Oh..those people at westboro baptist are at it again! o3o

[MasterMischief]

Hmm...You know what I'd like?..I'd actually like the Pope to say something about them. o-o I know that will never happen, but I would love to see it.

Even if he did, it would have to be something of little substance.  So it would likely be more of a disappointment.

Something along the lines of...

"The papacy is not always in agreement with the methods of this organization."

[Ket]

You have to remember the Pope is not the head of all of Christianity. He is only the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Baptists, in whichever form they are, don't fall into that category.

[Paladin]

I'd actually say that 98% of Christians world-wide think that WBC are complete and utter nutjobs.

I'm one of them. They give other christains bad names. I think the rest of us should protest them.

[Wolfy]

Hmm....I'm still saying if the owner of their church looses it and the land, I'm going to buy it and turn it into a strip club or something..maybe a Gay Strip Club, just to spite them. *shrugs*

Anyway...They already lost one court case against them...I can't remember what it was about, though.

[RubySlippers]

Sadly the First Amendment offers them alot of leeway for saying their Christian message such as it is to the world. There is no right of a party not to be offended from speech they can generally be as hateful as they want they have that right just like the White Nationalists. Black Panther Militia and other extreme groups. Crossing a line to something more is a high bar and they seem to not be near that bar yet.

As a member of the clergy I find there theology seriously flawed I never recall Jesus even to enemies acting like that to people even if he considered them sinners.

[Braioch]

You never know, if they keep this shit up the Pope might make a statement, especially if they start hurting the church.  I know they're extremist attention whores, and not real Christians, but as it's also been mentioned, it's the attention whores people see the most.  And yes, that would be hilarious if the very figurehead of their own religion publicly declared them nutjobs.  I'd pay to watch them listen to that. 

I really can't say I'm surprised.  Every time they stop getting attention for one thing they have to top themselves to get the spotlight back on themselves.  It's actually kind of sad.  As soon as this is over they'll do something else equally stupid. 

Something I think would be a fun thing to do is attend one of their protests wearing every piece of pentacle jewelry I own and sit and watch them with a bag of popcorn while occasionally pointing and laughing hysterically.  It might not sound like much, but you can't legally attack them.  I'd rather shoot at them with a pellet gun to watch them dance, but that would get me arrested.  And you can't argue with them because that's what they want.  They want an excuse to get that smug little smirk on their faces while they yell at you about how wrong you are and going to hell for it.  They also want to make you angry.  So I would simply treat them like the freakshow they are; only good for entertainment.  Nothing illegal about laughing at a bunch of idiots.     

I've done this, and nothing riles them up more, which of course just gives you more reason to laugh >.>

[Jude]

The Pope is not the figurehead of the Westboro Baptist Church.

EDIT:  Ket already said it.

As I understand, they're basically one family; I bet they'll be gone in 20 years, or 100 at the most.

[Brandon]

*raises his hand* Im yet another christian that thinks the WBC is a bunch of nutjobs.

Ive said before that I wish many christians were more like Christ but these people seem to have lost their way so badly that I think only Jesus or God themselves could bring them back to the land of sanity

[consortium11]

Michael Moore and Australian comedy group The Chaser both did humorous counter protests/just screwing with them events previously.

Michael Moore vs Westboro Baptist Church

Flirting with a Westboro Church man

Unfortunately nothing will ever stop them until their natural deaths. Phelps is a sick, twisted bitter old man... who has one hell of a shady past (just check out his wikipedia page for a good overview) and a true zealot... and he also has (often misused) sources to back up what he says. I've listened/seen a few debates he's been involved with and his bible knowledge (at least on this topic) is incredible. What that gives him is a framework and a base to cling to that means he'll never be convinced of the fault in his arguments. Hopefully when he passes he family fades away and no more children are indoctrinated.

Others have brought up how the Pope doesn't hold any ecclesiastical sway over them. It's worse than that. Let's see another well balanced quote they offer:

"There are over 1 billion Catholics in the world—that's one out of every six people alive today—and every single one of them will split Hell wide open when they die—period. And there is nothing they can do about it.

[MsCuddly]

I seriously despise the Westboro Baptist Church, especially considering one of my closest friends is gay. They also once knocked on one of my very liberal uncles and he slammed the door in their face, calling them idiotic intolerant bigots in the process.

Needless to say, he's probably my favorite uncle.

[Acinonyx]

Comic Con Wins!

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/upload/2010/07/comic-con_reacts_to_fred_phelp/wbc_comiccon1.php

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/upload/2010/07/comic-con_reacts_to_fred_phelp/wbc_comiccon2.php

[Wolfy]

That...that is the best thing..EVER. o3o

[Wolfy]

Apparently Rick Astley is God!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4312683209_7c9b93b2d6.jpg

[Aiden]

the article and more pictures of westboro getting owned

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/22/super-heroes-vs-the-westboro-baptist-church/

[Serephino]

That is just too funny. 

[OldSchoolGamer]

I'd actually say that 98% of Christians world-wide think that WBC are complete and utter nutjobs.

You forgot "attention whores."  That, too.   

[Arhys]

the article and more pictures of westboro getting owned

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/22/super-heroes-vs-the-westboro-baptist-church/

Hahaha, yes I love it. :)  Came here to post *just* that too, but you beat me to it. :)  Freaking hilarious...

[Josh the Aspie]

Comic Con Wins!

Personally, I think Comicon and Fred Felps both loose over this.

[Wolfy]

Personally, I think Comicon and Fred Felps both loose over this.

Why do you say that?...

[Callie Del Noire]

ALL HAIL HYPNOTOAD!

[Will]

Personally, I think Comicon and Fred Felps both loose over this.

I'd be interested in why, as well.  Protest a convention, and you deserve what you get.

I think it's usually better to pretend they aren't there, like when they protest the soldiers' funerals and such.  If you sink to their level, then you're giving up your dignity and self-respect (and disrespecting the deceased to boot).  But dignity and self-respect have no place at a comic con!

[Wolfy]

I feel like protesting their church services with Signs relating to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, blessed be those that are touched by his noodely appendage.

Buuuut..that's just me. o3o

[Oniya]

I don't think they actually have church services.  I think they spend all their time running around trying to 'pluck specks from other people's eyes, when they cannot see past the beam that is in their own.'

And they probably wouldn't recognize where that reference came from.

[Josh the Aspie]

Well for one thing, I for one would not go to that convention now if I ever would have gone before based on the nature of that protest.

Counter-protests draw more attention to the original protest, and in general are done in a way that is just as rude and self-degrading as the protest they are protesting, if not more so.  I saw very little to respect in that counter-protest, and much that deserved disrespect... as was the case with most counter-protests I've seen.

[Will]

*shrugs* I think there's a time and a place for it, and that was it.