Westboro Baptist Church were fined US$10.9m (UK£5.2m) in damages for 'Cheering a US Soldiers Death'. Did the court make the right decision?
2007-11-02 06:50:01 · 29 answers · asked by ƒαηтαѕтι¢ ☞CAT☜ 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Where are these hillbillies going to get $10,000.000?
I applaud the court for trying.
2007-11-02 06:54:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
I hate what those people say and I hate what they do. But if what they said and did didn't have any material consequences, then I don't understand imposing such a hefty amount in "damages." I'd like every schoolyard bully held materially accountable for the pain and emotional damage they cause their victims, but that doesn't happen. The Westboro people (I refuse to refer to them as a "church," or identify them with a denomination) are ignorant, hateful, and ridiculous. But I haven't heard of anything they've done yet that would LEGALLY justify a penalty like that. Morally, they ought to be tarred, feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail. In fact, that would be a whole lot more satisfying than imposing a fine that those inbred, backward rednecks will never be able to pay. I think it will probably be overturned on appeal.
2007-11-02 07:14:23 · answer #2 · answered by hoff_mom 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The amount seems a little out of reason to me. However I think the Court made the right decision, as contention is not of God but of the Devil. Also it is not the solders policy nor his doing that caused the war but those who run the government. It was his duty as a good American to withhold the laws and carry out the will of the people. If the will of the people is not with the war then they need to go about things in a different manner to prove that it is not the will of the people like vote, and if necessary to try to charge the heads of the government with war crimes through legal channels. Not bother the soldiers family and friends for nothing he or they could change. He was just doing his Job.
2007-11-02 07:05:37 · answer #3 · answered by saintrose 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As offensive and wrong as they are our freedom of speech is more important than this situation. To have our freedom of speech which is a bedrock of a free society means that even the loonies can exercise it. Now I agree with laws that keep things orderly like a distance law at cemeteries for protesters, laws against violence and obscenity, but to fine someone for words spoken that expressed their belief ( as awful as theirs is) is an attack on our freedoms and by letting this moderate or limit our freedom we can be sure it will be used against those who speak the truth in love. The freedom riders have the right idea. These motorcycle riders go to many of these funerals and make a human shield protecting the funeral participants from these folks. This is their way of using our freedoms in a good and supportive way. We must be very careful not to let this bad situation turn into something worse for us by not considering the future of actions taken today.
All Christianity will be silenced next as many consider even calling homosexuality a gender disorientation "hate speech" even when in love we seek to save some from the nightmare of that life style and the destruction it does to society. This event will be used to try and silence the entire church if possible.
2007-11-02 12:51:21 · answer #4 · answered by beek 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
that's equivalent to asserting that the Tea party is a team of liberal activists attempting to make extremely-appropriate wingers seem extremely extreme, thereby forcing moderates decrease back to the left. WBC is somewhat a team of atheists, as a result ability faithies would be thrown any incorrect way. In the two cases, the respond is 'no', per Occam's Razor. that's alright to settle for there are actual lunatics in the worldwide with no need to instruct to an identical variety of lunacy to describe them.
2016-12-30 14:54:56 · answer #5 · answered by rusher 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES! But do not continue to call them a church.
Don't confuse the Westboro Church with a Church. I support the TRUTH.
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/111-westboro-baptist-church
2007-11-04 14:29:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course!!!!I saw on Wikipedia what they have been doing and last night on ABC 20/20 they did a report on them.I was glad to see action was being taken against them.They are crazy people who are being led on by the pastor.And if you saw the interview last night the people were always in a bad mood and even the kids little kids like our cousins or nephews were saying"god hates faqs"and when asked what a faq is they said"someone who doesnt believe in god"oh ya real smart from the people who dont believe in him.I hope they all get thrown in jail.
2007-11-03 02:22:01 · answer #7 · answered by Aces747 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the fine and with those who said they should also get jail time. Obviously they won't, but I would support a new law put in place to add jail time to that fine. In fact, the jail time could be served the week/month that there is another military funeral.
Wow, just imagine the frenzie when Fred Phelps dies and what a circus his funeral will be!
2007-11-02 07:17:18 · answer #8 · answered by kaz716 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are sick in the head, and whatever they do claiming to do it in God's name--- well God is not mocked and they will reap what the sow come judgment day. Sadly enough.....
It is sad to see people out there who claim to be saved, and go about acting this way, living this way...it is an embarassment!
I love the Lord, and I should be praying for those people...that God would TURN THEIR eyes to HIM and what HIS WORD says. Because right now they are OFF the path, the narrow path that God describes in Matthew 7:13-14.....they are not being examples of Christ--- they are being examples of what NOT to follow.
Some people just go WAY off, and decide what they are doing is justified, and it's not. If they studied God's word and really SOUGHT Him in everything--- they would not be behaving this way. It is totally the enemy who is twisting their ways.
2007-11-02 06:58:47 · answer #9 · answered by Mandolyn Monkey Munch 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Its hilarious. Horrible people should be punished, although I doubt they will ever pay a dime it is good to know that others deplore there tired old ploys for self importance.
The sad part is that the old Phelps guy is really a horrible tired closet case that is just angry about his own sad life.
Once he is dead, the family will fall apart and spend the rest of their life in therapy.
2007-11-05 03:42:09 · answer #10 · answered by howie r 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seems high to me that there was this much in punitive damages for their dumb protests. It will probably get reduced to a couple of million, not that it matters, since the church doesn't have more than a million anyways.
So as long as they end up bankrupt in the long run, I am fine with it.
2007-11-02 06:55:43 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋