There are moments that I cannot believe the members of the Westboro Baptist Church exist.
There is nothing wrong with living by the Bible and worshipping the God painted from it; I’m all for it.
Fred Phelps and his followers, however, take the Bible and twist its words to justify protesting funerals, namely those of soldiers. The church has conducted over 200 of these “peaceful demonstrations”, according to one of their websites.
They believe this insane thought that the soldiers’ deaths are the result of America’s acceptance of homosexuality.
This past Monday, according to CNN, a federal judge, Fernando Gaitan, overturned Missouri’s law regarding the protests. The law stated that protests are not allowed within 300 feet of memorial services; Gaitan deemed this “unconstitutional”, as it violated the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has yet to give their final input, as there are the laws made to protect the “sanctity and dignity of memorial and funeral services” to consider.
I accept that everyone has different beliefs and ideas. However, a point is crossed when someone feels that it is right to come in on a day of closure and tell the families mourning that “God hates their tears” and that what they are feeling is wrong.
These soldiers gave up their lives to protect America and what she stands for. Without these individuals, we would still be in a time of tyranny and repression. Without their bravery, this poorly misguided church would not be able to protest so openly. Think about that the next time you pick up your picket signs and march proudly to your next funeral, Fred Phelps.
I’m all for freedom of religion and freedom of speech. It is what makes our country so great. I thank God for my life and that I’m able to do so much with it when women around the world are still being confined to the household. I take pride in our soldiers, appreciating what each one is fighting for, at home or overseas.
These courageous individuals deserve our respect, and what is more disrespectful than to come to their heartbroken friends and family and tell them that you are glad their son or daughter is dead?
There are those out there who are fighting against this church. The counter-protesters either come out to plainly mock them or purely defend the victims of the church’s wrath.
Good or bad intentioned, when it comes to funerals, just leave the family and friends in peace to properly mourn and say goodbye to the person that they will never see again.