Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

God may hate us, but Papa Nurgle loves us! And them! Papa Nurgle loves everybody!

On a more serious note, as a servicemember myself who has buried too many friends, and seen this group and groups like them, I truly believe they are the absolute worst type of people.

That being said, the greatest victory we can win is not a petty "matching" of their protest, but rather giving them absolutely no attention whatsoever and giving them nothing they can take to court. I only hope the non-dakkaites who show up realize the game they're playing.

They did one of their funeral "protests" in Jacksonville, NC a couple years ago. A bunch of (then) current and former service folk went and just stood between them and the procession, with our backs to the "protesters". As the hearse drove by we simply saluted, then turned and just stared at the "protesters". They wanted the police to disperse us, but they were told they were blocking the sidewalk. And since we didnt say or do anything directly to them they had nothing to file in court.

andruin wrote:

megatrons2nd wrote:I don't go to churches of any sort because of morons like that. .

That makes me sad. Surely you can see that they're not the majority of church going people? They're the equivalent of the fat smelly guy in the FLGS.

Unfortunately they are the extremely vocal minority that are omnipresent in virtually every congregation. No matter where you go, there is always that one guy/gal...

Anyway, there is a veteran organization known as the "Patriot Guard Riders." If the WBC starts making regular appearances at gaming cons, maybe the nerding community should do something similar, of course in a slightly more antagonistic and hilarious manner.

I say we all dress up as stormtroopers and poor hilariously innacurate (non lethal) lazer fire into thier ranks.

lord marcus wrote:I say we all dress up as stormtroopers and poor hilariously innacurate (non lethal) lazer fire into thier ranks.

Super soaker legion?

Since WBC is so keen on writing how "God hates f**s" on their signs. Why not bring your own signs that says "F**s hold signs" or something similar. Or just do what they did in Portland and bring any and all sign you can. Preferably in the same style as their own so that their message is drowned out by the white noise of random signs.

Good luck with protesting the protesters

MagickalMemories wrote:I would like to go on the record that, while I cannot stand these people, I find the amount of threats and/or suggestions of violence and/or crime that people make towards them equally alarming.

They are exercising what has been established as their legal right. Hate them for it, if you must. Deride them for it, if it amuses you. Please, however, do not intimate that it would be appropriate to harm them or their property for their views.

While they have a right to assemble and picket US, we have a right to dress up in our best 501st, steampunk, cosplay, shining knight, Klingon, Anime & WH40K costumes, mingle with them, and try to hand them OUR literature (D&D character sheets, players handbooks, army rosters, ComiCon programs & anything else you can think of). heck, wouldn't it be ironic to hand them print outs of Jack Chick comics?
Be nice to them RIGHT TO THEIR FACES. Heck, invite them in. Offer to buy them a "Galactic Burger" or something.
Your rights to assemble and speak freely do not mean that you cannot say things they will find annoying or inciteful (is taht a word, even? LOL).

If you want to get back at these people, do to them what theyre doing to us. Annoy them. Just be better at it. You know what thei buttons would be. Push them.

Eric

P.S. If you just happen to have not bathed in a week & forgot to put on deodorant that morning... So be it. LOL

I completely agree with this sentiment, no use in actually doing what they want. Just wondering though, has anyone actually checked the verse on that sign, all it says is this
"Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Well, I'll be there. And laugh at them. 'Cause it's gonna be hot next week.

Someone should find and hire man faye to dance in front of them while they are there. That could be the only appropriate response to them.

I noticed that, (Incidentally in mine it says 'I chose Jacob, but rejected Esau', which is pretty much the same) and I can't think of anything about that which relates to the things they are protesting against.

Tim the Biovore wrote:Wouldn't it be funny if those who go to ComiCon dressed as 40k people surrounded the picket, then picket that "Khorne Hates Everyone". That would piss them off.

This +1. Just make it less conspicuous so that only the comconners notice it.

Also, Magickal Memories is correct, you can't just use violence on them - it's what they want and they will sue your arse if you do. As scripture says: Love your Enemies (It confuses them).

chaos0xomega wrote:

andruin wrote:

megatrons2nd wrote:I don't go to churches of any sort because of morons like that. .

That makes me sad. Surely you can see that they're not the majority of church going people? They're the equivalent of the fat smelly guy in the FLGS.

Unfortunately they are the extremely vocal minority that are omnipresent in virtually every congregation. No matter where you go, there is always that one guy/gal...

Anyway, there is a veteran organization known as the "Patriot Guard Riders." If the WBC starts making regular appearances at gaming cons, maybe the nerding community should do something similar, of course in a slightly more antagonistic and hilarious manner.

and thus the inquisition is formed... declare exterminus

This +1. Just make it less conspicuous so that only the comconners notice it.

Also, Magickal Memories is correct, you can't just use violence on them - it's what they want and they will sue your arse if you do. As scripture says: Love your Enemies (It confuses them).

love? the inquisition loves no one, we just use bolters and assassins on people we don't like

I'd suggest having having a whole bunch of coffee and takeaway delivered to them, just to prove they are not bothering anyone.

I think it is disgraceful when they picket soldiers, but I generally see comic and gaming folk as having sufficient sense of humour to laugh them off.

To be honest, those Patriot Guard Riders are more Christian by far than this 'Westboro Baptist Church'.

Men of the PGR, I salute you.

Tim the Biovore wrote:Wouldn't it be funny if those who go to ComiCon dressed as 40k people surrounded the picket, then picket that "Khorne Hates Everyone". That would piss them off.

I love this idea.

Pity I won't be there really. I hope everyone who goes enjoys it.

Kroothawk wrote:They should just ask for help







Burn the heretic! Cleanse with fire!

Actually that's awesome, get Magdalena cosplayers together with SoB/Inquisitor cosplayers, and have them head over and join in the holy crusade with Burn the Heretic banners. Just love to see the Westboro's faces trying to figure wtf is going on.

I must admit, I was...unaware of just what this group gets up to. I must say, they're an impressive level of evil. Phelps is well on his way to Daemonhood when someone finally gets fed up with him enough to stake him through the chest. I doubt anything else will actually kill him.

I must say, joking aside, I can't understand how this hateful spiel can be jusitifed as free speach. I'm not American, but I was rather under the impression that free speach was the right to say what you believe...not to force what you want to say on everyone else. I'm rather proud they were banned from even entering the UK. Although I sorta wish they could...five second in the lot would be arrested under the various laws for inciting racial hatred.

I'm looking foward to seeing just how this all ends up. On the plus side, if they're going after conventions they must be getting fairly desperate to shock themselves up some more cash.

If you can find Louis Theroux's documentary on them I highly recommend anyone going to the con watch it.

They aren't actually interested in getting you into a church, really. They are effectively a cult in that their membership is quite restricted and they thrive on the criticism they get from outside. To WBC members, the worst and most vehement criticism they get just confirms to them that they are right. They constantly tell themselves that they are just and everyone else is evil, which they then use to drive their members further away from the moderating effects of contact with society. Which causes them to say crazier and crazier stuff, which makes outsiders scorn them, which makes them believe they are being persecuted, so they get deeper involved in their cult. It's a perpetual seige mentality that is exploited by the lawyers in charge of the church as a means of getting money.

Honestly, the best way of dealing with them is probably just being nice to them. From what I saw in the documentary it looked like they don't know how to deal with that. Or otherwise, ignore them.

That said, if you guys wanted to round up 30-or-so of the con's fattest and hairiest guys, dress them in slave Leia costumes, and have them form a living wall to block off the protest- a living wall that sings the Superman theme song a capella - and then put that on youtube... that would be pretty cool.

Some guy needs to dress up a Gordon Brown and tell them they are biggoted. Yes, I try to annoy.

Crazy Church People wrote:...so start calling on Batman and Superman now, see if they can pull you from the mess that you have created with all your silly idolatry.

So basically, this whole protest is them shouting:

Where is your Batman now?!

Priceless.

Emperors Faithful wrote:

Crazy Church People wrote:...so start calling on Batman and Superman now, see if they can pull you from the mess that you have created with all your silly idolatry.

So basically, this whole protest is them shouting:

Where is your Batman now?!

Priceless.

Someone has to do a version of that based on the 40k 'where is your god now?' image with a crazy Baptist person holding a sign up saying 'God Hates Nerds' and throwing some holy water on a cosplayer.

Can I just point out though that not all Christians are this wacko, most of us are decent people. You mostly just have to watch out for sects/cults like the Mormons, Latter day saints, Some branches of the Baptist Church and others. As far as I can tell most of these sects grew up in the new world 'religious freedom' immigration to America, and these people are mostly the ones who take the Bible word for word literally, which most do not think was intended. With some issues, their 'black-and-white' stance can be admirable, specifically in situations where it needs to be pointed out that this is wrong, and this is right. However, with many cases, such as this one, it is mainly an impractical and frankly ludicrous pain in the backside that does more to distance people from the church than it does draw them in.

Of course in this situation they are clearly not even making an effort to draw people in, its just that the founders discovered that religion can have a very strong hold on people.

Couldn't be bothered reading the entire thread, but since Twilight was introduced hasn't it dominated ComiCon with its annoying fans. Perhaps these protesters are doing the right thing this time.

n0t_u wrote:Couldn't be bothered reading the entire thread, but since Twilight was introduced hasn't it dominated ComiCon with its annoying fans. Perhaps these protesters are doing the right thing this time.

Amen to that. That's one series of books that should be burned as Heresy.

I wish they would protest like this in Amsterdam, the living statues could really spice that picket up :3

As for Westboro people, shot on sight, catapulted into a volcano, thrown into an abyss, shot out of a cannon into a wall, use as croc bait. These are things that come up in my mind.

I wish they would picket a Norwegian underground black metal band.

Soladrin wrote:I wish they would picket a Norwegian underground black metal band.

At least that way there would be no-one left to sue, and all their children would have been taken away and eaten.

If I could make it this year, I'd join the protest. Just so I could volunteer to hand out the free kool-aid.

You know what I think God really hates?

People that twist the words of the Bible to meet their own ends.

n0t_u wrote:Couldn't be bothered reading the entire thread, but since Twilight was introduced hasn't it dominated ComiCon with its annoying fans. Perhaps these protesters are doing the right thing this time.

Oh. My. Gosh. This is their plan to distract us from Twilight taking over Comi-con. The WBC is just a distraction. CONSPIRICY

Tell twilight fans that westboro church is actually a Vampire cult.

Soladrin wrote:Tell twilight fans that westboro church is actually a Vampire cult.

Have some-one shower them with glitter first... y'know so they are all..."Sparkley".

Ha, yea, that would be awsome. Thn it would actually be a legit cult.