Happy Atheist Forum

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/31/fu ... index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/31/funeral.protests.ap/index.html)

I'm torn, of course... at first, I was all "YIPPEE!!  MAKE THOSE ASSHOLES PAY!"  But hubby said, "Don't you think $11M is a lot for pain and suffering?  Why not just an injunction for them to cease and desist their harrassment at funerals and if they disobey, send them to prison to rot while they pray to their god?"

But I think they should be able to say whatever they want... LET them protest all they want.  But slap them with a lawsuit like this one when they do until we have to toss them in debtor's prison (I know... we don't have that anymore but still...).

I know the family won't see a penny... but I'm glad SOMEONE said, "You can't do that!" to those creeps.

I saw this on the news as well.  I very strongly dislike the Westboro Baptist Church freaks.  Look - following your religion is one thing - but when your religion tells you its okay to show up at someone's funeral and piss-off the grieving people with hate-speech --- this is just so far over the top to me that there is absolutely no excuse.

If they want to show up at government functions that's a little different - or stage public rallies or whatever.  But intruding on someone else's funeral is really, really rude - especially to espouse such a hateful message.

I don't know if the $11M is totally out of line, if it were used properly.  If every person who was in pain during a funeral that these people showed up to got some cut of the money it would probably be justified - but like you say the worthy won't likely see too much of it.  For just one family, for example, it seems ridiculous.

A cease and desist would make more sense.

Honestly - anyone who would stand there, at the funeral of someone's son or daughter, with a sign that says "thank god for dead soldiers" has attained a level of ultra-asshole that is hard to top.

Win!

Further proof that "goodness" is a personality trait and not a "Christian" trait.

It was bound to happen some day. Those guys were doomed from the beginning, as tends to be the case when you piss off absolutely everyone in your home country and then cleverly decide not run and hide in Turkey for ten years. I'm surprised that they're still alive, actually. Genuinely, I am. I keep thinking, why haven't they been lynched yet? Not even the teeny-tiniest mob of angry students out for blood? Now, while I would never encourage that event - though, to be honest, I probably wouldn't object either - you have to admit, it's very odd that it hasn't happened.

Just around the corner, though (probably once they've run out of cash) it'll be social services coming to take away their kids. Thank goodness.

I've always wondered that too, Mister Joy.  What I thought was more likely was an enraged family member going psycho and beating the tar out of 'em.  Good luck getting a conviction if I'm on that jury....

Probably the best response would be some non-violent civil action --- get a counter group together and when these ass-clowns show up stand in a line, holding hands, blocking them from the funeral.  Just stand in their way.  If they start any violence - well, then you always have the right to self defense   :wink:

Might get a kick out of this ... a journalist starts flirting with a Westboro church member.  This is from a T.V. show from, I think, Australia.  The whole thing is funny, but the best bit is at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8cN2pB3MCE

Bloody hell that guy's a flipping genius! :lol: They reacted better than I'd expected. They didn't stone him to death as their bible commands.

This is a comic documentary on them by Keith Allan:

part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt1kN6hzabc

the other parts should be easy to find. Keith Allan's a total bastard, but in situations like that it makes him quite entertaining.

I have always disliked the westboro church, unbelievable how stupid they are!

Has anybody seen the Louis Theroux BBC documentary about them?

Have yeah. Very good, though it made me want to chew my own fingers off. You know, generally, I like Christians. Nothing against 'em. They tend not to shove their beliefs down your throat if you don't do the same to them. But wacko fundamentalists like those guys? Glad I've never known any beyond forums. Talking to people like that in person must be similar to having a bag of salt poured down your oesophagus. Don't know how anyone can deal with them without completely losing their grip.

Quote from: "Mister Joy"Have yeah. Very good, though it made me want to chew my own fingers off. You know, generally, I like Christians. Nothing against 'em. They tend not to shove their beliefs down your throat if you don't do the same to them. But wacko fundamentalists like those guys? Glad I've never known any beyond forums. Talking to people like that in person must be similar to having a bag of salt poured down your oesophagus. Don't know how anyone can deal with them without completely losing their grip.

Yeah, my parents are 'light-christian', as i like to call them. They believe in some kind of god, and in jesus, but they don't go to church, they don't vote on a christian political party and they don't bother me, their son, with their religion, so i love them for that. They are also very torelant people.

The WBC isn't very tolerant against other people, unless they are from their own church.

When these guys put up their sign, "America is doomed", I've always wanted to ask them: "Are you an American? So - are you doomed too?"

I'll lay some good money on a bet that this Phelps character is a closet homosexual....

Quote from: "SteveS"When these guys put up their sign, "America is doomed", I've always wanted to ask them: "Are you an American? So - are you doomed too?"

I'll lay some good money on a bet that this Phelps character is a closet homosexual....

Yes, i agree, people who say the most offending things to homosexuals are confused about their sexuality themselves. They are scared of what people might think about them, so they offend the kind of people they might be themself.

It's called projection. Freudian ego defence mechanism. But if you brought it up to them their next sign would read "FREUD EATS FAG FAECES AND SLEEPS WITH HIS MOTHER". :roll: Wouldn't be surprised if they already had that one, actually.

Its not too hard to figure out that they are the ones that really hate "fags" - this B.S. technique, trying to hide behind god, is transparent to me.  Plus, it helps when they start yelling at people and calling them perverts, or my favorite "fag enablers" :lol: .  Who do they think they're fooling?  We all know they hate the gay people.....

Yeah that's kind of why I think God is so appealing to so many people. They needn't fear their own judgements, or fear being judged, because they're taking orders from someone else. I can imagine that being quite liberating, 'specially in terms of their conscience. The Nazi SS certainly thought so.

Agreed Mister Joy - I've seen interviews where they qualify their opinion in exactly those terms: "We don't hate gay people!  God, however, does".  Gimme a break.  I think they're chickenshits - they could at least own up to their own opinion....

These people are christian terrorists and I love seeing how FAST christians do their best to distance themselves saying they are not REAL christians.

It is true that they no longer reflect the majority, mercifully. Although there are many more out there who share the same beliefs and just aren't so outspoken about it... and to say that they 'aren't real Christians' is a classic case of the 'No True Scotsman' fallacy. They use the same reasoning to argue that ex-Christian atheists were never really Christians, because if they were they would never have strayed from the flock.

Quote from: "Mister Joy"They use the same reasoning to argue that ex-Christian atheists were never really Christians, because if they were they would never have strayed from the flock.

And, going the other way, I wonder how many atheists feel that way about Antony Flew?  "He was never a true atheist".  He could be victimized by a fallacy of his own coinage!

Seems to me people change.  They could truly be an atheist yesterday, truly not tomorrow.  Truly a Christian yesterday, truly not tomorrow.

One thing seems certain, though: No "true Scotsman" has ever won Wimbledon.  :lol:  (Cheers, Monty Python).

I'm putting that video on my FB.  I could NOT stop laughing.

I am amazed that the courts did anything to stop this kind of insanity.  What took so long????? I would like to see someone take it upon themselves to investigate each member of this so-called church to turn up all kinds of dirt on the members and then go public with it.  Like the preacher who was found 400 miles from home in a strip club, paying for lap dances with church donations.  He claimed that he didn't know where he was (after having 4 dances and arguing over the price) when the police found him.  Of course, the congregation will forgive him just as his wifey already has.  Those people who feel that homosexuals are in league with the devil are definitely fighting within themselves their own tendencies towards the very thing that they claim to despise.  With so many other things in this country to oppose or to take a stand against, if it weren't so pathetic it would be hysterically funny.  I am proud to be an atheist!!