Friday, March 04, 2011
Early yesterday morning I saw some friends at the coffee shop and they asked me, What do you think about this Westboro Baptist Church and the Supreme Court decision?
Nothing like this to start off a Thursday, huh? Well, have you seen this story? Westboro Baptist is a church known for their hate and hate-filled demonstrations at inaugurations, courthouses and ,yes, funerals. You’ve probably seen their posters. These appeared at the funeral under consideration: "God Hates Fags," "God Hates You," "God Hates America," "God Hates the USA/Thank God for 911," and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” to name just a few.
This week the Supreme Court heard a case involving Westboro Baptist and the grieving father of a fallen soldier. The soldier was Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, a Marine who died in Iraq. All Mr. Snyder wanted for his son was a private and solemn funeral. And then they show up with their posters and their hatred. (Here you can find several good and thoughtful stories about this Westboro Baptist Church, the Supreme Court, and the issues surrounding this case: www.abpnews.com.)
So, back at the coffee shop…Ande, what do you think about them?
I said, It makes me sick that they call themselves Baptist and it makes me sick that they call themselves a church.
Would you worship with them? No.
Would you serve them Communion? They wouldn’t come to our church.
That’s not what I asked…if they did, would you serve them Communion? We would have some sort of conversation beforehand and I would not.
The Supreme Court decided 8-1 that Westboro Baptist could make these nasty protests. In this case it is evident that they decided that what is legal in America can still be totally wrong. Even in this ugliness America remains beautiful.
The Associated Baptist Press referred to the lone minority opinion:
Justice Samuel Alito filed a dissenting opinion, saying that while the church’s speech might be protected if directed toward a public figure, plaintiff Albert Snyder of York, Pa., was a private individual who suffered “great injury” due to “outrageous conduct” by a group seeking publicity…“In order to have a society in which public issues can be openly and vigorously debated, it is not necessary to allow the brutalization of innocent victims like the petitioner,” Alito opined.
Here is why I am so mad at Westboro Baptist. I celebrate that they can legally express their opinions. And I am resigned to the fact that they can be tacky about it and tasteless, even vulgar. But the church is called to a higher standard. That church and all churches. And I see in this church no reflection of Jesus Christ.
In our nation freedom is a privilege. Freedom is a responsibility. Sadly, not everyone is mature enough to earn privileges and take responsibility.
Justice Alito prevented a unanimous decision because he could not get his eyes off of the victim. In this case the victim was the grieving family of Lance Cpl. Snyder. I am proud of Justice Alito’s decency. And if I err, I hope to err on the side of grace and compassion.
As we think about our lives and our callings we should aspire to live lives of purity, generosity, and compassion. In this case I believe this would have been to tend to the grieving family. James said it like this in chapter one verse 26 – 27:
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
After leaving the coffee shop I was still angry at Westboro Baptist. I probably always will be. I also realized that the world is looking to the church. They notice. And I wonder: Do we give them substance and seriousness? Are we like Jesus? Our job, job number one, is to be witnesses for Jesus.
Please, God, give us your help.
Blessings,
Ande Myers
Questions or comments: ande.myers@gmail.com.
