From the picketing schedule of Westboro Baptist Church:
St. Demetrios Church in Seattle, WA June 7, 2012 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Westboro Baptist Church will picket the funeral of Gloria Koch Leonidas. God sent the shooter to the coffee shop and executed HIS judgment. God hates fags. God hates fag enablers. God hates fag marriage. When Washington State put their hand to pass fag marriage into law, they flipped off God and put a target on the backs of their people. …
They wrote more, but you get the idea. Sadly, Westboro Baptist Church continues to picket various places around the country to spread the message that “God hates fags.” It appears to be the turn of the Orthodox Church to be in their sights. Part of me is tempted to write the typical post that condemns Westboro and makes them seem to be such an exception. I wish that were true. They are only an exception in that they picket publicly. But, they are not an exception in some of their claims about what God wishes of us.
If you were to read the news from the last month, you will easily find at least three examples, two of them viewable on YouTube, of pastors making statements about killing homosexuals, either by putting them in camps or by making them liable for the death penalty. Increasingly, as the debate on gay marriage gets more and more acrimonious, Christian pastors are beginning to take increasingly pro-violence stands against homosexuals.
These statements hurt the witness of Orthodox and theologically conservative non-Orthodox Christians alike. They give “ammunition” to those who claim that Christians are haters. These type of statements have been rejected by our hierarchs. In 2003, the bishops of SCOBA (Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) made a statement that was reissued and reaffirmed by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North America just two weeks ago:
“… The Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality, firmly grounded in Holy Scripture, 2000 years of church tradition, and canon law, holds that marriage consists in the conjugal union of a man and a woman, and that authentic marriage is blessed by God as a sacrament of the Church. Neither Scripture nor Holy Tradition blesses or sanctions such a union between persons of the same sex. … This being said, however, we must stress that persons with a homosexual orientation are to be cared for with the same mercy and love that is bestowed by our Lord Jesus Christ upon all of humanity. All persons are called by God to grow spiritually and morally toward holiness.”
In a statement by the Orthodox Church in America from 2011, the holy hierarchs state:
“Have pity on the plight of homosexuals oppressed by an unfeeling, cruel society? By all means we are commanded to love and show mercy on all humanity regardless of their spiritual condition.”
The Orthodox clearly continue to uphold the classic teachings of Holy Scripture, church tradition, and canon law. Those teachings say that, “marriage consists in the conjugal union of a man and a woman.” They say that whether one’s orientation is homosexual or heterosexual, all “are to be cared for with the same mercy and love that is bestowed by our Lord Jesus Christ upon all humanity.” But, more than that, in a response for God’s call to care for the oppressed, the Church is called to go even farther. We are commanded to, “have pity on the plight of homosexuals oppressed by an unfeeling, cruel society … to love and show mercy on all humanity regardless of their spiritual condition.” This is a high and difficult calling, because it means that we are also called to love those of Westboro Baptist Church, to pray for them, to ask God’s Holy Spirit to truly reach into their heart, and to abstain from considering them any worse than any other sinners.
Neither in the case of gay marriage supporters nor of those who urge violence against homosexuals need we accept, condone, or help further their positions. In neither case does care, mercy, and love mean that we freely admit those who persist in those sins to our Lord’s table. But God’s call does mean that our care, mercy, and love need to be every bit as clear as our statements against certain laws and certain actions. The same Lord who said, “go and sin no more,” also said, “neither do I condemn you.” Both statements need to be clearly spoken, heard, and practiced in our Church life and in our relationships with those outside the Church.
I’m trying to figure out why the Westboro group have selected this funeral. Gloria Leonidas does not seem to have any connection to the military or to pro-homosexual groups. How does the Westboro group select the funerals where they display their message of hate?
Wow… that’s a challenging post, Father.
Thank you for posting this. In US Christianity, among other things, our views have become so polarized that the Orthodox stance is hard to understand. We know that so-called reparation therapy doesn’t work and has lead to dire consequences including suicide. We also know that intense bullying from Westboro or other people leads to the same result in many cases: suicide. In both the answer is total acceptance with a very thin, if it is there at all, view of sin. Or, the answer is total rejection with the diatribe of hell as a threat. The notion that we are all spiritually sick and that the church is a “hospital” to receive divine healing is something that I think people desire, but there are very few places who not only teach this but live it. This, above all else, is why I was received into Orthodoxy on Pentecost.
Westboro Baptist is a bunch of loony-tunes. I was a military chaplain for twenty years, and these people are the first I have ever knwn to shoiw systematic dfisrespect to the families of people who died in their defense.
As for their “God hates fags” stance, it is simply not true. God loves homosexuals. What He hates is homosexuality, precisely because it injures and diminishes them, and separates them from Him. Homosexuality is a vile spirit that corrupts its prey and whicgh seeks to corrupt society. Both Scripture and the Fathers conemn it wthour resrervation, and Scripture lists it among the sins which
will keep its victims from entering Heaven.
Love does not require the loss of moral clarity. It does, however, demand that we look to our own sins before condemning others, and realizing we all offend God in one thing or another. We must not confuse the sinner with the sin. We must comndemn sin, but welcome–and seek the redemption
of–sinners.
Father Ernesto, have you seen the latest issue of Sojourners? There’s an article about Westboro Baptist Church in the form of an interview with a woman who infiltrated and got to know them. For me, the disturbing part is how “normal” the members appear to be in their daily and family lives, while promoting hate in their religious lives and on the picket line.
Here’s the link to the SoJo article:
http://sojo.net/magazine/2012/06/face-hate
Father Ernesto, you might be interested in Fr Abbot Tryphon’s last couple of postings here:
http://morningoffering.blogspot.com/
He was there and served at the funeral.
Dana
Thank you. His postings brought tears to my eyes.
Westbrook call themselves Baptist but our Deeds really tell who we are and of what Spirit were of…True Baptist know Love and Practice it…and know the Church is told in Scripture, “not to become entangled in the affairs of this life” “to be separate from the world” that stands in condemnation…and don’t seem to have the Grace that came to us, in this Grace…some do try to preach the Law, in Christ name?…however in the NT it gives the reason for their condition; but the only restriction I find placed on them is, they are not to be Ordained…that seems to be a double stroke, as membership must be, before a person would ever be considered for Ordination ! Yes let them without sin first cast a stone…and the last time I checked Baptist claimed to be sinners saved by Grace…and The Book says “if we say we have no sin, we made the Lord a liar”… Christians do not use ten commandments, but under Grace, and the Law of Christ, just Two: Love God ( and how) Love our Neighbor (and how) Amen. PS where did Jesus say His is Kingdom is, and after what fashion did He say it comes… 50(the set free number) days after His Second Coming…His First was from the Womb…His last coming, we are told we will meet Him in the air (I.e., above Earth)…Amen