The Westboro Baptist Church

The definition of freedom of speech is very simple. Freedom of speech is being able to speak freely without any kind of censorship. However I can recall a few months back a young child of 14 had put specific things on her Myspace page about the President of the United States and was bombarded by FBI agents the very next day inside of her home.

Without any kind of censorship? Does this not include the President of the United States or is because he is the President of the United States?

The Westboro Baptist Church however can picket outside the funerals of United States soldiers with signs that say "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" or picket outside gay events with signs that say "God Hates Fags", promoting nothing but hate and they use the First Amendment as their excuse!

I understand that the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition. With that being written, does that include hate speeches as well as hate rallies that promote nothing but violence and rage? Yes it does unfortunately and sure writers like you and me love the fact that we can say anything we want and not get ridiculed for it.

It is a double edge sword, we want our society to be more peaceful, yet we have freedom of speech that allows anyone to promote hate. I truly believe that there should be revisions made. We should not in anyway be able to promote hate the way the Westboro Baptist Church does. Maybe I am wrong, I am sure that I am, I just do not see how promoting hate and using the first amendment as the excuse is right or ethical.

Here is an example of the work the Westboro Baptist Church considers "Gods Word".

Three teenagers were killed in a horrific crash in Maryland over this past weekend. The car was so badly damaged that you could not even tell it was a car. On the front page of the Westboro Baptist Church page there is a message to those teens who perished. It says "Thank God for killing three more Maryland teens in a car crash just hours after WBC warned Maryland outside Eldersburg High School last Thursday. Beware of Maryland."

This being said by people who worship God! I am not religious in anyway, this however is not by any means the word of God. This is hate, and disrespect to those who have died and their families. This by no means is the word of any God I have ever read about or heard of.

Another example is taken from the blogs written in the Westboro Baptist Church Blogs, it says,

"We're going to tell you the truth about God and your duty to obey him - whether you like it or not. Anything else, according to the scriptures, is pure hate. Your parents hate you. Your teachers hate you. Your "preachers" (who see you as their next sexual conquest) double hate you. Your "leaders" (who see you as a vote, a participant in a program they can spend government dollars on, or someone they can get a hold of and indoctrinate to their filth) triple hate you. We don't hate you. It's hard to imagine why, given what monsters you are. But we don't. So we tell you the truth.

Does that sound like someone who believes in God and is preaching his word about love and kindness? Or does that sound more like someone preaching pure hate and violence that has nothing to do with the word of God as I was taught many years ago.

Another passage taken from the blogs reads,

"You should have listened to our words. Go to www.signmovies.net, watch all the videos, and obey. Go to www.godhatesfags.com, listen to all the sermons, read all the words, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS AND OBEY. All your mobbing isn't going to stop the wrath of God from pouring out all over you. GOD HATES YOU. Get that through your thick under-worked head. YOU'RE GOING TO HELL AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. You know all these things are true. That's why your signs were a hodge podge of chaotic smutty inconsistencies. That's why you raged like animals on the prowl. That's why you are in acute pain OVER WORDS. These words pierce your heart, like light in a dark, dark cave. It's painful to you BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT WE SAY IS TRUE."

Maybe it is me, maybe they're are others like me who get so upset over things such as this. What upsets me the most is that there is nothing you or I can do about it because of course they hide behind the first amendment and these words just get muffled and forgotten until another picketing session begins somewhere else and even more hate and violence is spread and once again nothing can be done.

So I ask you readers, what do you think should be done about the Westboro Baptist Church and their preaching about hate and violence? Do you think freedom of speech is being abused? Or do you think they have the right to bluntly criticize everyone who is not part of their congregation and we should all just look away as if nothing was said?