The Westboro Baptist Church
By William J. Dell – 05 May 2010
The following quote is generally attributed to Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” I believe the Founding Fathers had this in mind when they penned the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
It has been my understanding since taught in early youth that with every freedom also comes a responsibility. We were always taught that we may have the right to say what we want, but that we did not have the right to cry “Fire!” in a crowded theater in the absence of that fire. The teachings and responsibilities surrounding the issue of “free speech” have apparently escaped the congregants of the Westboro Baptist Church.
I certainly agree that the Anti-Defamation League hit the nail on the head when they designated Westboro a hate group, writing that:
“the Topeka, Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group that regularly stages protests around the country, often several times a week.”
Since 2005, the Westboro Baptist Church has increased their vitriol to include the military funerals of our fallen service men and women. These protests generally include hate speech on signs as well as shout-outs and songs. In addition, the congregants frequently desecrate the U. S. Flag. The same flag that is draping the casket of the fallen hero as it goes by in the hearse and for which he or she “gave that last full measure of devotion” for their country. I personally find their protests at the funerals of fallen heroes despicable and unchristian. I here personally salute the Patriot Guard Riders as they gather in support of their fallen brothers and sisters and rev their bikes to drown out the hate speech of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters. In response to such protests, some 40 states have passed laws to regulate funeral demonstrations. Also, the SCOTUS Blog indicates that the Supreme Court will take up the issue of funeral protest in its session beginning October 4, 2010.
I have been an Evangelical Christian for more than fifty years. Some would say I am a student of Holy Writ. The Scriptures, I know, do NOT teach that God hates sinners. He loves the sinners and hates their sins. This is why He sent His Son to die for us and to redeem us from our sins. He loves us because we are His children. He does not approve of all that we His children do, but He continues to love us is spite of our sins. And we all are sinners as the Apostle Paul taught in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” It would appear that this also applies to “Pastor” Phelps and his congregants, but then they seem to pick and choose what they want to believe from God’s Holy Word.
But I digress. The issue here is free speech. We as a nation need to be very careful when it comes to the First Amendment rights of our citizens. What you limit for one citizen or group today may limit your First Amendment rights tomorrow. As vile and despicable as the Westboro Baptist Church protests are – if you ban them today, you run the risk of banning the Tea Party protests tomorrow. I believe a much sounder course of action is to let them rave on so that all thinking men and women will know them to be mad and beyond the pale of decency.
I also believe that the privacy rights of the grieving families of the fallen heroes, or any deceased person, need to be protected. I believe that these grieving families need to be shielded from such vile and despicable conduct from intolerant individuals and groups. Therefore I believe that any such protest that would demean, belittle or disrespect the service and life of the deceased should require a permit and be prohibited within a quarter mile of the church, funeral home, cortege route and cemetery involved with the funeral. I further believe that intrusion into this safe zone should be regarded as a breech of the peace, a violation of the permit and subject the individual or group to a very stiff judgment.
May we in this Constitutional Republic return to the civility of 100 years ago when because of our Judeo-Christian heritage we respected the dead. A time when we stood quietly as the cortege passed with uncovered heads. And let no one forget the immortal words of John Donne: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind… and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
To further understand the vitriol of the Westboro Baptist Church you may wish to view the following: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anwsku-9IiY
