“Repent or Perish”: Westboro Church Protest Solider Funerals

By: Samantha C.

            Most people think we would never see American’s picketing a soldier’s funeral with signs saying “God Hates You” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers’”. But this heinous practice is happening all over America.

Members of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansa have outraged dozens of families with their antics at funerals and gay pride events. Members of the church believe that God id punishing America with the war in Iraq because America is too tolerant with homosexuality. They have been to 35 states since they started protesting in June 2007. They have expanded since then, gaining more members and even began their own website, www.godhatesfags.com.

The leader of this organization, Fred Phelps, is usually the man who gives the interviews about their actions. Heard in an interview with FOX news after he picketed the death of the Pope John Paul II, celebrating his “entrance to Hell”, Phelps said “Deal with it, you idolatrous morons! The pope is in Hell. Westboro Baptist Church members are competent expert witnesses, having picketed hundreds of Catholic churches in all fifty states over the past fourteen years. We will bear witness on Judgment Day: Catholics are the meanest, most violent people on Earth, and their churches are filled with filthy fag priests. On John Paul II's watch, the Catholic Church became the CHURCH OF THE HOLY PEDOPHILES and sodomite feces and semen replaced bread and wine.”

The protest which brought the most attention to the church’s actions was took place on March 10, 2007. Church members picketed Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder funeral, a Marine Solider. On June 5, 2007 the Snyder family decided to sue for invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The Phelps family (Fred Phelps and his two daughters) cited with the first amendment, causing the court to dismiss the argument about the comments that were made. But the case went to trial with the other three counts brought against them. When the Marines family finally went to court on October 31, 2007 they were rewarded a total of $10,900,000 for invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. After court Albert Snyder, Matthew Snyder’s father, made a comment to reporters stating “They turned this funeral into a media circus and they wanted to hurt my family. They wanted their message heard and they didn't care who they stepped over. My son should have been buried with dignity, not with a bunch of clowns outside."

But WBC (Westboro Church) has picketed much more than what is seen in headlines. They have picketed gay pride events, the death of people who died from AIDS, gay and lesbian weddings, Disney on Ice, and even a funeral of a young man, Matthew Shepard, who was beat the death for “being gay”. All using signs consisting of slogans saying “Thank God for 9/11”, “Brides of Satan” (for lesbian weddings), “Thank God for AIDS”, “Fag Santa”, ”Disney Fags” (for Disney on Ice), and “Fag Flag” (with the American Flag on it), and many more.

Phelps assured that his organization isn’t going to stop anytime soon. And it’s that assurance that worries American’s. Some believe WBC has no heart, and some believe that they’re right in what they are doing. This makes many Americans wonder, “What does this say about where America is heading?”