1) Showing support to the students and congregants who are being targeted with messages of hate. I am particularly concerned about the students, who as young people are particularly susceptible to the ideas and opinions of others. Many could be deeply hurt and disturbed by the message and actions of the WBC. Countering that message with one of love, support, acceptance, unity, and the power of standing together as a community can impact how they view the world, and their own role in it, in a positive way. It's empowerment! It's so important to show future generations that they have a voice and a choice to make the world a more secure place for us all.
2) It's a message to anyone here in CO who may share the opinions of the WBC, letting them know that an attack on any single member of our community for whatever reason is in fact an attack on the community as a whole, and we will actively pursue a peaceful community that accepts and values difference. If small messages of hatred are allowed, they will only grow. The WBC is not physically violent, but their acts open a space for others to push those boundaries and a potential for violence.
3) It's a message to the children whom the WBC manipulates to participate in spreading their hate. We can expose them to a message of love and acceptance, and show them that love is more powerful, maybe even provide a dash of hope. One of Phelps' estranged children describes a continuum of abuse (http://natephelps.com/), which makes apparent that they are in desperate need of some lovin.
4) How many times have you heard the phrase "American soldiers fought and died for freedom in America" or something like it? How often do you take advantage of that freedom? Westboro Baptist Church is taking advantage of that freedom. There are lots of people around the world who are either exiled for voicing something which their government didn't agree with, or too terrified, even in their own homes, to voice their thoughts for fear of what may happen to them. I don't agree with the message that WBC propagates, I think it is directly and significantly harmful to the peace and well-being of both individuals and the community as a whole. But they have the freedom in this country to voice their opinions (whether what they have to say is a violation of human rights, or even if it should in fact be defined as peaceful simply because they are not physically attacking someone, is an issue for discussion). So the question is, what do you think about what the WBC says? How do you think it impacts the students at the schools they picket, or the congregation at the churches they picket, or the mourners at the funerals they picket? What is the impact for others in our cities who may share the WBC's sentiments? If you believe that the United States has fought for justice and liberty, is it not spitting in the face of soldiers and human rights activists when you let the responsibility to ensure those things in your home pass by?
Peace does not just happen inherently. Nor is it simply the absence of war. We have to dream it, hope for it, build it through our everyday interactions with everyone around us and sometimes with a bold statement against anyone or anything that threatens it. No act goes without consequence.
Complacency is the most dangerous threat to peace.
“Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” Pope John Paul II
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