Should This Church Get So Much Attention?

Wherever this church goes, controversy and attention seem to follow.

The Westboro Baptist Church has long been known for picketing the funerals of American soldiers as members believe those men and women died because of homosexuality “and other sins of America,” according to one of their latest press releases.

One of the latest protests put on by members of the Topeka, Kansas-based church occurred Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on the University of Alabama campus. Church members were there, according to a report from The Tuscaloosa News, to proclaim that the April 27, 2011, tornado had been the wrath of God.

“God in His infinite kindness, wisdom & mercy WARNED YOU! He sent His whirlwind to Tuscaloosa … killing 36 (including 3 students), shutting down your campus (so you had no finals or graduation), & leaving hundreds homeless & injured,” the church wrote in a press release.

According to the Tuscaloosa News report, the church brought 11 people, while a counter-protest against them drew more than 200 people. See AL.com’s photos of the protesters and the counter-protesters at this link. [Editor’s note: Photo gallery contains some profane language and imagery.]

Should media outlets cover Westboro Baptist Church’s protests? Should those who do not agree with the church make efforts to have counter-protests, or does doing so draw more attention to the church?

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