A question prompted by the funeral protestors:?

Question

http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/14034756.htm

Considerations of common decency and the total penis-headedness of protesting at a funerals aside for the moment, the philosophy behind these protests got me thinking. They claim that soldiers are dying in Iraq because of US "tolerance" of homosexuality, and not because they are fighting in a war. I realize the peerless Rev. Phelps by no means represents the majority of Christians (or, rather, his methods don't), but he does provide a good, if extreme, example of a phemomenon that seems to pervade religious communities.
My question is this: Why do you think certain people cling so desperately to ideology that places accountability and morality and definitions of "bad" and "good" outside themselves? Or: Why do ideas of "right" and "wrong" need to come from some Other Outside Force and not us or the world we live in?

Answer 1

This is completely asinine! It's absolutely disrespectful of the families, and completely uncalled for. Homosexuality isn't tolerated at all in either of the two societies that are at war and to imply that it is, is nothing more than hate-mongering. To do it at a funeral, especially a soldiers funeral, is asinine.

Answer 2

What kind of disgusting prick would protest at a FUNERAL is the only question. That man is a horrible fool. Sorry that just makes me really mad. Haters are bad people pure and simple. Jesus said turn the other cheek. I think what it is, is that people are bored and stupid. They have to have some group to hate and protest against. Those people are the same type who killed African American men who hit on or married a white woman way back in the day. It was immoral (according to them). You'll probably get a whole bunch of rednecks saying it's a good thing he does. So right now I'll say that haters are stupid and should take a good long look at there life before they condemn others. Let those without sin cast the first stone.

Answer 3

Rev. Phelps and his followers represent nothing but abolute hate and intollerance for anyone who doesn't believe what they do. I can't even imagine the horrible, sad lives they live and I feel sorry for them.

Unfortunatly, their extreme actions are seem in less extremes all over the country. The president is pushing for an amendment that would have it in the constitution that gay marriage is banned. The religious right would love for America to become their country so they could rule it just like they rule their churce: with fear and hate.

Answer 4

The question is pretty deep, but I agree God uses our enemies to punish His people sometimes. The Israelites were persecuted by there enemies as a punishment allowed by God, but then God punished the enemies. The preacher that is doing the protesting may have a valid point, but protesting at funerals is too much of an insult to grieving families and a grief. It shouldn't be done.

Answer 5

People hate thinking of themselves as bad, and hate facing real problems. Blaming people that are different than them and things they don't understand is a lot easier than facing the problems within themselves. Don't believe me? Take this as an example: the Satan that all Christians fear has horns and hooves, right? That's because it is fashioned after the pagan god of nature, who was part goat. It was easier to blame this deity for all the evil in the world than it was to correct it, and the pagan god was something none of them knew well or understood. So, the man controlling fear and pain in the universe is actually a god of happiness and nature in a pagan religion.

Answer 6

Not sure if I completely understand your question but I'll try. What I got out of the question was why is right and wrong defined by the bible, or god or other sources like that.
Well I would have to say that its because some people don't believe in them selves any more. They can't trust their instincts, that gut feeling that tells us whether we should act or not. So they have to have a someone tell them.

Answer 7

Some people will believe in anything. I don't understand why they take their protests to military funerals. That is so low. The servicement that have died and their families don;t even know these people. I think they protest at funerals to get in the news and on TV. They are morons, jerks and several more names I can't print here.

Answer 8

That's a very good question - to which I have no answer, being an atheist. I get my morality and ethics from my own empathy with others, not from any external source.

As I undertand it, Phelps and his "flock" are mostly lawyers, hoping to provoke anger and violence so they can sue the pants off of someone and make a lot of money. They're all just con artists.


Most of the people to whom your question is adressed have never heard of the Euthyphro dilemma:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthyphro_dilemma

Answer 9

Nicely written. Generally, I think theists tend to credit a superior power as having given us the idea of right and wrong. I find it interesting that these "Christians" claim that the country tolerates homosexuality when it seems to me the country, meaning the government, does not. I just don't see how they think God hates anybody. It just doesn't seem in his nature as I've been taught. I mean, if God is love, how can he hate? (I don't think I wrote this as well as you question.)

Answer 10

Please remember, some people aren't any too gall darn schmart. They take great pride in showing their ignorance. Being against the govt. or the army incourages the rag-heads to keep going. They keep saying that America is weakening. They always see the few protesters, but not the millions of true Americans.