Westboro Baptist Church A Deviant Hate Crime Group Essay

Deviant behavior is anything that a person does that is out of the norm. Robbing banks, stealing cars, and assaulting individuals are easily considered deviant behavior, but can people be deviant while still being within their legal rights and without breaking any laws? One congregation that does not break any laws, but is considered to be out-of-line, is the Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church has been called offensive and their actions are frowned upon by many. Is the Westboro Baptist Church actually a deviant group in disguise? In order to get to know about the Westboro Baptist Church, a person needs to know a little about who they are, where they came from, and what they represent. The Westboro†¦show more content†¦The Bible does not teach messages about god loving everyone equally (God, 2011). The Westboro Baptist Church discuss on their web site that the Bible has very strict rules about how a person is suppose to live their life. (God, 2011). B eing homosexual, or even allowing homosexuality to occur, is against those rules (God, 2011). A person must follow the Bible to an extreme to be considered sinless (God, 2011). One of the biggest questions that people wonder when they encounter the Westboro Baptist Church, is how they can get away with what they are doing. Is the Westboro Baptist Church violating any laws? The Supreme Court ruled eight to one, that the Westboro Baptist Church is within their first amendment rights, and that their picketing, and attendance at fallen soldiers funerals are within their rights (Richey, 2011). The court case was brought about by a father of a fallen soldier who felt that the Westboro Baptist church had violated his sons rights by protesting at his sons funeral (Jonsson, 2011). People were enraged at the courts ruling, and felt that situations like those of the fallen soldiers could have been avoided if the Supreme Court had ruled differently (Richey, 2011) It is likely that the c ase opened up the door for the Westboro Baptist Church to feel more confident about their actions, since the Supreme Court basically stated that there will not be anyShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of The Gay Rights Movement1791 Words   |  8 Pagesbut truly believe it is the most accurate term to convey what is so lacking for the GLBT community. As a gay male I have an insight to this fight and the a connection to a community that has been oppressed, looked down on, fought prejudice and hate crimes and continues to fight ignorance and injustice on a daily basis. Children that are gay continue to go through the same shame and anguish that GLBT youth have gone through in the past. They are bullied and beaten by their classmates, neighbors