I don't even know any more

[kingandy]

Okay, now seriously. Is http://www.godhatesfags.com/ for real? I honestly can't tell if it's heartfelt zealotry or dedicated, straight-faced parody. Hilarious though the photographs of cheerfully beaming followers clutching merrily-hued placards reading "GOD: AMERICA'S TERRORIST" and "YOU EAT YOUR BABIES" are, it's worrying to think they are going on actual pickets and haranguing actual people.

Plus, of course, even if it is a parody (and I'm genuinely not sure either way), it's so very straight-faced and so very seriously-produced that some people may act on it.

Edited to add: Oh right, it's entirely serious. I think I was aware of it before, but just reading through the site, the whole thing seems so very absurd that it's hard to take on face value. Seriously, the site reads like an Onion article. Come on, they have placards reading "THANK GOD FOR IEDs!" And they're so happy! It just does not compute.

Comments

[endis-ni.livejournal.com]

Oh, I did not want to live in a world where that's real. Dammit.

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

The Westboro Baptist's are a bunch of cunts. They go into the 'Christians in name only' box, in my head. These are the people who picketed funerals, by the by.

There is also God Love Fags, which has some more information.

[kingandy]

Unrelated: I just noticed how much Helloboy's coat looks like the NextWaves'.

[stsquad.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately the Westboro Babtist's are for real, genuine nutter idiots. If you want paradoy you should be looking at Landover Baptist.org

[kingandy]

I SEE NO DIFFERENCE

[mj-uk.livejournal.com]

its cos they are deep down genuinly unhappy with their lives in my opinion, people who are content and generally pleased with their lot do not feel the need to drag everyone down with them and transfer their dissatisfaction and hatred of their own lives onto other people

"misery loves company"

[stsquad.livejournal.com]

They are probably deeply unhappy because they are massively in the closet. Being disgusted with their inner thoughts they think that their actions will redeem them to some sort of fictional sky fairy.

[ubernils.livejournal.com]

Fred Phelps, the "pastor" in charge of the "church" is pretty much certifiable. I'm not even exaggerating, he is literally unstable. The Westboro Baptist Church consists almost entirely of his extended family, which follow him because he is a horrible, abusive, manipulative asshole. There was a book a while back written by one of his sons who escaped the church and is now a secular humanist which detailed how insane Phelps is. But yes, he's apparently serious.

I probably don't even have to say this, but just for the record, there is not a single thing about his beliefs that is not the exact polar opposite of the truth. At least in my opinion. So I guess on behalf of decent Christians, and decent Americans, I'm sorry.

[wulfboy.livejournal.com]

They picketed a store because it sold Swedish vacuum cleaners ...

I've vaguely heard of these people before, and it makes some old head machinery start firing up. Picketing funerals makes me twitchy. Picketing the funerals of dead servicemen and women makes me irrationally angry, probably more than is absolutely merited. Odd what the upbringing can do.

These people are evil. That's an evocative label I know, and labelling is wrong ... but its the best I can come up with. There's something about hate mongers that just turns off the rational parts of my brain, short-circuits my personhal belief systems, and brings me back to basics.

I'm very much a freedom of speech sort of fellow, but I'm also a freedom-to-take-the-consequences fellow. These folks, and these people (and people like them), need to be recognized as the criminals (or mental headcases) that they are and dealt with appropriately by the local authorities.

[kingandy]

I'm astonished they're allowed to continue, TBH. I suspect they're very good at reading the legal fine print and staying precisely on the line between "peaceful demonstration" and "no more right to live on God's earth than a weasel".

I think I need a "FIRE TORNADO" icon.

[ubernils.livejournal.com]

Phelps was a lawyer before he started the church. What's interesting was that he was actually a civil rights lawyer, taking up abuse cases. Of course, as it turns out he only did it because nobody else was taking the cases and he saw a cash cow, and at one point half of all court cases pending in his town were frivolous cases filed by Phelps. He occasionally got a real one, but it was buried under piles of fake crap. That's pretty much the same strategy he uses now. If anyone does anything that could potentially be percieved as any kind of civil rights violation he sues the everloving crap out of them. Even if he loses, the hassle is enough that people tend to just let the Phelps clan be insane and hateful and ignore them. Several states, however *have* passed laws forbidding protesting a funeral as a result of Phelps, saying essentially that it's harassment and therefore not protected speech. Phelps is pretty famous in the states for being a ridiculous nutbag. Not even most conservatives support him.

Oh extra fun fact about Phelps: he's a predestinationist, which means he's not trying to "save" anyone's "soul" "for Jesus." He's just trying to gloat. The man really is the lowest life form on the planet.

[phyrbyrd.livejournal.com]

Weasels have PLENTY of right to live on this earth, thankyou.
The term you might be thinking of is 'compensation lawyer'.

[endis-ni.livejournal.com]

And as if these Johnny-Come-Latelys aren't horrifying enough, Jack Chick has two (http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1109/1109_01.asp) new (http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1030/1030_01.asp) tracts out this week.

[samharber.livejournal.com]

At least one of those is less hate filled than usual. Maybe he's mellowing in old age?

[areteus.livejournal.com]

Its the apparent inability to see the other point of view that gets me... I really do seriously wish that they were a parody and hate the fact that they aren't.

[whimsicalfool.livejournal.com]

It's entirely sad to know these people exist, but they are a plague on us constantly, and also media-whores. Lots of groups have started counterprotesting and mocking them, which is often documented and frequently funny. IIRC, someone important in jolly old England has prohibited Phelps and his most outspoken daughter from setting foot in your country. I wish we had that luxury.

[si-lloyd.livejournal.com]

Some people are just assholes.