How do you feel about the West Burrow Baptist Church?

[Anonymous]

I think that they are despicable people and would like to do nothing more than hit each of them in the face with a grocery bag a feces, but I think that as Americans they have the right to do what they do. I am wondering what people think about them being allowed to do what they do.

[JohNfromKolob]

its actually west "BORO" and they are essentially people drive by a desire to get angry/upset reactions from people while being intellectually satisifed by backing it up with calvinist-Christian theology. I live in Kansas and went to Topeka to see Nate phelps speak (a son of the founder, Fred Phelps) he left the family/group when he was 18. He told a lot of stories about abuse and what a hateful man his father was. When fred dies..it will interesting to see what happens. He has a daughter who has been in the spotlot and a son who might take over. But teh weirdest member that has a shot at tkaing over is a guy named Steve Drain. He actually is a very bright guy and good with webdesigning/video production..thats why their websites are so spiffy. He actualyl joinedc a group after he was making a documentary about them. one of his daughters was recently kicked out of the group. in an abc interview he showed no sorrow about it and said he knew his daughter was going to hell. He is another candidate to run the church. A lot of other member have left recently, Louis theroex of the BBC has done 2 documentaries on them...one of which was done in 2011, he interviewed many member that left. Nate Phelps is working on a book about his experiences in the family as well. its a pretty messed up sitaution...but I think also serves as an example of what religion can do...remeber..MILLIONS of christians in America believe precisely what he does...they just don't go harrass greiving families..but they hold the same core beliefs..of believieng some are saved and other damned by god...including homosexuals.

[jad125]

I do not like what they, But I defend their right to say, what they say. The first Amendment of the United States Constitution grants them the right.

[justlilly]

I am from Topeka, so I literally would see them every day.

While they do have the right to protest (and they got all their money in a law suit in the 80's when someone prevented them from protesting), it is really sh*tty that the people who generally do the protesting are under the age of 15. They hold and average of 3 protests per day of something in the city of Topeka, so I have seen them many times. In front of my school. Across the street from my apartment. Twice a week on my way to work. Other random places. And it is always 3 or 4 mothers and a bunch of children. That is why Westboro Baptist Church is disgusting.

It just kills me to see an 8 year old girl holding a sign that says "God Hates You."

[JohNfromKolob]

yea I kno...does fred even ever come out with them anymore? you never see him.

[JohNfromKolob]

im from overland park...so I'm somewhat familiar with topeka..they live in a residential area...do they get along with their neighbors?

[justlilly]

I have never seen Fred personally. And I don't know anything about their neigobors, but I used to work with a guy who was kicked out of the group and disowned by his family, who happened to be a part of WBC. He had his own crazy, cult-like ideas...they were just too different from the rest od their ideas.

Also, most of the members of WBC are directly related to Fred Phelps.

[JohNfromKolob]

o really? wutd the guy believe in?

[assley]

They're ignorant. Their interpretation of the bible and the world is embarrassing to me as a human being. But we have to be "PC" and let them protest soldiers' funerals and all that stuff because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings now do we? Oh wait... Who's side are we on mr. Govt? It's sickening.

[Red_Raconteur]

*Westbourough

They came and protested the Jewish center at my college either freshman or sophomore year. They were entertaining, to say the least. They were rambling about how the Jewish center was turning everyone into gay baby rapists. Not kidding. There was no logic.

[justlilly]

Westboro*

[iPood]

**westboro

[Red_Raconteur]

Ahh, I failed as a grammar Nazi *commits sepaku*

[jacquesvol]

I LOVE the Phelps family and the way they expose religious hypocrisy.Not only theirs' but also that of similar churches , of course.

Everyone ho sees them "at work" will (or should!) stop and think about how hypocrite this is.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=50r0CnKq7_k&feature=relatedhttps://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=kWbKPFnh05g&feature=relatedhttps://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=S8cN2pB3MCE

and

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=0kkYq385fC8&feature=related

[Belgie]

They are a fine example of what the First Amendment stands for.

Though I despise utterly what they say, they are free to say it.

That's how free speech should work. You say what ever you want to say. Then I get to decide if I want to spend any time with you, or give money to you, or give it to your rivals, or whatever.

[cjwright79]

Yeah they are free to preach hate, but then again, others are free to ridicule them, so I guess it all works reasonably well.

[Belgie]

I think it does, yeah.

[stark101]

the are idiots, scarred idiots who express their fear with anger, the creepy thing is that their fear spreads across generations, like in the book to kill a mockingbird, we just got to sow the kids that there is a better way to deal with the world than to use and old book as a moral guideline to justify their crap

i recently watch a movie that reminded me of them I think it's called red state really scarry

[cjwright79]

Just write them off as ignorant sh*t-disturbers and don't frequent websites or TV stations that talk about them. The less heed you pay them the sooner they'll disappear. The idea is for their cause to die out from sheer apathy.

[cjwright79]

PS I think it's Westboro Baptist Church

[cjwright79]

Get this:

In May 2011, representatives of the Ku Klux Klan distanced themselves from the church, denouncing them as "hatemongers" -- Wikipedia

If the KKK finds your actions offensive then you really are beyond the pale.

[SweetApathy]

I don't believe they should be aloud to do what they do. They harass and verbally abuse people. That's still violence. It has psychological affects whether it's physical or not. I'm glad they're banned from Canada :)

[doctorwhofan23]

We protect free speech here though even if it is distasteful.

[SweetApathy]

In these terms, we do too, as long as it's not hate speech.

[jad125]

While I do not agree with hate speech, I suppor tpeoples right to do it. As long as someone is not threating others, or calling for violence, then they should be allowed to say whatever they want. I hate what they say, but they have every right. Sometimes people will get their fellings hurt, but free speech was put in place to protect unpolualr speech. I don't beleive in a soft politcally correct culture. Once any type of speech is banned, it gives the government power to ban any speech.

[SweetApathy]

Hate speech is a type of violence. Psychological violence is as bad as physical violence. Involving hate in reasoning is a fallacy. In our system, if evidence is provide against "negative" arguments, it is allowed. It's not soft politics. It's logical politics. Don't you think rights of peace are greater than peoples opinions? By your definition, you'd agree with Hitler's manipulation of Germans before he killed Jews. Once one type of violence is allowed, it gives the people power for more types

[mitzykitty1]

I think the general mentality in Canada is that we support free speech when opinion is expressed thoroughly and as articulately as possible with complete respect to others - and without threats of violence or harm towards a specific group. As weird as it must seem to those in US to withhold any opinion, it's something that's generally accepted and embraced in Canada. When folks try to challenge this attitude, it's almost always met with some degree of support for the laws in place.

[mitzykitty1]

I'm actually quite glad groups like the Westboro Baptist Church could never exist in Canada - although I am curious to know how close Fred Phelps was to sending his "troops" north of the boarder for Jack Layton's funeral regardless of our laws. Think about it: it was a full state funeral for the leader of one of the great Canadian socialist parties, and it was presided over by Layton's openly gay (and married!) pastor. Old Fred would have had a field day with that one!

[jad125]

Hate speech is not violence. Hate speech was a term made up by the global elites to crack down on freedom of speech. You can not take away freedom of speech. One of The reasons America is the greatest country in the world is free speech. Canda does not have free speech like America. Nothing is more sacred than freedom, and the only reason hate speech is banne din Canada is to protect the government, and global elites, not the slaves.

[Kain6th]

There better be pretty specific rules as to what hate speech is and what you can't say to others, otherwise how on earth can you really enforce it without being oppressive and invasive into peoples lives?

[jad125]

Your governemnt is using hate speech as an excuse to crack down on speech aggainst the government. It's like all these idiots in America who say people who disagrgre with Obama are racist. What is happening is the government is using the term to scare people into saying they disagree with anyhtign the govenrment does. The Candaian governm,ent is the same way. You have to understand governments are evil.

[jad125]

The Canadian government like eevery other govenment is controlled by a global banking cartel, and elites, like the Rockefellers, and they are using hate speech, to stifle anyone who does not agree with them. I'm sorry, but nothing is more important than freedom. If some people's fellings then that's life.

[jad125]

Ihave got my fellings hurt before, but I do not complain about it, it's free speech. People are to soft in today's world.

[jad125]

This video describes how the globalsits and banks who run the world our clamping down on freedom of speech, and how people's rights are getting run over

link

[SweetApathy]

I'm pretty sure I included that you're aloud to say "negative or hate speech" like things if they're backed up with logical evidence.

[SweetApathy]

I know how capitalism works. You don't have to tell me.

[l-hedoniste]

They have a right to do what they do, but I don't have to sit still for it; I have a right to get in their face about it. They probably deserve worse, but from me they'll at least get that much.

[RememberWhenItRained]

it's a disgrace to Christianity, as well as to America as a whole. Buy hey, freedom of speech...

[cun7n1nja]

They have every right to say the things they do, and I have every right to enthusiastically disagree. =]

[funkadelic5]

When the world around them is only one of love, their hate will fall on deaf ears, inciting no reaction, and so crumble away.

[iXenomorph]

Good, fine Christians like the rest of the people in the bible.

[Kain6th]

LOL some people didn't get the sarcasm

[doctorwhofan23]

I don't like that they say they are Christians, we are supposed to be loving people the WBC is about hate. But they are free to protest even if it is distasteful

[JohNfromKolob]

Well the christian god does say that he ahtes certain people..and he kills or orders the israelites to kill many people in the bible..including women, children, and infants. Not to mention, The Christians God has built a customized torture chamber so that when any "sinner" dies (which is all people) who hasn't gotten "saved" (ie converted to Christianity and had some experience) God will allow that person to be alive and torment him/her without end for all eternity.

[JohNfromKolob]

"Belief in a cruel god makes a cruel man"-Thomas Paine

[Anonymous]

A friend of mines brother was KIA Iraq 2009, and I was a stand-in "Patriot Rider" and we basically protected the family from them. At one point guns were drawn to keep them away from the funeral.

[irykiryk]

They're the result of what happens when one has sex with a sibling.

[Anonymous]

They were all dropped on their heads as babies. There's something wrong with them

[stark101]

dropped? what about tossed to the ground?

[The_Supid_Genius]

I am so sick of churches and religion in general.

[Coffinspire]

I agree they should all be shot.

[BCRanger10]

Deranged scumbags.