Westboro Baptist Church: Difference between revisions
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A number of Phelps' critics have suggested that the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church are merely a ploy to receive attention and publicity above all else, though the Phelpses themselves deny this claim. 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 family and congregation completely. WBC, through the closely related Phelps Chartered law firm, has collected fees under the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Attorney%27s_Fees_Award_Act_of_1976 Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act of 1976] when their protests have been unlawfully disrupted. | A number of Phelps' critics have suggested that the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church are merely a ploy to receive attention and publicity above all else, though the Phelpses themselves deny this claim. 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 family and congregation completely. WBC, through the closely related Phelps Chartered law firm, has collected fees under the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Attorney%27s_Fees_Award_Act_of_1976 Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act of 1976] when their protests have been unlawfully disrupted. | ||
A frequent critic of the WBC is political commentator [ | A frequent critic of the WBC is political commentator [[Bill O'Reilly]], who regularly calls the church "evil and despicable". Documentary filmmaker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Moore Michael Moore] has also criticized the church. | ||
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Defamation_League Anti-Defamation League] (ADL) describes the Westboro Baptist Church as "virulently homophobic", whose anti-homosexual rhetoric they say is often a cover for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semitism anti-Semitism], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Americanism anti-Americanism], racism, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Catholicism anti-Catholicism].The nonprofit civil rights organization [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center Southern Poverty Law Center] (SPLC) has added the Westboro Baptist Church to its list of hate groups. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell Jerry Falwell] referred to Phelps as "a first-class nut".<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>WBC picketed Falwell's funeral service on May 22, 2007. | The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Defamation_League Anti-Defamation League] (ADL) describes the Westboro Baptist Church as "virulently homophobic", whose anti-homosexual rhetoric they say is often a cover for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semitism anti-Semitism], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Americanism anti-Americanism], racism, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Catholicism anti-Catholicism].The nonprofit civil rights organization [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center Southern Poverty Law Center] (SPLC) has added the Westboro Baptist Church to its list of hate groups. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell Jerry Falwell] referred to Phelps as "a first-class nut".<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>WBC picketed Falwell's funeral service on May 22, 2007. | ||
In May 2011, representatives of the [ | In May 2011, representatives of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] distanced themselves from the church, denouncing them as "hatemongers". | ||
In response to WBC's announcement that they would picket the vigil for victims of the December 14, 2012 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting], several petitions to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House White House] (using the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_the_People_%28petitioning_system%29 We the People] system) have been submitted, calling on the President to legally recognize WBC as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_group hate group], revoke its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_exemption_for_religious_organizations tax exemption for religious organizations], and to ban protests at funerals and memorial services. One petition, backed by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacktivist hacktivist] group [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_%28group%29 Anonymous], was submitted the day of the shootings, and reached more than 75,000 signatures within two days. | In response to WBC's announcement that they would picket the vigil for victims of the December 14, 2012 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting], several petitions to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House White House] (using the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_the_People_%28petitioning_system%29 We the People] system) have been submitted, calling on the President to legally recognize WBC as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_group hate group], revoke its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_exemption_for_religious_organizations tax exemption for religious organizations], and to ban protests at funerals and memorial services. One petition, backed by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacktivist hacktivist] group [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_%28group%29 Anonymous], was submitted the day of the shootings, and reached more than 75,000 signatures within two days. | ||
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In the June 21, 2007, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_4 Channel 4] documentary ''Keith Allen Will Burn in Hell'', starring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Allen_%28actor%29 Keith Allen], on which Phelps-Roper and some of her children agreed to appear, Phelps-Roper admitted on camera that her oldest son, Samuel, was born out of wedlock. Allen declared Phelps-Roper's vocal condemnation of strangers having sexual congress outside of marriage to be hypocritical as she was guilty of the same thing. | In the June 21, 2007, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_4 Channel 4] documentary ''Keith Allen Will Burn in Hell'', starring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Allen_%28actor%29 Keith Allen], on which Phelps-Roper and some of her children agreed to appear, Phelps-Roper admitted on camera that her oldest son, Samuel, was born out of wedlock. Allen declared Phelps-Roper's vocal condemnation of strangers having sexual congress outside of marriage to be hypocritical as she was guilty of the same thing. | ||
==Funding== | ==Funding== | ||
WBC's travel expenses exceed $200,000 annually. According to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center Southern Poverty Law Center], Westboro is funded entirely by its congregation and accepts no outside donations. The church has received money from lawsuits and legal fees. For example, they sued the city of Topeka several times in the 1990s. WBC received $16,500, and is pursuing another $100,000, in legal fees for a case won in court.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>The WBC is considered a nonprofit organization by the federal government, and is therefore exempt from paying taxes. | WBC's travel expenses exceed $200,000 annually. According to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center Southern Poverty Law Center], Westboro is funded entirely by its congregation and accepts no outside donations. The church has received money from lawsuits and legal fees. For example, they sued the city of Topeka several times in the 1990s. WBC received $16,500, and is pursuing another $100,000, in legal fees for a case won in court.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>The WBC is considered a nonprofit organization by the federal government, and is therefore exempt from paying taxes. | ||
[[Category:List]] | [[Category:List]] | ||