New Stanek poll: Should pro-lifers picket funerals of pro-abortion politicians, luminaries?
I have a new poll question up, and it’s a good one:
Westboro Baptist Church picketed the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards in part because she condoned homosexuality. Would you support pro-lifers picketing funerals of pro-abortion politicians and luminaries, such as activists and movie stars?
Vote on the lower right side of the home page.
We don’t yet know the answer to the previous poll question, but it appears at this point the majority may thankfully be correct…
Click on the map to enlarge to find your own brightly colored flag….
As always, make comments to either the previous or current poll here, not on the Vizu website.
Dec.12, 2010 1:47 pm |
Polls |
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
regarding protests at funerals — No – it’s not very Christian. And what a very bad message to send to our youth – on many accounts.
Lord have mercy! No, never. No matter what horrifying things a person supports, a funeral is no place to make a statement.
Absolutely not! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
Scriptures admonish us to COMFORT those that are mourning, not to gloat over their loved one’s demise.
And if the friends and loved ones of the abortionist are unbelievers, we would only serve to drive them away from Christ by being jackasses.
What would be the point of doing that? They’re in God’s hands. Sure, you might be getting your message to all the pro-aborts attending. But I think it’s just tacky.
Good grief, no. Never.
NO!
What everyone else has said.
Yeah, because Westboro’s tactics are bringing thousands of people to their side!
(For those who are sarcasm-impaired, that’s a no.)
Absolutely not ! That is unbelievable cruel to do to any grieving family. Sorry I couldn’t find where to vote on the poll.
NO NO NO
Absolutely not. People at funerals are grieving and I think everyone can manage to give people a chance to mourn without getting up in their faces.
Besides, who would ever want to follow the example of Westboro Baptist in anything?
It should go without saying that we have more important – and productive/effective – things to do than to protest at funerals.
What everyone else said! NO!
Absolutely not. No, no, no! How disgraceful.
No on picketing at funerals. If it helps to point out the cruelty of pro-aborts after their deaths (Ted Kennedy comes to mind) a funeral is not the time and place. I see no constructive value in that.
It’s not like you are dancing on the abortionist’s grave. You are protesting what he stood for and did with his life, not rejoicing in his demise.
This is what I would call ‘guerrilla warfare’ in the pro-life movement. It worked well for the minutemen against the English in the Revolutionary War because it caught the enemy off-guard. They were expecting a fight in traditional terms, could not adapt and lost the American colonies as a result.
I think protesting at his funeral would most definitely be spun in a negative way against the pr-lifers. It is a great idea, which is why I voted yes. Is it prudent? Probably not. Would I actually do participate in this type of demonstration? Probably not. It is not what the Gospel message teaches us, that is to love our enemy.
I applaud their vigor and creativeness. Abortion breaks all the rules of right and wrong, so as a man, my ‘knee-jerk’ reaction is to give it right back to them in spades. My conscience tells me it is unmerciful.
Absolutely not! It is disrespectful to the deceased and their grieving families to protest and make a political statement at a funeral, especially with signs such as those used by Westboro Baptist Church, and it certainly does not protray Christ-like behavior!
Westboro Baptist is a CULT, not a church, and I second what “Chip Bennett” said above.
Absolutely NOT. Mourners should be allowed to grieve at a funeral. I think the WBC protests are absolutely disgusting and horrible.
NO!! Absolutely not. Their souls are in God hands now, and all we can do is pray that they repented and pray for God’s mercy. People should be allowed to mourn their loved ones in peace.
Absolutely, positively not! It’s the time to pray for them, not make grief for the family in a vulnerable time!
I think there is a time and a place to get “in their face” with signs confronting the horror of what the pro-aborts support. So an election fundraiser is fair game in my opinion, but a funeral is not. We are not heartless. We do care about pro-aborts and their families. Let them bury their loved ones in peace. God can still work in their hearts as they reflect over the sad legacy of their pro-abortion loved one.
I love sydney’s rely….. but, I am really wondering, why was this question even posed? I only answered, I think, out of sheer indignation. Now, can we please find better things to do with our time than ask ourselves if we want to follow Westboro’s lead? I’ve got one…. an online final. Wish me luck!
Pointless.
We can only hope in his final hours he repented, otherwise no picketing comes close to what the unrepentant will have waiting for him.
Glad to see so many agree that such a display of protest at a funeral is tacky, tasteless, and pointless. They are dead; let those who mourn them do so without harassment.
NO!!! Not appropriate, nor effective for our mission to uphold the sanctity of human life and the message that life is precious. We stand for LIFE, we don’t gloat over the death of any human being, born or unborn (for the pro-aborts who troll here, even if the umbilical cord is still pulsating and has not yet been cut). Plus, I believe this tactic would backfire.
No, even if the person is very despicable, we should not picket their funeral. Those who cared about them, for whatever reason, should be allowed to honor the deceased in peace. If we can NOT, in good conscience, honor that person, then we should stay away from the funeral. Otherwise we end up looking like hate mongers. As Christians we’re supposed to show love, not hate.
We don’t want to be like Westboro Baptist church. They are despicable and give real Christians a bad name. We don’t want to be like them. It’s a poor witness.
I agree with Dan, 4:51p. Well put, Dan.
I have been wrestling with this since I considered the question. There are definitely people whose funerals I could see protesting – whose lives revolve entirely around killing the preborn and who are responsible for the deaths of millions of babies – such as Kate Michelman, Cecile Richards, or Nancy Keenan.
On the other hand, considering such an act crosses a line in my mind I can’t quite identify. Unmerciful, as Dan wrote? Not positive if that’s the word. Maybe.
Protest their actions in life. After death, pray for mercy.
Jill,
I can understand how one can wrestle with this, considering the evil of abortion, but the word that comes to my mind is uncharitable. Catholics are often reminded to “pray for” their enemies and since we also believe we should “pray” for the souls of the deceased (the “poor souls in Purgatory”), we would not be inclined to “protest”. (What would we be protesting, anyways? They can do no more harm on earth since they are “gone”. Would we be feeding our own egos?) I think we are called to pray that that God show mercy towards that person. Maybe that sounds like a stretch to many people. I also think of the sayings: ”There, but for the grace of God, go I”, and the commandment, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I think the time protesting would be better spent on something productive like offering one’s time at a CPC, or helping a new Mom with babysitting, or at a food pantry, etc. Catholics are also famous for the saying “Offer it up” – doing what’s difficult for the love of God.
No, no, no, and absolutely not. As has been mentioned before, we are not the WBC. We are better than them. They are not people from whom we need to take cues about activism or morality. Ever.
Even assuming you wanted to look at this in heartless, cold-hearted, practical terms, this is still a terrible idea, if only because a dead abortionist is no longer killing children and any effort spent targeting them take away from what could potentially go towards stopping abortionists who are still in business. There is no good reason at all to picket a funeral and a few thousand good ones not to.