Ok, this is probably going to be one of those posts that gets alot of controversial comments; so be it! I haven’t commented on this phenomenon before but, I just have to say it now; people who chose to protest at funerals; this is for you. Protesting at a funeral is not the appropriate time or the place.
For those of you who aren’t aware of this trend…there are groups of people who chose to go to the funeral of a person who is involved in an organization, an activity, a cause or a belief that they do not agree with and cause a scene by protesting. This is disruptive, disrespectful and destructive to the families of the person who has passed away. I personally am disgusted by those who would chose this particular moment in time to draw attention to their opinion or stance, in such a way; even if that group of protestors were to remotely resemble some of my own beliefs.
Another incident of protesting at a funeral happened today, in fact. A doctor by the name of George Tiller, a late term abortionist, was gunned down in his own church, allegedly by someone who passionately opposed abortion, a week or so ago. All people who oppose abortion don’t go out and kill. Today, his funeral drew a large amount of mourners who were there to remember this doctor’s life; they came to give respect to his family. Approximately 20 people or less, also came to his funeral, to protest. The protesters were there to express their opinion that God sent the shooter; believing that abortion is murder, they were expressing their belief that God sent the shooter to kill Dr. Tiller. They were kept outside of the church, but their chants and calls could be heard by those who came and went to the funeral. Now, I personally don’t agree with abortion…however; it is wrong, in my opinion, to use this moment to try to make a point about an opposing opinion on abortion, at someone’s funeral. The friends and family are grieving…they aren’t gathering to make a political or ethical statement.
There are those who strongly supported Dr. Tiller, as a doctor who performed abortions for women who encountered medical emergencies during their pregnancies which endangered their lives or impacted the health and well-being of the baby. Some people feel that late term abortion is ok in a situation where the mother’s life is in danger, others do not. This is a red hot discussion because everyone has their own personal, moral, and legal stance on this subject; but, is it really appropriate to protest at a funeral? Isn’t this something that should be discussed between a woman, her spouse, her family, God, and the family physician?
I mean really, a life was taken also by the shooter who shot the doctor. The life of that doctor was still valuable to God. That murder was wrong in my opinion, as well as those abortions; killing is killing. Even many of those who vigilantly oppose abortion stood up and said that killing the doctor was wrong. If a debate is to take place, it should be in a different arena…a town hall meeting, a debate venue such as a college campus, or some such other place…not at a funeral.
Another huge black mark against these protesters, is those protesters who invade the funerals of our military men and women who have gone overseas and lost their lives, representing our country…fighting and performing their obligation to their particular branch of armed services that they signed up for. There is a church in Kansas, i wont mention their names as i dont want to give them any more attention than is necessary, who goes to funerals of soldiers to protest. Their reason; they believe that God is punnishing America because of it tolerates homosexuals in the military. Whether the protesters believe in war or not, in homosexuality or not, it is not only disrespectful to the military personel but to their grieving families! There are better ways of getting their beliefs heard and accepted than doing what they are doing. For those who believe homosexuality is wrong…it is hard to justify what the protesters are doing by going to these funerals and heaping hatred and anger on those who are grieving. For those who believe that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality, these protest only reinforce their belief that the religious people (not all of course) are offensive and wrong.
As far as any of us know, none of those soldiers who were killed were homosexuals to begin with; they served our country with honor and deserved the same treatment during their funerals. Those who believe they need to express their reasons for their beliefs to one and all, they need to examine their real motivation and purpose. If you want to be heard in a way that changes people’s opinion then you must meet with them to openly exchange ideas and opinions. You have to hear and listen as well as speak your mind. What purpose does it accomplish to stand at their funeral and make a public spectacle of themselves shouting and waving signs? It is wrong. It should be banned. Many states are trying to ban these types of protests. I hope they are successful in their attempt to ban such protests during funerals.
.gif)