Westboro Baptist Church Plans to Protest Heath Ledger's Funeral

The death of 28-year-old Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger has taken America by surprise. He was found dead on Tuesday in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by sleeping pills. He was famous for his work in films like 10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale, and Casanova. Yet, it is because of his involvement in the movie, Brokeback Mountain that the Westboro Baptist Church has decided to picket his funeral. They believe that his portrayal of a gay man in this film, angered God, and his death was a result of the wrath of God.

According to FoxNews.com, Shirley Phelps-Roper said, "You cannot live in defiance of God. He got on that big screen with a big, fat message: God is a liar and it's OK to be gay." The Westboro Baptist Church has also posted an announcement that reads, "Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there".

The Westboro Baptist Church has gained plenty of attention from the American public because of their excessive picketing and protesting of events such as the funerals of soldiers who served in Iraq. The members of the church believe that God is angry at America for numerous acts such as "fag enabling" (their phrase, not mine). Shirley Phelps-Roper is seen as the "leader" of the church and it the one who is often interviewed and criticized for her extreme beliefs. She has appeared on the Tyra Show a few times to express her beliefs, but after the last interview, Tyra Banks said that she did not want her coming back.

To find out more about the Westboro Baptist Church and their radical beliefs, watch the BBC documentary, The Most Hated Family in America. In the documentary, reporter, Louie Theroux interviews the Phelps family (the church is mostly comprised of only one family), and allows the audience to gain insight into what their protests are like and what their beliefs really are.

The Westboro Baptist Church also has a website. I had to do some research on them for an English project, but their beliefs are interesting nonetheless. On the website, they have many articles, documenting some of their past protests. In many cases, the protestors have to stay a set minimum distance away from the funeral, so it will be interesting to see what boundaries officials will try to set in preparation for Ledger's funeral. Hopefully, these protestors will not cause too much disturbance and Heath Ledger's family and friends can mourn the loss in peace.