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I linked yesterday to milblogger Andi’s documentation of antiwar protesters at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, protests that just thios week have drawn national media attention.
Now protests are coming to the funerals of two Tennessee Army National Guard soldier killed in Iraq.
Members of a virulently anti-gay Kansas church plan to demonstrate outside two Midstate National Guard funerals tomorrow, an action that has the military community incensed.
The two guardsmen killed last week in Iraq from the 278th Regimental Combat Team were Sgt. Gary L. Reese Jr. of Ashland City and Staff Sgt. Asbury F. Hawn Jr. of Lebanon.
Members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. — which has the Web site godhatesfags.com — plan to picket outside the services.
As the article points out, this “church” is really a family project by founder Fred Phelps, “whose followers say America has been co-opted by gays, and God’s wrath is therefore rightfully killing soldiers.” I’d excerpt more, but my stomach won’t take it.
In a radio interview this morning on WWTN, Staff Sgt. Hawn’s sister (I didn’t get her name) said that she has confirmed that the Phelps organization has been issued a permit. But she said that the permit is for only 45 minutes and the permitted protest site is a mile and half from the church where the funeral service for her brother will be held today. She and her family have retained off-duty police officers to ensure no trespassing on the church or cemetery grounds take place; both are private property.
If the “Code Pink” protesters at Walter Reed are rightfully excoriated for their offensiveness at shoving their protests in the faces of wounded service members, then how much more contempt must be heaped upon the Phelps family for demonstrating their hate messages near the funeral of a soldier who died defending his country? I am at a loss for words to describe their moral emptiness.
I have previously questioned whether Phelps should actually be accepted as a member of the Christian faith. I have no authority other than my opinion to say so, but let me be clear that I do not count him and his so-called (cough, tax dodge, cough) “church” inside the communion of Christianity. Only God can make such an ultimate determination, of course, but as for me, I do not recognize them as fellow Christians. This is a statement I have made about no one else who claims the title of Christian.
On the same radio show just now a Southern Baptist minister has just called in and said the same thing.
Comments on.
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August 26th, 2005 at 8:36 am
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hearing Phelp’s daughter on Steve Gill’s show. She was honestly worse than I expected, it was amazing. You know a Christian by their fruit, and these people have no fruit.
August 26th, 2005 at 8:48 am
So right after I submit my comment on your last post, in which I “charitably” included Phelps on the Christian fringe you post this! How does that make me feel? ;^)
Seriously, I don’t pretend to know what motivates Phelps. One of the mixed blessings of religion in America is that anyone can start a church (or even a whole new religion) and call it pretty much anything they want. If he truly believes he’s a Christian, I have no problem denouncing his rants as heresy. From what I’ve read about him, though, I wonder whether he isn’t mentally ill. I think Michael’s got it exactly right.
August 26th, 2005 at 10:57 am
This is just the latest in a string of such “protests” that Phelps and his ilk (most of which are related to him) have pulled.
At one funeral, the fire department strategically parked it’s vehicles between the protesters and the funeral, totally cutting them off from view.
August 26th, 2005 at 3:50 pm
So what morally and ethically can be done about people like Phelps, and (arguably) Pat Robertson, and (more arguably) James Dobson and others who continually and purposefully call themselves Christian but bear little or no fruit? And in their ways continue to attract others to their cause? What can the American Christian church (and by that I mean Protestants and Catholics) who profess to be Christian and Christ-loving, fruit-bearing churches and people do about these creatures who continually turn non-believers off with their antics? Their antics which give the impression, at times, that this is what Christianity is about, and this is what the church is about.
I know a young woman who was raised Catholic and can’t find a way to come back to church because of all the wrong things some churches and ministers do that blatantly defy what Christianity is about. How do we combat that, while still allowing for American freedoms of speech, assembly, etc and our own Christian ethics and morals?
This is one of the most frustrating things in the world to me.
August 27th, 2005 at 1:05 am
My son Derek was killed in Iraq on Memorial Day of this year. There was never a more perfect son. He is was and will always be a Christian, soldier and a good man. Link to his memorial web page by going to Capt. Derek Argel. I have suffered many frustrations, and the main one is that I can’t get any media coverage. It seems to all be about one mother and that is Cindy Sheehan. My son would not want his name on a cross from an organization that calls for the impeachment of the President. With all of my recent grief, I am faced now with having his name removed from all of the Arlington West Memorials. What have we come to? That we can use a man’s name against his wishes with the symbol of the cross that has a significant meaning in our family. The Arlington West memorials are not a final resting place, but they are a symbol of protest and a wrong message to our troops. In God I trust…Debbie Argel Bastian, Mother of Capt. Derek Argel
August 27th, 2005 at 3:37 pm
I had the honor of standing on Highway 12 in Ashland City TN while the procession for SGT Reese drove by. From my point about 1/2 a mile from the National Guard Armory I didn’t even realize the protestors blew in and out of there. They were in a hurry to get to the next funeral about an hour away. I had to drive by later and ask if they had even showed up. Standing next to me was a young man fresh out of Marine Boot Camp in his crisp uniform. He stood next to his parents and saluted the procession for over 10 minutes. I bawled my eyes out, the whole thing was awesome! The protest,as my mom would put it, was like a “fart in a whirlwind”. Thank goodness, now I have to watch the news to see if anything even happened. I’m surprised some good ol’ local boys didn’t give them an official “welcome” . Be proud of our soldiers, they are doing what they love and believe in - God Bless!
August 28th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
fred phelps
One thing thas has managed to unite the various factions of Nashville bloggers is disgust at Fred Phelps, proprietor of the beloved godhatesfags.com, and his largely unwelcome visit to Nashville to protest at funerals of slain National Guardsmen. Sarah…
September 7th, 2005 at 9:48 pm
Re Code Pink at Walter Reed: they were there with signs that said Up Veteran Benefits… as in, more aid, not less. Other people may have been there with other signs. Code Pink supports wounded veterans and would like to see this country NOT charge them for lunch while they’re in hospital having a limb reattached, a limb lost in service to the country. Check out www.codepink4peace.org for the facts.
February 25th, 2006 at 7:12 am
I am not a christian man like some. This is unimportant to me on this matter. I was a soldier in the past and cannot understand these protesters. I myself think that war is not a good thing but will always be here with human beings. A funeral is to respect the fallen be it for a soldier or a citizen. These protestors have no right to disrupt this ceremony and should be arrested if they do. Long live free people and the right to say what you want to but this is too much and should be stopped.