Westboro Baptist Church

[TheDamnIrish]

I could almost hear the collective sighs and laughter from the topic title alone.

So I hear an awful lot of Christians recently doing what they can to defend their religion from the stain they believe the Westboro crowd to be. But besides some passages about being humble, which the Westboro church certainly is not, is their message really not so biblical?

I mean, I see a whole lot of passages in the bible about killing sinners, including homosexuals. I also see quite a few references to god allowing foreign armies to defeat Israel due to it's rebellion against the lord's law, which is the general reasoning behind the Westboro protests at military funerals. If the Westboro church goers really aren't "true Christians", then why does their philosophy seem to match with what the bible says?

Is it just me or do the Westboro crowd represent the bible more accurately than others?

Thoughts?

 

[Memeticemetic]

Spot on. In all the hate-filled, revolting, immoral and utterly vapid rhetoric and bile coming from those truly benighted souls, I have yet to hear a word that was not 100% biblically accurate. Which is primarily what made me transition from a rather disinterested atheist to an adamant atheist and anti-theist.

 

[MRaverz]

I'd say that they represent the Old Testament a lot more then other Christians who claim that half to be a sort of history book (albeit not the most accurate one).

Therefore, it depends on the interpretation. Is the Old Testament a case of the Christian god saying 'Yeah, I was a dick once - but I promise I'll never do that again' or a case of 'Do this bit and the other stuff that Jesus said too'.

 

[Laurens]

You can derive lots of different view points from the Bible. You could use passages from it to construct an argument against the WBC, but you could also use passages from it to defend them.

 

[Krazyskooter]

They are extreme even among the fundamentals. many of the baptist preachers I've heard will stand up and preach against it as sin, but they do that about pre-marital sex, drinking, drug use, gambling, lying, not going to church three days a week, etc... Most preachers I've known live by the Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner motto. And instead of putting on a disgusting display, they would rather just say what the New Testament says about sin and leave it up to the individual to decide if they want to "Get their life right."

 

[Krazyskooter]

You can derive lots of different view points from the Bible. You could use passages from it to construct an argument against the WBC, but you could also use passages from it to defend them.

Depends on which testament you are using and who is actually doing the talking, Paul was pretty ferocious with his attacks on Sin, but Paul isn't Jesus. I point that out to anyone who tries to use something Paul said that is contrary to what Jesus taught. The most that any Christian now should be able to do is say that a homosexual risks going to Hell if they don't repent.

The way I was taught growing up, was that there is no such thing as sins (plural) just sin (singular). And everything that is contrary to God's will is Sin, that's why no one can judge another based on their particular vice. It's why Jesus had no problem associating with the Sinners because they were no different than anyone else.

 

[Hedley]

You can derive lots of different view points from the Bible. You could use passages from it to construct an argument against the WBC, but you could also use passages from it to defend them.

Depends on which testament you are using and who is actually doing the talking, Paul was pretty ferocious with his attacks on Sin, but Paul isn't Jesus. I point that out to anyone who tries to use something Paul said that is contrary to what Jesus taught. The most that any Christian now should be able to do is say that a homosexual risks going to Hell if they don't repent.

The way I was taught growing up, was that there is no such thing as sins (plural) just sin (singular). And everything that is contrary to God's will is Sin, that's why no one can judge another based on their particular vice. It's why Jesus had no problem associating with the Sinners because they were no different than anyone else.

I am also agree that there aren't diverse sin categories, just sin.

In the "Divine Comedy" the multi-level hell concept was introduced and together with sin categories! Such concept do not exist in the Christian scriptures. Accordingly to the wiki, the earliest writing is dated in the XIV century!

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

The scuttlebutt on Anonymous is that something big is going to happen.
Like - Hiroshima big.

I tried to hop onto the WBC sites, and my site request is being denied...

Sooooo - I think the Anon of the world have their crosshairs on Fred Phelps atm. And I'm talking about SERIOUS shit, too.

 

[Laurens]

When Fred Phelps dies we should all go and picket the fuck out of his funeral...

 

[MRaverz]

When Fred Phelps dies we should all go and picket the fuck out of his funeral...

Hahaha, yes!

100% absolutely yes.

 

[Nashy19]

They seem like nice people... seriously. I haven't seen that much of them though.

They also seem to be more honest, they keep secrets and radical beliefs, but it doesn't look like they lie to themselves.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

When Fred Phelps dies we should all go and picket the fuck out of his funeral...

Hahaha, yes!

100% absolutely yes.

Putting it on my list of things to do before I croak.

 

[Laurens]

They seem like nice people... seriously. I haven't seen that much of them though.

Yeah nice people who seriously hurt and upset bereaved families by picketing with offensive signs at funerals.

Real nice people... :roll:

 

[SagansHeroes]

When Fred Phelps dies we should all go and picket the fuck out of his funeral...

Man... I would purchase tickets to go to America just for that....

So keen.

 

[nasher168]

I think we can guarantee that his funeral will be picketed. Unless they do a quite cremation or something in the back garden or whatever.

 

[Duvelthehobbit666]

I think we can guarantee that his funeral will be picketed. Unless they do a quite cremation or something in the back garden or whatever.

It must be kept quiet that he died. Otherwise people will picket the funeral regardless where it is.

 

[Memeticemetic]

When Fred Phelps dies we should all go and picket the fuck out of his funeral...

And if ya'll do that, I will loudly decry your actions as despicable, hateful and utterly revolting. But it's still funny to talk about it on the intertubes.

 

[Anachronous Rex]

I'd say that they represent the Old Testament a lot more then other Christians who claim that half to be a sort of history book (albeit not the most accurate one).

This. Christianity's line on government for the bulk of the religion's history has been that it is ordained by God in its current form - Calvinism (which I think these Baptists are?) even more so. And a direct reading of the Gospels gives the distinct impression that Christians ought not to involve themselves in political affairs at all beyond what is required of them. Though I suppose they could possibly arrive at something like this if they focused instead on Revelations and Second Thessalonians.

Still, distinctly Old Testament thinking. Which is weird because you never see Jews acting like this... even the crazy fundamentalist ones.

 

[Laurens]

Is it just me or do the Westboro crowd represent the bible more accurately than others?

Representing a book that is so contradictory, accurately, is an oxymoron

 

[sgrunterundt]

Yeah using contradicting axioms you can prove anything.