Shocked by the STUPIDITY

OK I know it has been a few days, but there is an issue that I have been sitting on. Its one of those things where I am trying to take the advice that my grandfather gave me years ago. "If something makes you mad and you are going to put it in writing, write it out, think about it for a few days, and re-read it, then re-write." He was right, I have written this particular entry out about 5 times and have decided that what is going up, and it will make some people mad, and if it does, GOOD!!!! Then I have done my job, this is something more people should be mad about.
There is an unsettling tendency towards complacency, towards intolerance in this country. Yes we have passed more and more laws allowing equal rights for gay couples, as well we should, they deserve every bit of equality as any heterosexual couple. We have passed more and more stricter laws for hate crimes whether they be against someone for their race, creed, sex, or sexual preference. And to this I say it's about damn time. There is one group though that make me ashamed to be an American white male who was brought up in a Christian household. I am talking about Westboro Baptist Church. They are a radical offshoot of the baptist church, in fact they have gone out of the way to make sure people know they are not part of it. It would seem more like the Baptist church would not want to be associated with this group of ill-mannered, ignorant, bigoted people who say they are praising God. OK but I would like to know where god said to protest outside of funerals with slogans like "God hates F**gs" or outside of Temples saying "God hates Jews".
OK let's break this down...first off for those of you out there that are Christian, no matter what sect i.e:Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Protestant, etc., please answer this question. Where did Jesus of NAZARETH come from? He came from Judea. What race and religion was Jesus? Jewish. Who killed him? ROMANS..it was a matter of politics. Now if Jesus is God's only begotten son who he loved so that he sent him here to die for people's sins, why would God hate Jews? answer: He DOESN'T. God or as some call him Jehovah, or Yahweh...both of which are not words that originate in English folks...think about it, knew he had to send his son down to be persecuted and what would happen. That is the first thing you learn in church.
Here I find myself wondering why this Westboro church thinks they are some god given mission to tell us to hate.
Try this on for size:
"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it." 1 Peter 3:8-11
or how about this from the Quran:
" Worship Allah, and do not associate with Him anything, and be good to parents and to kinsmen and orphans and the needy and the close neighbour and the distant neighbour and the companion at your side and the wayfarer.Surely, Allah does not like those who are arrogant, proud.” (4:36)
or this from the Old Testament:
"A friend owes kindness to one in despair..."Job 6:14.
I have read the Torah, the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, The Quran, The Bhagavad Gita, and in nowhere in them can I find where we are called on humiliating others, scarring them because of their choices, and killing them. In fact every single one of these great religious texts talks of reaching out for those who are troubled, for helping those who do not have as much as other, being tolerant and forgiving.
Even other religions teach this Pagans and Wiccans believe in "first do no harm" . In the practice of Earth powers you learn to use the energies for good of all..evilness will come back onto you if that is what you put out.
So what I want to know where this "church" and I use that term loosely gets off protesting out side the funerals of slain soldiers coming home from overseas and being met with signs that say "God hates f**s" or "You are going to hell" or the favorite of everyone "God hates America". They protest outside of funerals of the families who lost soldiers in Iraq and the Middle East, with signs like this. Telling the children who just lost a mother, father, brother, uncle, etc, that they are going to hell because the army allows gays and so god hates them. I saw video of a man old enough to be my father tell a child who was already crying because her daddy has just died "Your Daddy is burning in Hell, and God hates him". Big man to tear down a little vulnerable girl. I am not one to disallow some one to speak or strike a man, but if this had been my child, needless to say that old man would be in the hospital. This church BRAGS, actually brags how many protests they have done. They show at funerals for murdered hate crime victims, people who have died from aids (whether there were gay or not, because according to them it's God's judgement against gays). They claim it is alright under the First Amendment for free speech.
Since when is hate mongering and wanting to incite rioting, freedom of speech. They bring children to these rallies and have them desecrate the flag. If they want to do this fine but they should not sit here and sue when people and communities say we don't want you here. This church is as bad as the Neo-Nazi Skinheads of the 80'and 90's, or even the National Socialism of the 40's, better known as the Nazi movement of Germany.
I have friends of all races, colors, religions (christian, pagan, wiccan, etc), preferences ( bi, hetero, gay)...to me I see people. I have friends that are Born again, Atheist, Republican, Democrats, conservative, liberal. I know people who say we need to love everyone, and I know people who want us to take the "shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out" line. But no matter what they believe and how they think I treat them with respect. I don't agree with them all or even all the time, but remember this, they are people, and they feel, they think, they love, they cry, they hurt.
We are all made of the chemicals, chemicals that make up 90% of the universe (so yes even those that say we are made of stars are right in a way), it is what we teach our fellows and children that make up who and what we are as a world.
So I pose one last question to you:
Do you want a world posed to our children where we attempt to live with each other and help each other out? or do you prefer the world where a young Daughter just celebrated her 5 year old birthday party last month and this month is burying her daddy while someone from some "church" she has never heard of spits on her and tells her that "daddy is in hell"?
Think about it, it is not enough to sit on the couch and watch these atrocities unfold and we look on saying, "oh my, oh dear". No we need to make sure we let our officials know this type of behavior will not be tolerated in our area. If they come, get your neighbors to hold tarps up in front of them to block them from the sight of the families, get friends with loud cars and motorcycles to park outside the pulpit area and when the sermon of hate is being given, rev those engines, blast and thump that bass to drown out the hate. Violence is not needed, and neither are the hatemongers. We can show them in a peaceful, non violent way, they are not needed or wanted.