Westboro Baptist Church By Amanda Alianell Photo of church at 3701 West 12th Street, Topeka, Kansas

Questions 1. Is this group associated with other Baptist church? 2. How long has the church been actively involved in the anti gay movement? 3. What is the groups beliefs on Judaism? 4. What is the groups views on race and ethnicity? 5. How do others in society in view this group?

Biography and Background

Westboro Baptist Church Bio independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality widely described as a hate group Located in a residential neighborhood on the west side of Topeka not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations describes itself as following Primitive Baptist and Calvinist principles

Westboro Baptist Church Bio headed by Fred Phelps consists mostly of members of his large family in 2007, it had 71 members first public service was held on the afternoon of Sunday, November 27, 1955 Fred Phelps at his pulpit: August 4, 2002

Picketing Activity

Picketing Protesters from Rev. Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church demonstrate during funeral services for Dr. George Tiller Saturday, June 6, 2009, at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan. include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag pickets approximately six locations every day On Sundays, up to 15 churches may receive pickets.

Photo from a WBC picket in Topeka, KS on December 2, 2005 Picketing

Picketing related to Homosexuality picket the funerals of gay victims of murder, gay-bashing or people who have died from complications relating to AIDS other events related or peripherally related to gay people has been actively involved in the anti-gay movement since at least 1991 A WBC member and child protesting homosexuality at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Groups Views

Catholicism refers to priests as vampires and Draculas calls Pope Benedict XVI such epithets as The Godfather of Pedophiles and Pervert Pope launched a website called Priests Rape Boys criticize the Roman Catholic Church because of the Catholic sex abuse scandal WBC member protesting Pope Benedict XVI outside the United Nations in New York City (2008). Views on religion

Eastern Orthodoxy & Protestantism claims that Orthodox Christians, Protestant, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Baptists are indistinguishable from Roman Catholics criticizes veneration of the Virgin Mary criticizes the Eastern Orthodox Church's use of icons, claiming that they constitute idolatry Views on religion

Hinduism maintains a God Hates India website state that "80% of India's population claim to practice Hinduism... A country full of idolatry inevitably results in a nation full of fags and fag- enablers, because that's what happens when you depart from the Living God! admonishes Hindus to convert to Christianity "If you would STOP worshipping false gods, being a fag would not be a complex matter. Stop going a whoring after other gods and start serving the Living God in truth!" Views on religion

Judaism They says the only true Jews are Christians. The rest of the people who claim to be Jews aren't, and they are nothing more than typical, impenitent sinners... the vast majority of Jews support fags. began a campaign called Topeka's Baptist Holocaust, whereby they attempted to draw attention to attacks perpetrated against WBC picketers. says that they were not random but organized attacks orchestrated by Jews and homosexuals. A protest against Jews, held by the Westboro Baptist Church. Views on religion

Views On Race and Ethnicity Phelps is a veteran of the Civil Rights movement and the Church attempts to distance itself from racism. Despite this, the group did protest outside Coretta Scott King's funeral. They say, We don't believe in physical violence of any kind, and the Scripture doesn't support racism.... The only true Nazis in this world are fags. Other Views

Views on Barack Obama believes that Barack Obama is the Antichrist and that he forms an Unholy Trinity with Satan and Pope Benedict XVI, who they believe is the False Prophet. Other Views

Response from the Public

Limited by the law Michigan, South Dakota, Illinois, and Indiana have laws limiting the groups protest at funerals Group must stay at least 500 away from funeral Violating law is a felony Violation is punishable with a large fine and a jail sentence of 2 years.

President George W. Bush signed into law the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act prohibits protests within 300 feet of the entrance of any cemetery under control of the National Cemetery Administration from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after a funeral Penalties for violating the act are up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year imprisonment. Limited by the Law

Banned from UK WBC had announced on their website that they intended to picket a youth production of The Laramie Project to be held at Central Studio, Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, UK on February 20, 2009, their first ever protest in the UK It was requested these individuals be blocked from entering the UK on the basis that WBC would be inciting hatred towards LGBT people two days before the intended picket date, the Home Office announced that Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper would be specifically excluded from entering the UK

Counter Protest generally organized to be held at sites that WBC pickets In 1999, Michael Moore organized a humorous counter protest against the church for his television show The Awful Truth. He followed Phelps around the country in a pink bus filled with gay men and women.

On April 10, 2008, a 6-person representation from the Phelps group picketed at the University of Wisconsin–Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin 15 minutes into their scheduled 1 hour picket, the group retreated from the campus with a crowd of nearly one thousand students marching behind them shouting "go home, go home. February 5, 2009, the students of a Prairie Village, Kansas high school staged a counter-protest with the church using one corner of an intersection and the students the remaining three. Counter Protest

LGBT students kissing in front of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church at Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio, U.S.) in May The students were among several hundred who turned out to rally against the Westboro protesters. Counter Protest

Criticism critics have suggested that the actions of the WBC are a ploy to receive attention above all else. Counter-protesting against the group gives them attention and incentive that they do not deserve. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes the Westboro Baptist Church as virulently homophobic anti-homosexual rhetoric they say is often a cover for anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism, racism, and anti-Catholicism.

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Bibliography "Westboro Baptist Church." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 03 Jan God Hates Fags. Westboro Baptist Church. Web. 03 Jan Madison, Lucy. "Westboro Baptist Church to Protest Elizabeth Edwards Funeral - Political Hotsheet - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. Web. 03 Jan God Hates India. Westboro Baptist Church. Web. 05 Jan