Westboro Baptist Church

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a church based in Topeka, Kansas. Led by pastor Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper, the church has gained national attention for picketing the funerals of American soldiers and deceased homosexuals. According to the church's website, members believe the Bible preaches a message of hate and that God has sent his people to deliver his word.http://www.godhatesfags.com/faq.html#Who

On December 8th, 2010, the Westboro Baptist Church stated that it would protest at the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, on December 11th.http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/09/westboro-baptist-church-says-it-will-picket-elizabeth-edwards-funeral/ Their promotional flier for the scheduled protest referenced the death of their 16-year-old son Wade, who was killed in a car crash in 1996. The church's memo for the event proceeded to state that she had become a "resident of hell, where her rebellion and rage will take full flower."http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/elizabeth-edwards-funeral-westboro-baptist-church_n_794333.html

On May 5, 2009, Jacqui Smith of the U.K.'s Home Office announced the names of 16 people who had been included on a "least wanted" list in the country since the previous October. Pastor Fred Phelps was included on the list, as was American talk radio host Michael Savage. Smith stated in the press that she considered travel to Great Britain a “privilege” and that those who did not uphold the standards and values of the country would not be welcome there. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/16-banned-from-britain-named-and-shamed-1679127.html

In January 2008, members of the Westboro Baptist Church expressed their intent to protest the memorial service of deceased actor Heath Ledger. In a press release, the church said, "Ledger is now in Hell..." and a spokesperson said, "He got on that big screen with a big, fat message: God is a liar and it's OK to be gay." The comment was in reference to Ledger's role in Brokeback Mountain.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324966,00.htm

According to the Westboro Baptist Church website, the church considers itself an "Old School" Baptist Church. The site states that the church believes in the teachings of the Bible and in actively and publicly preaching against actions they consider sins, such as sodomy, fornication, adultery, and divorce and remarriage.

The site is quoted as saying that "WBC has conducted 44,735...demonstrations since June, 1991, at homosexual parades and other events, including funerals of impenitent sodomites (like Matthew Shepard) and over 400 military funerals of troops whom God has killed in Iraq/Afghanistan in righteous judgment against an evil nation."

According the church, signs and placards at these funerals and parades include phrases such as "GOD HATES FAGS," "GOD HATES AMERICA," and "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS."http://www.godhatesfags.com/wbcinfo/aboutwbc.html