I and others on the blogosphere have been following wacko pastor Fred Phelps as he sounds off against America as the new Sodom. This increasingly deranged individual and his followers have gained national attention and scorn in glorifying in the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq, claiming it to be God’s retribution against America’s tolerance of homosexuality. In Phelp’s view, homosexuals should be executed, and to press his point, his group has picketed the funerals of killed U.S. servicemen. It’s amazing that those in attendance, some of whom know how to take people down with their bare hands, haven’t sent these guys home with bloody noses and black eyes.
Phelps’ latest press release, reported here shows yet another escalation in his rhetoric. Thanks to Stageleft for pointing this out:
A fringe church that has garnered attention and scorn for protesting funerals of troops killed in Iraq is planning to picket services for the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church have disrupted funerals across the country over the past few years with profane signs saying that deaths in Iraq are retribution triggered by America’s tolerance of homosexuals.
A church news release explains: “God is punishing America for her sodomite sins. The 33 massacred at Virginia Tech died for America’s sins against WBC (Westboro Baptist Church). Just as U.S. soldiers dying in Iraq each day for America’s sins against WBC.”
(link)
Note: God is punishing America for… sins against the Westboro Baptist Church. Not sins against God, not sins against nature, but against the Westboro Baptist Church. Talk about taking this personally.
Fred Phelps has steadily escalated his isolation from normal, rational society. He yanked his church from the Southern Baptist Convention, and eventually disavowed any connection with the rest of Christianity. Now he appears to have separated himself from God. Is it much of a leap, then, to wonder if he’ll soon assume himself to be God? And, when that happens, how many SWAT teams will we need to calm his followers down?