God Hates Fred Phelps!

by Michael Gregory Steele and Herman B. Hayes

I read a news story yesterday about Fred Phelps, the founder of the Westburo Baptist Church. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he is a man that is not shy about his hatred of homosexuals and even created the website GodHatesFags.com. This news story describes a protest that Fred organized and that many felt went a little too far. He and other members of his church picketed outside the funeral of two soldiers holding up signs that read "God Hate Fags" and "God Hates You." Phelps claimed that these solider were killed in Iraq as a punishment from God because America harbors homosexuals.

Now, many of my regular readers know that I'm hardly a supporter of "gay rights" or "gays," so it might seem logical for me to applaud this man's actions, but I won't. Instead I'll explain how Fred Phelps is more damaging to the anti-gay cause than an all day marathon of Queer Eye.

If Fred knew anything, he'd understand that he's suposed to take the position that God hates the sin not the sinner. In this way, he could appeal to all the "God hates fags" types without scaring away the "I really don't like the idea of two guys with moustaches fornicating in leather S&M gear" types. We need both groups to win anti-gay voter initiatives, so it's damaging to be so obviously anti-gay, Fred.

Also, it's people like Fred Phelps who limit the donations that groups like Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family can get from righteous Christians who dislike gay people. He hurts the rest of us because he's too stupid to know how to effectively frame his own disgust with homosexuality. Simply put, he's hurting the cause he claims to support.

Listen, I'm sure if Fred Phelps, Dr. Dobson and I all sat down at a table we'd find a lot we could agree on. I mean we all understand what James Dobson meant when he spoke out against the Texas sodomy case. When he says that he doesn't want homosexuals to have the right to have sex because it will destroy the family we catch his drift. He didn't come out and say, "I don't want homosexuals to have sex because they're gross and I hate fags." Dr. Dobson is much too smart for that.

Which is more than I can say for you, Fred, you giant screw up. You're foolishly apparent in your zealotry, Phelps, and God hates you for that, almost as much as he hates... wait, I won't say it, because I'm not as big of an idiot as you are, Fred.

See Also: Westburo Baptist Church (Wikipedia)