The death of a hated man

Amidst the press coverage of the death of a fashion designer, it is pleasing to note that at least some coverage has been given to the recent death of Fred Phelps.  What I find distasteful however is the bile and hypocrisy surrounding his demise.

For those who do not know about him, Phelps was a church minister, and for many years was involved with the Westboro Baptist Church in the city of Topeka, Kansas.  Over many years this church has organised huge numbers of public demonstrations, often targetting funerals.  Their message has been one of hatred.  If I've got it right, one of their central beliefs is that the deaths of American soldiers in foreign wars are God's punishment of the USA for daring to tolerate sodomy.

Press reports tend to be restrained in their criticism of him, but the comments are another matter, with people wishing him in hell.  Nevertheless Phelps was a far better example of a Christian minister than most of the vermin who pass for clergy in Britain today.  I suspect that that comment probably applies equally to clergy in the USA and many other countries as well.

I do not agree with the message preached by Phelps, and it is quite possible that surviving members of the Westboro Baptist Church would regard me as hell fodder.  Nevertheless The Bible does condemn sodomy, and anyone who dares to mention that is arguably a better Christian that someone who tries to gloss over that fact.

Millions of people in the USA - and the United Kingdom - vote in elections for warmongers.  Who are they to judge Fred Phelps?  At least some church leaders in this country have been known to appear in public standing shoulder to shoulder with Muslim leaders.  Does The Bible exhort Christians to respect the beliefs of non-Christians?  Does it?  Can anyone supply a reference?

Also, Muslims are required by The Koran to destroy Christians (9:30) and to regard them as the worst of creatures (98:6).

A man who described Barack Obama as the antichrist must have been doing something right, and I for one will not join in the condemnation of the late Fred Phelps.

Related previous posts include:
Christians could do more
David Cameron on Islam
Your Muslim faith - really?