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Yes - that is their contention - that they are "entitled" to speak in public places - even if that public place is across the street from a funeral.
They finally DID pass a law that the Westies have to stay a certain number of feet away - but I think their right to freedom of speech does not supercede common sense decency.
I guess I've never understood some of this. This example is not really comparable, but though I attend a public university, I don't understand why we can't refuse to have speakers such as Fred Phelps speak on campus. Can't the administration still decide, ultimately, who is allowed to speak/preach on the campus grounds and who isn't? I don't know; maybe there are all kinds of other implications I'm not thinking of. But it seems like people ought to be able to get the Westboro lunatics to stay away from their relatives' funerals as well, that they should have a right to do so.
Here is their next scheduled appearance - anyone near Broken Bow, NE??:
12/22/200712:15 PM - 1:00 PMBroken Bow, NEBroken Bow City Auditorium 314 S. 10th Ave. This is for the funeral of Michael B. Doheny. 1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. Jeremiah 20:3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib. 4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
The hate speech laws passed in Canada that so many Christians are railing against (anit-gay speach not preached within the confines of a church building/function are considered hate speech) would put an end to them.
I guess I've never understood some of this. This example is not really comparable, but though I attend a public university, I don't understand why we can't refuse to have speakers such as Fred Phelps speak on campus. Can't the administration still decide, ultimately, who is allowed to speak/preach on the campus grounds and who isn't? I don't know; maybe there are all kinds of other implications I'm not thinking of. But it seems like people ought to be able to get the Westboro lunatics to stay away from their relatives' funerals as well, that they should have a right to do so.
They have a protected right to peaceable assembly: what they're doing may be irritating, but as long as they aren't violent, disrupting classes, or disturbing the peace in some way, there's not a whole lot that can be done.
The administration can *ask* them to leave, however: if they then refuse, they are officially trespassing and can be removed by force.
In the case of the Westborough Baptist 'Church', they overstep their bounds most seriously when they disrupt a funeral -- they are disrupting peaceful assembly, trespassing, disturbing the peace, and they also face charges of harassment (since they usually protest 'at' anyone that comes near the funeral).
Last edited by FredNotBob; 12-29-2007 at 03:18 AM..
Reason: Edited to add additional examples.
This is what happens when you have autonomous churches. What do other Baptists think of this Baptist church?
The WBC split from the Southern Baptist Convention a long time ago -- and no Baptist insititution presently recognizes or accepts the WBC as a Bible-believing fellowship.
The late Jerry Falwell was noted for regularly and openly calling Fred Phelps a 'first-class nut', as well as being very vocal in denouncing Phelps' behavior as hateful and un-Christian.
From a purely judicial standpoint -- Phelps' actions have earned him the status of persona non grata up here in Canada -- if he attempts to enter the country, he'll be arrested for hate-speech.
Hi Everyone;
I just want to say that I'm from the Baptist religion, and no way do we behave like those people do. I'm from Pennsylvania and recently in a nearby town, a house fire cost the lives of 10 people. There were some worries that they were going to come and picket the funeral. There was a flyer sent out that said God Hates Pennsylvania! Can you imagine? I think they like using the Lords name strictly for their own purpose. AS for gay people, although, I don't agree with it, they have their right to choose for themselves too without being persecuted for it. These signs that they carry around that say Gad hates America? MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!
It is very interesting to me that christians get upset about the Westboro church, they actually have a much better understanding of the god of the bible, who was mean and commanded genocide, murder, rape, slavery and so on.
Why are you christians so bothered about the things they do, really they are much more in line with the bibles idea of god anyways.
I know that is not PC, and the PC god loves and all that stuff, never the less you cant escape the god of the bible and all the mean stuff he did.
they are not going to move to another country because america is one of the few countires that will provide them the liberties to be as publicly ignorant as they are. merely a parasite.
It would be ironic if Jesus (if he actually existed) turned out to be a homosexual. Certainly, Christ’s universal message of love cannot be true unless it embraces all mankind, and not just a few self-righteous bigots.
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Westboro Baptist Church
