Radical church to picket Ledger memorial
Nina J wrote: Regardless of your stance on homosexuality, I find this kind of thing pathetic and disgusting. To picket at a memorial service or a funeral, who would do that? Everyone has opinions but I just think this kind of behaviour is uncalled for.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=371327
Radical church to picket Ledger memorial
Thursday Jan 24 18:00 AEDT
By ninemsn staff
A radical American church plans to picket Heath Ledger's memorial service because of his portrayal of a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.
Members of Westboro Baptist Church, known for picketing the funeral of US soldiers who died in Iraq — arguing homosexuals are the cause of the war, said Ledger is now in hell, OK! magazine reports.
"Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God Almighty and His plain word; to wit; God Hates Fags! & Fag-Enablers!" the church said in a statement.
"Ergo, God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain and He hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it."
The Kansas based group is renowned for their anti-gay stance and run numerous websites such as GodHatesFags.com.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said Ledger would forever be remembered for his groundbreaking role as Ennis del Mar in the movie.
"His powerful portrayal changed hearts and minds in immeasurable ways," the association said.
Reports are suggesting that Ledger's funeral will take place in his hometown of Perth after his body was transferred to New York's Frank E Campbell funeral chapel before the trip.
A memorial service is expected to take place in Hollywood later this week ahead of his burial.
The star was found dead in his Manhattan apartment yesterday and police suspect a drug overdose as the cause of death.
gr33n3y3z replied: Those idiots do that crap all the time
PrairieMom replied: WTH?? He wasn't even Gay. Some people really go to lengths to stir the pot. That is so sad. 
grandma replied:
Yeah, they don't have anything constructive to do.
sparkys2boys replied:
I agree anything to get on tv or in the media.. geeshhhh
luvmykids replied: Absolutely tasteless and horrific 
Kaitlin'smom replied: that is just plain wrong.
bawoodsmall replied: Sometimes I hate the freedom of speech. Idiots. He is an actor not gay and who cares if he was. Everyone should be able to have their funeral in peace. Pathetic.
ZandersMama replied: 
Anthony275 replied: oh please
lisar replied: This kind of stuff is just wrong.
Danalana replied: See, this makes me so angry 
I think people start out trying to stick to their beliefs, but then get so caught up in "religion" that they feel the need to reign down judgment on everyone they don't agree with! To be honest, I never watched the movie because of my beliefs about homosexuality, but I would never EVER act like these people. One of my very best friends came out a couple of years ago and, shocking as it was, I love her just as much. The irony of it all is that Jesus (the One they claim to represent) hung out with--and loved!--people who didn't exactly follow His teachings. I don't get why they have decided to take it upon themselves to judge and condemn. You can disagree without being a jerk. Geez, sometimes I wish I could just have a little conversation with people.
Kentuckychick replied: There are no words for the kind of creep that guy is.
There are times and places to express the opinion you are allowed by your freedoms in this country to express... a funeral is NOT one of those places.
Thankfully it looks like his actual funeral will be in Australia so hopefully at least his family will not have to endure that kind of nonsense.
CantWait replied: And what they're doing is so Godly???????
Danalana replied: ^^Absolutely not. And I hate that they claim it is.
mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Reading this makes me sick to my stomach. Seriously, I just want to cry for HL and his family. Those people are so heartless.
Crystalina replied: idiots.
Calimama replied: That is SICK. 
PrairieMom replied: What I don't understand is what do these people think they are going to accomplish by picketing this funeral?
Do they think that people mourning there are suddenly going to think, "wow I guess being Gay IS bad, I think I will go become a follower of Christ" Or do they think that people will suddenly not watch this movie? or suddenly decide to hate Heath because he was in this movie and they didn't know it? 
I just don't get their line of reasoning.
Calimama replied:
Yeah I don't understand it either! There's people who do it for soldiers funerals too. 
punkeemunkee'smom replied: They are NOT a church!
My2Beauties replied:
My sentiments exactly!! No church preaches such pure hatred. I thought that "he who casts the first stone..." I thought church teaches you not to judge others but to just spread the word of God and help others who don't understand the word and want to understand the word. We had a gay guy get baptized at my church when I used to go, he had fake fingernails, hairdo of a woman and all, they still baptized him even though he was openly gay, now my church was against gays in the biblical sense of it being wrong, they touched some on it in a few sermons, but they didn't ever spew hatred such as that and even baptized one. How horrible for his family.
A&A'smommy replied:
I completely Agree!!!
Its churches like that, that make people who don't believe or don't go to church not want to go even more so!!! They are not standing up for anything all they are doing is turning others away and they should be ASHAMED!!!!!
luvbug00 replied: makes me sick and i don't think anyone thought of his daughter when they decided to do this. Her last moments at her fathers memorials shouldn't be with people like that being rude to his memory.
holley79 replied: No matter what to picket a memorial service is not cool at all and VERY sad.
Cece00 replied: Disgusting. I wish that guy could be arrested.
jcc64 replied: I guess they never asked themselves, What would Jesus do?
Do you guys remember the character in "American Beauty"- the father of the neighbor boy who filmed everything? He was a militant homophobe who believed all "fags" were destined for he!!, but wound up trying to make out with Kevin Spacey's character in the end? That's what I think of when I see the ridiculous behavior of groups like this- total closet cases full of self-hatred.
Calimama replied:
I have that movie. 
redchief replied: The very best thing the media could do is not report anything that group of nuts does.
Nina J replied:
His funeral will be in Western Australia. Looks like that "Church" doesn't believe in there cause enough to fly all the way over here at picket at his funeral
punkeemunkee'smom replied:
I totally agree with that! I believe these people feed off of themselves in the media. I think they love the controversy they cause...I watched a program with them on it and even their children were saying God hated fags but when asked what a fag was the kids did not know....It was sad to me but also in a way very telling. IF you were so adament about something not being acceptable it seems to me your child would know the meaning of what you stood for. Taylor knows we do not make fun of people because of their differences-she can also tell you exactly what that means. I think that the man who started this organization and his daughter just love the 15 minutes of fame and don't have the talent to get it any other way! 
HuskerMom replied: How pathetic.
Boo&BugsMom replied:
Me too. They are not even accurate in their statements. God loves everyone, no matter what.  It's no wonder why some people are turned off by Christianity and religion in general, because it's people like this that give it a bad rep. If I was not religious and this was the representation that was thrown at me, I wouldn't want to touch it either.
MommyToAshley replied: I'm not sure which is worse, what they are doing or the fact that they claim to be doing it in the name of God.
bawoodsmall replied: Hi Tara.
PrairieMom replied:   
I must have left my computer with this page open. 
Calimama replied:
I do that all the time.
Danalana replied: The Bible also says that we will be judged by the measure in which we judge others. So I don't think it's gonna go well for those people. Like I said, I don't support homosexuality, but you don't go around and act stupid. I've heard one of the women from that church that pickets with "God hates fags" signs, and they are completely creepy. Most of that church (not sure the name of it) is comprised of ONE family...all of whom are absolutely nuts. Aah, I shouldn't have come back in here because I'm mad again
MoonMama replied: This is so VERY sick!
Nina J replied: This is from an article I just read on Phelps:
""We've been preaching to Australia for years now, and we've got a map of Australia and we've got (written) across the front of it, all the way from one end to the other: S-O-D-O-M'."
"Australia, the land of the sodomite-damned. Australia, which passes draconian laws to put Bible preachers in jail if they peach the proof about fags." "
Who is this guy? I am shocked at what they're planning to do at Heath Ledger's memorial, and this latest comment just makes my blood boil. I am a very patriotic person and to read some idiot say these things about my country. Why hasn't this guy been committed? 
jcc64 replied: The unfortunate downside of the freedom of speech.
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