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They have no shame

The notorious Westboro Baptist Church was at it again this Memorial Day, the day when we honor the memory of all who have died in defense of our country. They were out to demonstrate in front of Arlington Cemetery, carrying their signs that say "Thank God for dead soldiers."

As has often happened at Westboro's demonstrations in recent months, they were met by counter-demonstrators who attempted to block their view of the cemetery and to shout them down when they yelled out their slogans. Interestingly, one of the groups countering Westboro today was a klaven of the Ku Klux Klan! I never thought I would find myself in agreement with anything that the KKK did. Just goes to show that wonders will never cease I suppose.

Various courts have held that the Westboro Baptists have a legally protected right to do what they do, but just because one has the legal right to make heinous, hurtful statements and acts does not mean that one has the moral right to do so. I wonder where Westboro believes that it gets the moral authority for the atrocious acts that it commits against grieving families and their communities. Surely it can't be from the Bible, from the Jesus who admonished his followers to love their neighbors as themselves.

But then "Christian" haters of all stripes - whether the object of their hate is women, homosexuals, another race, another religion - have always been able to find some verse in their Bible to support their hate and the acts that stem from it. I wonder what Jesus thinks of all this. I think that another Bible verse might sum up his reaction - the one that says, "Jesus wept."
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