by Lauren Feldman.
Now, I don't personally believe that religion in itself is a negative thing; however, we all know that religious extremists are responsible for some of the most disturbing, violent, disgusting acts of humankind. At this point in time, the most publicized religious extremists are terrorists – Muslim terrorists, in particular. However, I'd like to draw attention to the religious extremists a little closer to home: the Christian extremists in our own country. One of the most well known is Shirley Phelps-Roper, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, which is made up of 150 members (most of which are family members of Shirley Phelps). She has been featured on various news channels (including Fox News and BBC) over the past year or so for her use of extreme hate speech. You may recall her intrusions upon the funerals of soldiers who died fighting in Iraq; members of her church believe their deaths were brought about by God, who is punishing America for the sin of homosexuality. They would arrive to these funerals with signs claiming things like "God hates fags" or "Thank God for dead soldiers." Perhaps even more absurd than these signs is the fact that she claims she, along with the other members of her church, are the only "true" Christians left.
I happen to be atheist myself, but even if I was a devout Christian, I would still think Shirley Phelps-Roper is a truly sick individual. Though she believes she is the epitome of Christian morality, her values are simply disgusting. What's worse is that her church brainwashes their children into believing in what they do before they are even old enough to think. This creates a sick cycle, where those children will probably raise their children to have the same twisted values, and so on. Shirley Phelps-Roper, and everything she believes in, is truly what is wrong with this country.
Go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Yaoe5273s to watch an interview with her on Hannity and Colmes.
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5 comments:
you can't compare the two...the christian beliefs you mention are extreme....but until they advocate homicide bombings, murder, torture, beheadings, and overall death to all non-believers, I'm not worried as much. Nuts are everywhere and as long as they are not infringing upon my freedoms, let'em scream to high heaven :)
I actually disagree; they ARE infringing on our rights. Shirley Phelps-Roper (though more extreme) represents the majority of our country that is against gay marriage. Civil marriage, as promised in the Constitution under the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is a civil right. Although gay marriage is another topic entirely, the main argument against it is religion; and when people like Shirley Phelps-Roper are so incredibly extreme in their religious beliefs, they are (directly or indirectly) infringing upon our rights as Americans.
And just for the record, Christians have been known to commit acts of violence in the name of their religion as well - it is not only Muslims threatening to kill or harm.
No, our country, and on a smaller scale our state has voted. We live in a democracy, where the people decide the laws. In California a few years ago there was a vote, and 61% of the people voted on the initiative that said that the state prohibits same-sex marriage. This is how our system is set up, you may not like it, but it is what it is...
As defined, nobody is being denied their right to marriage, thus, no civil rights are beng violated.(unless you live in Mass.)
Just because a person is against same-sex marriage does not mean they are, as you put it, "incredibly extreme in their religious beliefs"....I'm not. Neither am I infringing upon anybody's rights.
Christians have committed acts of violence....but the islamo-fascists are the ones killing and beheading today. We are not experiencing an epidemic of Christian terrorists, nor have I come across a extreme congregation that condones and encourages beheadings and murder.
This really isn't the right place for a gay marriage debate, so I'll try not to get into it too much.
But yes, we do live in a democracy, and it is our people (about 75% Christian) that have voted against it. But you cannot deny that religion is probably the #1 argument against same-sex marriage. No, you do not have to be "extreme" to oppose it, but Shirley Phelps-Roper as an individual IS extreme.
This article was meant to bring attention to the religious fanaticism in our own country, not equate Christianity with Islam in terms of terrorism.
Religion is very important to people in America. When people vote on issues they care about, of course religion will be factored in.
"...the most publicized religious extremists are terrorists – Muslim terrorists, in particular. However, I'd like to draw attention to the religious extremists a little closer to home..."
I interpreted this as an indirect comparison. But I see you were not equating the Christian fanatacism in our country with that of the terrorism in Islam, as that would most surely be a terrible comparison...
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