My understanding is that Westboro is primarily comprised of the close friends and family members of Fred Phelps, which means that it will not be long before the group begins to die out. This is a man who led his church to picket Bob Jones University for turning “liberal” and really is not worth the effort.
The only people who need to pay attention to Westboro are Christians, who should be utterly embarrassed and humiliated at what this man does in the name of Christ. We simply need to let the public know that this group does not represent the true nature of Christ in any way.

If God hates Jews, then, according to Christian theology, doesn’t think make Jesus the original self-loathing Jew?

I can’t help but notice that you didn’t even mention the fact that before they were picketing US servicemembers, they picketed funerals of gays and lesbians who were beaten to death, and nobody seeemd to care. They kept telling the GLBT comunity something about freedom of religious expression. Why is it now that they are doing the same to US servicemembers and other groups that they are suddenly a “cult of hate”? Why is it that only whenever hatred is expressed towards gays that it is allowable as religious expression but any other group and suddenly its hate? Nobody has ever answered that question for me, nor to I think they ever will.

JPL, God hates everyone according to Fred Phelps, except for the elect. Guess who the only elect are? That’s right, Westboro Baptist Church.
As to the question of whether or not we pay any attention to them, I do not think we should. I’m a Queer beyond belief, I am saddened that they say such hateful things about so many social groups, but I really think that they’re harmless. My belief is that when Fred Phelps passes away, the church will likely disband, or at the very least, become Calvinist-Light.
The only way I think we can respond is with compassion. I think the more we egg them on, the more fuel they get. Groups like Westboro baptist church thrive on persecution because they can turn themselves into martyrs. I really only think it solidifies their belief that they are the elect of God, or somehow righteous.

Actually, God hates shrimp (it’s “an abomination”) and God hates amputees. (There are websites for both of these predilections.)

I had a friend who is a lesbian minister–and was a Southern Baptist when she came out.
I didn’t want Westboro picketing her ordination service, so I tried talking with them, respectfully. I utterly disagree with them, but they aren’t, from within their own reading of Scripture (which is very close to what you’d find over at Reformed Chicks Blabbing), hate-filled. They are acting in a way that they think might cause some gay sinner to turn to God. And when they tell me they actually have made several converts, I believe them.
If you approach them politely, they will respond to you politely. If you approach them with disgust, they will respond with disgust. If you acknowledge their theology, they will ask you to get your own sign. They are in some ways the Meier Kahanes (whom you can understand, right?) of American Christianity. But, seriously, if you really have to deal with Westboro, let them lay out their understanding of G-d’s plan for human salvation. You may find they aren’t utterly bad (not that they care what you think), and that being listened to is what they really want.

Small things always appear larger than they are when viewed under magnification. Ignore them.

Rabbi Brad,
I believe the important discussion re Westboro Baptist is the thoroughly inappropriate venues of their protests. I agree that their hateful words are rightly protected free speech, and I agree that they are too small to make any policy difference. But I see no reason why the courts should allow protests -by anyone- of private events at the location where they are happening. No private event that does not violate the law – weddings, holy unions, funerals, ordinations, religious services, and so forth – should be subjected to protests by outsiders. The free speech rights of one group should not be allowed to override the rights of others to assemble unharassed for peaceful purposes. Let the protest take place elsewhere, as in a public park or in a march down a public street other than the one where the event they are protesting is occurring.
In my mind, the same principle should also apply to protests outside abortion clinics. Yes the protesters have the right to freely voice their opinions and to organize protests, and I agree that their voices are important and should be part of the debate, but I do not believe their right should be allowed to override the right of the individual unharassed to seek a service that is legal. The protesters do not legitimately assert their views to individuals at the moment of seeking legal services. Rather, they would legitimately assert their views as part of the public political debate that may reasonably include marches, protests in public spaces, paid advertisements in public media, offering free services to their target group(s), and so forth.
It is high time Congress, legislatures, and the courts displayed a little ethical fortitude and effectively separated public and private venues for the purposes of free speech. Doing so would greatly enhance the potential for achieving real dialog that would produce workable compromises in some cases and the peaceful expression of all views in situations where compromise is not possible.
Our current approach is one of unpunished harassment not of protest and free speech.
Peace,
Paul

With enemies like Fred Phelps, who needs friends?

Banish them with laughter.

I’ll say it again, if you really want to banish them, listen to them. They believe they are on a mission from God which is described to them by their reading of the Bible, which, once again, is firmly in the Reformed (with the -ed) Christian tradition. They are simply being literal in ways that Presbyterians wouldn’t touch and the more Calvinist of the Reformed Christians are too squeamish to do.
It’s a bizarre theology. But they are simply being Baptists with integrity. And like I said as the only comenter here who’s actually spoken with them, they perceive what they are doing as love, not hate.
Understand them, and we understand something of the literalists in our own traditions. That’s probably why people just focus on their bizarre protest marches and signs.
And, by the way, Charles Cosimano, our backup plan was to go out to them with coffee and doughnuts.

If, as Robert relates, they perceive what they do as love, not hate, then I guess their objective might be to love us to death.

I wish the media would stop fanning the flames of “grotesque” (good word choice) groups like the Westboro Baptist cult. But it’s foolish to think that the media would actually act responsibly in this manner and ignore their actions.
I don’t know if there’s anything we can do about the adults that have been so warped to the point of such blind hatred for anybody, including gay and Jewish people. Perhaps the best we can do is pray for them and make sure that others are protected physically and emotionally from their words and actions.
But there’s always the hope that the younger people caught up in this hatred might find a way out. Even if one young person in this group gets that spark that starts them reflecting on the irrationality and destructive power of their hate, then we’ve won a large part of the battle. Conversion towards tolerance and against prejudice is a lifelong struggle for most people. Still, I cannot imagine what it is like for one of these cult members to not even understand that people of goodwill find their “evangelization” intrinsically destructive to the identity and dignity of others.

The Westboro Baptist Church has been engaging in its ridiculous funeral protesting campaigns for years. Why do they do this? Above everything else, they are out there acting like idiots day after day because they get attention. They’ve become celebrities: they’re the Idiot Sign-Carrying Protesters We Love To Hate. But they don’t care that they look like fools to the rest of the world.
The scenario for the WBC can best be described as “cult mind control,” though I don’t want to get into the endless debate over “cults” and “mind control” here. Suffice to say, they’ve convinced themselves that they really are on a crusade against Satan and the Devil and his minions – namely, all of us who are out there laughing at them and pointing at them. Consider this from their perspective: if you honestly believed you were entering the realm of the Devil and his minions, would you expect them to do anything but taunt you, laugh at you, tell you you’re a fool, and shout hateful things at you? Of course not: after all, this is the Devil we’re talking about here. So when the WBC gets into news headlines, and onto TV news, and on blogs and Web sites and Wikipedia articles, they know they’ve scored a big victory because they’ve gotten what they really want: attention and notice.
What can we do about WBC and their lunacy? The best course of action is probably the hardest one to take: IGNORE THEM. When they come to your town, don’t organize a big, loud counter-protest and out-shout them. Instead, simply ignore them. Walk by them, say “good morning,” go on your way, and act as though they’re not there. I have little doubt that after no more than half an hour of standing in the street, shouting at no one and receiving no attention at all, the Phelps clan will behave like the cowards are. Namely, like last autumn’s leaves, they will dry up and blow away.

“I can’t help but notice that you didn’t even mention the fact that before they were picketing US servicemembers, they picketed funerals of gays and lesbians who were beaten to death, and nobody seeemd to care. They kept telling the GLBT comunity something about freedom of religious expression. Why is it now that they are doing the same to US servicemembers and other groups that they are suddenly a “cult of hate”? Why is it that only whenever hatred is expressed towards gays that it is allowable as religious expression but any other group and suddenly its hate? Nobody has ever answered that question for me, nor to I think they ever will.”
I would have to disagree with this assessment. There was a great deal of anger and frustration, even from hard-line anti-GLBT Christian groups, over the protests at Matthew Shepperd’s funeral. Even Southern Baptists spoke out against this and called it “hate.” This group has always been viewed as spewing hate (in spite of what they claim to believe), even when their protests were directed at the gay community.

CODDLE THEM, PAMPER THEM, AGREE WITH THEM, CONFUSE THEM. THESE ARE MENTALLY CHALLENGED MORONS WHO NEED PITY. THIS TYPE OF EXHIBITIONISM
IS USED BY PEOPLE WITH VERY LOW SELF-ESTEEM. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ARE A “NO CLASS ACT.”

I believe that people like this are not worth giving notice to. Other evil minds will rally around them, those of character will be repulsed by them. So by giving them ‘notice’ is just advertising for other village idiots to join them..

They’re a disgrace to organized religion, & one of the reasons fundamentalist Christianity has such a bad rep.
It’s hard to ignore them, but it’s also a good strategy.
The less attention we pay to their insane lunatic actions, the better the chances that they’ll go away.

Like a child that throws the occasional tantrum, you just let it run its course, but make sure they are kept in seclusion away from any more stimulus.

Disgrace to organized religion?
Yes. Absolutely. But please understand they merely take their Baptist and Calvinist interpretations of the Christian Bible to their logical conclusions.

“If, as Robert relates, they perceive what they do as love, not hate, then I guess their objective might be to love us to death.”
No, they actually believe God will smite the homosexual, and the kind of person who would actually stop and think about their signs (apparently there have been one or two out of the hundreds of thousands or millions of people they have offended) might be saved. They believe that they are saving the lives of the people who say “Oh, yes, you’re right, I’m a homosexual bound for hell,” who then profess to a formulaic belief in Jesus.

I do know something about Westboro Baptists from personal experience. I know something of the attitudes of the residents of Mea Sharim, who threw rocks at me when my hat flew off on a Sabbath morning.
I don’t know about jihadi terrorists. I am not supposing we should lay down our defenses and offer them a glass of tea. But I do think that there is probably some moment one could listen to them speak their “message” that allow them to wait a while longer on the 72 virgins. One simply has to be a single man of great wisdom and courage (or a total idiot with or without courage) to try it.

I lived in Topeka for 55 years and saw the Phelps family grow up. The father is a very angry man who ruled his family with a great deal of abuse according to written accounts made by two sons to the Topeka Daily Capital newspaper. Mr. Phelps is not motivated out of Christian love, but from his own inner turmoil. He has brainwashed some of his large family that they won’t go to heaven unless they obey him.
They love to see their names in the news and will continue doing their protests until no one pays any attention. Attention is what the live for and since Topeka has gotten calloused to them, they have to go out of state to get attention.
One of the elderly men from Topeka once said, “Every village has to have it’s ‘village idiots’, and these are ours.”

In 1945 Martin Niemoller wrote the following words:
First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.
Not giving this group a platform by ignoring their behavior could work, however, we must ever remain vigillant in the struggle to combat bigotry, racism, and ignorance.

If this group is looking for attention, ignoring them is the best solution. However, people around them able to see that they are full of anger, resentment, and intolerance. As believers of Jesus Christ who came to show us the way of peace and love, it is our duty to pray for them, that they have a conversion of heart and come to their senses. +

It is puzzling to know how to respond to such hate, but respond we must. Unless we have forgotten the lessons of history, one seemingly insignificant man and his insane hatred succeeded in overrunning Europe and wiping out millions of people. We cannot ever let that happen – never again!
Gavriella

How is Westboro Baptist any different from Trinity United? Perhaps lurking in Westboro’s congregation is a future US president??

By not giving them attenion,maybe they will go away,by praying for them maybe they will have a change of heart.

YEAH,THAT IS RIGHT,MY FRIEND.JUST IGNORE AND PRAY THAT THE BAD SPIRIT
OF DOUBT AND CONFUSION OF THESE ENTITIES WILL GO AWAY AND LEAVE THEM
TOTALLY.AND PRAY TOO THAT UNITY AMONG THE PEOPLE WILL BE ESTABLISHED
AND WILL REIGN IN THEIR HEARTS,MINDS AND BODIES.AS THE GREAT INDEPENDENCE QUOTE SAYS’UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL”.THANK YOU.

It is sad that this is what some of us have used in getting the message of Jesus across to a dying world. God does not hate the sinner that is why Jesus died for us. But with that said God does hate the sin and I as a Christian cannot stand to watch these people as they tear down the Christian faith. Pray for your enemies bless them and curse them not. Sometimes we might do better in spending more time in prayer than marching the streets selling hate of any kind. Have they not read where one hates he has committed murder? I wish sometimes that everything Jesus has allowed me to see and suffer could be seen by all…… the world would be a different place. I pray daily for God’s mercy and that He will reveal the hidden darkness that has the demise of the world on radar.

They’re coming to South Florida tomorrow (Sunday), and I feel particularly sad for students who will be graduating tomorrow afternoon from the University of Miami Law School, where protests have been scheduled:
http://tinyurl.com/pbgmvv
On an individual level, I don’t want to be anywhere near them. But on a sociopolitical level, it seems like something needs to be done. I just learned today that they are not really affiliated with the larger Baptist Church. If they are not under any kind of authority from the Baptist Church, then it seems like we need a legal solution that will rein in their messages of hate (e.g., “Thank God for 9/11″) without stepping on everyone else’s freedom of speech. I’d be interested in hearing from a lawyer about what the options are.

Most of the members of the church are Reverend Fred’s children, grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Several of them have law degrees and they will use any legal tactic to make a case go on and on and on without resolution. The courts are not the way to fight them.
The news media did cover them this spring when the protested at the state capitol and at a local high school. Even those with a similar viewpoint distanced themselves because the Westboro folks sounded so off the wall.
The Westboro folks did, and I assume still do, picket at the corner of a very busy street intersection with the road that leads to the Reform congregation in Topeka. The congregational members just smile and wave and them. I think this is an effective way of dealing with them,

How is Westboro Baptist any different from Chicago’s Trinity United? Perhaps a future (Democrat) US president is lurking amongst the congregation?

Hm. Well, if the law won’t help, then here’s another strategy that seems to have been effective when the Westboro Baptist Church showed up at the University of Wisconsin, where three students had died.
When the church members showed up, they “had an angry mob of UW students waiting for them. And whaddya know, the WBC [members] were chased off of campus by a mob of students shouting ‘Go Home!’ and yelling insults (but not throwing punches).”
Maybe we should be taking advantage of the fact that there is strength in numbers?

Here is another example of people finding strength in numbers when taking a stand against Westboro Baptist Church:
“…But when the controversial church protested outside Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas on Thursday afternoon, word of the Phelps family protest spread through the school like wildfire and soon counter protesters outnumbered them by the hundreds. Students held signs reading, “God is love,” “God does not hate” and “No hate in P.V.” In fact, the police estimate that the number of protesters against Phelps’ group numbered almost forty times the number that the Phelps family could muster.”

In heaven the angel Lucifer is all it took to start a war.Hitler was the madman behind the German Army.No one knows how many people support this cult in secret.I say keep a eye on them.The people of GOD must bind the spirit of hate to set these people free in the name of Jesus.

I believe it is important to call attention to their irrational hatred at every moment as well as to counterdemonstrate against them, fight against them in the courts, or whatever else right thinking people need to do to make it apparent they are parriahs. If they influence even one naive mind to their cause it is a tragedy.

The crazy thing about these Westboro-ites is that they don’t even represent what most Christians believe the Bible teaches.

We should not give them any air time, news time.
Making the citizens aware of them in a very simple manner
is good, and leave it at that…..ok, maybe their address
too…..then people can voice their own opinions personnally.

It always makes sense to pay attntion to any group or individual that promotes hate. We all know from history as well as current events what happens when hate goes unchecked, i.e. Rowanda, Hitler, Armenia, etc. If we as a society ignore even what may be considered a small group, we then silently condone. Speaking up is not a mitzvah, it’s a mandate.

It never ceases to amaze me how certain people never blame themselves for their weaknesses and failures. They always find some other group or person to blame.
When they have nothing due to sloth, lack of education or experience, they look for some group to hold as lower than themselves. After the civil war, blacks weren’t allowed to be taught to read and write and then were called stupid.
Christopher Reeve, Michael J. Fox, and Stephen Hawking are just a few of the “Supermen” who have achieved, in spite of anything nature or man could throw at them.
Pity those losers who figure it’s easier to hate than to advance themselves.

I think people should know what they are doing so that we may better prepare to stand against them if we happen to be “graced” with their presence at a funeral or court house. But I think they are given too much time in the media to spout their hate. The media should just call attention to their tactics and their past and leave it at that

People like this thrive on attention so in most instances it is best to ignore them but in this case I think that they should be charged with promoting hate crimes as that is what they are doing and such people should be made to relize that even in a free society such as ours they can not promote hate against any group.

We should be aware of what they are doing – and pray for them, in hopes that G-d will soften their hearts and open their eyes. Otherwise, the media should be discouraged from giving them any coverage whatsoever – for that seems to be what they feed on.
They know the law to the letter – frightening but true – but we have rights too, and we need to learn about them and know what those rights are.