Justice

Fred Phelps is the pastor behind Kansas’ Westboro Baptist Church … perhaps one of the most famous churches in the world for their hateful, intolerant attitudes towards homosexuals. These are the people who protest at funerals – they protested Matthew Shepard’s funeral many years ago (he was gay and was killed in a hate beating). They protest funerals of those whom die from AIDS, claiming it is God’s justice. They also – and most famously – protest military funerals, claiming the deaths of soldiers is God’s just punishment for America, since America “enables fags to live freely.” Westboro and Phelps are also the individuals behind the infamous godhatesfags.com web site.

Today, a court ordered Phelps and Westboro to pay $11 million in emotional damages and purposeful defamation to the family of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder. Snyder was killed in Iraq; Westboro showed up to protest the funeral.

Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “God hates fags.”

A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries.

But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

The church and three of its leaders — the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46 — were found liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Snyder claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.

The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due to the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.

The full story can be read here.