The Westboro Baptist Church (or WBC) is an Independent Baptist “church” known for its extreme stance against homosexuality, other religions, and anything else that tickles their fancy. They are also known for their greatly offensive protest activities against fallen service men/woman and high profile aka popular people. In this special section, we will explore their hateful and distorted “divine” teachings and expose them for what they truly are, a hate group who uses religion for personal power.
Part: 12/19
Part: 12/19
Name: For God so loved the world- Pt 12 of WBCs GOD H8S vid
Update: Videos have been removed. Blog now shows video of all of them combined.
Bible Verse use:
John 3:16: Honestly if you don’t know what this is by now, watch a frigging baseball game.
John 3:18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Imagine if you will, the last time you where at a baseball game*1. One (or both) of your parent’s took you for your birthday, maybe even for some family times. You’re tailgating with your best long time friends, kicking back a few beers and having some laughs. This, my readers, is the bloody life*2. While waiting for your favorite team to totally school the other idiot loser and super lame team, or maybe even during break, you may have glanced over the ballpark, just to pass the time. Or maybe instead, you are at home with your buddies, having some beer and BBQ? Gods I really want ribs now… You have the big game on, and at some point the camera guy does a sweep of the crowd. DO THE WAVE! Either way, you will eventually see some guy with a poster board, and on it, the subject of today’s rebuking and WBC drama.
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| The poor thing saw the face of the WBC |
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
What he said: "If you just read the words..."
When I fist began writing this little rebuking (really I was just planning on like two pages), I had my laptop beside me with about twenty different tabs open on various explanations of the above verse. The first few tabs pertained to hundred plus page essays on various meanings and assumptions of the above verse. Others where analysis’s of every word and phrase to find the hidden secret message of the verse. It was like some bible code crap was going on here. The remaining where frigging analysis’s of analysis’s. After hitting the three day mark of reading this and that, I threw up my hands and said “to hell with it”. Seriously why would such effort, time, and research be needed for such a simple verse? Hell even this pagan understands it just fine!
Let’s break this down, shall we?
· For God so loved the world…
o There are few things that stand the test of time, one that does however is human arrogance about their place on this planet is. Just like then, so to now; when people use the term “world” it means the people living on it. Unless of course God is getting freaky with Gaia*3…
· …that He gave His only begotten Son…
o God the father, hopefully at the consent of said son, sent his only son to cleanse our transgressions by dying on a cross. You know something the WBC would never do, not even for their own.
· …that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
o And for some reason this is where crap hits the fan. Why? All because of “whoever believes in him.” What people don't understand is "belief" is more than just a pretty word. It's also something that bothers a lot of people.
So how does one address the above? How does one define a person as a believer in Christ? Oh how people love to go on and on and on and on and on (no rly) about this one tiny section. Seriously the majority of the one hundred page write up I found dwelt directly with this one line. Luckily for myself and the reader, I have no desire to waste such time with so many useless pages. The solution to this problem is in fact, common sense.
Belief is more than just a word; it’s how you live your life.
If one TRULY believes in Christ;
· Would they go around killing people in cold blood?
· Would they commit frequent instances of theft?
· Would they commit frequent instances of prudery?
· Would they lie, steal and cheat for personal power?
You can yell from every mountain top, plaster yourself on billboards, TV and radio; or even hold up signs on ever street corner while professing some faith. But does any of that really matter? Can one ever have any faith if one refuses to follow even the basic tents of the faith? How can you say you are a vessel for the divine when you bare false witness about fellow people, when you lie and steal, when you twist the good for personal power? It just doesn’t work. It's like a slap in the face of your God.
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| This is what cat's think of the WBC |
But now the question arise, can I find biblical support for this? While I can shout and yell about this or that, it really is just an opinion unless I can find proof to support it. Does the bible state anywhere that "one must believe AND follow that belief"? Well yes... yes it does.
Matt 11:29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The majority of the New Testament teaches about the life of Jesus. It is littered with stories from his life, the time of his great teachings, as well as various life lessons. For right now, and for the sake of shortness, I'm going to stick with this verse. In this we see that Christians are to emulate the life of Jesus, to learn of his teachings so they may be saved.
Now for some supporting verses:
John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
As Jesus is the way, his life and teachings are an example for all Christian’s to follow. His words, teachings and actions are what Christians are suppose to be. One of these examples that we are called on to follow is what we call The Eight Beatitudes.
· Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
· Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
· Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
· Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
· Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
· Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Take a good long hard look at the Beatitudes. Do you see anything there that justifies picketing funerals?I see comfort the morning, not besieged them with "lol your child died because of gays". Also consider in numerous interviews WBC members have stated "we make our signs to get a rise", one wonders why they have ignored "blessed are the peacemakers"...
Rom 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We are all born sinners, and at some point in our lives we shall sin again. In fact, every single person that was, is or shall ever be has sinned at one point in their lives. We all make mistakes and that’s ok. Despite that fact, Christ dies for ALL OF US. That includes the crazies, the straights, the people of a million different colors and the gays. Didja see what happened there? This dood allowed himself to be nailed to a 2x4 to save some random parasites called the human race. That is real love there. However if all one does is hate, how can one honestly profess to believe in the Christ?
2 Tim 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Mic 6:8: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Within the pages of the new testament, Jesus' life and actions take center stage. From his time as a human child to well past his “death”, Jesus has shown that one must follow the path of “be excellent to each other”. He healed the sick (no matter what their status was) he accepted the social outcasts into his flock, he judged people on their life actions not on supposed faith. He loved you for who you where, cause baby you where born that way.
John 3:17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
1 Pet 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
I’m in danger of repeating myself here, so I will make this the final point. Repeating happens a lot in a nine thousand plus page book. What the WBC often tried to show, it that only the elect will enter Heaven. They try to show that God hates everyone but the elect, which is of course their little cult. But how can that be so? Jesus was sent not to throw us all into the fires of hell, to laugh as we all suffered in agony; he came to save the world. He came to take on our problems, our failings, our screw ups so we may be free to live in paradise in the next life.These are not the actions of the WBC jerk god.
Before we part ways (at least till next time); I would like to make one final side point. A point, I think people of ALL faiths need to realize.
Today we have seen how God’s (father, son and so on) love is supposed to be emulated in his creation. We have seen that, just as the Jesus did, we are supposed to love the world around us, and as such work to make it a better place. We are supposed to become vessels of God’s peace not engines of destruction and chaos. We have seen that God so loved the world, that despite our many many faults, he still loved us so much he sent his son to cleanse us.
We have seen how belief is simply not enough; we must act the proper way as well. After all how can you say you believe in good, when all you do is evil? Sadly the WBC will continue to teach that the actions of your life matter not, you are doomed to hell. It matters not if you live your life by saintly standards (excessively helping others in need and what not), by the simple act of never hearing the word Christ, you are doomed. Believe in another God? You are doomed too.
… Or are we?
I really find it hard to believe that a God who so loved the world would be a giant douche. If we live our lives by love and in aid of others, are we really that different? Hell I will even go as far to say is our faith really that different? My theory is creatively illustrated below.
What do you see with the image below?
Do you see a 100 dollar bill?
Do you see some short of building?
Do you see the “United States of America” on it?
What ever you pick, I can tell you you’re wrong. How?
This is what I see.
But you say you are right!
But I say I am right!
Maybe we are both right.
Maybe the divine has many names and many faces.
Maybe what you call God, I call Cernunnos *5.
Maybe the world’s religions, the ones that call for peace at least, really aren’t that different at all.
Maybe to better yourself and the world around you is what you need to know the divine.
Maybe that is what we need to save us all.
Just something to think about, peace to you till our next meeting.
*1 Hopefully with no heat wave.
*2 I actually prefer hockey, but let’s not digress.
*3 Read more about her here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_%28mythology%29
*4 Mind you, not the good works or spreading the world, just a belief in Christ.
*5 That would be my Pagan God btw.
As of 10/16 this has been returned to for the purpose of editing and updating.
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