Wesboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas, is a small, extremely homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group that regularly stages protests around the country, often several times a week. The group pickets institutions and individuals they think support homosexuality or otherwise disagree in what they believe is God’s law. Established in 1995, as a not-for-profit organization, WBC considers itself an “Old School" Baptist Church. WBC’s leader Fred Phelps and several of his children and dozens of his grandchildren appear to make up the majority of the group’s members.

On the church's website, WBC states "We engage in daily peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth. We display large, colorful signs containing Bible words and sentiments, including: GOD HATES FAGS, FAGS HATE GOD, AIDS CURES FAGS, THANK GOD FOR AIDS, FAGS BURN IN HELL, GOD IS NOT MOCKED, FAGS ARE NATURE FREAKS, GOD GAVE FAGS UP, NO SPECIAL LAWS FOR FAGS, FAGS DOOM NATIONS, THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS, FAG TROOPS, GOD BLEW UP THE TROOPS, GOD HATES AMERICA, AMERICA IS DOOMED, THE WORLD IS DOOMED." 

WBC members say that “God’s hatred is one of His holy attributes” and that their picketing is a form of preaching to a “doomed” country unable to hear their message in any other way.  WBC says they do what they do because if they did not act in the way that they do, no one would listen. They think that their actions are moral and correct in God's eyes. WBC says that this is how God wants everyone to act.

Some people agree with what Westboro is doing. No matter how "loathsome" the Westboro Baptist Church may be, says Alana Goodman at Commentary, "the court's decision is correct." The "universally despised" group is better opposed by counter-protests or picketing laws, not by ignoring the constitution. "The price of free speech is that we have to put up with the worst of it."

However most people disagree with Westboro Baptist Church. The First Amendment should not be used to justify the "vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case," says Justice Samuel Alito in his citation of dissent. In fact, the Supreme Court has ruled before that words can, "by their very utterance, inflict injury." The First Amendment was not designed to uphold this type of "malevolent verbal attack."

When I googled Westboro Baptist Church I notice right off the bat that something was wrong.  Instead of having a normal website name such as "www.wesborobaptistchurch.com" the website is called www.godhatesfags.com. What Wesboro Baptist Church is doing is both immoral and disgusting.  They put words in other peoples mouths claiming that they are Christians and following what God wants, by believing in Christianity.  These people are no where near Christian.  By traveling around the world spreading their hate towards soldiers, homosexuals, and Jews does nothing but promote hate.  Human dignity is a type of worth that every human being has. It is used as a right of respect during political, moral, or ethical conversations. The people at Westboro use their human dignity in the wrong way by not respecting peoples opinions and ways of life. These people think that what they are doing is a charity for the world but it is just sick and wrong.  Everyone is entitled to their own way of life and these people should not try to stop it.  Especially the way they are doing it.