Idiots in the hands of an angry God

Fred Phelps calls himself a Christian minister, but his actions resemble a self-styled hatemonger with no room in his heart for the love of God or the forgiveness taught in Christ’s Gospel.

Phelps has been a preacher (defrocked), a lawyer (disbarred) and a Democrat politician (never elected). Now, at age 76, his “church” is a congregation consisting of his 13 children and 50 grandchildren in a tiny compound in Topeka, Kansas. He is also the epitome of everything the elitist secular left would love to believe about every Christian conservative in America.

Phelps first foisted his annoying presence onto the national consciousness when Matthew Sheppard, a young homosexual, was beaten to death in Wyoming in 1998. Phelps and his “followers” protested outside Sheppard’s funeral service with signs that read “God Hates Fags.” That, in a nutshell, is Phelps’ entire message. Google those words and you will be taken right to the website of Phelps so-called church, Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka. That is actually the website address of the church: www.GodHatesFags.com.

On the home page of the web site, you will be treated to a tab labeled “Love Crusades,” wherein this sick soul lists the upcoming funerals he intends to picket. Over the years, the Westboro weirdoes also have found reasons (apparently somehow relating to homosexuality) to picket the funerals of Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, William Rehnquist, Coretta Scott King and Mr. Rogers. They have even protested at meetings conducted by Christian leaders like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson because they do not share Phelps’ hatred of homosexuals.

Phelps once wrote to Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro, praising both for their intolerance of homosexuality and even offering to travel to Baghdad and Havana in support of their tyranny on the issue. Fidel declined the offer, but Saddam accepted and must have been amused at this crazy, white-haired, Mississippi-born American preacher standing on Baghdad street corners ranting against “fags.”

Now Phelps and his ilk have stuck their picket signs into a hornets’ nest. They are protesting at the funerals of American soldiers. At the recent service for a fallen young hero killed in Iraq, these deluded individuals showed up in Lincoln, Nebraska, with signs that read “Thank God for IEDs” (a reference to improvised explosive devices being used to kill American troops in Iraq) and “Don’t Pray For America.” Why? Because in Fred Phelps’ twisted worldview, God is punishing America for tolerating homosexuality.

This kind of paranoid hatred, focused like a laser beam on a group of people whose sin is no better or worse than that of you, me or the self-righteous Mr. Phelps himself, reminds me of a story I heard once about a group of newly converted Christians in China. Because of the Chinese government’s intolerant policy toward Christianity, each of these new believers tore a single page from the only Bible they had to share among them. They meditated on that page of scripture and committed it to memory. In time, as they were scattered among the population and had no further contact with the Christian brothers and sisters who had the rest of the puzzle, they came to believe only in what their page of scripture taught them. Eventually, cults sprang up based on one page or even one passage of the Bible.

In the Chinese example, they had an excuse. They had only a small sliver of scripture to guide their faith. Fred Phelps has the entire Bible from which to discern the truth, and yet he has chosen to focus his attention on a few passages that clearly speak against the sin of homosexuality, while ignoring everything else, including the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, which scripture clearly teaches can wash away the sin of any and all believers.

Mitch finally did something most could agree on...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill into law Thursday that makes disorderly conduct within 500 feet of a funeral a felony offense _ putting Indiana among the first states to enact a law in response to a Kansas-based group that protests military funerals.

Lawmakers and Daniels wanted to enact the new law ahead of a possible protest at a funeral Monday in Kokomo for Army Sgt. Rickey Jones, who was killed last week in Iraq.

"That family's gone through enough already," said Republican Sen. Brent Steele of Bedford, the bill's sponsor. "It's nice to see it's in effect right now."

Daniels' action came less than two hours after the state Senate voted 48-1 to give final legislative approval to the bill. Daniels had said he wanted to sign the bill as soon as possible.

"Indiana respects the First Amendment, even for the most despicable forms of speech," Daniels said Wednesday. "But equally, we're determined to protect the bereavement and honor the sacrifices of those who've done the most important public service at all. That bill's not going to reach my desk _ I'm going to sign it at the front door."

Senators applauded when Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman announced the bill signing. Steele thanked legislative leaders for putting the bill on a fast track.

"I have heard from thousands of Hoosiers on this issue and they almost unanimously feel this is the right thing to do for the families of our fallen heroes and the funerals of all Hoosiers," Steele said.

Steele proposed the new law after a protest by members of Westboro Baptist Church at an August funeral in Martinsville for a soldier killed in Iraq, during which the marchers dragged U.S. flags on the ground and shouted insults at soldier's family members.

Small groups from the Topeka, Kan., congregation have since protested at other funerals for servicemen in Indiana and have done so in several other states, claiming that soldiers are dying in Iraq because the United States harbors homosexuals.

Disorderly conduct within 500 feet of a funeral, burial, funeral procession or viewing in Indiana is now a felony offense punishable by six months to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

At least a dozen other states, including Illinois and Ohio, are considering similar measures. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has already signed legislation banning protests at funerals.

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry is expected to sign by Friday a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to picket within 500 feet of a cemetery, mortuary or church from one hour before a funeral service until one hour afterward.

The Westboro Baptist Church, a group made up largely of the founder's family members, has vowed to challenge funeral restrictions in court, saying they violate free speech rights and target a church's religious beliefs.

Constitutional scholars say if the laws are challenged, the courts likely will look to rulings on laws governing abortion protests. The question could be whether a church, funeral home or cemetery is considered a private or public location during a ceremony. .

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