Westboro Baptist Church: Difference between revisions
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The church has occasionally issued press releases threatening to picket sensitive events such as funerals and memorials without following through. Examples include the funerals of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Paterno Joe Paterno], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bragg#Events_of_note Roy Tisdale], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Susan_Powell Charlie and Braden Powell],<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs Steve Jobs], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston Whitney Houston], and victims of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge_collapse I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Margie Phelps later claimed over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter Twitter] to have protested Houston's funeral and uploaded an image showing WBC protestors there. However, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Ledger Star-Ledger] reporters later stated that no WBC protestors had been present, leading to allegations of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_manipulation photo manipulation]. | The church has occasionally issued press releases threatening to picket sensitive events such as funerals and memorials without following through. Examples include the funerals of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Paterno Joe Paterno], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bragg#Events_of_note Roy Tisdale], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Susan_Powell Charlie and Braden Powell],<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs Steve Jobs], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston Whitney Houston], and victims of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge_collapse I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Margie Phelps later claimed over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter Twitter] to have protested Houston's funeral and uploaded an image showing WBC protestors there. However, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Ledger Star-Ledger] reporters later stated that no WBC protestors had been present, leading to allegations of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_manipulation photo manipulation]. | ||
==Church views== | ==Church views== | ||
The Westboro Baptist Church considers membership in most religious groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church or Islam, as akin to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_Satanism devil worship], and states these other churches to be "Satanic frauds preaching [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arminianism Arminian] lies". | The Westboro Baptist Church considers membership in most religious groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church or Islam, as akin to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_Satanism devil worship], and states these other churches to be "Satanic frauds preaching [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arminianism Arminian] lies". All non-Christian entities, non-Protestant Christian churches, and all Protestant Christian churches that do not strongly condemn homosexuality or align their beliefs and practices exactly with that of the WBC are said to be sending their members to Hell. | ||
===Purpose of protests and church actions=== | ===Purpose of protests and church actions=== | ||
In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC BBC] documentary ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Hated_Family_in_America The Most Hated Family in America]'', filmmaker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Theroux Louis Theroux] questioned Shirley Phelps-Roper as to whether she had considered that Westboro's technique of protests were more likely to "put people ''off'' the Word of Jesus Christ and the Bible". In response, Phelps-Roper said, "''You'' think our job is to win souls to Christ. All we do, by getting in their face and putting these signs in front of them and these plain words, is make what's already in their heart come out of their mouth." Later in the documentary, Phelps-Roper agrees that the $200,000 the church annually spends to fly to funerals to protest was money spent to spread "God's hate". | In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC BBC] documentary ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Hated_Family_in_America The Most Hated Family in America]'', filmmaker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Theroux Louis Theroux] questioned Shirley Phelps-Roper as to whether she had considered that Westboro's technique of protests were more likely to "put people ''off'' the Word of Jesus Christ and the Bible". In response, Phelps-Roper said, "''You'' think our job is to win souls to Christ. All we do, by getting in their face and putting these signs in front of them and these plain words, is make what's already in their heart come out of their mouth." Later in the documentary, Phelps-Roper agrees that the $200,000 the church annually spends to fly to funerals to protest was money spent to spread "God's hate". | ||