Bikers Guard US Military Funerals Against Protesters

I'm going to address two topics with this post. First, my admiration for the veterans and the work this biker group is doing to assist families during their grieving period. Second, I want to point out just how wrong this Topeka "pastor" and his congregation are.

I admire all veterans and the sacrifice they have made for our country. Even if they have never fought in a war, or even left the shores of our country, I still appreciate the time and service they have rendered to our country. They are to be respected and honored. And for those who fell during that service, there is no honor high enough for them. May God bless them and their families.

As for the so called "Rev." Fred Phelps Sr., I wish for everyone to understand that he does not speak for me or for the majority of Christians in this country. His teachings are distorting the Word of God. I rebuke him for his non-Christian views.
Let me explain further.
The Bible says that homosexuality is a sin. As with any sin, Christians should dislike the sin, but love the sinner. Through God's grace and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, all sinners (that's all of us) can be restored to a loving relationship with God. In God's eyes, homosexuality is no worse of a sin than any others. He sees them all as equal, all sin is enough to separate us from God. Only through belief in Jesus as our Lord and Savior can we be cleansed of sin.
Rev. Phelps' teaching of "The church teaches that anyone who does not vocally oppose homosexuality and preach God's hatred for homosexuals is damned to hell" is not in my Bible. As I said, homosexuality is a sin, but no worse than any other. All "unsaved" (for lack of a better word) people are going to end up in hell. God never said that anyone who didn't actively oppose homosexuality is going to hell. According to Phelps’ very loose interpretation, even other Christians who don't sign on to his version of things are going to hell. NOT TRUE. Also, and this is a very major point, God does not hate homosexuals. God "hates" sin. Any and all sin.
The Rev. Phelps is out of line. Completely. I rebuke him for this non-Biblical stance. He should be ministering to the needs of all sinners in a loving manner, in line with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles. Dislike the sin, but love the sinner. Welcome them with open arms. Show them the loving grace of Jesus.
Now some might call me a hypocrite because of some of the post I have had on this blog. Let me state quite clearly what my biggest dislike is concerning the homosexual community.
The Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin. I believe the Bible in it’s entirety and believe in Biblical Truth (all things the Bible says are true). I am not allowed to "pick and choose" what parts of the Bible I can accept. It’s all or nothing. Either one believes it or not. I also believe in Moral Absolutes. This means that I do not buy into the "free sex; anything, with anyone goes, as long as it feels good" society we live in. The Bible is very wise in matters of sex. Many of today’s problems could be avoided if we just follow what the Bible teaches. But I digress…
Not only does the Bible teach that homosexuality is a sin, but the Center for Disease Control has published several reports stating that many of today’s worse "social" disease are more prevalent and easier for people living the homosexual lifestyle to catch. Some of these, such as AIDS, are very deadly.
If homosexuals are going to push their lifestyle on everyone, at least present the whole story, not just the half-truths, and "glamorous" side which seem to be the only information that make it into the public spotlight.
On to the article:

(CNSNews.com) - A group of motorcycle riders who attend U.S. soldiers' funerals to protect them from anti-homosexual protestors is quickly approaching the 10,000-member mark.

The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) escort families of fallen soldiers to funeral services and stand between the funeral proceedings and protestors from the Westboro Baptist Church, who picket the ceremonies with anti-American and anti-homosexuality slogans.

The Westboro Baptist Church, according to its website godhatesfags.com, believes that God uses improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq to avenge the August 1995 bombing of the church headquarters in Topeka, Kan. Church founder Fred Phelps Sr. believes the 1995 bomb was a government attempt to silence his group. Topeka police ruled it a random attack that was part of a string of bombings in the area.
Members of Phelps' church stand outside funeral services holding signs that say, "God Hates Fags," and "God Hates the USA." They also sing songs with anti-homosexual messages. Patriot Group Riders stand between church members and funerals, usually using American flags to obstruct the protestors' view.

The "rides," as PGR members call their events, began in August 2005 when members of the American Legion rode motorcycles to funerals as a response to Westboro's protests. PGR spokesman Kurt Mayer said the group has seen "an explosion of growth" since it went nationwide in November and opened chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Read the rest here.