No Tolerance for Intolerance
The Westboro Baptist Church has caused a lot of controversy in recent years by exercising its right to freedom of speech to the fullest extent during various protests. However, the controversy does not come from the right to freedom of speech, but, is coming from what they are saying verbally and in writing on their signage at protests. This church has been referred to as a hate group rather than a religious organization, especially because of the fact that the WBC is not actually affiliated with any larger church denomination (Burke). Arguably one of the most famous hate groups in America, the Ku Klux Klan, has even come out to speak on how awful this group is, even counter-protesting at their protests (“KKK vs. WBC”). The Westboro Baptist Church will hold a protest in almost any place at any given time including funerals, public parades and events, football games, Comic Cons, concerts and schools. Who does this group protest against? That is not a simple question to answer considering they do not like anyone from the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transvestite community or anyone who supports this community as well as soldiers from the United States military or people who support our troops. The WBC is a great example of intolerance, because they are intolerant of anyone who does not have the same exact beliefs as they do.
Fred Phelps is the man who founded the WBC in 1955 in Topeka, Kansas, it is said to be founded on primitive Baptist beliefs and extreme Calvinism. Phelps had his mind made up on attending West Point Military Academy until he went to a Methodist Revival, which he claims inspired him to enter the ministry. However, he and his wife moved to Topeka, KS on the same day that the Supreme C...
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...tist Church to Defend Military Funeral Protests Before High Court."
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became one of the "most violent white supremacist centers of the 1980s" (Phelps). Members lived
They hated anyone who was not a white Christian, and would go as far as to kill anyone who was not. This group is the Ku Klux Klan. This group of people were known primarily for their very Nazi-based ideologies, which in turn, they ended up murdering many who were not white, or even burning down the homes and business’ of those who weren’t. They were strongly against the progressive movement of the American Government toward the African American people. Although today this group has lost many in numbers, there are still a surprisingly large amount of people who are part of
... the nation. And it definitely advises us to be vigilant against those who would still claim superiority over people of color—there’s clearly more racism than some Americans may be aware of. The one minor flaw the JBAKC makes is to perhaps get “too persuasive” in this piece. That is, if it were to be labeled “extremist,” it could take away from the information and their message. Unfounded claims, also, could debunk their message as erroneous to the general public. However, imperfections aside, one thing most Americans can agree on is that racism ought to be a thing of the past in our free society, and Take a Stand Against the Klan is an effective and fiery call to action on that account. And if it fails to provoke action, at the very least its controversy provokes thought—one way or another bringing us one step closer to ending white supremacy and oppression.
The court found Westboro Baptist Church liable for millions of dollars on the tort charges of intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and civil conspiracy. Westboro fought the verdict by claiming it was “grossly excessive
When people choose to follow a religion they agree to practice the tenets and standards put forth by that religion. If a person is a practicing Christian they would need to follow the teachings of love and kindness that are given forth by Jesus Christ. Frederick Douglass in his work, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, and William Apess in his work, "An Indian's Looking-Glass for the White Man" both disagree with the form of Christianity practiced and preached by their white oppressors. Although Douglass and Apess are from different cultural backgrounds, both men's works share the theme of the white mans perversion of the Christian religion.
Religious conscience in America has evolved considerably since the first settlers emigrated here from Europe. Primary settlements were established by Puritans and Pilgrims who believed "their errand into the wilderness [America] was above all else a religious errand, and all institutions - town meeting, school, church, family, law-must faithfully reflect that fact" (Gaustad 61). However, as colonies grew, dissenters emerged to challenge Puritan authority; indeed, many of them left the church to join untraditional religious sects such as "the Ranters, the Seekers, the Quakers, the Antinomians, and the Familists" (Westbrook 26). Debates over softening the stance on tolerance in the church engendered hostility in many religious leaders, priming some officials to take action. Whether it was in direct response to "the liberalizing tendencies beginning to take hold in some [. . .] New England churches" (Westbrook 65), or a "reaction against the attempt in the Age of Reason to reduce Christian doctrine to rationalistic explanation" ("Great Awakening"), the Great Awakening impressed upon the issues of religious conscience. Moreover, what spawns from this controversy is a query over the juxtaposition of morality and spirituality: the question of whether these conditions are actually related. The gradual escalation of unconventional thinking in religious affairs facilitated new ideas on what defined spirituality; one religious theory, boosted by Thomas Paine and his book, The Age of Reason, denounced both Christianity and Atheism, proposing instead, a new concept: the middle path of Deism.
The Ku Klux Klan is classified as a hate group who in their three summits in history forced blacks and other ethnic groups to live in fear that they did not deserve.
The church Westboro Baptist Church started as “God hates fags” has now devolved into a comprehensive inclusion of nearly every group, nation, and person who is not involved in Westboro Baptist Church. They are quick to say that God hates everyone who does not believe exactly what they do.
Imagine thousands of people dressed in white robes and tall pointy hats burning crosses, burning churches, and murdering innocent lives across America. Sadly these kinds of people did exist. They were called the Ku Klux Klan. This organization had it planned from the beginning to keep the whites above everyone. They wanted to stay at the supreme power and no one could ever be higher than them. The Ku Klux Klan is known everywhere as the most infamous and oldest hate group in America. This group had the goals of keeping African Americans in slavery and preserving segregation, putting protestants and whites over every race and religion, and being known as one of the most violent and feared people around the world.
A long-standing issue in America is racism with Caucasians historically being the dominant race. Although racism is not as severe of an issue as it was in the past, even today there is still a population of people, known as White Supremacists, that believe Christian Caucasians are supreme over all other collective groups. There are many White Supremacist groups, which have nuances among them. For example, some are politically focused trying to only have certain officials elected, while others are religiously focused trying to further their religious ideals. Some are even radical as well going so far as to harass and even murder those who are not like them. One of the groups focusing specifically on religion is the Aryan Nations. Aryan Nations, a religiously driven, American white supremacist group, perverts biblical text to rationalize their beliefs for themselves and recruitment of more members. Members of the Aryan Nations believe in racism, segregation, and have acted on their beliefs.
According to a study done by National Youth Association in 2010, 9 out of 10 students in the LGBT community have experienced harassment in school, and over ⅓ of LGBT youth have attempted suicide. More recently, statistics by the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) claim that 4 in 10 LGBT youth say that their community is not accepting of LGBT people. In 1998 the Westboro Baptist Church was brought into America’s spotlight when they picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man in the LGBT community who had been beaten to death because of his sexuality. Since then, the cruelty of WBC hasn’t ceased to leave many in sickening shock. Bullying, throughout time, has evolved. It’s not just Little Timmy being beaten up for his lunch money anymore. Now, parents are involved. Many religious households raise their children on the beliefs that bullying is A-OK if Little Timmy is a homosexual. Parents ar...
A little boy lies on his deathbed because his parents refuse to take him to a medical doctor. Two men were fired and were refused unemployment benefits for smoking peyote, an illegal narcotic. One man looks to change part of a national recitation because two words of it offend him. A woman and her husband are trying to prosecute a man for a letter he sent to members of their church. These four situations may sound strange and unrelated, but all of them fall under the issue of religious freedom and the separation of church and state.
Web. The Web. The Web. 28 Feb. 2014. Hoggart, Simon.
For the soldiers and families that had fought in the Civil War for years, the end meant victory; it meant that slavery would be abolished and things would turn for the better. All the suffering enslaved people had previously suffered would be over and the South would no longer be able to mistreat them. Finally, all men would be equal. This vision seemed like a happily ever after for America, a justice that was finally served. However, this dream never became reality. When the Civil War is thought of today, most see a valiant effort to rid America of slavery forever, and stop the vastly unequal practices that many white Americans relied on. The war is seen as its own story, beginning with people who were kept as property, and ending with the
Web. The Web. The Web. 14 May 2014. Stanley, Jay.