Families Seek Legislative Remedies From Funeral Protesters

For those of you who haven’t heard about this, there is a pastor, The Rev. Fred Phelps, of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who is giving not only the Baptist Church a bad name, but all of Christianity, with his protest at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.
You see, somehow he has decided that his Bible tells him that the soldiers were killed because the United States supports the homosexual agenda. Further, he and his supporters call each of these soldiers terrible things, at their funerals of all places.
I wonder if Rev. Phelps has actually read the Bible. His must be a different version than mine. His must have the passage in it that says "If you want to pervert My Word in order to make your point, you may do so." Oddly enough, in my readings, I’ve never run across that passage. Could it be that it’s not in there? That’s my thought.
What the Bible does say is that homosexuality is a sin. But as Christians, we are to hate the sin, but love the sinner.
Rev. Phelps in out of line. As a brother in Christ, I rebuke him and call him out to return to the loving Word of God. If he wants to help redeem homosexuals, it would be best to preach God’s Word of hope and love to the homosexuals, so that they may turn away from this horribly destructive lifstyle, not protest them at the funerals of brave soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq trying to bring freedom to an oppressed people.
The Rev. Phelps does not represent myself, or any other Bible believing Christian.
See my write-up concerning what the Bible actually says about homosexuality here.

WASHINGTON — It was a typical scenario for the Westboro Baptist Church — another demonstration outside the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq. This time the venue was Meadowood Baptist Church in Midwest City, Okla., noted a full rundown of the event recorded later by church members on their web site.
The signs held by members that Feb. 2 were dutifully noted on the church's web-journal: "Steve held 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' 'You're Going to Hell' and 'Fags Doom Nations' while Shirl held 'America is Doomed,' 'God is America's Terror' and 'Don't Worship the Dead' with a flag tied around her waist."
The Kansas-based church, which believes God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality by sending home U.S. soldiers "in body bags," chose as one of its most recent demonstration sites the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Lance Chase, 32, father of two sons, who died from a roadside bomb while on duty in Iraq on Jan. 23. On Sunday, Westboro's adherents traveled to Yankton, S.D., to the memorial service for 21-year-old Army National Guard Spc. Allen D. Kokesh, Jr.
As a result of their unwelcome presence at these and other memorials, at least 14 states are considering measures to ban demonstrations outside of funeral services.
"I believe these families have given the ultimate sacrifice — their loved one — and they should be allowed to bury their loved one in peace," said Kansas state Sen. Jean Schodorf, who has sponsored legislation to keep protesters at a safe distance from funerals and memorial services.

Read the rest here.