Controversial Westboro Baptist Church Plans to Picket Ledger's Funeral

Many stories have surrounded the sudden death of actor Heath Ledger, but the most disturbing one involves the controversial Westboro Baptist Church.

The church issued a press release on Wednesday which said: "'Brokeback Mountain' star Heath Ledger is dead. WBC w ill picket his funeral." The press release also went on to state: "Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there- beside which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is relevant or consequential." The church plans to picket the funeral with "Heath Ledger is now in Hell" signs according to Fox News.

According to Wikipedia, the reason that the church plans to picket the funeral is due to the fact that Ledger played Ennis Del Mar, a homosexual cowboy in the Academy-award winning movie, "Brokeback Mountain." The church condones gay relationships along with lesbians, bisexuals, transgender individuals, Roman Catholics, Jews and Muslims. The group also denounces populations associated with these groups of people, including Canada and the United States. The group believes that God hates homosexuals above all sinners and that homosexuality should be a capital crime.

Church member Shirley Phelps-Roper told Fox News, ""God hates fags," she said. "The wrath of God has been revealed before the eyes of this nation with the death of Heath Ledger. This nation worships the dead almost as much as they worship their filthy sex acts. America is doomed."

Ledger was found dead on the afternoon of January 22, 2008 in his New York City apartment. The cause of death is currently being investigated, but it has been reported that prescription drugs were found near the body, along with a rolled up $20.00 bill. The original autopsy was inconclusive.

The actor was 28 years-old and best known for his roles in "Monster's Ball", "The Patriot" and his upcoming role as the Joker in the soon-to-be-released movie, "The Dark Knight."

The church has picketed American soldiers' funerals because they condemn the United States. However, the group is more famous for its disturbing memorial for Matthew Shepard. In 1998, Shepard, a homosexual man, was beaten to death by two men in Wyoming. In January 2006, the Westboro Baptist Church protested the memorial of the Sago Mine victims. The group believed that the mining tragedy was an act of God against America for its tolerance of homosexuality

The church also wanted to picket the funeral of the five young girls killed in the Amish school shooting and the Virginia Tech victims. However, news radio host Mike Gallagher offered the group air time on his radio show if they would not picket. The church accepted, but Gallagher repeatedly told his audience that their views did not reflect his or the show's.

One of the followers of the church claimed that the group spends about $250,000 per year on travelling expenses. The church receives their money from their members' incomes and also money won in lawsuits.

The church is run by Fred Phelps and identifies themselves as Baptists, but they are an independent church not affiliated with any known Baptist associations. The church is best known for their web site, GodHatesFags.com. On the site, the group's slogans are posted. Among these slogans are "Thank God for 9/11", "Thank God for the Tsunami" and "Thank God for Katrina."