairs and stand on them with an upside down flag and a picket sign.<ref>, Tim Hrenchir and Cait Purinton, ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'', ] ]</ref> | |||
| In June 2007, Shirley Phelps-Roper was arrested in ], after demonstrating at the funeral of a soldier, and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The arrest resulted from her allowing her eight-year-old son to step on the American flag during the demonstration, an act which is illegal under Nebraska law. The defense contends that the child's actions were protected speech, and that the state law is unconstitutional. The prosecution, however, claims that the demonstration was not intended as political speech, but as an incitement to violence, and that Phelps-Roper's conduct may also constitute ]. | |||
| <ref>, , ''KETV NewsWatch 7'', ] ]</ref> | |||
| ==Other value judgements== | |||
| The Westboro Baptist Church attributes membership in most religious groups, such as the ] or ], as akin to ]. All non-Christian entities, non-Protestant Christian churches, as well as all Protestant Christian churches which do not strongly condemn homosexuality, are said to be sending their members to Hell. The Westboro Baptist Church teaches that menstruation is a curse from God upon lustful women. Phelps teaches that God cursed Eve with a curse of blood. In the group's teachings if a woman stays 'pure' then she will never menstruate.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| While the Westboro Baptist Church says that ] is a sin,<ref></ref> it and Phelps Sr. have been accused of various racist acts, including using racist imagery in its fliers and using racial epithets.<ref name="On blacks"></ref> | |||
| A compilation of Westboro Baptist Church's various racial and political views: | |||
| ===Alleged racism=== | |||
| The ] has accused Westboro of racism toward blacks, based on numerous racially-offensive quotes from the church and its leaders.<ref name="On blacks"/> | |||
| ] (an ])]] | |||
| In the documentary ''Hatemongers'', Phelps and his children quote Bible verses denouncing racism and saying that it is a sin. He says that it differs from homosexuality in that "God never said it is an abomination to be Black."<ref>, Steve Drain</ref> | |||
| ===Anti-Islamic stance=== | |||
| In response to a ] article alleging that American soldiers flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet at ] in ], Fred Phelps released this statement:<ref></ref> | |||
| {{cquote|So what if our guys flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet? We hope they did. They probably did; We hope they flush more. Mohammed was a demon-possessed whoremonger and pedophile who contrived a 300-page work of Satanic fiction: The Quran! Like America's own whoremonger and pedophile wangled his own hokey ]!}} | |||
| Phelps went on to give a brief literary dissection of the Quran, using nearly identical grammar and language to his and his children's (likewise identical) dissections of ''The Laramie Project'': | |||
| In relation to the war in Iraq a WBC flier implies that God has sided with the Muslims: {{cquote| In His retaliatory rage God is killing Americans with Muslim IEDs: "Saying Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm." 1 Chron 16:22. }} | |||
| ===Anti-semitism and Anti-Christian=== | |||
| In the section about Jews the WBC FAQ states: "...the only true Jews are Christians. The rest of the people who claim to be Jews aren't, and they are nothing more than typical, impenitent sinners ... the vast majority of Jews support fags. In fact, it is the official policy of Reformed Jews to support same-sex marriage. Of course, there are Jews who still believe God's law, but most of them have even departed from that. It doesn't matter if you're a Jew or a Gentile...as long as you believe in Christ."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/faq.html#Jews|title=Westboro Baptist Church FAQ: What do you think of Jews?|accessdate=2006-12-02}}</ref> | |||
| On the subject of Nazis, KKK, and other violent extremist groups: | |||
| "We don't believe in physical violence of any kind, and the Scripture doesn't support racism. ... The only true Nazis in this world are fags."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/faq.html#Militia|title=Westboro Baptist Church FAQ: Are you associated with a militia, Aryan Nation, Nazi, KKK, or any other similar group?|accessdate=2006-12-02}}</ref> | |||
| Phelps refers to ] as "minuscule" and led a protest at the ] in ] in 1996, proclaiming: | |||
| {{cquote|Whatever righteous cause the Jewish victims of the 1930s-40s Nazi Holocaust had... has been drowned in sodomite semen. American taxpayers are financing this unholy monument to Jewish mendacity and greed and to filthy fag lust. Homosexuals and Jews dominated Nazi Germany.... The Jews now wander the earth despised, smitten with moral and spiritual blindness by a divine judicial stroke.... And God has smitten Jews with a certain unique madness... Jews, thus perverted, out of all proportion to their numbers energize the militant sodomite agenda... Jews are the real Nazis.}} | |||
| Also in 1996, Phelps began a campaign called "Topeka's Baptist Holocaust", whereby he attempted to draw attention to attacks perpetuated against WBC picketers, saying that they were not random but organized attacks orchestrated by Jews and homosexuals. Phelps announced, "Jews killed Christ", and: | |||
| {{cquote|Fag Jew Nazis are worse than ordinary Nazis. They've had more experience. The First Holocaust was a Jewish Holocaust against Christians. The latest Holocaust is by Topeka Jews against Westboro Baptist Church.}} | |||
| In another statement, he said: | |||
| {{cquote|Topeka Jews today stir up Kansas tyrants in persecuting Westboro Baptists. They whine about the Nazi Holocaust, while they perpetrate the Topeka Holocaust.}} | |||
| WBC was present at a 2002 Holocaust memorial dedication in Topeka, proclaiming "God Hates Reform Judaism".<ref></ref> | |||
| During the ], Phelps campaigned against ] ], claiming that his affiliation with Judaism made him unfit to run the country, and on his webpage gave a lengthy recitation of Kerry's family tree, naming all of his Jewish ancestors. | |||
| A ] ] flier regarding a Jewish adversary of Phelps uses the phrase "bloody Jew" four times and the phrase "evil Jew" more than once every twelve sentences. A sampling of WBC's fliers regarding Judaism can be found at the ADL's website.<ref name="On Jews"></ref> Phelps has also been targeted by the ] for his anti-Semitic statements.<ref name="On Jews"/><ref></ref> | |||
| ===Anti-Catholicism=== | |||
| Westboro is also anti-Catholic, claiming that the ] is a "fag" church and that a third of Catholic priests are active homosexuals, seducing helpless children and women; Westboro refers to priests as "vampires" and "Draculas," and talks of Catholic priests sucking semen out of children's genitals like vampires suck blood from their victims. Phelps has also reproduced an alleged "Diary of Another Fag Catholic Priest" on Westboro's homepage and claims that "fag priests and dyke nuns is the order of the day for Kansas Catholics. They deserve the sick, perverted leadership that now dooms and damns them". About Catholics, he says "They're mean. Mean as Hell. Headed for Hell. The meanest, most hateful people on Earth." | |||
| The day after the death of Pope John Paul II, Phelps held a service to "celebrate his entrance into Hell", during which he boasted, "You don't think he split Hell wide open? We're the only ones telling the truth about that son of a bitch!" That evening he posted a flier on his webpage showing a doctored photo of a screaming John Paul II with horns coming out of his forehead, with the caption: | |||
| {{cquote|Deal with it, you idolatrous morons! The pope is in Hell. Westboro Baptist Church members are competent expert witnesses, having picketed hundreds of Catholic churches in all fifty states over the past fourteen years. We will bear witness on Judgment Day: Catholics are the meanest, most violent people on Earth, and their churches are filled with filthy fag priests. On John Paul II's watch, the Catholic Church became the CHURCH OF THE HOLY PEDOPHILES and sodomite feces and semen replaced bread and wine.}} | |||
| Westboro operates three separate websites related to this issue, though two are not yet operational (see below). | |||
| On June 5th 2007, on ]'s ], Shirley Phelps told a Catholic member of the audience that the Catholic church is "the largest paedophile machine in the whole world, and God hates them"; the satellite link was then broken. | |||
| ==Anti-U.S.A. military== | |||
| Westboro Baptist Church | |||
| (WBC Chronicles - Since 1955) | |||
| 3701 SW 12th St. Topeka, Kansas 66604 785-273-0325 www.godhatesfags.com | |||
| Religious Opinion and Bible Commentary on Current Events | |||
| Saturday, January 12, 2008 | |||
| NEWS RELEASE | |||
| WBC to picket Camp Lejeune. | |||
| "God Hates the u.s. Marines. | |||
| The wonderful, spit-and-polish Marine is over | |||
| eight months pregnant and she says another | |||
| wonderful Marine raped her, and now on the | |||
| eve of his court martial where she is the star | |||
| witness against him, she turns up dead, and he | |||
| is a fugitive from justice. Wonderful. The few. | |||
| The proud. Based on our extensive experience | |||
| with Marines for over a decade, we can testify | |||
| that these are typical Marines. | |||
| WBC will picket the filthy, lawless Marine | |||
| Corps - at noon next Sat., Jan. 19 - at Camp | |||
| Lejeune, North Carolina; in religious protest | |||
| and warning: "Be not "'deceived; God is not | |||
| mocked." Gal. 6:7. God Hates Fags! & FagEnablers. | |||
| Ergo, God hates the Marines." | |||
| "The Marine Corps is saturated with vile fags and dykes. It matters not | |||
| to them that they are violating the laws of God and man. Our leaders | |||
| know of the problem, but they refuse to fix it, due to pressure from | |||
| political leaders, because fags have enormous political influence - called | |||
| in Scripture 'The power of the dog.' Psa.22:20. And the phenomenon | |||
| is called by Tocqueville, 'The worm in the American apple.' " | |||
| "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination. " | |||
| Lev. 18:22. | |||
| "Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because ofthese things | |||
| cometh the wrath ofGod upon the children ofdisobedience. " | |||
| Eph.5:6. | |||
| ==Responses== | |||
| ===Laws prohibiting funeral protests=== | |||
| In response to the protests conducted by Westboro members at ] funerals, a bill was introduced in the ] that would make it a ] to protest within 500 feet (approximately 150 ]s) of a funeral. The bill provides penalties of up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine for those found to be in violation of the law. Shortly before this bill was signed members of the church had threatened to protest in ], at a funeral service that was being held for a soldier who was killed in Iraq. On ] ] the bill unanimously (11-0) passed a committee vote,<ref></ref> and while members of the church had traveled to Kokomo to protest, they were not seen during or after the funeral service. | |||
| Several other states, such as ], have adopted similar legislation. Some have been critical of these laws, however, saying that they could prevent other protests and may violate the ] right to freedom of speech. WBC has expressed their intention to contest these laws, and if victorious collect damages while the Phelps Chartered law firm collects attorney's fees under the ].<!--<ref name='fees paid to Phelps Chartered'/>--> | |||
| On ]] the state of ] banned any intentional disruption of funerals within 500 feet of the ceremony. Violating the statute would be a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison and a ]5,000 fine for the first offense and up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine for a subsequent offense.<ref>http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=16931</ref> | |||
| === Lawsuit against WBC === | |||
| On ] ] WBC picketed the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder. <ref></ref> On ] ] the Snyder family sued<ref></ref> Fred Phelps, WBC, and unnamed others for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. On ] ], WBC, ] and his two daughters, ] and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, were found liable for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A federal jury awarded Mr. Snyder $2.9 million in compensatory damages, then later added a decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and an additional $2 million for causing emotional distress (A total of $10,900,000). The organization said it wouldn't change its message because of the verdict. <ref>] ]]</ref> <ref>] ]]</ref> | |||
| <ref>] ]]</ref> | |||
| The lawsuit named Albert Snyder as the ] and ], Sr.; Westboro Baptist Church, Inc.; Rebekah Phelps-Davis; and ] as defendants, alleging that they were responsible for publishing defamatory information about the Snyder family on the Internet, including statements that Albert and his wife had "raised for the devil" and taught him "to defy his Creator, to divorce, and to commit adultery." Other statements denounced them for raising their son Catholic. Snyder further complained the defendants had intruded upon and staged protests at his son's funeral. The claims of invasion of privacy and defamation arising from comments posted about Snyder on the Westboro website were dismissed on ] grounds, but the case proceeded to trial on the remaining three counts.<ref> Baltimore Sun. ], ].</ref><ref> The Jurist, ] School of Law. ], ].</ref> | |||
| Albert Snyder, the father of ] Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, testified: | |||
| <blockquote>"They turned this funeral into a media circus and they wanted to hurt my family. They wanted their message heard and they didn't care who they stepped over. My son should have been buried with dignity, not with a bunch of clowns outside."<ref> EveningSun.com. ] ].</ref></blockquote> | |||
| In his instructions to the jury U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett stated that the First Amendment protection of free speech has limits, including vulgar, offensive and shocking statements, and that the jury must decide "whether the defendant's actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and outrageous and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection."<ref> ''Fox news'' ] ]</ref> See also ], a case where certain personal slurs and obscene utterances by an individual were found unworthy of First Amendment protection, due to the potential for violence resulting from their utterance. | |||
| ] is seeking a mistrial based on alleged prejudicial statements made by the judge and violations of the gag order by the prosecutor.<ref> ''Associated Press'' ] ]</ref> An appeal is also likely. WBC has said that it is thankful for the verdict.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Other legal responses=== | |||
| On ] ], ] billed the WBC for $5,000. | |||
| The Westboro church had informed township authorities on ] that a protest was planned at the Swartz Funeral Home. The bill to the church ensued, according to the local police chief, because the congregation failed to keep a verbal contract for security. Fred Phelps' daughter claimed that the Holy Ghost had informed them not to fly to Michigan even though they had already purchased airline tickets. Security at the Webb funeral was high: fifteen fire trucks were involved as well as numerous police officers from nearby jurisdictions.<ref></ref> The township has now stated that it will not pursue the | |||
| matter. | |||
| ===Counter protests=== | |||
| ]s are generally organized to provide an opposing viewpoint at sites that Westboro pickets. In some cases counter protesters have lined up and turned their backs on the Westboro pickets or encircled them in a ring, explaining that they want to symbolically shield the community from the hate. | |||
| Two days after the September 11th attacks, a 19-year old man named Jared Dailey stood on the street corner facing the church holding up a plywood sign that said "Not today Fred." Within two days, 86 people joined him, waving American flags and anti-hate signs.<ref>http://www.kshs.org/cool3/nottodaysign.htm</ref> Since then, "Not today Fred" has become a commonly used motto for counter protests against Phelps. | |||
| ===Patriot Guard Riders=== | |||
| The ] is a motorcyclist group comprised primarily of veterans who attend the funerals of members of the U.S. Armed Forces at the invitation of the deceased’s family. The group was initially formed to shelter and protect the funerals from protesters from the WBC, but has since expanded its activities beyond those funerals covered by the WBC. | |||
| ===Violence directed against Westboro=== | |||
| * There have been differing reports on actions at an ] ], picket of a ] soldier's funeral. One report was that Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls asked Paulette Phelps to move so he could protect her. Her group called him a ] and refused to comply. A conflicting claim put forth by members of the WBC alleges that Sheriff Nehls punched Paulette Phelps in the face. Video of the purported incident at godhatesfags.com — which claims to show Nehls striking one of the church members — is ambiguous, and at the point the purported attack takes place, the camera is pointed at the ground (indeed, large portions of the video are made up of shots of Westboro members' feet and the ground).<ref></ref> | |||
| * During a picket in ] on ] ], a mob broke through police lines and tried to assault WBC members who fled into a police van. Some of the mob then began banging on the van attempting to get inside. Two windows of the van were shattered before the van could get away. Five people face criminal charges.<ref></ref> | |||
| * It has been suggested that a ] student who intended to bring a bomb to the funeral of ] may have intended to use the device against a WBC protest at the funeral. | |||
| ===Spoof web sites=== | |||
| Responses include the creation of an opposing website, , a pro-] website, launched by Kris Haight on ] ]. The site focuses on the debate surrounding ] and especially ]. | |||
| On ] ], an unidentified person transferred ownership of the domain godhatesfags.com to Kris Haight. Apparently, this was done by forging an ] message from Phelps. Haight promptly redirected all traffic to godlovesfags.com. After much media attention, Phelps threatened to sue and the domain name was returned on ]. | |||
| In 2006 , as well as , were created, focusing on the debate surrounding religion and homosexuality. | |||
| A satire website called was created in 2004 in response to WBC's inflammatory website. The website cites Leviticus 11:10, the same book and section that labels sodomy as an abomination, where it says "And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you". The website argues that this means Long John Silver's and Red Lobster restaurants should likewise be picketed by WBC. Another satirical site, , was created noting that Jesus struck a fig tree dead in one biblical account. In a similar vein, was created, but it lacks the Biblical backing of the site on figs. | |||
| A satirical website for the fake "" is an over-the-top take on the kind of beliefs espoused by the Westboro Baptist Church, although considering the extreme beliefs of Westboro Baptist, Landover Baptist is easily mistaken as a real, similarly inclined church. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===Ridicule=== | |||
| Journalist ] of Australian television enterprise ] appeared with members of Westboro Baptist Church, at the picket of a ]'s funeral, in early 2006. With the camera rolling, he proceeded to ask a male member of the church several questions about his motivations. Firth then started complimenting the man on his appearance, following him around as he avoided the camera, and stroked his shoulder lamenting how he wished they could be a couple. Other members of Phelps' congregation then turned on the reporter and the cameraman when the homosexual innuendos became obvious.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=S8cN2pB3MCE|title=YouTube: Flirting with a Westboro Church man| accessdate=2006-12-02}}</ref> | |||
| ] organized a humorous counterprotest against the church for his TV Show '']''. He followed Phelps around the country in "the Sodomobile," a pink bus filled with homosexuals. They even, at one point, get to meet Fred Phelps and Moore introduces the Sodomobile to him.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| ===Parodies=== | |||
| ] and her children have also been parodied many times on '']'', where their extreme views are used to contribute to the environment of the program. | |||
| Periodically, ] and her daughters are call in guests on ] morning radio show. They would call in and sing hateful songs but would be insulted by Adam and company.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} | |||
| In the 2007 film, '']'', a WBC-esque group holds a protest at a party. The group's leader (]) uses the term "faggots" and is assaulted by ]'s character. | |||
| ===Criticism=== | |||
| A small number of Phelps' critics have suggested, however, that the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church are a ploy to receive attention above all else. Counter-protesting against the group, they suggest, gives them attention and incentive that they do not deserve; and a more effective response against Phelps would be to ignore his congregation completely.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modemac.com/Westboro_Baptist_Church|title=The High Weirdness Project: Westboro Baptist Church|accessdate=2006-12-02|date=2006-11-03}}</ref> WBC, through the closely related Phelps Chartered law firm, has collected fees under the ] when their protests have been unlawfully disrupted. | |||
| The ] (ADL) describes the Westboro Baptist Church as "virulently ]", whose anti-homosexual rhetoric they say is often a cover for ], ], ], and ].<ref name="adl-phelps"/> The ] (SPLC), an anti-hate group, has added the Westboro Baptist Church to its list of hate groups.<ref name="splc-hate"/> Many mainstream conservative and fundamentalist Christians (including those who oppose homosexuality, such as ]), have denounced Phelps' remarks as hateful and un-Christian, and in general oppose Phelps' view that homosexuals cannot repent (the traditional view is that homosexuality is not the "unpardonable sin"; homosexuals may "renounce their ways" as may any other "sinner"). Falwell is often credited with referring to Phelps as "a first-class nut". WBC picketed the funeral service of Falwell on ] ]. <ref>http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=125215&ran=72205&tref=y</ref> | |||
| ===Opposition to Westboro's theology=== | |||
| Mainstream Calvinist churches have claimed that Westboro's agenda and its message of hate are at variance with Calvinism, as well as all fundamental Christian theology. Westboro has been labeled as a ] by many Christian ministries;<ref></ref> as well as by anti-cult figures such as ].<ref></ref> | |||
| ==Media coverage== | |||
| For such a small group WBC receives attention from major media organizations. WBC is proud of their media coverage and comments on most media coverage, no matter how negative, on their web site. | |||
| ] appeared on ''Scarborough Country'' on ] ] and his microphone was promptly cut after ranting about God's damnation of the U.S. instead of answering a question.<ref></ref> | |||
| His daughter, ] appeared on ]' '']'' show on ] ] to defend the WBC protests.<ref></ref> On the June 10, 2006 edition of ''The Big Story Weekend'', host Julie Banderas exclaimed to Shirley Phelps-Roper, "You are the devil! If you believe in the Bible, miss, you're going to hell!"<ref></ref> Another ] host, ] often has guests on his show, '']'', and speaks out against the church and its tactics, while steadfastly refusing requests by church members to appear and defend themselves. His tactics provoked the appearance of a video on the church's website proclaiming O'Reilly's inevitable damnation as a result of his "persecution". Shirley Phelps Roper also appeared with her two daughters on '']'' and on '']'' in the UK. | |||
| As well, Shirley appeared in a live debate on homosexuality against ], of the gay rights group ], on ]'s ] show "The Night Before". Tatchell claimed that he had "nothing in common" with Shirley, to which she responded "we're both human beings". The presenter referred to her views as "obvious bigotry", and when told that Fred Phelps' views were "awesome" he responded "no, not at all". Her mike had to be regularly cut to give Tatchell a chance to speak. | |||
| ===BSkyB report=== | |||
| In 2005, the ] TV network ] produced an ] piece using ]s, which included footage of two of Phelps' granddaughters, Libby and Jael.<ref name="sky-video"/> In the testimonial, Libby and Jael explain that they hope and pray that no one outside of Westboro becomes "elect,"<ref name="sky-video"/> because they want everyone else in the world to die horribly and burn in Hell,<ref name="sky-video"/> and that even if they didn't believe their actions were dictated by God, they would still do and enjoy them anyway.<ref name="sky-video"/> The interview was not part of the hidden camera segment, and although much of the footage was taken without the knowledge or permission of Westboro, the church maintains a link to the entire report on its website. | |||
| ===BBC Two, Louis Theroux=== | |||
| On ] ], the British television channel ] broadcast a documentary by ] about WBC and the Phelps Family, called '']: ]''.<ref>Theroux, Louis. on ]. ]</ref> Theroux has presented a number of documentaries about unusual or unconventional people and groups in the UK, the US, and elsewhere.<ref> (interview with Louis Theroux). ], ] ]</ref> | |||
| ===ITV coverage in the United Kingdom=== | |||
| On ] ] the website godhatesfags.com was prominently featured in The ], a talk show aired on the ] network in the United Kingdom. Church members Shirley and her daughters had been invited to express their beliefs live via satellite to the UK. Jeremy Kyle and the majority of the audience were in strong opposition of the family's views on the church. Kyle noted that the Phelps family was unable to conclude the interview or offer rebuttals, adding that he thought they might have been cut off and that if that was true, it was fine with him. | |||
| ===Channel 4 coverage in the United Kingdom=== | |||
| On ] ], WBC featured in the ] documentary ''Keith Allen Will Burn In Hell''. It showed ] profiling the Church. Allen took a very pugnacious stance, repeatedly calling one of the Phelps family members a fool (in response to when a member of the church stated "don't believe everything you read"), and labeled certain sections of the Bible, particularly ], "absolutely fucking vile". He attempted to argue against the church's beliefs when he questioned ] about her illegitimate son, asking why ''her'' sins should be forgiven by Jesus if other people's sins were not. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons|Westboro Baptist Church}} | |||
| {{wikiquote|The Most Hated Family in America}} | |||
| <!-- See talk. This offensive group's website is relevant to article and must be included. See comment below re: ] --> | |||
| <!-- Please read the guidelines at ] BEFORE adding new links here. Keep in mind that Misplaced Pages is not a collection of links, that's what Google is for. New links should provide an essential supplement to the content and links already in the article; if it's not something new and significantly different than what is here already, please don't add it on. Thanks. --> | |||
| ===Criticism of WBC=== | |||
| <!-- Please read the guidelines at ] BEFORE adding new links here. Keep in mind that Misplaced Pages is not a collection of links, that's what Google is for. New links should provide an essential supplement to the content and links already in the article; if it's not something new and significantly different than what is here already, please don't add it on. Thanks. --> | |||
| * , a collection of material by the Rick Ross Institute | |||
| * with Roland Davis from KERN Bakersfield, in relation to picketing military funerals | |||
| * , a website protesting Westboro Baptist Church | |||
| <!-- | |||
| ========== READ ME FIRST========== | |||
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| --> | |||
| ===Defenses of WBC=== | |||
| * | |||
| ===Parodies=== | |||
| <!-- Please read the guidelines at ] BEFORE adding new links here. Keep in mind that Misplaced Pages is not a collection of links, that's what Google is for. New links should provide an essential supplement to the content and links already in the article; if it's not something new and significantly different than what is here already, please don't add it on. Thanks. --> | |||
| * , a parody protesting the smoking of fags, based on a passage in the Bible | |||
| * , a parody protesting the eating of figs, claiming that they are "cursed by God" based on a Biblical passage in which Jesus smites a fig tree | |||
| * , a parody protesting the eating of shrimp and similar sea creatures, based on Old Testament provisions that such animals were unclean | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| {{cults}} | |||
| <!-- | |||
| ========== READ ME FIRST========== | |||
| Before adding additional links to this section, please read ]. | |||
| If you do add a new link, please explain in the edit summary how it enhances the article. | |||
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| --> | |||
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