Phelps Clan Tweets Intent To Picket Jobs Funeral Via iPhone 699
It comes as no surprise that Margie Phelps of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church has already declared the church's intention to picket Steve Jobs's funeral. What is interesting, is that she did so using an iPhone. The 142 characters of wrath read: "Westboro will picket his funeral.He[sic] had a huge platform; gave God no glory & taught sin. MT @AP: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has died at 56."
Re:Her Defense Was Pretty Good Too (Score:5, Interesting)
Fred really got going in '92 or '93, and I had a couple of friends that would counter protest over the next few years before we left town for college or military service.
I'll tell you this, they sincerely hate the people they protest. You can sense it in them when they are around, although their usual weekend rounds at the local churches is usually pretty low key other than the obscene stick figures on their signs, which I don't care for my kids to see.
What Fred's family really gets out of this though is that their protests bring condemnation. I suspect they sell this to the congregation that they are being good Christians being persecuted like the early Christians who were tortured and executed by various means. By ostracizing his followers from everybody else in town, they reinforce their members' dependance upon one another like any cult, and the family probably sees pretty good revenue in the collection basket.
A couple of his kids (he has a very large family, 2 or 3 are at odds with the rest of the family) wrote a book about Fred and the things that went on during the 70s and 80s. I think I once read some of it online. Very disturbing stuff.
Re:You Misunderstand My Fond Anecdote (Score:4, Interesting)
Your "Christian" god is heresy, as you're describing the conception of Christianity as viewed by Marcion of Sinope, who was excommunicated for it.
Christians would do well to research their religion fully, and they will perhaps realize their religion is morally detestable, and that anybody who opens their eyes and questions it is kicked out, lethally if the tempora's mores are willing. (Forgive me, Cicero.)
Re:Her Defense Was Pretty Good Too (Score:2, Interesting)
I wish these people would STFU and stop worrying about my 'immortal soul'. I don't believe in their god, I don't care what they think is going to happen to me
And therein lies the lack of understanding of another person. Go back to my bus analogy. You see a guy standing in the street, facing the wrong direction...would you just shrug and say, "I guess he doesn't believe in that oncoming bus." More likely, whether he believed in the bus or not, you would try to save him. Don't say it's different, God and the bus, just because you believe it is.