What's your opinion on church groups 'demonstrating' at soldiers funerals?

Question

Church members routinely demonstrate outside military funerals, saying American soldiers are dying as a sign of God's anger against the country's tolerance of homosexuality.

FYI- I copied and pasted this from an article on MSNBC.com, I am personally against it, just would like to hear other's opinions..

Answer 1

As a Christian, the wife of a Marine, and a woman who has both grieved and comforted those in grief, I am appalled.

Answer 2

I'm going to take this a little further and also say that it is also said that it happens [a soldier's death] because of America's addiction to oil.

As a Soldier in the Army I have seen these protesters first hand at funerals. It tears at me to see and hear people do such things at my brothers' funerals. At the same time they are exercising the freedoms all Soldiers stand up to defend.

American Soldiers are not dying because of homosexuality or oil addiction. They die because they give of themselves to help someone no longer live in tyranny; so we can sleep at night; or so their best friend won't get killed. Soldiers die because we care and are willing to give up everything for others.

Even though I don't agree with the protesters' views (simply because God is about tolerance, is he/she not?) I still would risk my life to defend their right to speak. Maybe they might wise up and realize that and instead of protesting at my funeral they would read the eulogy and comfort my grieving wife and children and turn to my coffin render a salute and say ... "Thank You, SGT Ronald Clayton for what you had done for us and the rest of the free world."

Answer 3

the more fundamentalist christians open thier wide mouths the more Im glad that i Left when i did.

If one were to approach someone described as not being a "real" Christian, they'd insist that they are as "real" as they come. And in their minds, they probably are. So what point is really made by saying they aren't? It's simply a way to dismiss them, to write them off as being pretenders. But that doesn't change the fact that they are, whether one likes it or not, a representative of their professed beliefs. They may not be representative of the best aspects of said belief, but few people are, no matter the beliefs.

To my way of thinking, if you call yourself a Christian, and believe yourself to be a Christian, then it doesn't matter a bit if others think you're Christian or not. It's just a situation of some Christians not wanting to accept that Christians can be scum, just like anyone else.

Answer 4

I think its horrible. I think these so called Christians do not know the meaning of Christianity. Many of the things they protest would NOT have been protested by Christ. In fact, they never mention the Beatitudes, which is a blueprint handed by Christ on who is righteous and who is not. These demonstrators are sinners and are not true Christians. They cry "support the troops" as long as the troops look like tyhem, act like them and believe what they believe. Other wise they have no respect for the fallen warrior and thats just WRONG!!!!!

Answer 5

The people that do that are (mainly) from one 'church.' I definatly do not agree with them. They are intruding on a very emotional part of the families' lives. I do support the bikers though that are trying to stop this injustice to the families by showing up at funerals and revving their engines and waving American flags to block out the church members.

Answer 6

That is just so sick. How would the good christians like it if someone done that to them at one of their loved ones funeral? I really think that this activity should be prohibited even though the right to assemble is there. Someone's funeral is not the time nor the place to get your political agenda out there.
We could start demonstrating for Nyt-quil when a baptist dies, being it used to be called baptist bourbon.

Answer 7

If you've checked out this website, you'll agree they can sight scripture to a "T". Well done I say. Most of it is logical. Maybe ultra logial(sarcasm) This is where controversy begins. It goes to show anyone can manipulate the words of the Bible to furhter their own agenda. This is why I place such little faith in the literal interpretatoin of this book as a way to decide what behavior is appropriate in my life. While I support their legal right to protest, they might need to drop back to the level of a human being again to see just what degree of hurt and pain they are giving to the families of our lost servicemen (and women).

Answer 8

I think protesting at a soldier's funeral is a very unchristian thing to do.

It goes against the Christian spiritual works of mercy to console and comfort and the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead.

There are times and places for peaceful demonstrations but a soldier's funeral is not one of them.

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

Its one of the most terrible thing I've ever heard of. I'm a Christian and no one in my church would do that. The soldier served in a war to protect those people and they have to get all fanatical and say God did it? No, enemy soldiers killed the solider, it wasn't some act of God. Psycho Christians scare me.

Answer 10

Although most Christians today don't adhere to the strictures that those lunatics do... they are, in fact, preaching what the Bible says.

I of course, think they're looney and should be locked up. But what's unsettling is how many Christians don't even realize that if they truly followed their Bible, that is the church they should belong to.

Ever seen their website?

http://www.godhatesfags.com

Answer 11

More intolerance in the name of God. It's disrespectful. It's vile that on top of having to deal with the death of a loved one who has died for their country that a family would also have to put up with this kind of $hit. It is inexcusable. Talk about adding insult to injury. I wonder what one of them would think if their family member's funeral was desecrated in this way?