“Just hours after the announcement of Steve Jobs’ death, Margie Phelps, a leader of the Westboro Baptist Church — the group notorious for protesting military funerals — took to Twitter to announce that her organization would give Jobs the same harsh treatment,” The Huffington Post reports. “Responding to the AP’s notification that Jobs had died, Phelps wrote that ‘Westboro will picket his funeral. He had a huge platform; gave God no glory & taught sin.'”
“In a subsequent tweet, Phelps wrote of Jobs: ‘No peace for man who served self, not God,” the Huffington Post reports. “Unsurprisingly, Phelps’ proclamation drew widespread scorn on Twitter. And it was ironic, many noted, that she made her announcement using Twitter for iPhone… The Topeka, Kan. based church is mostly made up of Phelps family members but has risen to international infamy because of their funeral protests of celebrities and American soldiers. The church’s members believe that God punishes America for its tolerance of sin, including acceptance of homosexuality.”
Read more in the full article here.
Elizabeth Tenety writes for The Washington Post, “The iPhone-wielding Westboro members seemed unable to find any irony in their embrace of the technology of a man they condemn. One church member even suggested that God was using Jobs to help advance the message of Westboro Baptist Church: ‘God used Steve Jobs to create amazing STUFF for WBC to preach,’ wrote Shirley Phelps-Roper.”
Read more in the full article here.
David Weigel writes for Slate, “She used an iPhone to announce it. By extension, Margie Phelps — nay, the entire Westboro Baptist Church — has embraced a philosophy of tolerance for gays. Well done.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Greg” for the heads up.]
The only thing to say about this group is that they are a bunch of F-ing idiots!
Westboro Baptist Church*
* Note: Not an actual church.
The group may be idiots masquerading under the guise of religion and deserve the negative attention but true religion teaches humanity to strive to attain the great virtues that we need to progress.
Steve Jobs attained greatness by exemplifying some of these virtues and was a deeply spiritual man in my opinion. His early life was fashioned by exploring these spiritual concepts and later he lived these philosophies in business.
Let’s not hate religion for the sake of those who don’t live the principle very well in their lives but let’s remember those principles that Steve Jobs brought to the business world from his spiritual roots.
Robert,
That was very well said. I am with you. Let’s not let the “crazies” have the last say.
Dan
This group of Baptist so-called Christians are just like the Pharisees that Jesus himself would have condemned. They are no less abusive and ugly as husbands who battered their wives and yet made themselves as victims. Unfortunately the leader of this lunatic fringe of religious extremists is herself a woman who gave “God no glory and taught sin” and is willing to cast the first stone. She is no better than Osama bin Ladin who uses religion to justify murder and terrorism. This woman is an insult to Christians.
Well said! This is an incestuous bitch and a dangerous terrorist!
We must beware of such criminals, who are the first to wield a weapon and slaughter people just for thinking differently.
They are just psychos hiding their deeds behind “God” thus misusing God for their crimes and money. These despicable people are scum of the worst kind, just waiting for the right moment to “take over”. If these assholes appear on site (funeral) must be beaten the crap out of their filthy “middle”.
This lady is the true definition of an extremists. God loves everyone that walks the face of this earth. Prostitutes, thieves, murderers, gay people…everyone. He never turns his back on His children. He was crucified along side 2 others and even told the one thief beside him “Today you will be with me in paradise”. We have all fallen short and this lady is miles far from being an example of what God is really like. She is not the definition of a True Christian nor does she have a heart and mind like God. She’ll have to take responsibility for her senseless actions someday. May God have mercy on her. RIP STEVE! God Bless the Jobs Family!
Religion turn people into f-ing idiots. Religious people think that their religion is actually going to get them in touch with their God. All religion actually does is program the brain to not think–but to repeat, to be dependent and meek, and to yield to authority. Always.
People have not followed the pattern, but government/law, education/academic, business/economics does the same.
The fun part is that at the top of each of these pyramids of power all these guys play golf together and decide our futures and our children futures.
They probably would flip if they found out that all these religions were created by the same people to control them.
God is real. Religion is a tool by idiots for fools.
Heh.
The funny thing about this statement is that it’s completely contradictory. Steve was Buddhist if I’m not mistaken, a mainstream religion. It by no means diminished his capacity to “think” or be “dependant”, “meek” or “yield to authority”. He was a man who dared to challenge the status quo, to think outside the box, and to push innovation to levels never thought possible.
I don’t think that we should be bashing religion as a whole, because it’s turned out some pretty amazing people like Gandhi, and Mother Theresa, people who have a special place in the afterlife. The nut balls at WBC are just that, NUTBALLS. These people are an example of why you shouldn’t marry your sister and practice inbreeding.
To the Westboro Church: Go fuck yourselves.
To Steve: Thank you for forging a brighter future and for showing us what a true innovator is. You will be greatly missed.
Buddhism is not a religion, not in the same vein as something like Christianity or Islam. It is a philosophy. It is not predicated upon irrational faith in some worship demanding deity, but upon the wisdom of an enlightened teacher. To refer to Buddhism as a religion, i.e. assuming that it is similar to the major religions of the world that often do preach hate and violence, is an insult to the tradition.
Over the years, raised as a Baptist, and breaking free of the pure cultural insanity of it all, it has been my experience that there is little difference in one branch of Christianity and the next. I see nothing special about the Westboro Baptist Church that should make me consider it different than any other church, except that they openly broadcast the separatist thinking of most.
You cannot disown them simply because they embarrass you.
I believe one of the ways used to beat this group was to get the paperwork in for a protest or gathering “permit” from the city for the street/sidewalk they want to use before WBC does.
Then a gathering of supportive, polite people took up all the space and WBC had no place within a city block of the funeral.
I’ll have to look it up to see when that was used.
I seem to remember it working quite well.
I forgot. Why they do this is to make money.
They wait for someone to push or shove someone in their group, then they sue for damages. Some in the group are lawyers so they don’t have to hire one.
It’s all a big money maker for them.
So if you end up at their protest, watch how you interact.
Calling all good Witches and Haitians who believe in Voodoo to throw their best hexes and instead of using pins on their dolls do it in person if they dare try to disrupt Mr. Jobs’ funeral. These people are not idiots; they are worse than that; they are evil, mean spirited vicious Devils of a third kind. Bastards! That also goes for what they do to anyone that doesn’t fit their bill.
Only in America
Damn!
Do they steal organs and sell children on the black market too.
Religion is nuts. Perfect example.
People are nuts. Religion is simply one avenue by which they express it.
+1
2
3
+4
+5
+4s
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
– – Steven Weinburg
+1
+ 1,000,000
Yeah that is sooo true, like the people of germany during the hitler regime,
Oh wait… nevermind
-10
Ponder this young jedi, Given that intolerance is the problem, haven’t YOU become part & parcel of the problem?
Ah, the old “Hitler was an atheist” myth trotted out again.
Funny, how he had the SS belt buckles (and many regular forces) made to read “Gott Mit Uns” (God is with us) and both churches (Protestant and Catholic) in Germany in the 1930s and 40s considered Hitler a shining example of Christianity. Only some Lutheran churches disagreed. More than 90% of German’s in those decades also considered themselves “religious”.
Furthermore, Nazi propaganda often was Christian themed, for example “”We all know that God is with us, but let’s not rely on God alone. Let’s work so hard and fight so fiercely that God cannot refuse to hand the victory palm to Germany.” Hitler himself considered himself a Christian throughout his life, and made numerous references to this fact.
Granted, the Nazi’s purpose was to control religion to, thus, better control the masses, but the majority of the higher ups in the Nazi party were religious men (some were even nutty “New Age” mixed with conservative Christianity folks … paganistic meets Christian).
Also, intolerance? I’d suggest religious believers are intolerant. I’m more than willing (every day) to question and change my beliefs … but I need falsifiable evidence, not wishful thinking and untestable hypotheses, to make that change. Give me something to test, and we’ll see. I’m not locked into any worldview … only the one that best fits the facts (like gravity and evolution) as we can *observe* them.
Didn’t Steve Jobs say something about dogma? 😉
Wow… talk about a straw-man festival…
I was only pointing out that good people do bad things for many reasons, not just religion, which was the core of the quote.
However, your distain and intolerance for others religious beliefs seems pretty obvious in your retort, I think my question would be applicable to you as well.
I know I have only one vote, but can I make it +10 already?
+6
Politics being another… if not the worst.
God hates hit-whores!
The last throes of a group who want to
Follow the literal word of the gospel.
They are domed and just don’t know it
As a Christian, I can tell you there is nothing literal about their interpretation. They certainly aren’t following Jesus when he said “love your neighbor.”
Recursive ++ to this. Judge not lest ye be judged, vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord… it goes on and on. Jesus spent all his time loving and caring for the “sinners” these people spend all their time hating; it’s too bad they get all the press so people thinks that’s what real Christ followers are about.
+1
Amen
“Jesus spent all his time loving and caring…”
Hmmmm… not all his time. What about the incident with the money changers in the temple. And please don’t try to explain that as “tough love.”
+1,000. These people aren’t Christians, just idiots posing as Christians, using His name in vain for their own selfish gain. I can tell you, as a person who takes their faith very seriously, these people are doing the very things Jesus told us NOT to do. Shame on Westboro for allowing this to continue. Though I have no personal connection to these idiots, on behalf of other Christians, whose job it is to hold other CHRISTIANS accountable, I offer my apologies to the Jobs family and anyone else these idiots have hurt.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22, 23 NIV)
“Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve
I’m assuming you just have never heard of the Westboro Baptist Church. The only gospel they follow is ignorance, hatred, and insolence.
As a Christian, I’m embarrassed by the actions of Westboro Baptist Church. Their actions misrepresent the spirit of Christ and the intentions of true believers throughout our great country.
I’m a Christian as well and I’m disgusted by this! Have some respect an let Steve Jobs have the funeral service he deserves.
@TheBigMac
“Have some respect an let Steve Jobs have the funeral service he deserves.”
You do realize they do these protests because they feel they (the military, Steve Jobs, et.al.) do not deserve a decent funeral?
Chris, you do realize that the Westboro Baptist Church is a closeted activist Democrat party based organization, purposed on creating an extremist view of the opposition? It’s no surprise they are back out in force during for election season.
This has nothing to do with religion or belief of any kind, it’s just a sick desperate promotional tactic. Fred Phelps is the lowest of the low… a political operative. In comparison to Jobs, he’s an insect.
Cool story, bro…
@ heathen
“Westboro Baptist Church is a closeted activist Democrat party based organization”
If you believe that you are nuts.
If it is an attempt at sarcasm- it doesn’t seemto work.
Um yes I do understand. Hence why I said they should have some respect and leave the funeral be. Their is no point to what they are doing and it’s definitely not a Christian thing to be doing.
Same.
You know how the freedom riders provide a buffer between the families of fallen soldiers from these nuts… I’d be willing to do the same for steve.
Mac user groups in/near Cupertino, think about putting something like this together if these nuts do plan on being there. As long as you stay respectful (not antagonize the nutcases)
I’d be scared if I was with the WBC during Steve’s Funeral. I’m sure the amount of Jobs fans out there will out number them immensely.. I’m sure just like iphone launches there will be people who will actually wait by the place a day ahead of time. In a way I think that would be rather cool. Many have stayed over night on curbs for the newest hot iphone and now they wait to be some of the first to say good bye to one of the greatest innovators of all time.
Being a christian, I feel insulted that this group acts like this since it is in no way a representation of what christ like people should be. Its not just a dishonor to him but what about the family? So you are going to pull a stunt like this to ruin the familys time? that place should be shut down.. just saying.
R.I.P. Steve Jobs
You don’t have to be a Christian to be disgusted by the WBC.
You don’t even have to be a Religionist to find what they do is dispicable
Christian here as well and this is SERIOUSLY wrong…. I strongly believe that Jesus wouldn’t want any person to disrespect anyone like that.
Jobs past away and he, his family and friends, as much as anyone else, deserves to at least be bury their loved one in peace!
WBC are a bunch of hypocrites!… They probably never even read a Bible.
Interesting name choice for a Christian. Pirates are not acting in the spirit of Christ. It is no wonder so many are confused about religion when they don’t practice the principles of their faith.
Perhaps a name change is in order here.
Christianity has nothing to do with it. They are disgusting human beings.
I’m not a Christian and I’m embarrassed by these idiots.
Someone earlier wrote they are actually evil, I’d go along with that.
I will support any legal fund that is set up to protect those who go to prevent these folks from disturbing Steve’s memorial
I’m all for the First Amendment but these arseholes take freedom of speech a little too far.
=:~)
People really need to just ignore them. Don’t give them press. Never mention their name. Only then will they go away.
Don’t give idiots press
Before anyone blames the conservative right for this, make no mistake – this is the work of liberal, America-hating fanatics not worth the pound of sewage they r made of! We can universally detest them now that liberal fanatics in the judiciary have declared hate crimes against the families of deceased loved one legal!
half agree.
Being a conservative myself, these guys are NOT liberals..
i’ll defend liberals from these guys, they belong to neither side.
It is obvious by your post that you are not a hatemonger. We need more people like you in the world… as an example of how not to behave.
Extremists on any side should be condemned, liberal, conservative, whatever! Logic and common sense lies in the middle.
Thanks for clearly shifting the blame where it belongs, iMaki. Everything evil is obviously somehow tied to the liberal agenda. Conservatives do no wrong. It must be great to always be right and a member of the only good way of thinking.
That is what drives me away from many organizations and belief systems – the concept that there is only one right way to think and only one valid viewpoint on everything.
And to think that you have the gall to push your BS on this sad day. Sad, iMaki. Very sad.
What is remotely liberal about a group that hates America because we don’t execute people for being jews or homosexuals? They are fascists. Liberal is the exact opposite of what they are. Look it up in a dictionary.
Why would he do that? It would contradict his views. Just like the many on the right trying to say that Jobs wasn’t a liberal. He was text book as Liberal as they get. Dives them nuts
You don’t even have to be a Religionist to find what they do is dispicable. They are the lowest of the low.
@imaki
It’s the coservative Robert’s court that handed down the decision asshole!
This bunch of A**holes should be taken out like Bin Laden. Where the hell is SEAL team 6 when you need them. They are living proof that I am glad to be an atheist.
Good one!
Words just can’t express who disgusting it is too see this family ” not church ride any type of promotion of our times greatest man !!! These are truly evil and hypocritical people to say the least Steve jobs was a true believer in spiritual beings and karma and will be a real leader in the lives he has to come in the meantime we can all sit back with our iPhones you to evil westboro family and enjoy the gifts he gave us …. My sadness outweighs my anger at people like this
Certifiable morons
Just what your Mom always taught you
The best thing to do is ignore them till the go away
Complete lunatics.
By the way, is there going to be any public memorial or ceremony for Steve?
Westboro Baptist Church, Andorid Fan Boys, sponsored by Samsung USA.
Lol!! Nope they used a iPhone just like every other god fearing person I think would be proud thus group of idiots choose his product to tell the world how evil his products are !! Huh!! F in weirdos who inbred way to much !!
One think Soviets did right: forbid religions! They only bring bullshit!
Like the anti-religion of Stalin . . . and kill all opposition – religious or not?
Don’t limit the BS and bad stuff to religion. Think of Stalin, Hitler, Khmer Rouge, Mao Tse Tung, etc etc
Hitler was a Christian – read Mein Kampf. The rest were not fans of the NHL. If only they liked hockey. Gretzky could have set them straight and none of the terrible things they did would have happened.
Seriously? I’ve read the headlines on and off for the past year about these whackos. If they hate America so bad, why don’t they simply leave? Go set up their own little faction in a far corner of the Earth where we don’t have to listen to this crap.
Why are we giving them headlines anyway?
As a Christian, and very devoted, I find these WBC people to be the most offensive people I have ever heard of. They promote hatred, and do not represent the gospel message. God does not even delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), so I am sure that Steve’s death is no source of satisfaction at any level (except that he no longer suffers with the disease).
I do believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation, and share my beliefs openly. I know that Steve was involved with eastern religious beliefs, and hoped that he would have come to know Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. What his standing with the Creator is… is between God and Steve.
I appreciate Steve’s contribution to humanity and technology. I pray for his family and friends to find peace and comfort in the midst of this terrible loss.
Sent from my iPhone.
Words fail me. I knew these people were vile, but I had no idea they were the sort of maggots and parasites that would stoop this low. If there is indeed a deity who can visit retribution on these people, then it’s the wish of my heart that they succumb to the same ailments as Steve, and suffer as much.
Human Garbage!
These clowns are the Zune of religionists.
… and may they have a shelf life half as long!
holy shit!
so that’s why. aha.
that’s the bloody reason the old europeans migrated to America for–religious freedom or stupidity?!
if Steve Jobs is the anti-Christ. so be it.
let him or Zeus or Poseidon strike these weirdos down.
the world will be cleaner, better off.
we’re holier than muslim fanatics,
yet we call them terrorists?!
whose terrorizing our society here?!
a world without Religion (i did not say God)
is a world of peace.
“The church’s members believe that God punishes America for its tolerance of sin, including acceptance of homosexuality.”
Then WBC should let God punish them and WBC should read the Bible and practice what Christ taught and live in peace.
I am glad I am not atheist and I am glad I am not Baptist or any other traditional “Christian”.
“Then WBC should let God punish them and WBC should read the Bible and practice what Christ taught and live in peace.”
1
Whenever you read about the Westboro Baptist Church, there’s something you should keep in mind. These people are attention wh*res of the worst kind, but they are not in it to change any minds.
Their nutbag founder believes in absolute predeterminism: in other words, he believes that God decides whether you will be saved or damned before you even slide out of the womb.
So why the protests? To get attention, to make their their enemies — the sinful, unsaved — angry at them, because they believe that will please their God, to be hated by those whom God hates. (And they think God hates essentially everyone but them.)
I believe that people’s religious beliefs deserve respect, but there’s a limit. This group’s founder is clearly mentally ill, and has passed his illness to his family and followers. Eventually, they’re going to piss off the wrong people. And when that happens, as liberal a guy as I am, it’s gonna be a real struggle to shed a tear.
——RM
Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:1-5
As a minister, I am saddened by thIs report. I don’t condone homosexuality, but we must be tolerant of all sinners just as God was with me. Christ died for sinners. There are no intrinsic saints. No one is without sin. I hope someone shared God’s grace and love with Steve. Christ died for him. I can not imagine Jesus exploiting a funeral, or any other tradgedy to condemn people. People are condemned. That’s why Jesus not only brought a message of hope, He bought that hope with His own life.
Lloyd, “tolerant” implies condemnation withheld. Every human being is a sinner. No one is worthy of salvation by his own hand. None of us should “tolerate” our neighbor and his sins. Christ said we should forgive, not tolerate, and that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Those who do otherwise are simply evil.
Lloyd: That’s just a bunch of nonsense. God is imaginary. There’s no proof that god is real or that Jesus even existed – let alone that anybody is capable of “dying for our sins”. Its just long-standing goof-ball dogma that you’ve apparently fallen for without a scrap of evidence.
As a minister of course you don’t condone homosexuality. In fact, if you truly read the bible and believe it’s nonsense, then you are required to kill all Homosexuals (Lev. 20:13). And while you’re at it, you must also kill all:
1. People who work on the sabbath (Exodus 31:15),
2. Lazy teenagers (Deut. 21),
3. Atheists (Deut. 17:27),
4. Blasphemers (Lev. 24:16),
5. People who curse their parents (Lev. 20:9),
6. Adulterers (Lev. 20:10)
Time to get a grip, silly!
we don’t live in the old testament… hence the NEW testament.. I have yet recalled anywhere in the new testament that says kill people… also… moses brought down the 10 commandments.. one being “though shall not kill”
and no im not trying to start up some arguement, just stating that there is a huge difference in the old testament and the new. Completely different, though we should obey the commandments in the old testament the new testament is against many things in the old. One such being multiple wives, killing sinners, stoning adulterers, etc. For those who believe according to the bible Jesus came not to judge people, and he didn’t. He cared and was a good example to others. And just to throw this out there… Notice the decline in the country since we been taking God out of the schools and other such places. School shootings, high divorce rates, poverty, and it seems to continue to get worse. As many wanted open religion and freedom.. this is what they get.. its just like Apple and Android… look how open is workin out for them..
jtcdesigns:
As a religitard you will believe that the bible – old or new, is the WORD OF GOD. You can’t just pick and choose the bits that appeal to you most. If you claim that the bible is the word of god, then as a believer, you must kill all people in that list. Are you suggesting that the bible is wrong or that god is wrong or is not perfect? You can’ make arbitrary decisions based on whatever you like. Its either the word of god or it isn’t.
As for decline in the country since taking god out of the schools…. The decline is called a recession. It has nothing to do with a magical guy in the sky. A great example is Canada. They are not hit as hard by this recession, they have low crime rates, and higher rates of charitable giving and yet there is a lot less god nonsense and far more clear-thinking atheists.
What you believe is nonsense. And if you don’t agree, then prove otherwise (and realize that those making extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. The burden of proof is upon the religitard, not the clear-thinking atheist)
As a minister, you should make it clear that the Westboro Baptist Church is no church at all and has no connection to you or your religion. Your ridiculous and backwards superstitious beliefs are nowhere as insane as what the Westboro Baptist Church is “preaching”.
@Lloyd Hanebury
Dude this is an Apple blog -enogh with the preaching and who you accept and who you don’t.
@Lloyd Hannebury
When yoy say you are tolerant of others that is a ery judgemental statement.
That kind of stuff is a good reason for people to not buy into the religious hokus pokus!
Do not mix relogion with ideas and worst foolish ones.
If those asshole ever come to the Bay area to protest Jobs’ funeral, my loaded shotguns will greet them in kind.