Westboro Baptist Church: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Westboro baptist church.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]

The '''Westboro Baptist Church''' ('''WBC''') is an American unaffiliated Baptist church known for its extreme ideologies, especially those against gay people. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. It is headed by Fred Phelps ~~and~~ consists primarily of members of his large family; in 2011, the church stated that it had about 40 members. The church is headquartered in a residential neighborhood on the west side of Topeka about three miles (5 km) west of the Kansas State Capitol. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of November 27, 1955.

The '''Westboro Baptist Church''' ('''WBC''') is an American unaffiliated Baptist church known for its extreme ideologies, especially those against gay people. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. It is headed by [http://real-life-villains.wikia.com/wiki/Fred_Phelps Fred Phelps] and consists primarily of members of his large family; in 2011, the church stated that it had about 40 members. The church is headquartered in a residential neighborhood on the west side of Topeka about three miles (5 km) west of the Kansas State Capitol. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of November 27, 1955.

The church has been involved in actions against gay people since at least 1991, when it sought a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park six blocks northwest of the church. 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. Protests have also been held against Jews and some protests have included WBC members stomping on the American flag.

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====Islam====

In response to a ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek Newsweek]'' article alleging that American soldiers flushed copies of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qur%27an Qur'an] down the toilet at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_X-Ray Camp X-Ray] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detainment_camp Guantanamo Bay], Fred Phelps released this statement:

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. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon Book of Mormon]!In relation to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War Iraq War], a WBC flyer says "America bombed our church with an ~~[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_explosive_device IED] made~~ by fag students... 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."

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. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon Book of Mormon]!In relation to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War Iraq War], a WBC flyer says "America bombed our church with an IED made by fag students... 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."

In the 2011 documentary ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Most_Hated_Family_in_Crisis America's Most Hated Family in Crisis]'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Theroux Louis Theroux], Jael Phelps explained in an interview that herself and the other members of the WBC tauntingly and publicly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_desecration burned] a copy of the Quran while being scolded by a Muslim man, calling it an "idolatrous piece of trash" and that they were giving it the "proper respect that it deserves" by doing so. They picketed the funeral of the Muslim man's wife the following week. Jael Phelps stated that the wife's death was partly due to her Muslim husband having spoken out against the WBC, and therefore rejecting God and bringing His "righteous judgement" down upon him. She also commented that "all those angry little Muslims can just shut their mouths."

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In response to the protests conducted by Westboro members at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana Indiana] funerals, a bill was introduced in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_General_Assembly Indiana General Assembly] that would make it a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony felony] to protest within 500 feet (150 m) 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokomo,_Indiana Kokomo, Indiana], at a funeral service that was being held for a soldier who was killed in Iraq. On January 11, 2006, the bill unanimously (11–0) passed a committee vote, and while members of the church had traveled to Kokomo to protest, they were not seen during or after the funeral service. On May 23, 2006, the state of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan Michigan] banned any intentional disruption of funerals within 500 feet (150 m) 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.

On May 17, 2006, the state of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois Illinois] enacted Senate Bill 1144, the "Let Them Rest In Peace Act", to shield grieving military families from protests during funerals and memorial services of fallen military service members. A first-time violation of the Act is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, which is punishable by one to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000.~~<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church#cite_note-104 [104]]</sup>~~

On May 17, 2006, the state of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois Illinois] enacted Senate Bill 1144, the "Let Them Rest In Peace Act", to shield grieving military families from protests during funerals and memorial services of fallen military service members. A first-time violation of the Act is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, which is punishable by one to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

On May 29, 2006, President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush George W. Bush] signed into law the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_for_America%27s_Fallen_Heroes_Act Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act] ([http://www.law.cornell.edu/jureeka/index.php?doc=USPubLaws&cong=109&no=228 Pub.L. 109–228]), prohibiting protests within 300 feet (91 m) of the entrance of any cemetery under control of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cemetery_Administration National Cemetery Administration] from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after a funeral. Penalties for violating the act are up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year imprisonment. The bill garnered overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress with a 408–3 vote in the House, with 21 not voting, and a unanimous vote in the Senate.

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===Parodies===

A slogan commonly invoked at the counter protests is "God hates figs". Parodying the WBC all-capitals "God hates fags" signs, the counter-protest signs often invoke a passage in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible Biblical] book of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew Matthew] to justify the claim about God and his feelings about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig figs]. The signs have been noted at counter-protests at the University of Chicago; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartanburg,_South_Carolina Spartanburg, South Carolina]; and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as at the non-WBC-themed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_to_Restore_Sanity Rally to Restore Sanity]. The use of the signs has been invoked as a sign of sanity by the ACLU<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>and others.

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 [[File:Westboro baptist church.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]
-The '''Westboro Baptist Church''' ('''WBC''') is an American unaffiliated Baptist church known for its extreme ideologies, especially those against gay people. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. It is headed by Fred Phelps and consists primarily of members of his large family; in 2011, the church stated that it had about 40 members. The church is headquartered in a residential neighborhood on the west side of Topeka about three miles (5 km) west of the Kansas State Capitol. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of November 27, 1955.
+The '''Westboro Baptist Church''' ('''WBC''') is an American unaffiliated Baptist church known for its extreme ideologies, especially those against gay people. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. It is headed by [http://real-life-villains.wikia.com/wiki/Fred_Phelps Fred Phelps] and consists primarily of members of his large family; in 2011, the church stated that it had about 40 members. The church is headquartered in a residential neighborhood on the west side of Topeka about three miles (5 km) west of the Kansas State Capitol. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of November 27, 1955.
 The church has been involved in actions against gay people since at least 1991, when it sought a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park six blocks northwest of the church. 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. Protests have also been held against Jews and some protests have included WBC members stomping on the American flag.
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 ====Islam====
 In response to a ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek Newsweek]'' article alleging that American soldiers flushed copies of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qur%27an Qur'an] down the toilet at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_X-Ray Camp X-Ray] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detainment_camp Guantanamo Bay], Fred Phelps released this statement:
-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. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon Book of Mormon]!In relation to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War Iraq War], a WBC flyer says "America bombed our church with an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_explosive_device IED] made by fag students... 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."
+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. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon Book of Mormon]!In relation to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War Iraq War], a WBC flyer says "America bombed our church with an IED made by fag students... 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."
 In the 2011 documentary ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Most_Hated_Family_in_Crisis America's Most Hated Family in Crisis]'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Theroux Louis Theroux], Jael Phelps explained in an interview that herself and the other members of the WBC tauntingly and publicly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_desecration burned] a copy of the Quran while being scolded by a Muslim man, calling it an "idolatrous piece of trash" and that they were giving it the "proper respect that it deserves" by doing so. They picketed the funeral of the Muslim man's wife the following week. Jael Phelps stated that the wife's death was partly due to her Muslim husband having spoken out against the WBC, and therefore rejecting God and bringing His "righteous judgement" down upon him. She also commented that "all those angry little Muslims can just shut their mouths."
@@ Line 119: / Line 119: @@
 In response to the protests conducted by Westboro members at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana Indiana] funerals, a bill was introduced in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_General_Assembly Indiana General Assembly] that would make it a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony felony] to protest within 500 feet (150 m) 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokomo,_Indiana Kokomo, Indiana], at a funeral service that was being held for a soldier who was killed in Iraq. On January 11, 2006, the bill unanimously (11–0) passed a committee vote, and while members of the church had traveled to Kokomo to protest, they were not seen during or after the funeral service. On May 23, 2006, the state of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan Michigan] banned any intentional disruption of funerals within 500 feet (150 m) 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.
-On May 17, 2006, the state of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois Illinois] enacted Senate Bill 1144, the "Let Them Rest In Peace Act", to shield grieving military families from protests during funerals and memorial services of fallen military service members. A first-time violation of the Act is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, which is punishable by one to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church#cite_note-104 [104]]</sup>
+On May 17, 2006, the state of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois Illinois] enacted Senate Bill 1144, the "Let Them Rest In Peace Act", to shield grieving military families from protests during funerals and memorial services of fallen military service members. A first-time violation of the Act is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense, which is punishable by one to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
 On May 29, 2006, President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush George W. Bush] signed into law the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_for_America%27s_Fallen_Heroes_Act Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act] ([http://www.law.cornell.edu/jureeka/index.php?doc=USPubLaws&cong=109&no=228 Pub.L. 109–228]), prohibiting protests within 300 feet (91 m) of the entrance of any cemetery under control of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cemetery_Administration National Cemetery Administration] from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after a funeral. Penalties for violating the act are up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year imprisonment. The bill garnered overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress with a 408–3 vote in the House, with 21 not voting, and a unanimous vote in the Senate.
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 ===Parodies===
 A slogan commonly invoked at the counter protests is "God hates figs". Parodying the WBC all-capitals "God hates fags" signs, the counter-protest signs often invoke a passage in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible Biblical] book of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew Matthew] to justify the claim about God and his feelings about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig figs]. The signs have been noted at counter-protests at the University of Chicago; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartanburg,_South_Carolina Spartanburg, South Carolina]; and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as at the non-WBC-themed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_to_Restore_Sanity Rally to Restore Sanity]. The use of the signs has been invoked as a sign of sanity by the ACLU<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>and others.