Anti-gay Church Protests at Funerals, Drawing Counterprotesters
 

Anti-gay Church Protests at Funerals, Drawing Counterprotesters

WSMV-TV

SMYRNA, Tenn. -- Members of a Topeka, Kansas church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays-- the reason they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq.

But followers of Westboro Baptist Church who carried signs and shouted things such as, "God hates fags" and "God hates you" were met with equally strong messages of soldier supporters who gathered at the funerals of Staff Sgt. Asbury Fred Hawn II in Smyrna and Spc. Gary Reese Jr. in Ashland City.

"My husband is over there, so I'm here to show my support," 41-year-old Connie Ditmore, of McMinnville, said as she waved and American flag and as tears came to her eyes. "To do this at a funeral is disrespectful of a family, no matter what your beliefs are."

Hawn, 35, and Reese, 22, were killed in an Aug. 14 attack in Iraq when they were hit by rocket-propelled grenade fire. Both were members of the Tennessee National Guard's 278th Regimental Combat Team.

The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws.

About 10 church members protested near Smyrna United Methodist Church and nearly 20 stood outside the National Guard Armory in Ashland City. Members have demonstrated at soldier funerals across the nation, including the Aug. 11 service for Sgt. James Dustin "Dusty" Carroll in McKenzie.

"The best venue is the funeral of an IED- (improvised explosive device) killed son or daughter," Phelps said, adding "The righteous will rejoice when he seeth the vengeance."

Hundreds of Smyrna and Ashland City residents and families of other soldiers turned out at both sites to counter the message the Westboro Baptist members brought.

So many counter demonstrators were gathered in Ashland City that police, Cheatham County sheriff's deputies and state troopers were brought in to control traffic and protect the protesters.

The church members held protesting permits, and counter protesters in Smyrna turned their backs to Westboro Baptist members until time expired on the protest permits.

Ashland City counter protesters chased the church members' cars down Ashland City Highway, continuing to wave flags and scream "God bless America."

"If they were protesting the government, I might even join them," Danny Cotton, 56 of Ashland City, said amid cries of "get out of our town" and "get out of our country."

"But for them to come during the worst time for this family-- it's just wrong."

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I cant wait til Rev. Fred Phelps has bit the dust...If anyone needs to burn he would be my choice. I betcha there will be some dancing on his grave when he croaks :nod:

Oh good Lord. How can Christians be so... un-Christian-like? I thought that religion was all about accepting others, not judging, etc. Jesus loves me yes I know, so the Bible tells me so.

What is that even supposed to mean?

Sounds like this clown...
 

believes it is alright for someone's son and/or daughter in the military to be blown to pieces overseas because they fight in a military for a country that "harbors gays"...

Sounds ( And smells) like BS to me...He is nuttier than David Koresh if ya ask me.

Brian "Please pass the cyanide flavored Kool-Aid to the homo-phobes on the right" j.

He is a mentally sick individual, no doubt about it. Anytime you demonize one group of people so fiercely that you can't get past your obsession with them, you're bound to crash and burn.

While I abhor the fact that he's protesting the funerals of our servicemen, I am glad that more people are now seeing his hateful little organization for what it is, and that this is no longer a "gay problem" that the average American can just brush off because it doesn't effect him or her.

That's the thing that's always made me laugh... nearly his entire congregation is made up of family members. Wonder how much inbreeding goes on in that clan! :shocked:

Make no mistake about it, Christopher... Fred Phelps is not a Christian.

He has his own personal agenda, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the teaching of God's Word. He's merely using God and religion as a shield to hide behind as he spreads his hatred and prejudices.
And I can't think of behaviour more damning than that.

I loved that! :laugh:
Thanks for the belly-laugh, Brian! :xoxo:

I agree! much like tiny comics you used to find in the margins of MAD Magazine, the best material in his posts is in his sig!

These folks are Christian at all...don't think that all Christians think like this...cause we don't!

I encountered those assholes about seven years ago outside a Ann & Nancy Wilson show at the Topeka Performing Arts Center, protesting across the street. Apparently they thought the Wilson sisters would be a draw for "the gays!"

They had so many horrible signs. AIDS is God's solution to fags, etc. I took pictures of them, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. What bothered me the most was that they had their kids with them, and there were several boys that couldn't have been older than six years old screaming about fags deserving to die.

The only thing I've ever seen that came even close to being that horrible was when I was 12- my dad was taking me to a orthodontist appointment at UMKC and there was a huge protest outside the KC Planned Parenthood, with crowds of screaming people and billboards they erected with pictures of aborted fetuses. Gave me nightmares for a week.

Nothing like growing up in Kansas!! ;)

Unless you were...
 

born and raised (And religiously brainwashed) in Oklahoma.

Thank God/Allah/Manny-Moe-Jack/Trees/Whoever/WHATever that I escaped the relig-a-tard brainwashing that being gay/lesbian is being wrong...Horse-hockey to those homo-phobes.

If anyone can find love in this world is a blessed person.

Anyone who can find a way to hate for no reason needs to exit this life.

This literally made my jaw drop. :distress: Six year olds? God save them. I've never seen anything like that.

this guys a complete psycho. I think the irs needs to look into his churchs tax exempt status :nod:

Hmmm...idea...
 

tax churches to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief...Good frikkin' idea if ya ask me.

amen to that.