If you want to know what inspired me to create this blog read this. It's a letter from the Westboro Baptist Church, the people who picketed Matthew Sheppard's funeral and who are now picketing U.S. soldiers' funerals. Their belief: homosexuality is the most grievous of sins and our country, for harboring "sodomite dogs" deserves every terrorist attack, natural disaster and dead soldier it grieves.
I hate these people. I have been horrified by their existence since the day my roommate at Boston University sent me a link to their site over IM. I was such a closet case back then that I grieved Matthew Sheppard's death internally because I was too afraid to say it affected me at all. To then know that someone could hate me so much without knowing me just scared the crap out of me.
Today's debate over gay marriage is but one or two rungs above the hatred that these sickos in Kansas are spewing. Fear that this hatred will consume our country and rob me and countless other people of their rights is what prompted me to speak out. My "diatribe" on Islam comes from a place of anger and fear. I am angry that the name of God is dragged through the mud daily by evil people. I am angry that so-called believers are letting their faiths become hotbeds of terror.
In my indictment of Islam I AM condemning moderate Muslims who aren't putting a face on the softer side of the faith. In this post I am also coming out swinging at the Christians who believe God loves everyone except x, y, z individuals. So let's call a spade a spade. The Westboro Baptist Church is out for everyone's blood, just like fanatical Muslims. They are using Christ's name to say "Thank God for 9-11," "Thank God for AIDS," "Thank God for Katrina." The U.S. Christian community has to respond to this. They either distance themselves from these lunatics by publicly denouncing them as un-Christian or they can look the other way while they take the faith into new depths of depravity.
28 comments:
Ah, so now that your inherent bigotry toward Muslims has been exposed, you artfully focus on Christians to show you're balanced...just like your comments about how you had wonderful Muslim neighbors (or something like that). When it comes to yourself dude, you could at least be more honest.
And re your condemnation of more moderate Muslims for not speaking out...ignorance like yours is as much to blame...see response in another thread which I copy here:
"The moderates, if they're not too busy shopping at Harrod's (per one person's comment) should speak up."
So why don't they? Because they're tired of bigots like you that throw out the baby with the bathwater. The self-righteous among you that constantly goads "prove yourself". The sweeping statements of ignorance such as those from you that sparked this debate. Why reward ignorance?...its exhausting...and the great thing about america is that we can just get on with it, melt away into the melting pot, and not have to deal with crap like you're spouting (right down to the glib sarcasism about shopping).
Here is an example of speaking up...the Muslim Assoc of Canada after the Toronto arrests...what more do you want...a statement that "we reject Islam in all its forms and renounce our faith"...how naive.
"The Muslim Association of Canada wishes to express its support for our law enforcement agencies as they pursue efforts to prevent terrorist attacks in Canada. The arrest of individuals suspected of planning terror attacks on Canadian soil is welcome news. While we believe that our law enforcement agencies are doing their best to maintain public safety, we also believe that the accused must be judged and tried in courts of law, rather than by the media or the public. Diligent police work coupled with supremacy of the law is the best defense against terrorism.
The Association has expressed on a number of previous occasions its firm belief that terrorism has no place in our world. Islam does not condone the use of violence against civilians. This position is widely shared by Muslim communities across Canada and the world. If indeed the allegations prove true, we must all redouble our efforts to ensure that our communities are free from such ideologies. We must also guard against the prejudice and hate that have emerged in the aftermath of similar investigations."
Anonymous, dude, you already posted the lower two-thirds of this comment on my "the truth about islam."
And you're right, I am balanced and I set out to show it with this post about the Westboro Church. Ooh, you've "exposed" me...call the Post.
The Westboro Baptist Church has 100 members - total - and is at the very fringes of society. They are abhorrent, but do not go around killing people. (though they do celebrate death)
This cannot be compared to the vast, worldwide phenomenom of Islamofacism.
Touche, Miss R. My point is that these people are our own problem to deal with here and worst case scenario they could launch an assault. It only took a handful of men to bring 9-11 upon the world so they should be taken seriously.
"This cannot be compared to the vast, worldwide phenomenom of Islamofacism."
...here you go again miss r... "vast"...please define that. what threshold constitutes "vast"? You still haven't validated your "large swaths" statements and you've moved on to another. the lathering bigotry spewing from your mouth is almost visual
ONE example, anon, and you still haven't answered the question about how people are supposed to know that their Muslim neighbors aren't plotting against them?
And stop calling people here bigots and ignorant, it's just unnecessary. We can all agree to disagree but namecalling is just tacky.
Besides, what effing planet are you on where you don't see Islam as the excuse for every other death and war these days?
Miss R is making a point as an observer of world events. If she's a bigot with "lathering bigotry" spewing out of her mouth, I can see you packing the knives into your duffel bag to fly a jet into a skyscraper.
Have been writing so much I forgot this post is about extremist Christians. Anon, chill out and focus on this issue now ... what say you about the Westboro Baptist Church?
Thanks, Conservative Liberal.
Merely looking at world events and the public opinion polls I have cited is proof of the vastness of Islamicism.
Of course action should be taken if the Westboro Baptist church ever goes violent - but they haven't yet. Until they do, they are protected under the First Amendment.
Grrr..right about that last part. I hate them, though.
"ONE example, anon, and you still haven't answered the question about how people are supposed to know that their Muslim neighbors aren't plotting against them?"
..and how am i supposed to know the person next door isn't an ax murder?... 4 million violent or attempted violent crimes in america per year (20o4 DOJ statistics..at least i can cite stats)...how many americans have been beheaded by their muslim neighbors?
...and just be honest, isn't your prescription to round them up and put them into WWII japanese style camps?...whats implicit in your question hardly disguises your intellectual dishonesty.
in the mean time, you did not answer my question..how many nyc taxi drivers have tried to behead you.
oh, and if you make sweeping statements without fact which condem people, thats bigotry
I couldn't agree more with your comments about the Westoboro Baptist Church and the actions of many on the "Christian Right." I ran into them myself when I attended the Episcopal Church General Convention in 2003 that confirmed Gene Robinson election as Bishop. There actions and signs--with drawings of priests having sex with little boys and other messages of hate.
The extremism these people spew is NOT "Christian" however much they claim to be and, based upon seeing them in action, would never be surprise to see their words turn to violence.
People beware!
Good point about the ax murderer, anon. No taxi drivers have tried to behead me, or rip me off even.
No need for internment camps, the ideology of Islam is going to be twisted around until a nuclear holocaust for all we know. Islam is defined by its hardliner fundamentalists at the moment. The "moderates" don't count because the terrorists are out to get them, too.
I doubt that Conservative Liberal wants to round anybody up. I sure don't.
But I also do not think they should easily get to move to this country. We have no obligation to accept them. We also have reason to use as much CIA/FBI intelligence to stop them. (within the law) And we don't have to give 501(c)(3) status to organizations that pose as charities but in fact filter money to those who wish to do us harm.
WOW, conservative liberal, I just realized we both are in our 20s and in NYC (and think very much alike).
After the bar exam we should totally meet up. :-)
CORRECTION:
I meant to say:
Their actions and signs--with drawings of priests having sex with little boys and other messages of hate--were bad enough but their constant confrontation of peaceful people were so in your face as to be close to violence.
"No need for internment camps"
thanks. how wonderfully benevolent of you.
Sure thing, anon. I'm totally nice. And super tan, too. I LOVE the summer.
Miss R we totally have a date, good luck with the Bar, it's in August right?
Thanks for your comments OOF and for staying on the subject of this post.
"I'm totally nice."
..."nice", in addition to compassionate. wow, thats great!
i was once sent on a business trip by my company to see the Yugoslav government in the days of milosovic... the meeting ended up being with a high ministerial official from the serbian government.
he was nice too. very nice. kept offering me coffee and cookies, and arranged for a car and driver to take me to the airport at 100 mph so i wouldn't miss my flight to vienna.
2 years later saw his face in the NYT among the hague's most wanted.
yup, all kind of bigots can be nice
Anon, I would love to hear more about your experience in the Yugoslavian republic. I don't claim to know everything and I am not a bigot. Enlighten me and spare me the comparisons to murderers.
"I am not a bigot"
ok, maybe you are, and maybe you're not. but you sure come across as one, and perception is reality.
Amen to that, anon. Guess I can prove to be either or via this blog. Hope you'll wait it out with me to make your final opinion.
It's difficult to explain how disgusting the Phelps family is. A quick vignette - Al Gore, at least at one point, was good friends with Fred Phelps and the guy used to be Democrat. That is not to denigrate Gore - but to demonstrate that at one time or another, every politican has had photo ops, alliances, joint ventures, etc with unsavory people. Fred Phelps himself was - and I believe still is - a democrat. Just point of fact.
On another note - I just wanted to hop into the debate with anonymous - who makes some decent points but is so wrapped up in calling you a bigot - he throws it all away. I agree about the Muslim Association of Canada. They were on the ball. It would have been nice if most Muslim associations made statements of equal verocity after 9/11. Generally speaking, they did not.
I believe most Americans, as do I, believe in the beauty of Islam and are well aware that vast majority of its practiioners are not terrorist, do not support them, and in fact abhor them. But let me clear - moderate Muslims HAVE NOT BEEN VISIBLE on this. There is Wafa Sultan and Irshad Manji - but some of the most visible muslim organizations - CAIR in particular - have been extremely deficient in defending Islam - but amazing diligent in defending Islamists.
Anon:
'...here you go again miss r... "vast"...please define that. what threshold constitutes "vast"?'
Don't know about Miss R, but this morning on the Diane Rehm show she had all kinds of experts on terrorism saying that Bin Ladinism has spread like wildfire throughout the Islamic world in the last three years. Well, they're on NPR so it must be true, mostly.
Now let's see, roughly 1 billion Muslims, and @ about 5% more than passively interested in Bin Ladinism... well, that's a lot of people! Spread through out the world. And connected by the Net.
What exactly was the definition of "vast" we were working with again?
Well, I could be wrong, or at least very confused.
Oh yes. Gay Conservative Liberal asked for some books he ought to read on Islam and related topics. My vote is "Islamic Imperialism: A History" by Efraim Karsh and published by Yale Un Press. That means its serious enough to satisfy those who like to throw around the 'ignoramous' tag. I've just gotten started on it and will report back.
I believe Phelps is an incarnation of Satan, and that he and his followers are already in Hell. He speaks just as the Father of Lies would. His choice of words clearly give him away.
Thanks for your posts Clemens, really appreciate them.
Thanks for the book reco, think this might be my first read. Will def report back.
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