Who Are the Haters?

Just listened to an interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church:

http://bit.ly/ShirleyPhelps-Roper

The interview was conducted by an atheist Jew and an atheist Catholic.

Some people say the Westboro Church needs to be “more loving, like Jesus was.” They say Jesus “hung out with prostitutes.”

But Jesus also spit fire out at religious hypocrites, and the people who hate the Phelpses the most have a religious exterior. Those who hate the Phelpses claim to be more like Jesus than the Phelpses.

Meanwhile, Shirley Phelps is clearly enjoying herself hanging out with those who make no pretense at being religious.

Just like Jesus.

As much as I enjoy the Westboro folks and their videos, they would never let me join their church. I was once denied membership in a church because I didn’t believe in the imminent Second Coming of Christ, and I’d bet I’d meet a similar fate at Westboro.

(Besides that, the Westboro folks are just too “worldly” for me. Even though I can agree with nearly everything Shirley said in the interview, the interview reveals that the folks at Westboro Baptist watch a whole lot more TV and play more video games than I ever will. They are way too normal for me.)

It is interesting how Westboro premillennialism has mutated into a kind of Hyper-Calvinism (though, contrary to some, they are still Calvinists). “Hate” is not their problem. Their real problem is their belief that Jesus is going to return before sundown, and there’s just no time to reason with people and persuade them to repent. I believe the Westboro folks are wrong on this, the source of their deep pessimism, and not that for which most people criticize them.

Those who hate the Phelpses don’t seem to have time to reason with or persuade them either. What’s their excuse?

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