caught somewhere between real life, simple faith, & raw emotion
Funeral, Family, & Frustration
On March 3, 2006, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder died in a non-combat related vehicle accident in Al Anbar province in Iraq. His body was sent home to the family to bring closure to their grief as they buried him.
But the funeral was disrupted.
As over 1,500 people walked outside in the procession, they were distracted by a group of ‘Christians’ from Westboro Baptist Church (where Fred Phelps is pastor) waving signs. These signs had phrases inferring that fallen soldiers like Snyder were suffering the wrath of God due to America’s acceptance of alternative lifestyles. I’m sure you’ve seen them in the news–signs like God hates fags.
What’s different about this situation is that Snyder’s father filed a lawsuit against the group. A jury awarded him nearly $11 million dollars for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. But the U.S.Court of Appeals overturned the verdict on the grounds that the church’s First Amendment right to free expression must be protected.
To make matters worse, the court ordered Snyder’s father to pay the legal costs for the Phelps clan totaling $16,000.
As hard it is to say, this is the correct court ruling. It pains me to admit that, but the law is the law. Fortunately, a citizen came to the rescue and paid the legal costs.
God doesn’t hate ‘fags’. If you ask me, he hates people like those from Wesboro Baptist Church who would do these things to these poor families just trying to bury their dead. As I read the Gospels, I just don’t picture Jesus doing something like this. And neither should his alleged followers.
Yes, I believe God hates people who claim to follow him but misrepresent him. Remember the legend of the Pharisees and Sadducees? God came to love people, especially those hurting and in pain.
*UPDATE: Here is great video of what someone did in response to WBC. Thanks Thomas!
10 comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Then we are on the same page.
In case I need to clarify:
As much as I abhor their message, I fully support the right of free speech, expression, and religion of the Westboro Baptist kooks.
I just don’t support the assertion that they have the freedom to exercise those rights indiscriminately, such as at a funeral for which they are uninvited and unwelcome interlopers.
They can stand *outside* the cemetery and spew their hate all they want.
Let me first say, I hate people who do these type of things.
Limiting free speech is a slippery slope. Eventually it catches up with your own expression of speech (or something you support).
I understand public disturbance stuff, disorderly conduct, libel, slander. I’m just not sure this falls in that category.
I’m interested to see how this all turns out.
Jason, I disagree with you.
The most recent ruling is no more correct than the Westboro Baptists’ claim that they are followers of Christ. (And I don’t envy what they will face before God for the atrocities they have carried out in His Name.)
That Congress can pass no law infringing the right of free speech of the Westboro Baptist kooks in no way implies that those kooks have the right to infringe upon the right of speech, assembly, religious expression, and – yes – privacy of the mourning families of fallen soldiers.
A funeral embodies all four of those rights, all of which the Westboro Baptist kooks infringe upon every time they pull one of their hateful stunts.
Logical and legal precedent for establishing boundaries for the exercise of one’s rights is well-established. One cannot use freedom of speech or press to libel or slander, or to infringe copyright. One cannot exercise freedom of the press to make public classified information. One cannot exercise freedom of religion by murdering infidels.
Thus, the law against intentional imposition of emotional distress is likewise well-founded in logic and legal precedent.
Hmmm… I had not heard that one yet. Interesting.
One thing…these Westboro protests hardly have anything to do with their religious beliefs. It’s a big money scam. Phelps makes millions by suing municipalities for not allowing them protest permits, and from settlements if they are physically attacked.
Not that it makes it any better, but Christianity — even bad Christianity — is not even in play here.
Listen, I am on your side in spirit.
As far as you exercising free speech as a soldier, I think you are allowed to so long as you aren’t on duty or in uniform.
As for the fools as the funeral holding the signs, as long as that isn’t private property, they are within their legal rights.
Squashing free speech is a slippery slope.
Are they jerks and idiots? For sure.
I have been thinking about this, when I was in the military, I wasn’t allowed free speech, period. I couldn’t even make Clinton jokes! Because it was seen as direspect to a superior commissioned officer – that thought is laughable! But, anyway, think about this, that Marine, in the casket, died without the RIGHT to free speech! He can’t DEFEND his actions, nor his life, he is in a box and with God.
Since HIS free speech is being crapped all over, why should we bend over backwards to offer free speech to those who would disrupt the one place we still truly hold sacred in this nation, a funeral!?! No, I do NOT think they deserve freedom of speech anywhere NEAR a funeral, at least not a veteran – who died whilst NOT having freedom of speech at his behest.
And, I am someone who lost my liberties, so I know what it means to have them shed, but there ARE times in America when “freedom of speech” is suspended. These justices acted like the fools that they are – and that is ME exercising MY free speech. To the judges, for shame!
Woa buddy! I feel you’re passion, as you can guess.
I agree it’s wrong (what they do), but by the letter of the law they are protected.
But I think it would be awesome to have people stand and block them and their signs in response. No violence, of course. But meet the response with a similar response.
Perhaps even holding signs about God being love and all etc.
Yea, this one pissed me off! Over at my Marine Forum, Together We Served, some of us are thinking of having a little surprise for these so-called “Christians” the next time they pull this at a fallen’s funeral.
Case in point, if God is so weak he needs MAN to do his dirty work, I don’t care for him one iota! He kills the innocent and the guilty every day, every dead soldier isn’t a message from GOD, it is a message of man’s cruelty towards man – his allowing us free-will coincides directly with the US allowing free speech.
The next time these Westboro chumps show up touting their supposed “Christian” message, they will be in for a RUDE awakening, because while I believe in freedom of speech, there ARE limits, and a funeral is no place for such bigotry. So, God “Hates” fags? God is a bigot!?! Get the hell out of here, God is like a father, he loves all his creations, even if he doesn’t LIKE them all the time, or agree with their actions. While it sickens me to admit it, God even LOVES these Westboro jerks. I, being a mere mortal, do NOT and cannot forgive them. Let God do the forgiving, I HATE these jerks!