Does God hate homosexuals?

I don't think so. As a Christian, it's not really up to me to judge someone else, but you wouldn't have known that if you happened to be in Chelsea, Oklahoma today. The members of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas should be ashamed of themselves. Today was the funeral of Sgt. John Doles, who was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan 12 days ago. The church decided to take a road trip in order to politicize his death by protesting at his funeral. What exactly were they protesting? They believe that God is punishing all the U.S. soldiers by killing them, for defending a country that harbors gays. Sgt. Doles died fighting for the very freedom that allowed the protesters to be at his funeral in the first place. I wish I could appreciate the irony of this but I can't. This message of hate among the fundamentalist Baptist Church is inexcusable. I'm a Christian and I'm a conservative, but I would never and will never support this kind of hatred for another person. Perhaps the members of that fine congregation need to reminded who said, "He who is without sin cast the first stone." I know someplace the bible also says to treat your body as a temple of God. That said, I am left to assume that no one in the self righteous Westboro Baptist Church is obese, smokes, eats non-kosher food, or thinks an unkind thought. No, instead, they hold signs that say, "God hates the USA" outside a funeral for one of our heros. Imagine being at a funeral of a loved one and seeing a scene like that outside.

God is for everyone. Church is for everyone. If Jesus were alive today, who would he spend time with? Would he spend time with the "perfect" people or would he spend time with the sick, the poor, and/or the sinners? I feel sorry for the congregation that tormented the family of Sgt. Doles today. Somehow they lost inside them what true Christianity is supposed to be about. It's about loving people, opening your heart to people, and most importantly, opening your church to all people.

Last night our city lost an important person. His name was John Gafney. He spent his life helping others, whether it was Habitat for Humanity, food pantries, or his church. His last good deed was saving his son from the house fire that took his own life. I wish all Christians could be more like him and less like those at Westboro Baptist Church.