'God Hates Fags' church to demonstrate against Health Ledger memorial services
Mikey 19 comments
The misguided bunch or pratts known as the Westboro Baptist Church (you know - the 'God Hates Fags' church) are planning on demonstrating during any memorial services held for recently deceased Perth born actor Heath Ledger.
The Church says the protest is because Ledger played a gay cowboy in the film Brokeback Mountain.
Incidentally, the Westboro Baptist Church are officially classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre in the United States.
Altoid
Friday 25th January 2008 | 12:17 PMBut if God exists, will they go to Heaven or Hell? Doing His work, but inspiring hate and suffering towards a group of innocent people. I'm surprised they can even begin to justify their actions at all.
honestape
Friday 25th January 2008 | 12:24 PMThe devil's going to have such a good time with these guys when they die.
honestape
Friday 25th January 2008 | 12:26 PMSorry for the double entry, but I was commenting concurrently with Altoid.
Altoid:
There is no way that they are doing God's work. They are as far from being Godly or following in the footsteps of Christ that you can get.
Jake
Friday 25th January 2008 | 02:08 PMI heard the head organiser talking this morning to the brekkie radio show I listen to, she pretty much sounds exactly like that wacko nut from wife swap that Rodney posted last week.
A MESSAGE TO ALL SANE AMERICANS:
If you hear that a memorial for Heath Ledger is being held anywhere near you, go there and ensure that the Westbro "God Hates Fags" Church is not allowed to get anywhere near.
Anonymous... where are you when we need you?
Dion
Saturday 26th January 2008 | 03:07 AM"Incidentally, the Westboro Baptist Church are officially classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre in the United States".
Michael
Without defending the Westboro Baptist Church, who appear to be a bunch of nuts, since when does the the Southern Poverty Law Centre become an expert group in defining "hate" speech? What a useless term it is. Do some research. And what an unprofessional chap you show yourself to be in praising one set of extremists over another. Another beat up on a third rate website controlled by a coterie of fourth rate pseudo-intellectuals. Maybe you are all frustrated Daily Beast reporters?
@ Dion:
"since when does the the Southern Poverty Law Centre become an expert group in defining "hate"
Never said they were experts. But some people might consider them to be - others might not.
"Do some research."
I did. That statement remains a fact. If you had done some research yourself you would have discovered that.
"And what an unprofessional chap you show yourself to be in praising one set of extremists over another."
Please clarify. What set of extremists am I praising?
"Another beat up on a third rate website controlled by a coterie of fourth rate pseudo-intellectuals."
Thanks for the tip. Here's an idea - don't come back! The only thing you want to contribute is "you guys suck", and honestly we don't need your types throwing negative attitude around. If you want to make you and your superiority complex feel better, your commenting style would be right at home at youtube.com. About 95% of those comments are "you suck!" and "f*ck you morons don't know anything" but somehow I think you already knew that.
You won't be missed.
honestape
Saturday 26th January 2008 | 09:46 AM@Dion
What extremists is Michael "praising over others?" I don't see any example of such.
Wait, let me guess. Are you referring to gays? If so, you clearly think "Hate Speech" is a useless term because you don't want your words to be lumped into that category.
Gilly
Tuesday 29th January 2008 | 04:54 PMMy 2 cents My 2 cents
Westboro Baptist Church, Dont seem like a true Christian organisation. There works are definetly not justifiable.
Christ would not condone these activities. Christian by name not by action.
There is a difference.
I think this might be a first, but I have to agree with Gilly on that. The Westboro Baptist Church seem to have their own personal beliefs at play instead of those of a 'regular christian' (for lack of a better term). Most Christians (or even non-Christians for that matter) wouldn't agree with their stance or practices.
I watched those lamers interviewed last night as they picketed the Heath Ledger services. The woman said she was proud to be making the event so disruptive. Lunatic.
It goes to just how insane they are - even when someone pretends to be gay (acting in a movie) they see that as a 'violation'.
If only 'Anonymous' and his clan would include The Westboro Baptist Church among their targets.
Jake
Wednesday 30th January 2008 | 09:27 AM@ Mike
Do you know who they were interviewed by? Any chance of posting the interview on here?
I heard on of the organisers on the radio a week back, they depict all that is right and wrong about religion. i.e. a religion is a set of beliefs, attended by people with commonalities, surrounded by a supernatural or 'higher calling/power'.
@Gilly
These people may not be christians based on your idealistic stereotype, but you have voiced your distaste for catholics on here, and essentially, Westbro is just another sect of your religion. They believe they're doing 'christ's work'... as laughable as that is. You must accept them as christians by actions and name; that is your cross to bare!
In the end; the guy they choose to emulate died 2 millennia ago and had been dead for a few hundred years before anything was written about him. Not a single person alive on this earth can tell you what his mission is or was definatively and thus it is completely irrelivant.
Oops... that kind of turned into a rant, sorry!
Gilly
Wednesday 30th January 2008 | 03:11 PMJake You sure go on and on and on and on and on and on ...... and on etc.
Hitler made a pact with the Catholic church, does that make me a Nazi by my relation to Christianity via the Catholic church.
Thats plane stupid.
Let me place down some ground rules for ignorant people that dont know what they are talking about-
Christ taught Love and Forgiveness, he also promised Graceby his death.If anybody can find teachings by Jesus or his disciples from the Bible NT(cos Jewish law is different.) that contradicts them please put them on here.
If I choose to go to Heaths funeral and hold up a sign that states "Heath Ledger is going to hell because the Rusty Lime web site cult says he was a rotten snot poofta who got what was comming to him". You Jake state by association with me and this website you have to agree with my sign.
Do you realise how completely STUPID your statement is. Do you Jake realise the depth of your inane comments. Truely Jake you are a worse Troll than I have ever been.
Grow up.
By the way I wouldnt go to Heaths funeral with a rusty lime sign. 1 I dont know anything about Heath Ledger 2, I wouldnt want to give Rusty Lime any more exposure than I allready give it. Sometimes I feel I have to carry this whole site on my own shoulders.
Did I say GROW UP JAKE?
Jake
Wednesday 30th January 2008 | 03:49 PMJesus on a stick Gilly, you're a sanctamonious little bugger. I'll push my point further; you call yourself a 'christian', catholics call themselves 'christians', anglicans call themselves 'christians', J-Dubs call themselves 'christians', mormons call themselves 'christians'... who the hell are you to say that you are more 'christian' than anyone else who identifies themself under that nifty little cross?
With regards to your comment about the NT, I challenge you to come up with impiracle evidence that anything stated in the new testament of the bible came directly from the mouth of Jesus.
Can I just say Gilly, that I've enjoyed your posts now for almost a full year... good times, good times.
Gilly
Wednesday 30th January 2008 | 04:23 PMYou question a book 2000years old but accept evolotion based on hearsay and assumptions.
Figures
The Bible has yet to be proven wrong in anything and has prophecies coming to fruition even today.
Jake, arguably the Bible is the word of God. Any body calling themselves a Christian and trying hard to follow his rulebook are Christians. Simple isnt it.
Its not a nifty little cross that binds Christians, Jake. Its the Bible, the written word of God and his son Jesus. Nothing can prove to you that it is real, Jake, cos you cant accept it.
But then you have never studied it either.
Jake I have been where you are. I have seen it and done it and said it.
Jake
Thursday 31st January 2008 | 09:15 AMYou've been where I am? Well that is just great gilly, and you were able to correct all of those personality flaws with a simple e-metre test were you? You know the scientologists bare a cross in their emblem as well.
I find myself able to accept anything that shows proof. I've read and studdied the bible. In my opinion after reading the book and really studdying it, you are faced with two options, blind faith or agnosticism/atheism.
The profesies in the bible are vague and detatched Gilly, there is no specificity therefore making it more likely for its readers to find fulfilment in obvious coincidence.
Gilly
Thursday 31st January 2008 | 05:58 PMNo question about profesies Jake.
Lets work on prophecy shall we?
Contrary to your "studies". The Bible is very accurate and if you had studied them you would see that Israel by name is used quite specificaly. I dont plan to sit here and waste my time or yours, but clearly from the Rebirth of Israel to the mark of the beast all of Gods plans are falling into place.
You can not deny what you state you cant understand.
Try this link
http://100prophecies.org/
Pay attention to the end time profesies for me will ya
No I dont know much about scientologists or E meters. Just the fact that once I believed Christianity was a ridiculous set of rules imposed on weak minded fools.
I am now stronger than I have ever been spiritually and mentally.
blind faith or agnosticism/atheism
or
Christianity or Blind faith in agnosticism/atheism
Nah nah nah
d
Sunday 3rd February 2008 | 06:41 PMwe need more churches like this one....
me
Thursday 7th February 2008 | 07:21 PMwell fruitsticks. dem is fighting words dem is.
You are all a bunch of emotion-fuelled little adolescents aren't you. I like how discussion threads wander off onto other topics....of hmm...passionate debate...
Whether christianity is right or wrong, whether you believe that christianity can be lumped into one "non-denominational" organisation or not are interesting debates. There doesn't have to be one singular objective truth. What is right and wrong, in a case like this really depends on the individual and how they interprete their life, their environment, and so on...so don't go beating each other up because you can't agree on this - I mean, in the end it doesn't matter right? You believe, you don't, or your not sure - it really doesn't matter in the end.
You figure it out for yourself, you stick with your beliefs, you keep an open mind and let "knowledge" be a fluid journey, questioning...you can even do both simultaneously in some cases!
By forcing your beliefs on each other, as you both are doing - you are water-downed versions of this church that is/has picketted at heath's funeral/memorial.
You are allowed to analyse things in your own way and come to your own conclusions, and hold on to your own beliefs, you can debate and you can discussion...but I feel the line needs to be drawn when you harm another (and perhaps even yourself?).... and you can harm others in many ways..not just physically.
What this church is doing is hateful and hurtful. Heath is gone, but his family and friends remain and they want to celebrate his life and hold on to his memory - and to have these people threatening to ruin that is so selfish and violent. They don't know heath, they have seen one piece of his work and judged him on that.
God...there are plenty of actors who have done a worse job! As far as depicting something they find to be so unacceptable....well do they picket at the deaths of people who have played murders, robbers, adulterous people, blah blah blah....do they picket at their own funerals for causing unnecessary grief to his family and friends. They are hurting others - and that is what it comes down to. Their acts are violent. They may not be physical, but they are, with no doubt, extremely violent.
And...if they do claim to be christian, then I am all the more suprised...
I grew up a "J-dub" as someone put it above :) (i always liked that nick name, not as good as Jo-Ho though). It wasn't for me, and "christianity" wasn't for me. But to totally disregard it, is not in my nature, and I felt it would be too careless to do so....
The stories that are told in the bible, I find, often give us insight into our own lives and gives us some advice and direction for how we may proceed. It doesn't always fit...and I have to look at it metaphorically - otherwise it just seems out-of-date...but I definately see the benefit in keeping an open mind about it. Having said that, there are definately things I disagree with. But that is my choice, and I made it.
So stop your bickering kiddies...does it really matter to you what the other believes - are they a good person, a good friend, ...no doubt their beliefs help mould them into this person - so you should at least respect that.
Anyways, all my love and respect goes to heath's family. He wasn't my favourite actor, although "Two Hands" and "Candy" are among my favourites, and I thought he was brilliant in them.
I didn't think he was brave for playing "the gay cowboy" - but it turns out that people in America are much more anti gay then people are here in Australia (or at least from what I can tell - I don't think I know any anti gay people - even some christian ones who don't believe its "natural").....so now I do think it was a brave move.
Cinema and books and other art forms are inspired by our imagination and their primary purpose is to generate debate and discussion, not simply to entertain. Before we can have meaninful debates about taboo topics, we often need to see it dipicted in cinema or in a book or what-have-you. It provides a mean to bring a taboo subject into the spot light safely. It allows us to discuss and debate, and sometimes even change our minds! (gasp!)....the purpose is not so much to persaude but to engage and inspire critical thinking. We should always in our life be asking "why". An actors job is to act. That is what he did. He was no saying it was right or wrong. But he had a heavy burden on his shoulder to help tell us story of what it might be like to be gay in our society. The debate is then up to the rest of us - he should not be persecuted for doing his job.
He will be missed, and I hope his family, his loved-ones, his daughter get the respect they deserve, and I hope that people will find it in their hearts to leave them to mourn the death of their beloved in peace, without their pickets and their hate.
I would apologise for my bad spelling and typos - but I can see its not a problem here ;)
Rodney
Friday 25th January 2008 | 11:29 AMWhat a bunch of tools.