Dr. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries, in his bi-weekly webradio show at minute 43:40, explained an encounter that he had with "Reverend" Phelps (he of "God hates f---s" and funeral-picketing fame, Westboro "Baptist" "Church" in Kansas) in Salt Lake City several years ago. White's habit had been to visit Salt Lake and pass out tracts and evangelise Mormons outside one of their big annual conventions at the huge temple there. But there are also quite a few of the serious hellfire-and-brimstone-to-everyone-who's-not-them screaming, screeching preachers there, and Felps' group for good measure. White noticed him and talked to him for a moment:
...then when I said to him "Don't you believe, though-shouldn't you believe that we are to speak the truth in love?" Which is of course a quotation from the Bible! And as soon as I said that, he started yelling, "You're a God-hater!" It was very clearly a signal to his group, to his cult there...to get between him and a "bad person". The only thing I did was to quote Scripture, and his reaction to Scripture was to start screaming and people got in between me and started screaming me down and, it was classic cultic mentality. You know, Manson-style cultic mentality, to be honest with you. It's pretty amazing.There are those who would identify the Westboro crowd as Christian b/c they call themselves "Baptist" and live in the Midwest and say "Jesus" sometimes. But they are not - they are a cult and they are heretics. Those who would equate them with evangelicals (here I speak as one who dislikes, doesn't really claim, and yet still would form a partial defense of the term) are willfully blind and deserve no hearing.
Rhology,
ReplyDeleteI'm curious.
Did you find John Gibson (Fox Noise blowhard) offensive when, on the day of Heath Ledger's death, he mocked it on his radio program?
Here is a report from Think Progress:
Opening his radio show with funeral music yesterday, Fox News host John Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a “weirdo” with a “serious drug problem.”
Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, “I wish I knew how to quit you” from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain, Gibson disdainfully quipped, “Well, he found out how to quit you.” Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, “We’re dead,” followed by his own, mocking “We’re dead” before playing the clip again.
Did you find this offensive? Or, now that you know of it, do you?
Rho,
ReplyDeleteTalk about not deserving an audience! That sucha___ guy's website is utter trash. Don't follow the link.
JN,
ReplyDeleteWhy would I find it offensive? Is it a mockery of my position? I don't take offense at other people's pride being pricked.
I might consider it to be in poor taste (and I do), but that's a different question.
Of course, poor taste is green and good taste is purple. Which is a better color? Who knows?
Now, as for Phred Felps, I *AM* offended at what he does b/c it has a direct bearing on me since he claims the name of Christ as I do.