In our English class, we were learning about the use of rhetoric and how the communication of our ideas can affect how people take to our ideas. In order to see how rhetoric can fuel an organization’s message, our teacher showed us a video about a radical baptist church that had a clear hatred for homosexuality. Calling it a sin, they deemed anyone who was homosexual, or who associated themselves with homosexuals, to be going to hell after their death. Along with homosexuality, the Westboro Baptist Church actively protested against the funeral of dead soldiers. During the funeral, while the family is mourning the loss, the protestors will stand their allowed distance from the funeral and shout their messages that soldiers deserved to die and that they would be going to hell. The reason they felt this way was because they thought that it was immoral to engage in war-like activity. They felt that by being soldiers, they were encouraging the war to happen and were encouraging nations to partake in violence instead of peaceful means of coming to an agreement. These people in this church community are very zealous in their beliefs, trying to spread their message to the world, not with the intention of trying to convert others, but just trying to tell people that they are going down the “wrong” path and are doomed for hell.
Even though I do not agree with the Westboro Baptist Church’s message because well, they are outright crazy, the one thing that I admire, and I mean “admire” in a very light manner, is their commitment to their cause. These people are among the most hated people in American because of the beliefs that they hold. They are very comfortable keeping to themselves, telling people that they are going to hell, and truly believing that they themselves are the only ones going to heaven because only they have followed God’s word, or at least what they think is God’s word. These people are taunted for their beliefs, people throw their drinks and food at them as they are driving by, and the younger generation is not well accepted by their peers, but yet they continue to trust the beliefs with which they have been taught to live accordingly. Of course there are some who do not understand why they are doing what they are doing and saying what they are saying, but they have been taught to live in a certain way and believe in certain practices. The way that we have been raised continue to have an everlasting impression on our lives, but there are times when we decide that we can make these important life changing decisions on our own, and we venture off into unknown territory.
I think this is an excellent description of the Westboro Baptist Church’s behavior. Yes, most people think they’re crazy but we must understand that they have their own set of beliefs that cause them to do what they do.
The argument of whether they are right or wrong is another one. To really understand an action or a set of actions, we must understand the intent. Their intent really seems to be as simple as informing people that they are going to hell.
Are they successful in their argument? I would say that they are, for sure. They’ve gotten all this coverage and their message is well known. No matter how you feel about the church, you’ve gotta admit that they are successful in accomplish what they intend.