The Idiots are Coming to Joplin

The idiots that spew hatred wherever they go, better known as the Westboro Baptist Church, are on there way to Joplin this Sunday to celebrate the deaths of over 126 people as a judgement from God. Please note that despite what they claim these people are not Christian in any way. The word Christian means to be Christ like. No where in scripture does Christ exhibit any of the traits of these morons. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them. Maybe they just can't read. If they did they'd have seen scriptures like these.

John 3:16 - 17

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jeremiah 31:31 - Despite what they seem to think we don't operate under Old Testament rules anymore

“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

Hebrews 8:13

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

Hebrews 9:15

That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Here's another one they've obviously missed. True Christians, like Christ, hate the sin, not the sinner. Christ Himself was chastized for hanging out with the sinners of His day and loving on them and reaching out to them.

Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eyet when you have a log in your own?  How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Judgement is coming one day, but the folks at Westboro Baptist don't get to do the judging and in all likelihood will be among those judged the harshest according to the scriptures above.

It appears that there will be plenty in Joplin who stand up against these morons this weekend, its a sad, sad thing for people, any people, to prey on those that have already lost so much, whether it be military families that have lost loved ones, or the victims of a tragedy like those in Tuscaloosa and Joplin and other parts of the country this year. If the folks at Westboro Baptist were to appropriately interpret (or even read), the sciptures they would see that scripture tells us in Matthew 24:3 - 14.

Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.  Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nationst will hear it; and then the end will come.

This is not a time to hate but rather a time to come together and love each other, console each other, build each other up in their faith. This tornado was not an act of God but rather a result of the fall of man. All one has to do to confirm this is to read the scriptures. It's there in black, white and red. What it teaches us from the Old Testament is that it's not possible to be good enough, to follow enough rules, to redeem oneself and earn eternal life. The New Testament teaches us that we are to learn the lesson of the Old Testament then accept the free gift of God which is salvation through Jesus Christ. We can't earn it, we can only accept it and be grateful. This is the true difference between Christianity and every other religion in the world and one of the reasons its so easy to know that what Westboro Church preaches is not scriptural. Chrisitanity is the only religion that teaches that earning eternal life in heaven cannot be earned. It is a gift that needs only to be accepted and in receiving that gift our lifes are transformed.