Westboro Baptist Church is officially not a hate group, the Obamma Administration said this week.
It’s not? Isn’t “hate” built into their trademark phrases, right next to “God”?
A few of their lesser known websites are “GodHatesAmerica,” “GodHatesTheMedia,” “GodHatesIslam” and “GodHatesTheWorld.com.”
The White House through its website had received petitions asking for these lunatics from Topeka to be treated as a hate group, with their tax-exempt status removed. Almost 700,000 people signed five related petitions.
The Huffington Post calls WBC a “quasi-religious group,” while others just call it a “Seriously Annoying Group.” Couldn’t they at least be forced to remove the words “Baptist” and “Church” from their name?
The Associated Press describes WBC as a group that protests at soldiers’ funerals. Actually, this group first protested at the funerals of known homosexuals, and continues to do so. In recent years they’ve also tried to be an offensive presence, sharing God’s hate, at any prominent gathering for mourning. They planned to travel to Newtown, Conn., to protest at the funeral of a school principal after the mass shootings. They were in the Barton County Courthouse Square when the community held a candlelight vigil for slain 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt.
So far as we know, WBC hasn’t incited any of its followers to violence or hate crime. The White House is correct in letting them keep their tax-exempt status.
There’s a tradition of radical fundamentalists preaching God’s hate. Let us not forget that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson both said immorality and anti-Christian groups should share in the blame for the terrorist attacks on the USA on Sept. 11, 2001. Some preachers closer to home agree with them.
The First Amendment still applies to all of these folks.
On the other hand, the Southern Poverty Law Center has added WBC to its list of Christian hate groups. It’s not a crime to be a hate group on their list. But what starts with words sometimes moves on to action, then violence. Westboro Baptist Church is a church. And a hate group.
It’s a hate group, and proud of it.

Susan Thacker