On Wednesday March 2 the Supreme Court ruled that the Westboro Baptist Church could picket outside the funerals of soldiers killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan. The father of one such soldier had sued the Church for infliction of mental anguish when Church members picketed his son's funeral.
In case you don't know, the Westboro Baptist Church--and I use the word "church" loosely here--is that group infamous for its website God Hates Fags. The "church" protests outside the funerals of fallen soldiers, hailing their deaths as a sign of God's judgment on America for tolerating homosexuality. The "church", as it website's name suggests, believes that God hates "fags". But is the Westboro Baptist sect right? Does God hate "fags"? In a word, no.
Do not misunderstand. The Bible does condemn homosexual behavior as sin. Any church that says otherwise is, to put it bluntly, lying. But God doesn't hate "fags", or homosexuals, which is the correct, non-pejorative term. There are many things in this world that displease God, and He is angered by continuous, unrepentant indulgence in them. The Lord will punish such willful sin, eventually. This punishment often takes the form of national calamity such as economic collapse or defeat in war. God punishes sin, but that doesn't mean He hates the people who commit the sin. If the sinners repent and turn to His ways, God will forgive even the most wicked of them and save their souls.
The Gospel of John says, famously, that "...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That "whosoever" includes gay people; it even includes the hate filled heretics of Westboro Baptist. To be sure, once we have believed in Christ we are obligated to submit our lives to His will, living as He commands and not as we wish. This includes our sexual lives. However difficult it may be for homosexually inclined people, they must live out their sexual lives as God commands. If they sometimes fail and do what God forbids, forgiveness and a second chance are available to them just like everyone else. Nowhere in Scripture is their sin considered so heinous as to put them beyond redemption. Telling people they're beyond salvation when they're not is a far worse sin than finding intimacy with someone of the same sex.
So, to reiterate, the Westboro Baptist cultists are wrong. God does not hate "fags". He doesn't hate any human being. He does hate sin, though, and if the Westboro Baptist fanatics keep on slandering God's name with their outrageous distortion of His character and Word, they will discover that there's a special place in hell just for them. And the "fags" in heaven will laugh.
9 comments:
"But God doesn't hate "fags", or homosexuals, which is the correct, non-pejorative term."
to me, the use of the word homosexuals is just as pajorative. for we are defining people by their behavior as if their behavior defines what they are.
we are men and women and that is what God created us to be.
Hi Griper! Thanks for stopping by another of my humble homes on the web.
I have to disagree with your opinion on the word "homosexual". It's not pejorative, G. It's the correct term for people sexually attracted to those of the same (homo) sex as themselves. If you find "homosexual" offensive do you find "heterosexual" offensive, too? There's nothing wrong with either word. I do, though, understand your view, Griper. Again, thanks for stopping by "God and Me". Hope to see you here often.
Great post. And I agree with you on this. But what I don't understand is the supreme court agreeing with the WBC. It is never alright to defame someone when they are being buried. I think that God would agree with that. It doesn't matter who the person is that is being buried. Reverence and respect should be the order of the day, though I would dare say that WBC doesn't know what either one of those things are.
I understand why the supreme court agreed with it; 2nd Amendment Rights, I believe is what you Americans have in your...Bill of Rights? Freedom of speech, expression and opinion. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm Canadian, after all - It's not my responsibility as a Canadian Citizen to know and understand American law unless I plan to move back and forth between here and there.
And I agree with it. This is one of your founding principles, so it needs to be protected. Is what they do wrong? Yes. But everyone sees them for the loons they are, they're exposed and have nowhere to hide.
As to what God loves or hates, as far as I remember, god only really hates violations of the ten commandments, false idols (actually, idols in general) and worshipping other gods. He loves those who follow the ten commandments and worship only him, and do NOT commit idols to his name. That's it. To say that god likes or dislikes or hates anything else is pure blasphemy.
Mind you, I'm an atheist who's followed Anglican Christianity and Orthodox Judaism when I was younger, so, what do I really know?
I know this much - you don't act like a bunch of jerkbags at someone's funeral, regardless of what the law will allow.
Great Post!!! Sin is sin. And those posters and filth they spew is worse than what they protest, because as you said they are misrepresenting God.
I will admit I have sinned in my heart against Westboro cult(it is NOT A CHURCH). I SECRETLY HOPE SOMEDAY A GROUP OF SOLDIERS GET SICK OF THEM AND Give them a good whooping that will never make them want to protest another funeral again. Oops guess it aint a secret anymore.
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UMM GOD doesnt exist
so he cant hate anyone
i certainly know i do, especially with so many low life loser lesbian pig women that are out there today that are making it much more difficult for us straight men looking to meet a good woman today.
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