A Plan for Dealing with the Westboro Baptist Church

They have been called the most hated family in America. In fact, with an inflated sense of self-martyrdom, they have described themselves that way. I am speaking of the Phelps family of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Upon reflection, that last sentence could have been written in reverse. I could just as easily be speaking of the Westboro Baptist Church of the Phelps family, as the extended family makes up most of the small population of the church.

Led by patriarch Fred Phelps, the church has become famous (and earned the most-hated handle) for preaching that "god hates fags," protesting movies and plays that focus on gay or lesbian themes, and protesting the funerals of soldiers. It is this last obsession of theirs that I want to deal with.

The church has been sued for their funeral protests. They have been arrested for stomping on the flag. They have been recently met at their various protests by members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of volunteer motorcycle riding military retirees who assemble wherever the Westboro Baptist Church is to protest. Standing in an unbroken line, they to try to shield, for instance, the bereaved attendees of a military funeral from the protesters. I applaud the Riders for their work, but I think there might be a more direct way to counter the church, one that they cannot help but notice.

It helps that it is also humorously ironic.

Here's how it works. The mechanic is well known... have you ever had a co-worker announce to you that they were going to go on a charity walk of some sort, and ask you to sponsor them 'x' amount for each mile? Imagine a similar system for the church's protests. Counter protesters, even the Riders, gather donations based on how long the church protesters remain on site in their protest. The money is donated to organizations the church demonizes.

GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders)
Various Veterans Associations
GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)
AIDS Researchers
Veterans Associations

The day of the counter-protest, make sure that the church knows that they are earning money for the very people they are protesting against. The longer the church protesters stay, the more money is raised.

In the end, they can almost be thanked for their help raising the money. Almost.

Note: I cannot take credit for this idea. It was originally suggested by Hammer over at the Religion, Ethics, Spirituality & More Discussion Board. It is such a good idea, though, that I thought it needed to be shared and spread around the net.

A Worthy First Post

There is some burden in beginning a blog, some sense that this is such a self-serving outlet that there must be some onerous need for me to put my words into the public view. No matter that I intend that those words will deal in the mundane as well as the massive, there is something about opening a space like this that taunts the writer will an arrogant expectation. My views, my opinions, have served me well enough, sure. But what makes me think that they are good enough for others, or that I am the person to tell others what they should think?

Only that is not the purpose of a space such as this. This space is simply a repository, a place to share my thoughts. If you think I am improperly trying to sell you a valueless product, you only have to move along to your next distraction.

There is, of course, another side to opening a blog - for me at least. There is a fundamental truth that one believes what one believes, according to the information available to them (and their presuppositions). I am sure that this will come through in my entries to this blog, but the basic point that matters now is something that I was told by my World Religions professor, Professor Wilson, years ago: no one goes to a false church to worship a false god. No one holds a false belief on purpose, or for the sake of holding a false belief... or to spite some other person or some diety. Each person believes what they believe. They may espouse a belief that they do not truly follow, some behavior that they do not truly believe, in order to get along in their lives, but the structure of description there should give away that this is a belief they do not truly believe. They are engaging in a behavior contrary to their beliefs. One thing that we can say about this person, one thing we know about their beliefs is that they believe it is better to get along in their life than to endure the consequences of either 1) following through on their beliefs or 2) spending the time to delve their beliefs to understand them and put them in perspective. They may not acknowledge it, but their actions make it clear enough.

In my opinion, most people do not take the time to parse their own beliefs. They are unwilling to take their belief structure (most likely inherited and heavily borrowed from their parents) apart and test each component. They are unwilling to think critically about their own beliefs, at least those that are faith based. They believe what they believe, but they have not challenged those beliefs. They have not examined them from some outside perspective (to the extent that such is possible).

This is an epiphany of sorts, one that is not automatic for everyone. Everyone above the mental age of 2 or 3 has an epiphany where they realize that they are separate and distinct from their parents - they come to realize that they are an individual. But not everyone goes on to have this epiphany. Not all come to realize that when viewed from the outside, your beliefs look very much how another person’s beliefs appear to you. Just as flawed. Just as incomplete. Just as artificial. The person who has had this epiphany cannot help but become more tolerant and accepting. Others become as much a potential source of knowledge, truth, or insight as one’s own beliefs. The problem is that this epiphany is also threatening. It is a scary proposition to realize that what you believe might be wrong, or at least not as demonstrably-right as you once thought it to be.

There is a fear to be faced in the not knowing, and not everyone is prepared for it. It is much easier to deny other beliefs and other truths, believing that you have the single True Source. Unfortunately, this path leads to stagnation, irrationality, and intolerance. For these people, I can only hope that they find some comfort in their beliefs, and that they would undergo the second epiphany I described above sometime in the future.

This, then, is the larger reason for beginning a blog such as this. Putting my beliefs into the public view is a strong motivator for the examination of those beliefs, testing them in my own mind and taking them to their outer limits. Putting them in a blog also allows for feedback on those beliefs. Only in answering challenges or facing alternate interpretations will my beliefs continue to grow.

So, there is much to say on these pages, and much to learn. Some of it will be ponderous, some will be playful. Some will be irreverent, and some irreducible. You can always join the discussion by offering comment on my blog entries.

Thanks for stopping by, and check back soon.