Military funeral protester Fred Phelps has established his own religion that preaches a message that God hates US troops because they fight for a country of "fag enablers."
By association, it seems Phelps is preaching that God must also have hated the Christian Roman centurions who sought the Lord's healing for his servant, and also Cornelius who sought Peter's counsel, because their empire was known to tolerate bisexualism among Roman citizens and their servants.
I am not here saying that Rome had a policy, or that it did more than its own version of don't ask don't tell, or that the Lord or Peter were enables of any sin. However, Fred Phelps seems to imply otherwise.
When Cornelius asked for spiritual guidance from the Apostle Peter, here is part of what transpired from the Book of Acts Chapter 10 (NIV):
30Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' 33So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
34Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
It seems to me that Phelps is preaching the same message about Jesus Christ because of the Lord's mercy to the centurion who asked his servant to be healed. Here's the account from the Gospel of Luke:
Luke 7 1When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
From the church of Fredolatry's point of view, since freeborn Roman bisexuality with servants was tolerated by the empire at various times, when the Lord Jesus Christ helped the servant of this one Roman centurion told above, he became a "fag enabler" according to Fredolatry's implied guilt-by-attenuated-association doctrine.
It is also written:
Ezekiel 3:11Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Yet, as if he knew better than the prophet of God and God Himself, Phelps says that God hates "fags" and "fag enablers." God hates wickedness, not the people in its grip, whoever they are.
Forgive me for stating so many obvious things here, but the focus on Fredolatry is itself unworthy press. Fredolatry's worst punishment would be to get no attention or notice from anyone at all. That would cause some gnashing of teeth, I suspect.
About false prophets, those God did not ask to speak for Him, here is a useful area of study:
2 Peter 2
1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
