Anti-LGBT Westboro Baptist Church to picket movie critic Roger Ebert’s funeral.
Someone honestly needs to organize a picket against Westboro Baptist Church and their insidious hatred. They are idiotic publicity hounds that have no real agenda except getting their name in a couple of news cycles on a regular basis…
Addicting Info
As fans mourn the passing of celebrated film critic Roger Ebert, Westboro Baptist Church is once again putting the “fun” in “funeral.” According to the Hollywood Reporter, the vehemently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church sent out a press release yesterday announcing their plans to picket Ebert’s funeral because, “God hates f@g-enablers.”
Apparently the folks at Westboro didn’t like it when Ebert tweeted a link to Jeff Chu’s Salon article, “My Day At Westboro Baptist: ‘Yes Jesus hates you,‘ back on March 25th while he was still alive:
Just another day at Westboro Baptist. dld.bz/cs74b
— Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) March 25, 2013
Chu is a gay Christian writer, and the author of “Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America.” Ebert’s tweet read: “Just another day at Westboro Baptist.http://dld.bz/cs74b.” The Topeka, KS-based Westboro Baptist Church is known for hating gays (theirWeb site URL says God hates them, too) and for protesting at the funerals of thousands of gay advocates, public figures, members of the military, and others with the misfortune to run afoul of them. According to their Web site, they have disrespected the dead at 50,197 funerals so far.
Ebert was a beloved American journalist, film critic, and writer who had been living with cancer of the thyroid glands since 2002, and passed away at age 70 on April 4th, 2013. He and his dearly departed colleague, Gene Siskel, pioneered movie reviews for the modern age starting in 1986 with the thumbs up/thumbs down format of their long-running At The Movies television series. His funeral was held this morning, April 8th, at Holy Names Cathedral in Chicago, IL. Since the folks at Westboro are equal opportunity haters, their press release refers to this Catholic church as “PREISTS [sic] RAPE BOYS,” and further twist the knife of their contempt by misspelling the word “priests.” Either that, or they’re just no good at spelling.
The Chicago Tribune reported that people started lining up early on this cold, rainy morning to pay their respects. First in line was a 27-year-old admirer and film critic for Hollywood-Chicago — aptly named Matt Fagerholm — who said:
He was inspirational, both in terms of his depth of knowledge about film and his wisdom about life. He was always a joy to talk to, always so funny. I’m inspired by his life force, by his ability to keep going.
The Chicago Tribune also reported that as the funeral procession solemnly marched up the main aisle of Holy Name Cathedral, the choir sang, ”God has smiled on me, he has set me free.” If the folks from Westboro Baptist Church could hear the lyrics as they shivered outside in the freezing rain, they surely would have been gnashing their teeth. Well wishers are invited to send donations to the Ebert Foundation, c/o Northern Trust at 50 S. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60603. In addition, a memorial tribute will be held tonight at the Chicago Theater (for more information, click here).
According to Jeff McMahon from Forbes magazine, Ebert was America’s “greatest movie reviewer,”
Not because he cared about movies, not because he told us what to think about movies, but because he told us just enough to care and to think for ourselves.
The full text from Westboro’s hateful press release reads as follows:
GOD HATES F-G ENABLER ROGER EBERT!
LORD WILLING, WBC TO PICKET IN LAWFUL PROXIMITY TO THE FUNERAL OF F-G ENABLER ROGER EBERT AT “PREISTS RAPE BOYS” HOLY NAME CATHEDRAL (730 N. STATE STREET, CHICAGO, IL), MONDAY, APRIL 8, FROM 9:15-10:00 AM
For 22 years Westboro has warned the people of Topeka, Kansas & America that the policies of sin of this land have brought the wrath of God upon you, your houses, your city, your state, & your nation. American entertainment industry publicity leech Roger Ebert took to Twitterverse to mock the faithful servants of God at Westboro Baptist Church, just days before he received the horrifying summons: “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: [now] whose shall [that silly vanity called a Pulitzer Prize] be, which thou has provided?” (Luke 12:20) This fool sold his soul for some fame & fortune, forgetting that God has made a simple declaration regarding His people: “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” (Psalms 105:15). Now the famed critic is in a new jurisdiction, where he can see the blessings poured out on God’s humble servants in heaven, from his seat of eternal torment & sorrow in Hell! It’s too late for the fool Roger Ebert! WBC will continue to bind those who still live in Doomed america to God’s eternal laws & Word, so you, like Roger, are without excuse!
Nostalgia Critic: posted a video remembrance about why Ebert’s so great.
Related articles
- Westboro to Protest at Ebert’s Funeral (610wiod.com)
- Roger Ebert funeral to be protested, by Westboro Baptist Church (bazaardaily.com)
- Westboro Baptist to Picket ‘Fag Enabler’ Roger Ebert’s Funeral (towleroad.com)
- Roger Ebert’s Death: Critic’s Last Movie Review Published; Anti-Gay Church Group Planning to Picket Funeral (eonline.com)
- Westboro to Protest Roger Ebert’s Funeral (nbcmiami.com)
