Not my god!

Well, thankfully, there is some sanity in the world.  Fred Phelps and his wacko, wacked out brand of Christians now have to pay for one of their insidious misdeeds. According to an article by ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer Wed Oct 31, 6:23 PM ET: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests_7

The jury awarded a total sum of $11 million to Albert Snyder because Fred Phelps' church protested at the funeral of his son, Matthew.

 

Rather than parrot the article, let me quote one passage I want to comment on:

"Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse. Church founder Fred Phelps held a sign reading "God is your enemy," while

Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag and carried a sign that read "God hates fag enablers." Members of the group sang "God Hates America" to

the tune of "God Bless America.""

 

If God hates America, why are these people living here?  They certainly don't speak for the God I believe in.  These delusional nut jobs lead by Mr. Phelps preach a god who, apparently, doesn't hate the sin and love the sinner, but rather hates both.  Come to think of it, that not only isn't the God I believe in and profess, but it isn't the God of the Bible.  Jesus never preached hate.  The apostles Paul, Peter and John never preached hate in their ministries.  In fact, the church of Fred Phelps must have St. Paul's words about grace torn out of their bibles.

Yes, the things they spew are protected by the first amendment, but that said, their actions went beyond cruel and disrespectful.  I hope they now understand that actions have consequences, and those actions and the subsequent consequences aren't confined to homosexuals but also apply to heterosexuals with a warped, hate-mongering view of God.

 

Mr. Phelps and his family (and his church) need prayer.  They need the mercy of the one true God.  If, however, they choose to not repent of their hate-filled preaching, one can only pray that God deals with them justly. I won't speculate on the state of their souls, I leave them to God.

 

If I could ask one thing of them, though, it is to stop doing what they do in the name of God, especially since it isn't my God.  The Westboro Baptist Churches of the world give Christians a very bad name.  It's tough enough for the world to see us in a positive light without Westboro Baptist Church and others like it casting huge, ugly and ominous shadows in the light of God.