Westboro Baptist Church Praises Deaths Of Arizona Firefighters
Westboro Baptist Church, known for its strident anti-homosexuality position, has announced it will picket funerals for the 19 firefighters killed in the line of duty while fighting the Arizona wildfires.
WBC spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper also took to Twitter, calling the fire a “marvelous work of God” that caused the so-called church to “bow in humble thanks and praise to God!”
The Kansas-based hate group seems to be ramping up its anti-gay rhetoric lately, according to Huffington Post.
The group has recently stated that it will picket concerts for both Taylor Swift and One Direction.
While many were mourning the deaths of the 19 men who lost their lives while fighting the Arizona wildfires, Westboro Baptist Church’s twitter account was running wild.
One tweet read:
“Arizona already starting their idolatrous procession of doom! Shame on you all! Stop worshipping MEN & worship GOD!”
ABC 15 stated:
“The church is known for making these threats after national tragedies capture the world’s attention. Whether they will make the 1,118-mile trek from their base in Kansas, a little more than 18 hours driving, remains to be seen.
“Yarnell, Ariz. and Phoenix were not listed on the Church’s official picket schedule .”
Below are a few more of the tweets that the group sent out regarding the 19 firefighters killed during the Arizona wildfires:
“@ABC:…19 AZ firefighters die battling fast-moving wildfire..” Praise God-a consuming fire! No #SSM, rebels #WBC2PicketFunerals #DOOMEDusa
— Westboro Baptist (@WBCSays) July 1, 2013
19 firefighters were killed. The Lord is dealing with that evil state of Arizona. #StopPassingLawsAgainstWBC #ObeyGod pic.twitter.com/gLT756apgi
— Westboro Baptist (@WBCSays) July 1, 2013
Westboro Baptist Church THANKS GOD for AZ fires that killed 19 firefighters! cc: @RyanPrakOHara @abc15 @ARIZONA12NEWS pic.twitter.com/h7UAUE7M0v
— Westboro Baptist (@WBCSays) July 1, 2013
ABC 15 also stated that on Tuesday morning, the Twitter account was announcing the names of those killed with the words “Roster of the Damned” before it.
Huffington Post reported “Any protests at the firefighters’ funerals may violate a 2011 Arizona law that makes picketing within 300 feet of a burial site a misdemeanor, according to the Arizona Republic.”
The Westboro Baptist Church praising the deaths of the 19 Arizona firefighters and the possibility of them picketing their funerals is bound to stir up controversy.
[Image by JCWilmore via Wikimedia Commons]
