Fred Phelps - Christian or not? (Jesus Christ, gospel, funerals, homosexuality)

[Engyo]

Does Fred Phelps represent Christianity in your view?

************************************************** ******************
Dodge City showdown at funeral

By Ed Lavandera
CNN

Monday, March 6, 2006; Posted: 8:33 p.m. EST (01:33 GMT)

DODGE CITY, Kansas (CNN) -- This past Saturday morning I found myself in a five-car caravan cutting across the Kansas plains with about 30 religious protesters. In the back of a truck, there were signs that read "Thank God for IED's" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."
I was with the Phelps family. They've launched a disturbing campaign to tarnish the funerals of fallen soldiers.

balance of article at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/06/bts...als/index.html

[Engyo]

A couple of paragraphs later in the article really struck me:

"Fred Phelps is the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka. The congregation is made up mostly of his family. Phelps has 13 children, 54 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
He describes himself as an "old-time" gospel preacher who says, "You can't preach the Bible without preaching the hatred of God."
Phelps and his family have made a name for themselves by showing up at high-profile events preaching their hate-filled brand of Christianity. They blame homosexuals for the destruction of America."

I think that Christians are going to be embroiled in the same sort of controversy that Islam is currently finding: What is, and what is not, part of your religion?

[James the Persian]

I don't know anything about the man except what you've posted here, but if this is representative of the sorts of things he believes in then absolutely not. That behaviour is appalling and distinctly un-Christian in my view.

James

[angellous_evangellous]

He's just as Christian as Osama bin Laden is Islamic.

[sojourner]

This must be the same clown I heard about on NPR last Friday. In Missouri, there's been a new law passed that says protestors can't be within 500 feet (I think) of a church, cemetery, or other place of ceremony, in a time frame between one hour prior and one hour following a funeral.

This guy was coming in from...guess where!...Kansas with his van full of vultures to protest the funeral of a fallen soldier. their premise? God was causing soldiers to die in Iraq because of pro-homosexuality.

These are the same sad kind of people that say Katrina is God's divine retribution for all the drinking and gambling.

Oy veh!

:throws up hands, rolls eyes, heaves belaboured sigh, then claps hand to forehead:

[CaptainXeroid]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

He's just as Christian as Osama bin Laden is Islamic.

This is what I was thinking. Phelps hate-filled tactics do not even resemble the teachings of Jesus Christ.

[Mister Emu]

Fred Phelps - Christian or not?

Edit: His teachings are pointedly not.

I think that Christians are going to be embroiled in the same sort of controversy that Islam is currently finding: What is, and what is not, part of your religion?

This is nothing new, Phelps has been around for a bit now... and as far as I know, he is universally denounced by all denominations.

[Sunstone]

Fred Phelp's teachings are more symptomatic of psychosis than of Christianity, IMO.

[Smoke]

Originally Posted by Engyo

Does Fred Phelps represent Christianity in your view?

I wouldn't say he "represents" Christianity; most Christians wish he'd just go away. But I don't think there's any doubt that he is a Christian. He's a *******, but I've never heard Christians teach that ********* can't be Christian. Would they exclude George W. Bush for the same reason?

On the contrary, I always hear that "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."

Phelps is a Calvinist; most people would consider Calvinists a kind of Christian. He's a homophobe; homophobia is very popular among Christians. So on what grounds would we exclude him from being a Christian?

[Smoke]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

He's just as Christian as Osama bin Laden is Islamic.

I don't think so. Phelps is obnoxious, but his protests are non-violent. He doesn't plant bombs or direct terrorist attacks.