We Hate Your Hate

Being obsessed with Constance McMillen, I read any article with her name mentioned in the headline. The latest one stated that the "god hates fags" campaign headed by the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas is going to be picketing McMillen's graduation. So I browsed their lovely website dedicated to hate and I was stunned in shock and horror. I have run into some "god hates fags" followers on the sidewalk downtown a few years ago, but I had no idea how committed they were. I mean they actually have a picketing schedule! Mostly of Jewish events...
Their logo is of an upside down American Flag which really demystifies some notions I have of fundamental Christians. From their website it's not easy to really find out what they actually believe in, besides hating the LGBTQ community. Apparently, the WBC during the 1960's fought for civil rights and used god to combat racism and segregation. So they have a sense of equality there. They believe though, that race and sex are factors of a person's character that they can not change, while sexual preference(s) are a choice...and according to them anything non-heterosexual is the wrong choice. Ugh. That's all I can really muster as a response. I'm too tired having the nature vs. nurture argument.
But what I am most offended by that I was expecting to be offended by is that the WBC refers to the bible in the feminine pronoun. I might be treading on thin lines when I say this but I don't think of the bible as preaching violence and I don't think as the feminine force as violent. If anything I think that the feminine has been oppressed and obliterated by violence and that violence has often been justified by the bible. Maybe that's the WBC's way of being progressive, or maybe that's the WBC's way of hiding behind the fact that Phelps is a man preaching violence. Whenever there is a debate on religion, I always just think to myself "the bible says a lot doesn't?" People make it say, whatever they need it to say. I can't help but think of a Broken Social Scene t-shirt they were selling at one of their concerts that read "we hate your hate". That's what I feel, but I don't think I'm breaking even on this one.