God Hates Fruit Loops- Part 2

Libby Phelps isn't crazy.

She's actually quite normal, all things considered. She was born and raised in the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church; that engages in cult-like protests all over the globe proclaiming homosexuality is the sin that broke the camels back and that God is destroying our country and killing our troops because we won't obey.

It's sick and it's twisted. But it's what they believe and nothing seems to stop them. When they protest troop funerals, motorcycle riders will stand in front of them to cover up their signs and they'll start their engines to blare out any sounds from the Phelps. Yet still, the protests go on. Radio shows are now giving them air time to stop some of the funeral protests. And yet, they still continue. The father of a fallen soldier who was protested by the Phelps, who was told by them that his dead son was burning in hell for fighting for our freedom, took them all the way to the Supreme Court. They won. And it still continues.

Megan Phelps hinted this week on her Facebook the possibility of an reality show to get their message on an even bigger audience. Shirley Phelps-Roper is all over Twitter and all over TV and radio. They're bigger than ever.

Among it all, Libby Phelps got away. She's among a handful of Phelps who got away. She recently came out of hiding and did an interview at an Q&A session with Kevin Smith, the director of an Phelps-inspired horror movie called 'Red State'. What Libby had to say shocked me.

Not only do the Phelps do this for publicity, as expected, but they do it because they really believe this stuff. It's not some ploy to just gain attention entirely, it's attention with a message. And it's a powerful message. 

The message is:

1. God hates gay people

2. God hates America

3. God hates churches

4. God hates Christians

5. God hates dead troops

6. God hates alive troops

7. God hates dead celebrities

8. God hates alive celebrities

9. God hates President Obama

10. God hates everything he created

......BUT THEM.

Libby also said that she left the church after praying with the other members of the church (and I use that word loosely with them) for people to die. Innocent people to die? That's what they pray for?! Not for world peace, an end to poverty, that sinners would repent, that God's will be done here on earth. None of that stuff that Christians pray for. None of that stuff Jesus talked about. Nothing that the Bible would prescribe they pray about.

Just death. They want people to die.

That's sick--even for them. 

I've spent many years studying their church, researching their view point and even on occasion interacting with their church members. I've come to the conclusion that they've been brainwashed to hate. They believe God wants them to hate, as he hates. Or so they say.

In doing so, they miss the reality of God. They miss the big story line of the Bible. They miss the reasoning why Jesus died on the cross in the first place. And they miss the most important commandments of the Bible that Jesus uttered himself.

Love. 

It's love, stupid. 

Yet what Libby Phelps talks about is an environment where she was expected to hate other people. She was expected to spend all of her time, money and energy proclaiming a false doctrine of hatred. God does get angry, he does have wrath. But mostly importantly, he loves.

I feel bad for Libby.

I feel bad that she was lied to about Christianity. I feel bad that her picketing and her families picketing led to people getting a false impression of Christians. 

I just....feel bad.

Libby isn't crazy. Far from it.

She's compassionate, funny, warm, and...loving.

And that's something that God surely doesn't hate.