Westboro Baptist: Coal Miners in Hell, God Hates WV

Westboro Baptist shows up in Wheeling WV to protest outside city's Catholic churches

Six Members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church stopped in Wheeling, WV and made the rounds to many of the city’s Catholic churches. They made sure that the locals knew that the dead coal miners went to hell. They also said God hated American soldiers, Catholics, WV, fags, Jews and assorted others. But everything and everyone “God” hated told the crowds more about WBC than the Almighty’s preferences.

Click images to enlarge.

Members of the congregation from the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka KS, stopped in Wheeling, WV and made the rounds to many of the city’s Catholic churches. Setting up outside of St. Michaels first, the group then moved to St. Alphonsus and Cathedral of St. Joseph, before winding up with a scheduled appearance outside of Wheeling Jesuit University.

The six Westboro-ians–three adults and three children–displayed their special brand of Christianity by signs, singing and shouting. American soliders, Jews, Catholics, the Pope, fags, Barack Obama, coal miners, even West Virginia itself: all were subjects of colorful signs waved by the protesters.

Escorted by a strong police presence–at least seven officers and one rumored FBI agent–the church members alighted from a couple of dark Chevy Tahoes. At least one of the vehicles had Ohio license plates.

Westboro Baptist’s website [GodHatesFags.com] states that the group has participated in 43,085 peaceful demonstrations to date.

Just who were the out-of-towners? From Westboro Baptist Church:

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an Independent Baptist church and hate group known for its hatred of homosexuals. It is headed by Fred Phelps and located in Topeka, Kansas, United States. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of Sunday, November 27, 1955.

The WBC is not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations. The church describes itself as following Primitive Baptist and Calvinist principles, though mainstream Primitive Baptists reject the WBC and Phelps.

The group is best known for its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecration of the American flag.

About 300 counter-protesters showed up at the Cathedral of St. Joseph appearance. According to onlookers and police, a crowd of approximately 1000 showed up at St. Michael’s earlier in the day, with about half that many following the Westboro bunch to St. Alphonsus.

Next up on the “Miners in Hell Tour”: Charleston, WV on Sunday morning, then back to Kansas.

The crowd got into the spirit of things by alternately chanting “USA! USA! USA!” and “Go Home!” The counter-protesters also came equipped with signs, most which were much less dramatic than the ones from Kansas.

The crowd was composed primarily of people from Wheeling, a group of Young Life members, and folks from the surrounding communities. Moundsville, New Martinsville and Benwood were all represented. Several people were from neighboring towns from across the river in Ohio.

A press release from Westboro’s website: GOD KILLED THE LAST 4 MINERS, AVENGING HIS HOLY NAME & CONFIRMING THE WORDS OF HIS SERVANTS! THEIR BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS (Eze. 33):

“We did not get themiracle we prayed for.”
– WV Governor

Shut your mouth, Governor! You should have told the people to fast,
pray, repent & mourn for their sins. Instead, you gave yourself the glory for the “rescue” efforts! God has made your efforts fail!

Every time God kills your miners and God’s prophets – the only voices of truth in this apostate, reprobate, dark land – tell you God did that and warn you He will do worse, you rage! This week six servants are in West Virginia, imploring you. You set upon them with your hard words and violent hands. You filled the airwaves with treasonous blasphemy against the King of Glory.

We warned you! “Last hope gone: 4 W.Va. coal miners found dead!” the AP blared. Your governor and local false prophets are still lying, telling you “now the healing will start” (CNN). No! No peace for you without obedience!

Yikes! With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Officer Thorngate shook his head when asked how he’d been “lucky” enough to draw the duty of watching the Westboro group.

“Twisted. That’s all I’m going to say. They’re twisted.”

Still, Wheeling police were professional, setting up a police line and keeping both groups apart and calm.

The little girl with the “God Hates the Jews” sign seems to have lost interest in the crowd after seeing something more interesting.

Westboro and the crowd traded insults at each other: one lady from Westboro insisting that the crowd was going to hell to join the recently-departed coal miners from the mine disaster at Montcoal, WV; the crowd, particularly one fellow with a booming voice, equally sure that when the lady “got to hell, she wouldn’t find any coal miners wating on her.”

After about 20-30 minutes, the Westboro group gathered their signs and the police escorted them back to their cars for the 5-minute trip to Wheeling Jesuit University. WJU wouldn’t give Westboro permission to demonstrate on campus, so they planned to set up at the entrance on Washington Avenue.

Police and more counter-protesters–including students with Super-soakers and water balloons–awaited their arrival.

While the Westboro bunch could never hope to hold such a demonstration in Canada, they travel across the USA for their controversial appearances. A demonstration in free speech–albeit, highly-disagreeable free speech–showed up in Wheeling.

And the Wheeling people spoke back.

MORE PIX at DBKP FLASH Headline News.

More on the protests from the Wheeling News Register & Intelligencer: Anger Erupts: Westboro Not Welcomed

NOTE: The NR-Intelligencer reporter estimated the crowd size at St. Michaels as much smaller than we were told.

by Mondo Frazier
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All photographs Copyright 2010 © DBKP
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FIRST SEEN AT The Daily Wh.at:

You’re Doing It Right of the Day: You know how I know you’re the most hateful organization on the planet? The Ku Klux Klan repudiated you on their official website.

Updated several times with additions on 4-11-10.

UPDATE: Apparently the Westboro people came in one vehicle and the other car was from law enforcement.