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Who does God hate?
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I find that watching crazy people in the morning, while ingesting copious quantities of caffeine, always gets my blood going, though it may not be good for my blood pressure.
This morning I watched an I-report video on CNN about the Westboro Baptist Church. The video was shot by Chris Morrow on Sunday, October 18th at a protest in San Diego.
The Westboro Baptist Church, the charming folks behind the GodHatesFags.com website, protested the Rock Church based on a difference in interpretation of who God hates and who should be allowed to worship. Whereas the Westboro Baptist Church believes that God hates a lot of people: members of the American military, Jews, Gays and the USA, the Rock Church has opened their congregation to all, believing that God loves everyone.
From the Westboro Baptist Church website: Since 1955, Westboro Baptist
Church (WBC) has taken forth the
precious from the vile, and so is as the mouth of God (Jer. 15:19). In
1991, WBC took her ministry to the streets,
conducting 41,226
peaceful demonstrations
(to date) opposing the f@g lifestyle
of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth.
In response, america
bombed WBC; & burned WBC on 8-2-2008. God
is america's enemy:
5,200
dead soldiers;
$11 trillion+ in national debt.
Selecting groups within society to blame for the troubles of the world is not a new tactic, though watching dissent amongst two Christian congregations regarding God's prejudices demonstrates the subjective interpretation of religion by the individual. It is clear that humans are casting God in their own image, believing with heartfelt sincerity that God harbors the same beliefs and biases that they do.
As I watched the God is Love vs. God is Hate argument I was struck by the intense emotional investment of the Westboro participants. They are condemning other Christian congregations, and a large number of people, based on the conviction that their belief system should trump the belief system of others. Our Democracy doesn't work that way.
A short breakdown of the caffeinated litany in my head:
1. Freedom of speech protects our inalienable right to spew any foolish, hateful nonsense that we wish. However, a study on human psychology is not required to see the correlation between hateful rhetoric and hateful actions. Whereas stupid speech is protected, hate crime is illegal and murder is irrevocable. Teaching a child to hate a swath of humanity sows the seeds of future action. I wonder if those speaking so boldly on behalf of God take a moment to consider whether their words and actions fall astray of ‘judge not, lest ye be judged’ or ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’
2. Children often immortalize their parent’s prejudices, giving rise to a multi-generational legacy of abuse and violence. I believe that education and exposure to a diverse cross-section of humanity through travel is the perfect cure for this unfortunate affliction. Travel is the enemy of discrimination.
3. There is a long list of issues worthy of political and social discourse at the moment, issues that impact all of us regardless of which racial, religious, age, gender or sexual orientation group we gravitate towards. Climate change, sustainable/affordable energy, sustainable economic growth, education, public health, hunger, inequitable income distribution and environmental preservation seem far more pertinent to our ongoing progress as a species than whether I am attracted to women. Those who are most threatened by my access to rights as a citizen are in no way jeopardized by my existence; however, other issues are likely to have an unpleasant impact on their lives. Wouldn’t this energy be better served if channeled towards more relevant issues?
4. If God decides who gets to have access to civil rights, then is the church truly separated from the State? Isn’t that one of the cornerstones of our Democracy? Does God hate Democracy? What is the goal of the Westboro church? Do they want a Theocracy?
5. The opposition, in this ideological conflict, seems muted by the more adamant parishioners. It is difficult to logically counter intolerance by being intolerant of the intolerant. As a result, those leaning towards a more progressive, inclusive congregation are forced to feign a tolerant visage while expressing disagreement.
6. There seems to be a segment within the Christian community eager to summon the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. After 2000 years of waiting for Christ to return, they are ready to personally open the gates of Hell to end the wait. Each disaster, catastrophe and conflict is one step closer to the Rapture. I find it strange that anyone could be so selfishly eager for spiritual reward that they would clamor for horrific events to befall others. Doesn’t that seem hypocritical?
7. Could you have this kind of protest about God hating women or a specific race without inciting NOW or the NAACP? I doubt it. Being loud and vicious while maligning homosexuals is socially condoned in a way that attacking others is not. I wonder if people consider how briefly many have had civil rights. I wonder if people consider how many people on the planet do not have civil rights. Widespread civil rights are a recent phenomenon. They are not ‘normal.’ Therefore civil rights should be cherished and protected. It is easy to become complacent, but to view civil rights with apathy insures that they will be eroded. Whereas today civil rights are being debated as they pertain to gay issue, the larger issue is whether our country is truly dedicated to civil rights, human rights and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
8. The female protestor in the video who expressed glee in telling homosexuals that God hates them and that they were going to hell, thereby ‘binding’ them to that fate, amused me. ‘Binding’ struck me as an odd term for her to use, because I associate that word with Wiccans rather than Christians. The underlying concern that queers might get into heaven if she didn’t tell them that they weren’t was priceless. I didn’t know about that ‘ignorance’ loophole. You can get into heaven based on a technicality? If you are gay and no mortal informs you that it is a problem, then it isn’t a problem? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter since she has so dutifully informed me that I won’t be making St. Peter’s list.
9. How can God hate Jews if the Jews are the ‘chosen people?’ Does that mean they hate Jesus and all of the people who wrote the bible? Aren’t all of the Christian denominations offshoots of Judaism? Wasn’t the Bible written in Hebrew? How do people reconcile basing their spiritual belief system on a document written by people they hate?
10. What if God doesn’t care about the mundane vapid concerns and petty hatreds of humans? What if God has better things to do than worry about the details of our pithy human preoccupations? What if the entire debate is a futile waste of energy that detracts from enjoyment of what is ultimately a brief journey on this planet?
I support religion. I think spirituality serves a need for many people and that each individual’s belief system is sacrosanct; however, I support separation of church and state. We do not live in a Theocracy. I don’t care if your God hates me or not. Gay rights are a civil issue and use of religious references should be barred from political debate. I do not care which church anyone attends, but these prejudices belong at the pulpit rather than in the political arena. If homosexuality is an abomination, let ‘God’ sort it out.
E: meanderingmuse@comcast.net
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