Anti-Gay Church Must Pay Marine's Family

[Lewis]

BALTIMORE -- A Kansas church has been ordered to pay $3,150 for costs and fees associated with a summons and complaint filed by the father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by the extremist group.

Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., is suing the Rev. Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church after church members demonstrated at the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, of Westminster, and posted pictures of the protest on their Web site.

Lance Snyder was killed in Iraq in March. Members of the Topeka church claim U.S. soldiers are killed as God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality.

His father's federal lawsuit, filed June 5, alleges church members violated the family's right to privacy and defamed the Marine and his family at the funeral and on the church's Web site.

Phelps and the church refused to grant a waiver in the serving of summonses in connection with the federal lawsuit, making the church liable for those costs.

Court documents say the church has 30 days to make the payment to Snyder.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/10515987/detail.html

 

[Rick W]

Should have been a lot more than $3150. :smt011

I don't care who it is or what issues one may have, you leave families alone to bury their dead.

"Members of the Topeka church claim U.S. soldiers are killed as God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality."

That's just plain absurd.

 

[Lewis]

Should have been a lot more than $3150. :smt011

I don't care who it is or what issues one may have, you leave families alone to bury their dead.

"Members of the Topeka church claim U.S. soldiers are killed as God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality."

That's just plain absurd.

Yeah' I have to agree.

 

[JohnR]

I don't care who it is or what issues one may have, you leave families alone to bury their dead.

What about pastors who think a funeral is a opportunity to tell people that they are going to burn in hell if they do not convert to the pastors way of thinking?

People who go to war and die for their country & give their life so that others have the freedom to protest and the right to express their opinion. It just seems ironic that they would exercise their freedom of speech at the funeral of the people who died to give them that freedom.

 

[Rick W]

What about pastors who think a funeral is a opportunity to tell people that they are going to burn in hell if they do not convert to the pastors way of thinking?

People who go to war and die for their country & give their life so that others have the freedom to protest and the right to express their opinion. It just seems ironic that they would exercise their freedom of speech at the funeral of the people who died to give them that freedom.

agreed

A funeral is no time for bandstanding. It's a time for respect, to allow those to grieve their loss in peace. Sometimes people abuse their rights for whatever reasons but I think this one is a no-brainer.

 

[mcrees]

agreed

A funeral is no time for bandstanding. It's a time for respect, to allow those to grieve their loss in peace. Sometimes people abuse their rights for whatever reasons but I think this one is a no-brainer.

I agree.

At my mother's funeral I asked my minister to preach the Gospel so if anyone there wasn't saved, they would here about the path of Salvation. He did it with tact.

I believe that a funeral should be done the way the family asks and NO ONE should protest anything at a funeral.

 

[Rick W]

I agree.

At my mother's funeral I asked my minister to preach the Gospel so if anyone there wasn't saved, they would here about the path of Salvation. He did it with tact.

I believe that a funeral should be done the way the family asks and NO ONE should protest anything at a funeral.

Two very good points.
I just don't understand the rationale of protesting at a funeral. I don't understand the lack of respect. More pointedly, I don't understand their logic for which they are protesting in the first place, "God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality".
In my book they lost on all counts. This sort of stuff really pushes my buttons.

 

[JohnR]

I just don't understand the rationale of protesting at a funeral.

I think the point is that they are breaking a taboo in order to draw attention. This was sort of a issue with Ann Coulter, where people though it was breaking a taboo for her to argue against wounded war veterns and 911 widows. This is a little bit different of a situation though.

 

[Lewis]

It is very insensitive to protest at someone's funeral. What has the family done' that deserves something like that. If they did that at my family's funeral' I might become violent, I mean because that could be my mom laying there' or my child or something.

 

[Newkid00]

I agree with all of you. It's a shame the family had to go through that, funerals are to bury our dearly loved ones who past one. Not get torn apart by rude people. They should of payed more.

 

[christian_soldier]

Fred has quite a history of lunacy.

Its a shame he can get away with calling his merry band of hate mongers a church.

Many thanks to the Patriot Guard Riders for helping shield mourners from these freaks. :smt023

http://www.patriotguard.org/

 

[Lewis]

Fred has quite a history of lunacy.

Its a shame he can get away with calling his merry band of hate mongers a church.

Many thanks to the Patriot Guard Riders for helping shield mourners from these freaks. :smt023

http://www.patriotguard.org/

Lunacy' is the right word. Thank you.

 

[Solo]

Fred and his bunch are loonies from way back. I do not see the Holy Spirit operating in any of their shananigans.

If they ever protest a funeral of one of my family, I will shoot on site! :wink:

 

[Jon-Marc]

I am certainly not in favor of homosexuality, but protesting a funeral just because the deceased was one is wrong. They should be made to pay a LOT more.

 

[christian_soldier]

I am certainly not in favor of homosexuality, but protesting a funeral just because the deceased was one is wrong. They should be made to pay a LOT more.

These clowns aren't protesting at the funerals of homosexuals. They are protesting at as many military funerals as they can get to with the message that American soldiers die because America is tolerant of homosexual lifestyles, claiming that God allows American soldiers to die because God hates homosexuals.

Its a twisted logic fueled by pure, evil hatred whose source is SATAN.

 

[Jon-Marc]

These clowns aren't protesting at the funerals of homosexuals. They are protesting at as many military funerals as they can get to with the message that American soldiers die because America is tolerant of homosexual lifestyles, claiming that God allows American soldiers to die because God hates homosexuals.

Its a twisted logic fueled by pure, evil hatred whose source is SATAN.

Sorry, I misunderstood what was being said. It sounded to me that they were protesting the funeral of a homosexual. I agree that their actions are of satan.