"For people who likely do not drink, they hide it well."

The following is a blogpost from the pastor, Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington.

Westboro Baptist Church, This False Prophet and His Blind Lemmings Welcome You to Our Whore House for God’s Grace and Free Donuts The Mars Hill Blog

I feel kind of lame for just reposting some dudes own blog, but I really really enjoyed it, and I think it has many more than just one grain of truth.

I know many people who absolutly despise the Westboro Baptist Church, and I can easily see why they would. Looking at pictures of their children wearing tie-dye t-shirts with phrases like "GOD HATES FAGS" etc on it is one of the more disturbing things in life.

But when you begin to fight hatred (their hatred) with more hatred (your own hatred), all you're doing is adding to the problem. You're literally fueling them.

Unfortunatly I am guilty of being a 'hate mongerer' myself. I used to despise them. I really did. I thought they gave Christians a terrible name and it absolutly disgusted me that they were even considered to be in the same realm of 'religion' as me.

But! Then I got older and wiser and I learned that everything has two sides. By hating the 'religious people' I became a 'relgious person' myself. I forgot I was called to love every single person. No matter what they do or say, that's what I'm called to do. And I'm only just now starting to actually do it.

If people stopped reporting their pickets. If people stopped becoming enraged at their half-formed and single minded arguments. If people people never even glanced their way, they would fade into complete obscurity.

They would be starved of the attention they seek and then their influence and power they hold over us would be obliterated.

If we just learn to love unconditionally, that's when they'll truly lose.

I just thought what Mars Hill did was an interesting and refreshing twist on other reactions that have been known to occur!