"Too often hatred speaks out while love watches silently."
----->We must do something about that. While I try to figure out my responsibility in this dilemma, I know one thing for sure: hatred will never lead anyone to faith in God.<-----
What should our responsibility be, if any, to the hateful protests in the name of Christianity?
I picked this up on the Maurilio Amorim website. It's a concise, emotionally satisfying article about how the author attempted to engage a young member of WBC in conversation about her beliefs as learned through the teachings of Westboro Baptist Church...and failed.
Or did he?
~Kate
The answer is to stand for your own convictions against these bullies. When they showed up in North Carolina to picket the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards, bringing their hatred and misplaced bigotry with them, there was a huge crowd of counter-protesters who showed up to stand between them and the church where the service was being held...so the Edwards family never heard them taunting and mocking thier loved one and they were permitted to grieve and honor their loved one with dignity. No one engaged them, and no one shouted back in anger...and they couldn't stand that they made fools of themselves, so they left before the service was over. It's sickening that they bring along minor children to these 'hate fests', shove them to the front of the line and force them to participate in this destructive behavior. It may be free speech, but it's also putting lies into the mouth of God
Sadly, I've known quite a few people outside of the WBC, who act in the same vicious, and hateful ways. However, most of these people are solitary, and simply do not mass together in the same numbers that the WBC employs. It's people like this, that were in my ex-wife's family, that ultimately drove us apart. People that were so afraid of different ideas, and different attitudes, that they would shut it out, and shun it, because they are afraid of it. I've always believed, that the best thing that you can do for people in need, is to be there for them, to show compassion in their time of need. These people at the WBC need exactly that. For us to show them the same kind of compassion. The moment they ask for help, that is the time to help, to show them that there are people out there, even if we think differently, and worship differently, and care about others differently. Lead by example. Show them the happiness, and heaven, that a free mind has. It is so easy for people to see the bad, and the horrible, but when they see that one bright spot. It shines so brightly it can change worlds.
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