Protest Culture Shifts to Religious Right

[Nolerama]

Some of you might have seen the news story about the Maryville, IL pastor that was recently shot in front of his congregation.

Recent information from a friend has pointed out that the Westboro Baptist Church, a VERY anti-gay church from Topeka, Kansas plans to protest the fallen reverend's funeral.

*CAUTION: Their site can be offensive to some.*

Here's the reason why they're protesting. (Again, it might be offensive, so I caution.)

Regardless of the intentions, or political views of all parties involved, my point questions the shifting of America's "Protest Culture."

I've always associated political protests (or any protests for that matter) with a more liberal group. However, in light of this recent story, and the sheer organization WBC has when it comes to staging protests, I've come to the conclusion that protests have left the Left, and gone to the Religious Right.

The last protest I attended was an anti-Bush rally in STL (I don't really go to protest myself, but they're always fun to watch... like crashes at NASCAR) . It came complete with TV news crews (which made the event seem larger than it was) and a very organized press relations presence. Nothing happened. It seemed like a day at the park.

Have the liberals gone soft in their protests?

The protest against the fallen priest because his religion is viewed as compromising towards homosexuals? THat seems a bit crazy to me, and definitely on the edge. Westboro's leader, Fred Phelps, believes that natural disasters and terrorist attacks are due to God's wrath over the tolerance of same-sex relationships in America. His church is considered, by some, a hate group.

And they protest everything.

 

[Tez3]

Wow they are a real bundle of fun aren't they! Do you know if you can troll their website lol! I think an attack of satire and ridicule would do them the world of good or at least show people that such things don't have to be tolerated. Free speech suggests they shouldn't be banned but they surely should be targeted for a large campaign by freedom lovers.

 

[Omar B]

I'm an atheist and I can never wrap my head about the hate and anger tied up in religion. Isn't god all about love? Didn't he say he would judge the sinners?

Leave people to live how they choose, it's not affecting you in any way. You cannot run other people's life from upon a lectern.

I'm the uncle to a child of a gay union and I've never seen a happier couple or a happier little boy. It's no man or spirit's domain to tell people how to live their lives, it's not causing you physical or financial harm.

 

[Nolerama]

One of my friends is organizing an anti-protest protest to "help shield the family from the WBC."

For some reason, the concept is amusing and brings up images of the Care Bear Stare (whose existence shows the Care Bears' exclusivity and close-mindedness) But I'd go, if I had the time.

 

[shesulsa]

Wow. I really don't know what to say here. I think people this closed-minded have a lot to do with the negative influence on our culture and are partly to blame for the breakdown of society, especially through their actions.

I'm not saying the pastor should have been shot ... AND I don't think the anti-gay issue was why he was shot. But good lord ... can't we all just get along?

 

[crushing]

So what is it about that group that makes them religious or right, or representative of the so-called religious right? That group is nothing like just about every 'religious right' person I've ever met. I've met some non-religious people that share some of that groups views, but saying that, that group isn't representative of the non-religious people I've met either.

The 'protest culture' of the religious in America started in the 1600s to abolish slavery. Or even before, if you think that coming to the America's was an act of protest in itself.

 

[CoryKS]

Where have you been? Fred and his klan have been protesting everything under the sun for years. Don't know that their antics signify that the protest culture in general has shifted to the right, it's just that the leftists have stopped crying now that they've got their way.

 

[Twin Fist]

WBC has a congragation of about 5, and they are all related to him. He no more represents the right than the "truthers" represent all of the left.

generally, the "right" doesnt protest, we are usually at work

 

[Tez3]

WBC has a congragation of about 5, and they are all related to him. He no more represents the right than the "truthers" represent all of the left.

generally, the "right" doesnt protest, we are usually at work

Tbh I wouldn't have classed them as right, left or anything else more as oxygen thieves.

 

[Flea]

Yeah, I first heard about Westboro in the early 80s when GRID (now AIDS) started making the rounds. They were picketing funerals. Several years ago they upgraded (?!) to picketing the funerals of war dead.

As a GLBT activist I'm pretty familiar with their antics. I did a passive counter-protest to their picketing once. The town held a "diversity" event when they heard WBC was coming. I drove a couple hours with friends to support some high school kids with the brass balls to start a GLBT club in a small Kentucky town. The city had to allow WBC's picket, but put them a good distance from the event. As we went by, we gave them a cheerful wave and a "Jesus loves you!"

You'd be surprised at how many cities have passed laws just for their benefit - no picketing at churches, no picketing funerals, redefining hate speech, and so on. It's dicey because they do most of their fundraising by lawsuit. It's a calculated move; Fred Phelps himself is an attorney. Several of his progeny are too. You can't even fart away from their general direction without making a contribution to their "ministry." We homos are very studious about not acknowledging them in anyway while they're around. Besides, it just gives them the smug satisfaction of feeling liek victims.

To answer the original question, no, conservatives aren't just now discovering protests. Consider the anti-abortion movement (remember Operation Rescue?) Or further back, the Temperance movement. And that's just in US history.

 

[Tez3]

That lot are as mad as a box of chocolate frogs. I think you must all be more restrained than us, if they turned up at one of our squaddies funerals with their foul rants they would be seriously be in trouble. Our regiments recruit from specific areas so if there is a funeral the whole town will turn out plus the regiment and their families as they all come from the same area. They would only demonstrate once. We don't have the same laws so their lawsuits wouldn't work here. We have laws against the harrassment of gay people, people can't incite hatred without being arrested, harrassing service personnel's families not on either. There would also be public order offences. Off the top of my head I can see several charges that could be brought against them here.

They may try to act as martyrs but the public taste in religion in this country is towards the Church of England - "quiet and tasteful". We have female and gay clergy, same sex marriages, several very high profile, we have a government minister in a same sex marriage. Pro choice is the accepted thing. The tolerance for the kind of behaviour exhibited by these scrotes is negible. Too bad they don't come over here and try it.

 

[Gordon Nore]

That lot are as mad as a box of chocolate frogs. I think you must all be more restrained than us, if they turned up at one of our squaddies funerals with their foul rants they would be seriously be in trouble. Our regiments recruit from specific areas so if there is a funeral the whole town will turn out plus the regiment and their families as they all come from the same area. They would only demonstrate once. We don't have the same laws so their lawsuits wouldn't work here. We have laws against the harrassment of gay people, people can't incite hatred without being arrested, harrassing service personnel's families not on either. There would also be public order offences. Off the top of my head I can see several charges that could be brought against them here.

There are YouTube clips of very large men -- often ex-military, I believe -- who show up on motorcycles and peacefully ruin the view for Phelps and his fellow fugitives from sanity. Their acts of disruption put them off the left-right scale, but one has to remember that Patriotism as a US ideal is irrelevant to Phelps and his family. As far as they're concerned, everyone but their little brood is going to "Fag Hell." God Hates America, you see -- so sayeth Phelps' website.

Now, I truly believe there is tremendous passive support for their cause -- they are essentially, single-minded, disaffected 'oxygen thieves,' and there's a few of those running around.

Many people in the fundamentalist movement at least are charitable enough to believe that a big man crush is going to keep a fellow out of Heaven. They believe that homosexuals can be 'cured,' and God loves the doer but hates the deed. The mass of fundamentalists believes that the average sodomite has a crack (pun intended) at everlasting light.

Pheps' god hates everybody.

In that sense, they remind me of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_(religious_group) Heaven's Gate folks who thought the comet riders were coming, so they had voluntary orchiectomies. Phelps' crew is addicted to the idea that the world is going to be anihilated by one PO'd homo-hating God.

 

[Carol]

I think protests in America are often associated with liberals because of the 1960s. The young people of the 60s, generally very liberal, and at an age where one is often economically challenged, turned the protest in to a form of mass-communication. Public demonstrations, art (esp. music) and word of mouth were the primary vehicles of sharing their point of view, finding other like-minded people...and, yes, to get attention.

Have the liberals gone soft in their protests? Perhaps most points of view have "gone soft" - and in doing so, been more effective.

Since then, America's protest culture has, overall, become more subtle. Take, for example, a walk for hunger/AIDS/cancer. These are not always political protests in the classic sense (but they often have political implications), yet they are among the most effective. They raise money, and they are activities that a lot of people can participate in. This results in like-minded people getting together and perhaps even brainstorming to do more than get their thoughts heard...which can result in greater corrective action. They get oodles of attention because they can affect the traffic pattern of a city. This results in media coverage, civic coverage (police/municipal demands) in addition to the attention of passers-by.

Other forms of protest involve using the public exchanges. Roman Catholics as well as not-so-religious folks in Massachusetts bought stock in General Electric with the aim of forcing a shareholder resolution targeting how the company was dumping PCBs in the Housatonic River in western Mass. Or, protest by entrepreneurship. A few years ago I heard about some folks that had emigrated to Massachusetts from India. They were staunch vegetarians and, unhappy with the veg-friendly food choices in the area, they decided to start their own vegetarian restaurant.

I didn't realize Phelps was an attorney. That makes complete sense though. He seems to have found new ways to exploit our first amendment freedoms to get attention. Unfortunately it is working.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I think protests in America are often associated with liberals because of the 1960s. The young people of the 60s, generally very liberal, and at an age where one is often economically challenged, turned the protest in to a form of mass-communication. Public demonstrations, art (esp. music) and word of mouth were the primary vehicles of sharing their point of view, finding other like-minded people...and, yes, to get attention.

Quite so. I recall my parents being quite alarmed when I started attending various marches and rallies as a young man.

I didn't realize Phelps was an attorney...

Then you might want to sit down when reading this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_phelps#Civil_rights_attorney

 

[jarrod]

There are YouTube clips of very large men -- often ex-military, I believe -- who show up on motorcycles and peacefully ruin the view for Phelps and his fellow fugitives from sanity. Their acts of disruption put them off the left-right scale, but one has to remember that Patriotism as a US ideal is irrelevant to Phelps and his family. As far as they're concerned, everyone but their little brood is going to "Fag Hell." God Hates America, you see -- so sayeth Phelps' website.

Now, I truly believe there is tremendous passive support for their cause -- they are essentially, single-minded, disaffected 'oxygen thieves,' and there's a few of those running around.

Many people in the fundamentalist movement at least are charitable enough to believe that a big man crush is going to keep a fellow out of Heaven. They believe that homosexuals can be 'cured,' and God loves the doer but hates the deed. The mass of fundamentalists believes that the average sodomite has a crack (pun intended) at everlasting light.

Pheps' god hates everybody.

In that sense, they remind me of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_(religious_group) Heaven's Gate folks who thought the comet riders were coming, so they had voluntary orchiectomies. Phelps' crew is addicted to the idea that the world is going to be anihilated by one PO'd homo-hating God.

that's the patriot guard, & they do good work imo.

in addition to fred being a lawyer, most of the clan are lawyers as well. i've been told (though i haven't confirmed it) that many members of his congregation are topeka cops. they protested my friends graduation from KU several years ago, i think they protest it every year. apparently, god hates education too.

jf

 

[Flea]

Fred Phelps is an extremely sick man. It would be interesting to see a formal psych evaluation of him, although it would probably fall right in line with other hate-group members. Klansmen and such.

But really, all we're doing with this conversation is paying him attention he doesn't deserve. Why are we dignifying him with any acknowledgement at all?

I don't know about you guys, but I like puppies. And brownies. But most especially puppies. :angel:

 

[jarrod]

here, i baked a puppy into a brownie for you!

jf

 

[CoryKS]

You guys might find this article interesting. A journalist working on a documentary about the Phelps family mentions it to his taxi driver, who turns out to be Nate Phelps, Fred's son, who left the church and became an atheist. Stick around for the comments, where Shirley responds directly. That's some bad crazy there, friends.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

It's become the way of our society in general.

If at first you don't succeed, whine until your dreams come true.

 

[Flea]

here, i baked a puppy into a brownie for you!

Well, shoot! I first read that as "I baked a poppy into a brownie," and I got all excited. I haven't had one of those brownies in a long time ... :fanboy: