slammerkinbabe | (no subject)

Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, is dying. Please please please don't picket his funeral.

Let's remember why all the funeral pickets were awful: because they made the funerals hell for those who were grieving. Picketing a funeral does nothing to the dead. But the people who grieve for Phelps are not all terrible. Many of his children have left the church,* but that doesn't mean that in some complicated way they may not still love their father, and whether they do or not, they deserve closure. A funeral can provide that. But not if it takes place with hatred being shouted in the background.

And above all: Phelps's protests were based in hate. LGBTQ activism is based in love, not hate.

Please don't picket Phelps's funeral.

_______________________

*Incidentally, VERY weird detail in that article: Phelps himself was excommunicated from the church in the middle of last year. No one outside the WBC knows the reason. Some are theorizing he had a change of heart, but that seems improbable to me, after a lifetime of fiercely determined hatred. Very interesting though.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I love that idea. It's perfect -- people who want to picket to say how wrong he was could do it that way. I feel like that would have a lot of power. I hope it happens!

I do too. :)

Eh, I still think it is catty. People wouldn't be doing it to be loving. G-d sees your intention.

His grieving family should just be left alone.

I should add that to comfort a mourner is a very important mitzvah.

Oops, the anon comment is from me.

I suppose that's not untrue. I was thinking a little about it later, how members of his church aren't going to perceive love in those protests. I think it's way way better than "God hates Fred" or whatever, but probably still not the best idea. I hope not all the people suggesting that idea are being catty though. I didn't feel catty when I liked it, anyway. I think showing love for those most people would shun is a good, powerful gesture in itself -- just not the best idea in this case for the family's sake.