Wow! I had no idea it was this bad. This church is picketing everything, it looks like. A small group of them even came and picketed the funerals of the 12 men who died recently in the mine accident in West Virginia!!! I'm not going to debate this, I just wanted to share this article, and figured this may be the best place for it.

Funeral Picketing article

By Hlgmom on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 11:18 am:

I am so disgusted I would like to vomit!! People are unbelieveable! Scary!

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 11:48 am:

My son told me this morning that he heard that the "Rev." Phelps plans to picket the funeral of Corretta Scott King. (I sort of apologize, I guess he is ordained in some ministry). He also told me that at a couple of veterans' funerals, a group of vets on motorcycles showed up, parked themselves in front of this group, and ran their motorcyle engines throughout the picketing to drown out their chants.

By Imamommyx4 on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 11:51 am:

I hate that these people call themselves Baptist. Our church has been supporting our soldiers especially the ones from our church. And when one comes home he/she usually gets a standing ovation.

That is just incredulous to me.

By Cat on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 12:47 pm:

Unbelievable.

By Groovepickle on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 01:13 pm:

Where's the love in that Church?

By Crystal915 on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 01:27 pm:

I can't say what I really think of this because of the rules of the board. It is basically telling the protesters to go blank themselves and I hope some shoves a grenade up their rear ends. I would personally go to jail willingly for kicking their butts if I saw that at a funeral here.

By Sunny on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 01:47 pm:

Wow.
How much more disrespectful can you be? Do these "protestors" realize that there are people like me who automatically disregard the message they are trying to get across - no matter what that message is - based on their actions?

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 03:26 pm:

Ditto Sunny. This is really unbelievable.

By Amecmom on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 05:14 pm:

Sadly this is what our Nation has come to. These soldiers fight and die so norrow-mided people can have the right to freedom of speech - even at a soldier's funeral.

I thought freedom of speech only went so far ... does anybody remember the thing about it not being freedom of speach to shout, "Fire!" in a croweded theatre?

I think this is the same thing. They are doing something to incite a riot - which I also believe is illegal. I wonder why they have not been stopped on those grounds ...
Ame

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 05:54 pm:

I am in a dilemma here. I think these people are despicable. But I am a firm First Amendment supporter.

My church is the church where Beth Stroud was a minister and is now a lay minister. Beth is the United Methodist minister who was in the news because she came out to us, her congregation, as being a lesbian and living in a committed relationship. There was a church trial, an appeal, and a final ruling on the appeal and her ordination was removed.

A couple of times during this process there were postings on this organization's website that they would be picketing our church. What we did was recruit a very large number of people to come to church about 90 minutes before the service, with their umbrellas, to stand with their umbrellas open between these picketers and people entering the church. As it happens they didn't come.

But, it might be nice to start getting veterans organizations to plan to do something similar for the funerals these people say they are going to "visit".

One thing to remember - every vet who fought, fought for, among other things, the right of free speech. While what these people are saying is truly despicable (and, remember, my oldest son is gay, so this really, really hits home for me), they have the right to say it. It isn't "fire in a crowded theater", which is an analogy for saying something that causes a catastrophe (think about it - yelling fire in a crowded theater). It may come under the legal definition of "fighting words", but that means that someone would have to start a fight, be arrested or sued for assault, and use the "fighting words" defense - not something I personally would recommend.

While it is truly appalling for an allegedly Christian group to do something like this, I am not sure it is much more despicable that white supremecist groups picketing Black events, or picketing synagogues. It feels worse, however, because it is purportedly being done "in the name of God".

By Cocoabutter on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 06:00 pm:

I agree that the rights of the families of the soldiers to mourn and bury their soldiers in peace trumps the right of these "christians" to protest at a funeral.

The right of someone to throw a punch ends at someone else's nose.

By Amecmom on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 06:34 pm:

I am all for First Amendment rights. But why is it always the "vocal" and usually "minority" group that gets to have their rights, and the less vocal, more mainstream "majority" that has their rights violated time after time?

We bend over backward to let everyone have their say and in the end nothing of worth is accomplished.

I agree with Lisa, a person's right to bury the dead in peace is more important than anyone's right to protest.

The First Amendment has become a shield for every tasteless and cruel thing. Sadly, it has become quite the joke.
Ame

By Insaneusmcwife on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 - 07:21 am:

Words cannot discribe the disgust and anger I feel over this.
1st Ammendment rights or not these people are just wrong! Those military men and women being layed to rest deserve better than that. I can not believe they are allowing them to protest at funerals. What are they wanting anyways? What message do they think they are trying to pass to the american people? (other then that they want a beating?)

By Jtsmom on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 - 11:24 am:

"We bend over backward to let everyone have their say and in the end nothing of worth is accomplished.

I agree with Lisa, a person's right to bury the dead in peace is more important than anyone's right to protest.

The First Amendment has become a shield for every tasteless and cruel thing. Sadly, it has become quite the joke"


I couldn't have said it any better!! I agree 100%

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 - 04:46 pm:

Ditto Ame's last post completely! Well said.

By Imamommyx4 on Thursday, February 9, 2006 - 02:43 pm:

Six people (4 of which were children)of this group and I refuse to use the term church for their group were picketing the a memorial for the soldiers lost at Fort Campbell yesterday. It was on our local news. They were holding up signs "GOD HATES YOU" and the like. Then one of the 2 adults (both women) started rambling about loving and tolerating gays and something about abortion" but I couldn't follow her logic and don't remember her exact words. I just kept looking at the sign one of the kids held with the God hates you on it and her talking about loving someone she has picked that she thinks needs loving. But apparently God hates anybody who doesn't believe as she does.

After about a half hour, they got in their van and drove away. She yelled something as they were driving away about there were 2 soldiers from Kenticky that had died and that is where they were headed. They are just mean.