If you are like there are three words that instantly start your blood boiling: Westboro Baptist Church. This is a group of so-called Christians who preach a message of hate. Their main tactic is to protest at the funerals of slain American soldiers.
Yesterday the Westboro church announced it would protest at the funeral of the Powell boys (brutally murdered by their own father) because, according to the church their death was God's punishment to the state of Washington for plans to legalize gay marriage. Now whether you support gay marriage or not, you can surely see the horrendous lack of logic in the church's actions. I admit I have a hard time not being angry with this church. Yes I have troubles not hating them. This church, who always seems to get themselves in the news, gives Christian groups a bad name. In a news media always searching for the bad, the crazy, the offensive news, this is the kind of Christian we see. We rarely get media coverage for the churches that have outreaches to the poor; or the churches that reach out to disaster victims side by side with the Red Cross. So I get angry that this group is making all Christians look bad.
But as the hate in me brews, I realize that Westboro's hate is just breeding a hate within me, and I do not want to stoop to their level. I think churches around he nation need to mobilize, and wherever the Westboro church plans one of their hate-filled demonstrations, the local church needs to counter with a demonstration of God's love. Wrap thee family in a circle of Prayer (literally surrounding them with God's love) and keeping the hateful ones on the outside of the circle. Hate only breeds hate, lets show Westboro that God's love is stronger than Hate!!
(After I began this blog I learned that Westboro has cancelled their protest on the Powell funeral in exchange for some radio time on a local Catholic program. Whatever keeps them away from the funeral...at least you can turn the radio off.
Yesterday the Westboro church announced it would protest at the funeral of the Powell boys (brutally murdered by their own father) because, according to the church their death was God's punishment to the state of Washington for plans to legalize gay marriage. Now whether you support gay marriage or not, you can surely see the horrendous lack of logic in the church's actions. I admit I have a hard time not being angry with this church. Yes I have troubles not hating them. This church, who always seems to get themselves in the news, gives Christian groups a bad name. In a news media always searching for the bad, the crazy, the offensive news, this is the kind of Christian we see. We rarely get media coverage for the churches that have outreaches to the poor; or the churches that reach out to disaster victims side by side with the Red Cross. So I get angry that this group is making all Christians look bad.
But as the hate in me brews, I realize that Westboro's hate is just breeding a hate within me, and I do not want to stoop to their level. I think churches around he nation need to mobilize, and wherever the Westboro church plans one of their hate-filled demonstrations, the local church needs to counter with a demonstration of God's love. Wrap thee family in a circle of Prayer (literally surrounding them with God's love) and keeping the hateful ones on the outside of the circle. Hate only breeds hate, lets show Westboro that God's love is stronger than Hate!!
(After I began this blog I learned that Westboro has cancelled their protest on the Powell funeral in exchange for some radio time on a local Catholic program. Whatever keeps them away from the funeral...at least you can turn the radio off.
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