When Islam and Christianity Become Indistinguishable

Some will argue that the following does not represent Christianity. As a non-religious folk, I will not go there here. I can say only that these people say they speak for Christianity.

What the Phelps tribe does represent is human repulsiveness that is so every-day in Islam. Here is another instance of people following blind hatred behind the mask of a religion.

See if you can read this without getting enraged (all emphases mine):

Army Hospital Picketers: 'Thank God for Maimed Soldiers'

By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer, April 07, 2006 (CNSNews.com) -

The man responsible for the "GodHatesFags.com" and "GodHatesAmerica.com" websites picketed the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Thursday with a dozen of his family members and followers. They carried signs stating "Thank God for Maimed Soldiers," "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates You."Fred Phelps, pastor of the independent Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., claimed the injuries and fatalities suffered by American military personnel are the product of God's wrath."God almighty is punishing this evil nation by killing their kids over in Iraq and by maiming, crippling and mangling their kids over in Iraq," Phelps told Cybercast News Service.

And for what is America being punished?

"This nation is going to continue to be punished by God until they repent, but we don't believe they're going to repent."Phelps believes military personnel share the blame for court decisions and legislation favoring homosexuality, even if those service members do not support that lifestyle."It's irrelevant whether they as individuals support them. They joined an army and became a part of a military establishment, voluntarily, knowing that that military establishment was packed and jammed with homosexuals," Phelps argued.

There's more from Phelps, but it is more of the same. You can find it all in the cited article.

There is a bright side, and a rather funny one, all in the name of the First Amendment to our Constitution:

Don Smith of Maryland turned up the volume on his opposition to Phelps' protest. The owner of what he described as "the loudest Harley I know of," Smith brought his motorcycle and had other friends bring theirs to wait for Phelps' group. Shortly after Phelps and his followers marched into position -- singing "God Hates America" to the tune of "God Bless America" -- Smith and his friends started their engines.

In law enforcement and military circles, the procedure is called "acoustical countermeasures." Smith referred to it as "protestus interruptus." "I understand First Amendment rights, but my personal feeling is, there [is] a time and a place for everything," Smith argued. "These people are protesting at funerals of guys -- men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and outside a funeral or outside an Army hospital, holding signs that say 'God Hates Wounded Soldiers.' It's not the time or the place."

After approximately 30 minutes of no one being able to hear their chants and songs over the motorcycles, a large group of off-duty military personnel in civilian clothes approached Phelps' followers and began verbally challenging the anti-military signs. Phelps' group packed their belongings and walked away, followed briefly by the servicemen.

Members of FreeRepublic.com and TroopsSupport.com immediately took up positions on all four corners of the intersection at the main gate to the hospital, waiving American flags and displaying signs supporting the troops.

I suppose it does not matter to the Phelps tribe that those service members are healing and rehabilitating from injuries suffered so that the Phelps tribe could exercise their right to say and do the stuff they did. These fine military personnel gave their all so that we can enjoy our all. The very least we owe them is unending gratitude.

Obviously there is a spectrum of views and positions within Christianity that range from benign to malignant, with every stop in between. In my view, these Phelpsian "Christians" may as well have been carrying signs saying "Allahu Akbar."

I am very thankful to be an American--literate, educated, and comfortable on the human level of cognition. It takes calling on all of those not to want to squeeze Phelps' head until the feces runs out of his ears. He is exercising his First Amendment rights, but he is meaner than mean and does not deserve an audience. Someone once said (perhaps Justice Holmes) that cases like the Phelps tribe really test the meaning of our Constitutional guarantees.

Excuse me. I have to go vomit.