Is Fred Phelps a Christian?

[Sunstone]

Fred Phelps group came to Colorado Springs (where I live) a couple of days ago. They stood outside city hall and held up signs saying "God hates you", "God hates ****", "God hates America". They stood on the American flag and spit on it. According to them, anyone who goes against their strict interpretation of the bible is hated by God.

The question I have is this: Are such people actually Christian, as they claim, or have they so missed the message of Christianity that they should not be considered Christian at all? What do you think?

 

[Saw11_2000]

http://www.nndb.com/people/908/000025833/

 

[Saw11_2000]

http://amiannoying.com/(cduiqoyhlznlqdql4vgg2njy)/view.aspx?ID=6610

 

[Jaymes]

There is no way I could consider that sorry excuse for a human being a follower of Jesus.

 

[No*s]

Fred Phelps group came to Colorado Springs (where I live) a couple of days ago. They stood outside city hall and held up signs saying "God hates you", "God hates ****", "God hates America". They stood on the American flag and spit on it. According to them, anyone who goes against their strict interpretation of the bible is hated by God.

The question I have is this: Are such people actually Christian, as they claim, or have they so missed the message of Christianity that they should not be considered Christian at all? What do you think?

I won't often deny the title of Christian when someone wants it even if I don't want to grant it (such as this case). However, I won't deny the title of heretic either even when it's not wanted. This is one of those cases.

Orthodoxy doesn't accept a homosexual lifestyle, but he wouldn't find himself too at home either. Actually, he would be less at home.

 

[Saw11_2000]

Assault 1951
Defamation 1993
Disorderly Conduct Topeka, KS 27-Mar-1992
Disorderly Conduct Topeka, KS 22-Jun-1993
Disorderly Conduct Topeka, KS 7-Jul-1994, convicted
Disorderly Conduct Topeka, KS 29-Oct-1995, acquitted
Disorderly Conduct Topeka, KS 18-Feb-1998
Drug Overdose 1968
Disbarred

God hates criminals, too.

 

[Sunstone]

I won't often deny the title of Christian when someone wants it even if I don't want to grant it (such as this case). However, I won't deny the title of heretic either even when it's not wanted. This is one of those cases.

That's the best use of the word "heretic" I've ever heard, No*s!

 

[Master Vigil]

Since I believe Christianity should be within the religion of goodness, and since my perception what what they're doing is not my definition of good. My opinion is, no they aren't christians.

 

[linwood]

However, I won't deny the title of heretic either even when it's not wanted. This is one of those cases.

If you think for a moment I`ll allow you to equate Phelps with me in this way without upsetting me you are wrong No*s.

I`m a Heretic, Phelps is definately Christian.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I have to admit to a personal weakness for seeing a "holier than thou" Bible thumper exposed as a fraud - a great example would be Jim Baker (for the Jessica Hahn affair) or Jimmy Swaggart (caught with the hooker - TWICE). Conversely, I hate it when a truly good person suffers embarrassment in the same type of situation.

With all of that, I look at someone like Fred Phelps (he visited my home county in Kentucky two or three years ago to protest a student club) as a scourge to people that truly try to live a good life (Christian or not). The club was established to promote understanding between gay and straight kids at a local high school, and of course, Phelps couldn't possibly allow tolerance to rear it's ugly head when bigotry and hatred need a foothold.

If Phelps claimed to be a Satanist or an Agnostic, I wouldn't consider him to be one. Now, if he claimed to be a self-loathing, hatred filled, nonsense spewing, insecure loser, I'd have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

TVOR

 

[Dr. Khan]

good and evil right and wrong usually send people off in the wrong direction. It is their extreme sence of sin still present in them that make them go off like that. This sence of sin is also very present in the religious right. It's called carnal minded. They have no sence of the power of God to know that He can change them as well as the homosexual.

 

[Lightkeeper]

He certainly is deaf to anything Jesus taught. I have heard it said that God's voice is a still quiet voice. Phelps drowns out that voice with his hatred. He only hears his own distorted ranting. Let him rant he is a good example of a misguided fool.

 

[keevelish]

they may truly be Christians but they give the rest of us a bad rep. That is totally unscriptural to be railing and insulting people like that. If they are Christian, they are certainly not within God's will. Then again, there is of course the possibility that they aren't Christians. There are many groups that call themselves Christians, but if they look in the Bible, there is only one way to truly be Christian and that is accept Jesus Christ as saviour. All others are lost. So if they think they are Christian because they have a cause, they're wrong.

 

[No*s]

However, I won't deny the title of heretic either even when it's not wanted. This is one of those cases.

If you think for a moment I`ll allow you to equate Phelps with me in this way without upsetting me you are wrong No*s.

I`m a Heretic, Phelps is definately Christian.

Actually, I wouldn't classify you as a heretic either . In order to be a heretic one must believe.

 

[Pah]

...Are such people actually Christian, as they claim, or have they so missed the message of Christianity that they should not be considered Christian at all? What do you think?

Just as much as Hitler was!!! (most of the implications of that which come to mind are true IMHHO

P.S. I saw him and his hating group in action at a gay pride celebration parade in Washington DC. Unfortumetly it was someone outside the group that attacked the group but probably could be forgiven legally as response to "fighting words". Phelps behavior and signage are not, in my mind, protected speech when it causes that kind of reaction