WBC and Change

This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series wbc

BY Reina Desrouleaux

little note: with every article I write for my column from now on will have a philosophical quote That I find interesing and relates to the article .

On tuesday we all filed on the front lawn to speak out for B-CC against the Wesboro Baptist Church protesters. Our signs full of Beatles lyrics and signs that spoke for understanding and peace were quite contradicting to their signs. I think most of us agree with our views of the church. They are ignorant, rude, and annoying. I have heard people say ” why cant they just see that they are wrong? or somebody just shut them up?” But is it really possible for them to change? I think not.

My first reason is the church’s age and its members. Do you remember the two boys? that looked to be no more than six? this is what I think to be one of the main factors of the church’s values. The church has been around for fifty years. Meaning the members have been imposed with these ideas from an early age. And the way the kids are being dragged around for protest that they barely understand, those ideas might just grow unto them. Isn’t it possible though, for someone to reject those ideas? I think not. Disagree if you want to, but the way they act displays some of these reasons. They state their reasons and beliefs plainly, but their biblical reasonings dont quite match. when I took a look at their site, Their biblical reasons were basically the same. When on TV interviews, they yell rudely and dont even bother listening. You might see a bunch of rude roudy people being interviewed but I see someone blindly following a belief. They have the idea, but no basis. This is what happens to them. They dont get a chance themselves to question, they dont get a chance to ask their parents why. They keep saying how God will smite us into a thousand eternities of hell over and over, and it is exactly what they tell themselves. If any of them ever bothers to ask “why is it that i am doing this?” they will get the same answer, “because I will be punished if I dont bother pointing these out”. The opportunities to question themselves have passed, meaning they are now left in this sort of brainwashed illusion.

Another thing is the time and how they have been exposed to something. When you are exposed to something for a certain amount of time, you tend to pick them up. The people of the WBC have been in this since their childhood, going to protests across the country and hearing those preaches. Of course they will adapt to those ideas. An example of this would be me and a certain friend. My family is christian. between the ages of 5-9 I went to a Catholic school where morning prayers and bible studies were a requirement,but I rarely ever went to church. Over the course of five years, I’ve forgotten the story of Moses of all famous stories, so dont even bother asking me about the 12 disciples that I was forced to memorize, and recite, and write down in school. Whereas most of my family do not, I support gay rights. Even though a Nun would stand in my face for an hour a day telling me about sodom, I could careless whether or not lying, and questioning the Bible will send me burning in an eternity of flames. But my friend has been raised in a Christian family, where she goes to church every sunday, knows the bible and is raised with those values. She has more exposure to her religion therefore is more faithful to it then I will ever be in my life.That’s the thing with the people of the WBC, the Idea of “God hates fags” have been pounded into their heads in many ways.

The last thing is the way society treats them, and their habit of suing. ”They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” -Andy Warhol. How will they ever see a different side if no one bothers to tell them to stop with the merciless protestings in funerals and schools?Even though it sounds as simple as telling them ” You Guys are ignorant idiots who dont bother to even give yourselves a second thought”, the people of the WBC sue. They make millions off of lawsuits. Sure peaceful signs at our protests were meaningful, but not necessarily for a response. It was just to show that we are in accepting and understanding community, not to call them out. Their habit of suing makes most people not even bother with them. This means that everybody pretty much stick to their sides. Everybody keeps telling themselves ” I know that they are wrong, so I’ll just ignore them and let them rant on”. It might sound like a good solution, but the simple act of ignorance might shut them up for a while but not ever really. And nobody is ever really going to try with them. They have their rights, and it is morally wrong to suppress someone for their views. So really the idea of change for the WBC is really not a possible thing.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.” -Anais Nin

” They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself “-Andy Warhol

SOURCES

http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_changegrowth.html