Fred Phelps is protesting in my home state today. They’re protesting at Camp Lejeune because of the young pregnant marine who was found murdered there. I find this to be utterly despicable behavior (as is everything WBC does).

There are some people* who think that the proper response to this group is to ignore them and hope they’ll go away.

Lou FCD has another solution: Taking back our voice from the ones who try to speak for all of us.

I find it interesting that there is such a strong response here in Jacksonville to this protest. As far as I can tell, the uproar is directed only at the idea that these people will be directing their protest at the base, and a quick look through the letters to the editor on the Daily News’ site, and the comments at the ENC Forums seems to be reflective of what I’ve heard in the community at large.

So for the most part, it’s not the message of hate and bile with which Christians here disagree, it’s the choice of venue. These folks are the very public face and voice of Christianity. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, the late Jerry Falwell, the preachers in Jacksonville’s pulpits: these people are just more polite when they deliver the exact same message, yet they have the undying loyalty of a very large percentage of Christians in America.

Until Christians like you take that voice away, the message is quite clear: Christians hate “the other’, be they “fags”, atheists, or even Christians who don’t support tearing down the Constitution in favor of the Bible, and anyone who disagrees with them deserves to be tortured for eternity. This is not a message of love, no matter who says it or how they say it.

It’s distubing enough that this attitude is seen as acceptable in public discourse, but it is being condoned by people with credible opportunities to be in a position with enough power to bring about the legislation of it.

Sweeping Phelps under the carpet and ignoring him, or even standing against him just because he chooses to spread his hate at Camp Lejeune will not return that voice to you. It is the message, coming from more refined and successful hate mongers, that needs to be marginalized and denounced. It is their power that threatens not only me, but also you, and dressing their excrement up in a three piece suit and putting it in a church or on a campaign trail makes it no less so.

When no Christians stand and protest against Phelps and he fades into this afternoon’s sunset, it won’t make his ideas go away, it will just make them more comfortable to support in his more genteel brethren.

I would encourage Christians to attend Phelps’ rally and say, “No. You do not speak for me.” Say it today to Phelps. Say it tomorrow in church. Say it loudly over and over until the voice of Christianity is no longer one of hate and division, but one of love and inclusion.

Until then, Phelps has your voice, and Phelps has the mike.

And he’s right. If I were able, I would go and let them know that they don’t speak for me. They don’t speak for Christ. And they don’t speak for God. This is the message that must be heard in this nation.

Fred Phelps, you will lose your voice and your platform.

*I must say that I think this article was well-written. Timmi’s heart is in the right place and her thoughts about WBC are correct. It’s the actions behind those feelings that aren’t up to snuff.

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