I couldn’t pass this up. I saw this on Seth Barnes’ Blog just now and it broke my heart. I hope this serves as a wake-up call and raises awareness to what we as Christians are saying to the world.
In the past 6 years, I have worked in over 18 countries, most of which
are considered to be “3rd World”. I have seen the effects of starvation
in an orphan’s swollen belly, I have watched as prostitutes in Thailand
break down in tears because they hate themselves for what they do, and
I have held the ‘would-be’ hand of a leper as his wife sobbed over
their deteriorating lives. My heart has been completely broken over
instances such as these, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, rips at me more than when the church does not reflect the true heart of God to the world.
Below
is an article written by James Watkins about Pastor Fred Phelps, the founder of godhatesfags.com. He is protesting Heath Ledger’s memorial service because “he played a gay character in “Brokeback Mountain”.
I have included reader comments and reactions. Read and comment at will…
What does God think of Fred Phelps campaign?
God hates godhatesfags.com
| (12.11.03) Fred Phelps is back in the news. The picketing pastor and host of www.godhatesfags.com is proposing a public monument for Matthew Shepherd, the gay college student, murdered in 1998. The granite marker in Shepherd’s hometown will read, and I quote:
SHEPHERD, Entered Hell October 12, 1998, in Defiance of God’s Warning: ‘Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination.’ Leviticus 18:22.” Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, also hosts www.godhatesamerica.com. Most of all |
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he hates the idea that God loves, and again I quote, “filthy dyke
dogs,” “SODOMITES,” “dog kennels/pig sties masquerading as churches,”
and pastors who are “demon-possessed Pied Pipers from Hell.”
Not
even the lovable “Mr. Rogers” escapes the pastor’s wrath. According to
Phelps, Fred Rogers “went straight to hell” because of his ordination
in the Presbyterian Church and association with PBS.
Phelps
also picketed in New York City three times since September 11, 2001,
with signs that read “Thank God For Sept. 11” and calling the FDNY a
“fag fire department.” Recently he was in Hawaii, the site of the WWII
attack on Pearl Harbor, with signs that read “Thank God for December
7”.
He especially seems to hate anyone who disagrees with him. His website proclaims:
“[Anyone]
believing and preaching that God loves every individual of mankind —
we say, You are going to Hell! Period! End of discussion! God’s decree
sending you to Hell is irreversible! Hypocrites! How can ye escape the
damnation of Hell?!”
Well, at the risk of “the damnation of Hell,” I’ve gotta ask, what does God Himself think about all this? I’ll let His Book speak for Him.
- For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
(The word translated “world” is actually “cosmos” which includes every
created thing and every single person.)
Do
I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign
Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
(Ezekiel 18:23).
“The Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
And, concerning Phelp’s obsession with “hate”:
- Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not
love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7).
“Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second
is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-38)
Let your conversation be always full of grace (Colossians 4:6).
Yes, the Bible includes three or four passages that warn against homosexual behavior (eg. Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9). And, yes, it contains many verses concerning a final judgment day.
But
it also includes hundreds of sections that teach “Love is patient, love
is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is
not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
God
loves gays and straights, America and Iraq, Fred Rogers and Fred
Phelps. He’s not always happy with their behavior, but He loves them
unconditionally.
So should we.
© 2003 James N. Watkins
comments
I
am not really a religious person. I practice agnosticism, and I believe
that my decision to do so stems from my want to be free to come to my
own conclusions about certain topics. I also believe it’s because I
want to have faith in people, to respect other people, and because I
want my views in life to be unclouded by religious teachings. However,
I believe some religious teachings (if not most) are almost
fundamental.
The only reason I’ve said that is because I want to thank you for your
site. I think your site has proved that truly religious people or
people with any kind of good sense can realize that religion is not a
weapon. It is not something you should use to hurt people or to
dominate over them. You have shown, especially with the quotes on your
homepage, that truly religious people are far more intelligent than
those they are commonly represented by (aka- Fred Phelps). The
teachings of Christianity, and most other religions, actually, such as
the idea of loving thy neighbor, respecting your fellow man, and
striving to be a kind and generous human being seems fundamental to me,
and it baffles me that so few people concentrate on that aspect of
religion before they will persecute people and alienate them.
Mr. Phelps and his family/congregation are a sincere detriment to our
society. I have never been so infuriated by a group of people in my
life, and it really is sickening to know that people like that use the
bible and the constitution to manipulate the law and continue to preach
hate and hurt the people around them. It’s comforting though, to know
that there are people willing to combat that, and that such behavior
will not be tolerated. Thank you for starting this site, I only wish
more people knew about it.
Sincerely, Joe
- Thanks
for your email. I do trust that you’ll investigate the pure
“Christianity” taught by Jesus in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John. And my apologies to all those who have been turned away from
Christ by “Christians.” Here’s a page called Genuine Jesus or Counterfeit Christ that attempts to dispel some of misconceptions of Jesus: who He is and what He taught.
I can think of no graceful way to begin this post, so I’ll jump right in.
What
is the difference between homosexuality and heterosexual sex outside of
marriage? Nothing. Both are sexual sins in God’s eyes. So why is the
church so comfortable around an “adult” couple who have sex outside or
marriage or may even be living together, but clam up when confronted
with someone who is contemplating whether they are attracted to the
same sex?
Frankly,
I think the church needs to take a good, long, hard and painful look at
itself and how it portrays Christ to the world. Did Christ distinguish
between the thief, the prostitute, and the pharisee? I don’t think so.
If anything, he was harder on the pharisee who KNEW what God wanted and
refused to do it.
Remember,
the Bible says that those who don’t know God are BLINDED by satan.
Conviction of sin is God’s area of expertise, not ours. Good job, Jim,
for pointing out that hate is not a form of witnessing. Love is. Take a
cue from Nike and “Just do it.”
Keep the food for thought coming, Jim. America is hungry. [email protected] (April 2004)
Thanks for your article on Fred Phelps. He needs a public rebuke! [email protected] (October 30, 2003)
I
am sitting here with tears in my eyes after reading GOD HATES
GODHATESFAGS.COM. You put it so beautifully and chose such good
passages to debunk this insult to our God and to Christianity in
general. One of the reasons my adult daughters avoid church like one of
the Ten Plagues is because of filthy trash-talk like that spewed by the
Rev (?!) Phelps. I’m forwarding this column to both of them so they can
see that not all so-called Christians believe that their friends are
doomed to hell. Thanks, [email protected] (October 30, 2003)
Great message, Jim. I have always deplored hate mongering in any form.
This applies equally to the vindictiveness addressed to those with whom
I agree, and to those with whom I disagree. Thanks for your Biblical
stand in Christ. [email protected] (December 30, 2003)
I’ve been hoping for months that no one else on the planet was aware of
the godhatesfags site. I came across it early last year and was
flabbergasted. I live a quiet and sheltered life in the midwest with my
wife and 2 children and am pitifully unaware of much going on in the
outside world. I’d assumed that such misguided understanding and
teaching of GOD’s word had died with the demise of Jim and Tammy.
However,
kudos on you response. I, too, know that GOD’s love is for everyone.
Those things that GOD hates are the actions and thoughts of man, not
the man himself. If GOD hates homosexuals as well as homosexuality,
then it stands to reason He hates the liar, the proud, the
thief….etc. That then leaves no one for GOD to love for as you know,
“We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD.” But, we must
recognize and repent of our sins lest we be given over to our
depravity. Sincerely, [email protected] (January 7, 2004).
As
a citizen of Topeka, Kansas, I have long ago realized this man isn’t
going to change by anything we do or say. Unfortunately, I have
experienced him up close and personal by unavoidably driving or walking
by his placards. One of his church members was a student in my
vocational class There have been lawsuits against him and his family
and letters to the editor, to try to instill some decency and
compassion in him. He manages to come out even stronger with his
message at any attempt to squelch him.
Occasionally,
but not intentionally, I drive by his “compound” and see his
Perkins-sized American flag hanging upside down from his flag pole.
Now, the latest is a Canadian flag, which he flies above the American
flag! There is some message there he trying to convey.
For
reasons I don’t understand, God is allowing him to continue his message
virtually unscathed. I’m sure Fred believes he is right and God is on
his side because he is getting away with it. Maybe we need to look at
ourselves. God expects us to have the same love and compassion for Fred
and his followers as for the rest of humankind. We are to love our
enemies, no matter how hard it is to do that or how much they hurt us.
It has been difficult, but with God’s help, I’m able to drive by his
hate messages without feeling hate myself. I pray for him to see God’s
love, not for my own comfort, but truly for his salvation and for his
misguided flock.
Your
bible passages are right on. Our church is studying God’s love this
year as we believe God wants all his children to know and understand of
his love to help prepare us for the difficult years ahead for our
nation and world. Time is short, and all are to come to Him before it
is too difficult to find Him. His presence and influence in the world
will be diminishing, as He allows humankind to take themselves to the
end of their evilness; to do what has been desired by humans since
creation—to be their own gods. He knows humankind will eventually
destroy itself so He will stop the evilness before that happens and
bring back His Son to rule forever and ever.
Of
course, God doesn’t love the homosexual lifestyle, for He abhors sin.
Paul told the church always to tell the truth in love. Truth is a
two-edged sword. One side cuts with the pain of the truth as it cuts
out evil and the other side brings hope, love and healing. It is hard
but only by God’s grace, can I love Fred and the homosexual
unconditionally. To love unconditionally means to give others love and
TRUTH. It would not be unconditional love if we didn’t also tell others
the consequences of their actions of eternal damnation; but to give the
message in love. The light of His love shines in every dark corner and
reveals the sin therein. Someone who knows and understands of His love,
begins to see their own sin from God’s perspective and hate it as God
hates it. With true repentance, it opens the door for healing.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond. [email protected] (February 18, 2004)
