Opinion Article

HED: A Desperate Need for Attention
DEK: Westboro Baptist Church’s harsh and controversial messages go too far.
BYLINE: Courtney Colley
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The Westboro Baptist Church, located in Topeka, Kansas is a congregation that travels all over the country to various events such as concerts and even funerals, picketing and voicing their extreme opinions. This group protests things like Jews, homosexuality, Obama (claiming he is the anti-christ), remarriage after divorce and many other things led by Fred Phelps. They hold offensive signs that say things such as “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “God Hates America,” “The Jews Killed Jesus” and many others targeting the numerous minority groups previously mentioned.

These sorts of people are the reason that many have such a strong dislike of religion. Westboro preaches hatred and claims their corrupt ideas to be the word of God. They clearly just have a desperate need for attention. They dress up in their “God hates America” T-shirts, wave their hateful signs, walk all over the American flag and go to largely populated areas to do so. They claim that they are non-violent, but there are more ways to be violent than physically. Their signs and words verbally attack people and that can often be more wounding than physical violence.

Freedom of speech gives them the right to say what they want but the places they choose to voice their opinion at can be insensitive and not appropriate. I have had a few encounters with this group due to one of my friends wanting to go to many of their pickets to photograph for a project. Some of the places I saw them at were a Justin Beiber concert and later a Lady Gaga concert. Lady Gaga wasn’t so bad, she is an adult with many adults attending her concert. She even organized a peaceful anti-protest. Beiber, however, is only 16 years old. He is just a kid, as were the majority of those going to his concert. The crowd was full of kids under the age of 10 who had to see the hateful messages Westboro was flaunting. That is no message that kids should be subjected too. I stood on the sidewalk and heard the questions these little kids were asking their parents, questions that should never be in an innocent child’s mind. The parents were infuriated as they had every right to be.

Westboro’s presence at funerals also should not happen. A funeral is a time for a family to mourn their loved one they lost and to say goodbye. Westboro picketing these funerals sporting signs implying that they are glad the person is dead (and probably in hell) is terrible. No one should belittle or taint the importance of a funeral for family and friends, whether someone dislikes the deceased or not. Westboro members don’t even know these people they are attacking, and that just doesn’t seem right. If they feel it necessary to voice their hatred they should at least show respect and pick more appropriate places to do so, because mourners and friends should not be subjected to their corrupt ideas of religion. The best response that viewers can have would be to voice their opinion peacefully as well. People often get angry when viewing Westboro’s pickets but a stronger defense rather than yelling would be to stage a peaceful anti-protest and discuss views with them calmly. Other than that there isn’t much to be done besides making certain that one voices an opinion of acceptance of all minorities and not hatred towards them.