As a Christian, I am disturbed by the growing trend of believers who are “going over the wall.” Why are so many believers embracing extremism and intolerance?

To a small degree, I can understand it. Christianity has more than its share of enemies and it’s necessary to fight back. But those enemies’ actions are largely based in intolerance. By becoming intolerant ourselves, we come to resemble those who oppose us. This creates not only a problem for Christianity itself, but for the entire nation – both politically and culturally.

Here’s an e-mail I received recently from a lady who has felt first-hand the hatred of the members of the much-reviled Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. It’s in response to an article I wrote back in February of this year…

Alan,
I am writing as a family member of a fallen soldier and a victim of Fred Phelps and his cult. During my cousin’s funeral members of the so called Westboro Church were protesting right outside. My family and I felt hurt at this episode and to this day I feel so much resentment to their acts on that tragic day. I really wish there was a way that they could pay... I wish they would be arrested for holding up signs saying things like "A dead soldier is a good soldier" and other signs about anti-gay topics. My family and I were simply trying to pay our last respects and instead we were rudely interrupted by the pieces of sh** so called members of the church. Is there any way I can make them pay without breaking any laws? Please provide any advice you can I could really use your help... You really seem to understand how I feel.
Sincerely,
Ashley

Ashley’s anger and resentment toward the folks from Westboro represents a typical and completely justified reaction to what can only be described as a hate group. The Southern Baptist Convention has officially disassociated itself from Westboro Baptist Church, which calls itself an Independent Primitive Baptist Church. I call them a pack of complete idiots.

Consider…
(Westboro Pastor Fred) Phelps refers to the Holocaust as "minuscule" and led a protest at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1996, proclaiming:

Whatever righteous cause the Jewish victims of the 1930s-40s Nazi Holocaust had... has been drowned in sodomite semen. American taxpayers are financing this unholy monument to Jewish mendacity and greed and to filthy fag lust. Homosexuals and Jews dominated Nazi Germany...The Jews now wander the earth despised, smitten with moral and spiritual blindness by a divine judicial stroke...And god has smitten Jews with a certain unique madness...Jews, thus perverted, out of all proportion to their numbers energize the militant sodomite agenda...Jews are the real Nazis.
(quoted from Wikipedia)

They believe that only members of the Westboro Church are capable of entering Heaven.

Westboro Pastor Fred Phelps teaches that all untimely deaths and natural disasters worldwide are God’s punishment of the world for being accepting of homosexuality. This includes Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Members are not allowed to marry outside of the church. This has allegedly led to double kinship in some cases (like having an aunt who’s also your sister in-law) and in one case a woman is allegedly married to her adopted brother, although it supposedly wasn’t a formal adoption. The church has less than 100 members.

And then there is the Westboro compound itself. Ten homes, nine of which belong to children of Fred Phelps. Phelps’ home sits in the center, ringed by the other nine. Church services are held in the basement of Phelps’ home. American and Canadian flags are flown upside-down 365 days per year. A ten-foot security fence with picketed tops rings the entire compound. Janet Reno must be salivating for the chance to pay them a visit.

Some of Westboro’s better known antics…

They protested at the funeral of Coretta Scott-King, carrying signs stating “No fags in King’s dream.”

They protested this past May at Arlington National Cemetery. It’s worth noting that even as the protesters stood outside the cemetery, President Bush was signing into law the “Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act” which bans protests within 300 feet of a national cemetery.

They have a “virtual memorial” to murdered homosexual Matthew Shepard on their website, counting the number of days that he’s “been in Hell.” It’s complete with an animation of the poor kid’s head surrounded by flames.

What drives the obvious hatred behind Westboro?

Here is an excerpt from an open letter written by Phelps’ son, Mark, in 1993. Mark Phelps is not a member of Westboro Baptist Church, nor does he subscribe to his father’s beliefs…

I also realize that my father is a very unstable person who is determined to hurt people. And because he is so bound to be hateful and hurtful, and because he's so untrustworthy, I believe it's a good idea to respond to him with caution much like the caution used when dealing with a rattlesnake or a mad dog. You see, the causes that he crusades for, including the Bible, are not the issue here. He simply wants to hate and to have a forum for his hate. If the causes he focuses on were the issue, that is, if they really meant something to him in his heart and he meant for the things he does to be for the good, his behavior would not be what it is. He would not betray his message with his behavior. But, when he needs to, to vent his hate, he readily goes outside the bounds of any previously stated 'value' or 'cause' he may have supported. He experiences no moral dilemma when it comes to doing what he wants to do. If it weren't the homosexuals, it would be something else.

Scary stuff, to be sure, and it’s even scarier to know that Phelps has nearly one hundred willing followers.

But Phelps and Company aren’t the only issue here. Let’s take a look at the now-famous “Philly 11.” As you may recall, back in October of 2004 a group of eleven people from an organization known as “Repent America” staged a protest outside a gay pride event in Philadelphia, PA. Predictably, a confrontation resulted and all eleven protesters went to jail. Charges were later dropped, and Repent America now has a lawsuit filed against the City of Philadelphia and the gay activist group that staged the rally, Philly Pride Presents.

The following is a quote from Repent America’s website…

We must go out to where the sinners are. We must go to those who would never come into our churches— to the atheists, to the religious, to the self-righteous, to the God-hating and win their souls to Christ.

Now excuse me, but how smart is this? If there is one thing I’ve learned in my forty-eight years, it’s that the herd mentality of like-minded people is a force of nature. Repent America’s actions would compare favorably to preaching vegetarianism at a rodeo, or protesting the use of fossil fuels at a NASCAR event.

One of the most important parts of winning souls to Christ is to have a winning strategy. All the Philly 11 managed to do was create anger and harden the resolve of everyone at the event to remain as they were. The Philly 11 may have actually lessened the chances of the conversion of those at the event. It’s been my experience that a quiet one-on-one conversation is the best way to get the point across. As I am fond of saying, people cannot be pushed to Christ. They must be led.

Repent America doesn’t strike me as a hate group. Overly zealous perhaps, but not hateful. All Americans have the right to peaceably gather, and I don’t recall the Constitution making any exceptions where sexual preference is concerned. While it is generally not illegal to protest such a gathering, it often can be counterproductive, as was evidenced by the events in Philadelphia.

The two groups described above certainly don’t represent the majority, or even a significant minority of Christians. They are however, examples of what can happen when Christians step outside the teachings of God, which includes obeying the law of the land. Toss in the massive pedophilia scandal within the Catholic Church and the occasional abortion clinic bomber, and it becomes obvious why religion is having serious credibility problems in the public forum.

It also doesn’t help when Christians react so peevishly to movies like The Da Vinci Code or Brokeback Mountain. No, I haven’t seen either one of them. Nor do I plan to. But staging protests outside movie theaters? Come on folks… they’re just movies! Those who take The Da Vinci Code seriously probably also believed that the recent rehash of King Kong was a documentary on actual events from 1933.

Roughly three-fourths of Americans believe in God. Religion has always played an important and positive role in our culture and our politics. The erosion of Christianity’s credibility through the actions of a comparative handful of misguided and / or hateful souls has the potential to do irreparable harm to America. People like Fred Phelps and the Philly 11 must not become the public face of American Christianity.

The “typical” Christian more closely resembles my little gray-haired mom. She’s 86 years old and still teaches Sunday school. She witnesses only when she’s welcomed to do so, and it’s a good bet that she’s led more people to God than the combined resources of Repent America.

On the political front, there is increasing hostility toward “faith and values” candidates. Many voters are growing fearful of the prospect of America becoming a theocracy. While no Christian in his or her right mind would want a theocracy, we’re not doing nearly enough to dispel the myth being perpetrated against us in this regard. If “faith and values” is to have a snowball’s chance in future elections, American Christians must work to overcome the hate and intolerance of the nutcases in our midst.

To do this, we must embrace three things. First, we must relearn tolerance and forgiveness. It is not our place to judge others, but to teach. Making a fool of oneself at a gay pride event or a soldier’s funeral sends exactly the wrong message.

Second, know what you’re talking about before opening your mouth. Faith and knowledge are not the same things. You can‘t properly witness to others if you don’t know at least the basics of the Gospel. In other words, read The Book.

Third, pick fights you can win and that can actually have a positive effect upon our cause. Educating our youth about the dangers of abortion and careless sexual behavior, the suppression of free speech and expression where Christianity is concerned, and other major issues are the battles we need to win.

When we witness to others, we are in essence inviting them to join us. But, if those to whom we witness perceive us as being a group of wild-eyed, hateful fanatics, or if we are seen as being petty and judgmental, it’s unlikely that anyone would wish to be a part of who and what we are.

And please - whoever it is that spray-painted “REPENT OR DIE!” on the freeway overpass near my home… you ain’t helping the cause, okay?


Related Reading…

Wikipedia Article on Westboro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church

Letter from Mark Phelps - who left the Westboro church – about his father
http://www.rickross.com/reference/westboro/westboro8.html

ACLU sues to remove protest restrictions
http://www.rickross.com/reference/westboro/westboro39.html

Westboro Protest at funeral of Coretta Scott-King
http://www.sovo.com/2006/2-10/news/localnews/L2.cfm

Bush Signs Funeral Protest Ban
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/2890486.html

Westboro’s Hateful “Memorial” to Matthew Shepard
http://www.godhatesfags.com/memorial.html

Wing Nuts, Perverts and Fred The Baptist
http://www.alanburkhart.com/Esy_Alan_Westboro.html

'Philly 11' win round against 'gay' group
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50409

Repent America website
http://www.repentamerica.com/index.htm


Alan Burkhart is a freelance political writer, cross-country trucker, and proud citizen of the reddest of the Red States - Mississippi. You can reach him via e-mail at: alan@alanburkhart.com or by visiting his website: www.alanburkhart.com.