Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Between a Rock and a Hot Place

I plan to ask God, when I meet him, what was the purpose of the Phelps family and the Westboro Baptist Church. What was their goal? Because, without divine wisdom, I will never understand it.

Protesting a funeral makes no sense. End of sentence. What is to be gained, except for causing pain to the mourning? What else could be a possible goal? And even though I find it sinful and deplorable, I can almost glean their goal from protesting a homosexual or the country that (essentially) tolerates it. But an innocent nine-year old?

It makes me sick to my stomach. And, unfortunately, I think THAT has to be the goal, doesn't it? Attention has to be purpose. Making other people angry so that they behave badly, all in order to emphasize your original point that Americans are awful and God hates them. Or something.

Every time it happens, more people stand against it. And that is something we can be proud of, isn't it? Well, isn't it?

A bill is being pushed furiously across desks throughout Arizona in order to stop this kind of behavior. And I want to celebrate that. But then I read this sentence:

"The court is expected to issue a ruling soon on whether free speech can be curbed at specific locations and events."

At this point I hear myself saying things like "slippery slope". That choice of words... well, it isn't good.

And I think that perhaps I understand a tiny piece of why these vile people exist in the world: to encite discussion and discovery. But I'm still going to have to ask God.

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