...to feel so angry and horrified by the Westborough Baptist Church..

[NorthernGobshite]

On Louis Theroux now. Follow up to previous documentary about them. Vile hatefilled bastards.

Thanks ratspeaker I didn't know about the mixed fibres. I wonder what the logic is?

I agree that they are articulate, but only in things that they are practised in. Chuck 'em a wildcard like Louis did and they can't give a straight answer.

And I'm sorry but if you sincerley think that breast cancer is something to celebrate then your intelligence is questionable.

They are horrible, hate-filled scumbags. They announced after the Tucson shootings where the congresswoman was shot that they were going to picket the funeral of the little girl who was killed. Utter heartless bastards.

They backed down when a local radio station offered them an hour of airtime in exchange for staying away from the funeral.

A church I used to go to had a good way of dealing with Fred Phelps. When he came to London they got local businesses to sponsor him per minute of homophobic ranting, then sent a thank you letter telling him how much he'd raised for AIDS charities.

I remember the first documentary about this bunch when they told Louis he would go to hell/be condemned because he had a child out of wedlock with his girlfriend - nice.
I wonder for how many years they will continue to wait for God's judgement (all the signs for Judgement Day are pretty much in place according to them what with Obama being the anti-christ and everything ) ? Apparently if he "tarries" (imagine that, God having the gall to tarry) they just wait it out ..... or something?
Loons.

I managed to watch all the way through in some hope I have missed the point. I haven't. They are sick and are twisting the Bible to suit their own views/views imposed on them by the 'elders'.

www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-3o-best-anti-westboro-baptist-church-protest-s

I read an article by Nate Phelps, one of Fred's children who is no longer in contact with the family. It was very, very sad. You could tell he just felt so ashamed even though it isn't his fault that is dad is so evil.

They are terrible, wicked people.

The way the WBC cult operates is like all other extremist religious groups. Unaffected by reasoned argument, highly controlling (especially where women and children are concerned), claiming to represent some deity on earth and utterly convinced that they are right and everyone else is wrong. The exiled daughter that described he father as being on a massive ego trip was absolutely right. It's the same across the world..... wherever fundamentalist religion resides, there's always some jumped-up bloke in the middle, loving the sound of his own voice.

As usual with Theroux... great train-smash telly.

They are to be laughed at. I wouldn't waste my energy getting upset over it. Even by the most diligent Christian's standards they are laughable.

They need starving of attention. The bikers have the right idea, just drown them out with noise. They want to upset and shock. They get off on it. Best thing to do is drown them out.

No one has put a bullet in their head or run them over because what they do isn't illegal. Killing them is illegal.

And the 1st Amendment is no more important than the second. And doesn't actually have to do with what anyone says but what the government can do about what anyone says. But these morons still can't be arrested for what they said because there is no law saying that what they are saying is illegal. Which is how it is covered by the 1st Amendment.

Also, 2nd Amendment covers the rights to keep and bear arms to have a militia, not to grab a gun and kill whomever you feel like.

I don't know why they don't go after them for some form of treason. They have contributed directly to the deaths of US servicemen in Afghanistan and possible incidents in the future too.

They're thick, extremist bigots.

Sadly, the group that could have the most influence over stopping them - moderate Christians - tend to just treat them as an embarrassment and something to be swept under the carpet. The moderate Christians' silence helps allow the likes of the WBC to continue spreading their message of hate. It's akin to the way that the moderate muslim community's unwillingness to deal with the extremists allowed them to spread their message.

Imagine how much more powerful a message it would be if entire church congregations picketed the WBC events with signs saying "I'm a Christian, Jesus says the WBC is wrong". But, in general, they don't. I wonder why?

I don't understand how they can get away with those hateful signs about gay people. If you held one of those up in a high street in this country you would eventually get arrested, clearly it's not illegal over there, but why not....?

To the poster that said they were ignorant like all people who join cults - unfortunately that isn't true. Those who get most embroiled in cults tend to be above average intelligence. Just because someone's views are ignorant, it doesn't mean that they are uneducated or unintelligent. The Cult information Service that you can acess online can give more information about this.

The WBC are hate-filled loons.

Louis Theroux, on the other hand, gives me the horn.

"No one has put a bullet in their head or run them over because what they do isn't illegal. Killing them is illegal."

I don't think that anyone is rueing the fact that no-one has killed them, or even wishing them dead. We are just surprised that no-one has attempted it.

They obviously missed the page in the bible that said "Love thy neighbour" and all those passages about "forgiveness" didn't they?

I would actually like to see what their response would be to that.

They have been asked that many times ShinyMoon in many different ways. They are the champions of changing the subject.

Apparently the son did a huge expose on them in the States exposing their very cultish ways etc.

I watched the show... am deeply saddened that some people are so filled with hate for others. But what makes me really angry is they spout the Bible, a book I love, and say they're doing all these nasty things in the name of a God I love ... when they clearly are NOT

These people are not Christians by any means of the word. Awful, condescending, arrogant people.

'Imagine how much more powerful a message it would be if entire church congregations picketed the WBC events with signs saying "I'm a Christian, Jesus says the WBC is wrong". But, in general, they don't. I wonder why?'

Who knows what does go on, behind closed doors... or even out in the open, and not when the BBC is filming? I am sure there must be outrage against them amongst the Christian community there. They're a disgrace and a cult.

If I lived there I would be picketing against them for sure!

I can't remember the exact quotes, but in "The Last Battle" CS Lewis said (in the voice of Aslan) to one of the Calomenes that good deeds he did in the name of Tash(the Calormene God, who was wicked and vengeful) were really deeds he did in the name of Aslan and bad deeds that were done in the name of Aslan were really the deeds done in the name of Tash.
What CS Lewis (a devout Christian) was getting at was that all good deeds were recognised and blessed by God regardless of who they were offered to and all bad deeds even if done in the name of God were really sanctioned by the Evil One.

I thought that made sense. These people may SAY they worship God and follow Christianity but their vile and evil deeds are not sanctioned by a loving God.

These people do NOT represent Christianity!!

"These people do NOT represent Christianity!!"

Sadly, they represent more Christians than some are prepared to admit. Their homophobic, anti-semitic views are very prevalent in large parts of the US Christian community and their belief that unrepentant transgressors and non-believers will end up in hell is a pretty standard one across most of the Christian church worldwide. Their evangelising, banner-waving and picketing activities set them apart, as does their belief that they are the only ones that are going to heaven.... but in a lot of churches, especially in the US, their views would seem quite normal.

This is the trouble with all religions. Anything that relies entirely on faith, and the interpretation of 2000 year-old, much translated/mistranslated texts cannot be challenged in a rational sense. Everyone's take on it has to be valid.

What Chil1234 said....Although WBC are extreme about their hate filled views and are very visible, I am quite sure that a few other religions share the same views on homosexuals, anti semitism, anti-Israel, anti-muslim.

I am reading Christopher Hitchens book on religion and it just compounds everything I feel about organised religion (in a much more witty way)...I mean everyone loves to hate WBC but how many other religions also think that theirs is the only way to God, that if you don't follow that way you will go to hell, that their religion is the one true way.....erm, every other religion