What would the Racconans do?

[Tom Mazanec]

I wouldn't blame Ralph for locking this thread about a "Baptist" church, but before he does please tell me how the Seven Villages would treat such a religion. I read this yesterday and I am still so mad I can barely type,
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/st ... xml&coll=2

[BrockthePaine]

"Even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." Aye, isn't that the truth.

I'd guess they'd probably be seen as mentally ill.

[Axelgear]

Oooh no, not THESE guys again...

I don't see what the Baptist part is. No Christian would advocate such things, the fact that they like to call themselves Baptist is as much as calling the Solar Temple, who believed that, when they died, they would be transported to a far of planet and revived, to be Orthodox Catholics. Fact is, the tenets of the two are totally different.

These people, however, are thoroughly sick. I think the best words in the article are:

"Did not Jesus say "Judge not lest ye be judged?""

and

"This is an obvious example of the twisting and perversion of religion."

Have any of these people ever heard of Love thy Neighbour?

[Frigidmagi]

It should be noted that the vast bulk of this sick little group is made up of a single family. A large family none the less. Another sick little twist the daddy of this group is a disbarred lawyer and all his little kids have grown up to be lawyers. Makes it damn hard to take legal action against them. Fred the daddy and boss of this cult is accused of having abused his children... By one of his sons, who he has disowned.

[Canis_lupus]

http://www.break.com/index/westboro_bap ... _away.html They got lucky here.

But seriously these people make me sick, i cant even describe what i would do to them if i had a chance. Think Pulp Fiction.

[Atarlost]

For that matter, have they heard of the old testament? There's nothing in the New testament for people responsable for setting government policy. Nothing for arms of the state at all except "eschew corruption". There's a lot of stuff in the old testament, though, and none of it is pacifist.

Take the biblical model for hostage situations, for example. Someone takes Lot hostage. What does Abraham do? He assembles an army and kills them. He is not rerprimanded by God for this, but is blessed in the endeavor. You don't turn the other cheek when lives are at stake. All scripture is God breathed, and that includes even the nasty militant parts.

[LoneWolf23k]

http://www.break.com/index/westboro_baptist_church_chased_away.html They got lucky here.

But seriously these people make me sick, i cant even describe what i would do to them if i had a chance. Think Pulp Fiction.

Forget Pulp Fiction.. I'd go for Resevoir Dogs.

[Canis_lupus]

never seen it but if its the ear part i know about that.

[BrockthePaine]

http://www.break.com/index/westboro_baptist_church_chased_away.html They got lucky here.

But seriously these people make me sick, i cant even describe what i would do to them if i had a chance. Think Pulp Fiction.

Ah, well, I can describe my thoughts. Have you ever seen the Potemkin Steps scene? I'd have a few hundred tough, gutsy picked men who aren't afraid of breaking a few skulls, distributing M14s and bayonets to them all, line them up on the front and one flank of the protestors, and have them start marching. Anybody who's still in the way when we come through... well, cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it.

[Axelgear]

I'm a more akin to Jigsaw as far as my idea of a painful death goes. That guy, despite being disturbing in motive, is incredibly creative. Covering a man in flammable grease and giving him two minutes to get to the exit while making him walk on oiled glass holding a candle? Nothing short of sick, twisted genius. Or forcing someone through a maze of razorbladed walls.

[Canis_lupus]

well my method was not meant to be deadly.

Just to get him rammed by Bubba the gimp and become what he hates the most.

[Axelgear]

I suggest, then, tossing them all naked into a maximum security prison full of rapists and murderers with sharp, pointy objects. Same result but far more violent. Foamy has such elegant solutions sometimes...

[Canis_lupus]

the squirrel?

[Axelgear]

The very same.

And it's true; in that video if the police weren't there, those bodies would never have been found.

I doubt I'm the only one who realizes though that they are defending people who OPPOSE the civil liberties the police are ensuring they get... Maybe we should just throiw them to the voracious masses... I'm certain what they get from the people whose children, brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, and so on, all died fighting for the freedoms these people enjoy will be quite apt, and what is surely to follow after their eventual deaths will be equally deserving...

But I can't help but feel it's wrong to think such hateful things... Let's hope that somehow these people see the error of their ways and beg for forgiveness...

[Canis_lupus]

Its like hating hitler. you think its bad that you have those thoughts but then you remember "Oh ya, its hilter." and then you feel better

[Earl McClaw]

"Did not Jesus say 'Judge not lest ye be judged?'"

And the "church" member immediately accused the journalist of judging her. Sounds like standard tactics - if you don't have a good defense, go on the attack.

I doubt I'm the only one who realizes though that they are defending people who OPPOSE the civil liberties the police are ensuring they get... Maybe we should just throw them to the voracious masses... <snip>

But I can't help but feel it's wrong to think such hateful things...

I'll agree with that last sentence. After all, Freedom of Speech should include allowing someone to express an opinion you may be (violently) opposed to.

Munincipalities have effective tools to deal with these people. Most require permits for protests and the like, and placing restrictions on those protests or denying them outright will give the targets of the protests some peace. (How to justify the denial? Well, not having a local sponsor for your group or keeping a buffer distance between scheduled public events comes to mind. "Where do you want to stage the protest? ... I'm sorry, that area's not available at that time. Would you like to schedule it for another day?")

I find it interesting that this group is on the one hand claiming all non-natural deaths are a result of their cited issue, but that they're only staging protests at the funerals of military personnel...

[MikeVanPelt]

But I can't help but feel it's wrong to think such hateful things... Let's hope that somehow these people see the error of their ways and beg for forgiveness...

Yes...

But Jesus himself said there's a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that will never be forgiven, in this world or the next. There's been a lot of speculation about what that is. The theory that makes sense to me is that it's when you twist your own soul into such an abomination that you can never even comprehend the need for forgiveness.

As to whether the Phelps cult has crossed that event horizon of the soul... I can't know, of course, but I have suggested that Phelps might do well to invest in an asbestos-lined coffin.

[Axelgear]

Since quoting would stretch the screen...

First to Earl:

1. Yeah, that is true. It's the first rule of Cult Programming. The top three things cults do are go on the attack before questions can be asked, surround people with other cult members and deny them access to the outside world, and denounce them and exclude them if they do question them. We've seen this group do all three, so...

2. Pretty much every protest they do is unlicensed, but the sad fact is they're never violent. Unless they do something like throw a rock into the other crowd, even if it's unlicensed, the police can't use force in kind. However, the law is clear that, the moment they display any act of violence, they go down. I'm betting though they've been trained not to do this by their father.

To Mike:

I'd place my bet is more the allowing of oneself to be turned into such a monster than anything else. The children raised in the Westboro compound didn't stand a chance and were indoctrinated since birth to hate everyone. I don't think they can be blamed for what they did and do. It'd be like blaming the criminally insane (I.E. Schizophrenics) for rambling. They just can't control it. Even if they were dragged out and deprogrammed, it wouldn't be easy. We'd be talking about undoing a lifetime of harsh words, harsher treatment, and unloving family. The only people that can truely be blamed are the first generation of it who made the willing decision to descend into madness.

[Tom Mazanec]

I would like to point out that Jesus did not die a "natural" death, nor did the martyrs.

[Axelgear]

Oooo, that's a good one.