The Westboro Baptist "Church" is an heretical organization, so wrapped up in their pride and judgement that they cannot - or refuse to - see their sin. They selectively quote Scripture which appears to support their view, and ignore the full counsel of God. Their arrogance and callousness reminds me of the Pharasees of old, about whom Jesus proclaimed:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence." (Matthew 23:23-25, NKJV)
Actually, read all of Matthew 23 for what Jesus thinks of callous hypocrites of this sort. Kit, over at Euphoric Reality, beautifully fisks a little e-mail exchange she had with one of the cultists, but I suppose I need to step in it, too, and add my $0.02...
The Westboro Heretics like to quote Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." I'm sure they also enjoy Romans 1:26-32:
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Look, I am not going to argue that God hates the sin of homosexuality: the Bible is quite clear on that. But God hates ALL sin, including pride, arrogance, malice, gossip, lies, unforgiveness, and alack of mercy - all of this is sin! Jesus said two very important things about the attitude of the Westboro Heretics: "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" * and "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." *
We all have sin in our lives, and in God's view no sin is worse than another: any sin keeps us separated from Him, and damned to Hell. Certainly, in appropriate situations, I can urge another person to forsake their sin, but I must do it humbly and lovingly - because I certainly have enough sin in my own life that I can hardly throw stones at another person. Westboro's heretics know nothing about mercy and grace and kindness - all they see is wrath and vengeance and judgement. They make God one-dimensional, and so set up their own blasphemous idol to worship. They cause unbelievers to curse the Name of God and to turn from His mercy, because Westboro breaks the bruised reeds and quenches the smoking flax *. They have forgotten - or ignore - Micah 6:8:
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Even in the Old Testament, which is full of blood and judgement, the love and mercy of God is plain to see. As a matter of fact, in the book of Hosea, God tells his prophet to marry a prostitute, which he does. God uses this marriage as a picture of His Covenant with Israel: God is the faithful husband, and Israel is the faithless whore. Hosea and Gomer (his wife) have children together, but then she leaves him and returns to harlotry - and what does God do? God tells Hosea to take her back, picturing God's love for and enduring patience with His people:
Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.
I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt." And it shall be, in that day,"
Says the LORD,
" That you will call Me 'My Husband,'
And no longer call Me 'My Master,'
For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals,
And they shall be remembered by their name no more.In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
To make them lie down safely." I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the LORD." It shall come to pass in that day
That I will answer," says the LORD;
" I will answer the heavens,
And they shall answer the earth.
Isaiah, too, tells of the vast and forgiving love of God, of His mercy, of His constant invitation to turn from our sinful ways and trust and follow Him. Probably the most famous verse is in chapter 1:16-20:
" Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow." Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the LORD,
" Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Westboro cultists would certainly focus on the last phrases - but they would miss the extended hand of God, offering forgiveness and cleansing. "Come now," He says, "let us reason together!" He promises to wash our sins away, to make us new creatures in Christ - He promises to enable us to stand before His Throne, pure, and clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ.
We are to model our Lord and Savior, we are to proclaim His mercy and grace, we are to announce His salvation, and we are to show His love to all people.
Does Westboro model the Love of God?
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NKJV)
I don't think so.
As a Christian, I cannot be in fellowship with a soi-disant "Christian" group which practices such hatred, rudeness, and arrogance.
Linked at Third World County and basil's Blog, and crossposted to the Wide Awakes
good summation of the arguments that ought to persuade folks who call themselves Christians to give up hate-full behavior, such as the Westboroites' despicable picketing of soldiers' funerals.
I am reluctant (though it might surprise you reading some of my comments about Islam at twc) to slap the "evil" label on folks, but these folks have earned it.
Posted by: David | June 13, 2006 at 11:09 AM
There is something about that group of lawyers who also call themselves 'baptists' that gives me the heebeejeebees.
Posted by: Cao | June 13, 2006 at 07:24 PM