US church targets Kirk stand on gays

THE NOTORIOUS Westboro Baptist Church, which regularly pickets high-profile funerals and public events in the United States, says Scotland is on its target list after the Kirk's landmark vote on the possible selection of gay and lesbian ministers.

Margie Phelps, daughter of Fred Phelps, who founded the extremist church, said it now wanted to stage protests following the Church of Scotland's decision earlier this year to set up a commission to examine the issue of gay ordination.

"We think it is contrary to God's law for the Church of Scotland to let homosexuals be preachers," she told Scotland on Sunday.

"Long ago Scotland stopped serving God, and became a nation that has forgotten God. The preachers stopped talking about Sodom, and stopped preaching about Hell. Now Scotland is doomed. The nation that forgets God will be turned into hell."

Phelps, whose family make up the majority of Westboro's 100 or so members and whose protests were documented by Louis Theroux in his film The Most Hated Family In America, also said the church's members would like to travel to Scotland to picket any high-profile events.

The church is notorious for picketing the funerals of United States soldiers killed in Afghanistan, claiming their deaths were punishment for American acceptance of homosexuality.

In 2009, a number of Westboro members of the Phelps family attempted to picket the General Assembly which resulted in the induction of the Rev Scott Rennie, an openly gay minister, to the church. However, they were denied visas and were unable to enter the country.

At this year's General Assembly the Church voted to set up a commission to examine the issue, with a final decision on gay and lesbian ministers being taken in 2013.

A spokesperson for the Church of Scotland said: "The Church of Scotland would not want to associate itself with any of these extreme views voiced by the Westboro Baptist Church and do not regard its statement as pertinent to any of the theological discussions that are ongoing within the Church of Scotland following the decision of the General Assembly in May."

He added: "The existing moratorium on the ordination of ministers in same-sex relationships is continued until 2013, so nothing will happen immediately but more importantly, that dialogue will continue."

The church considers most religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church or Islam, akin to devil worship, All non-Christian entities, non-Protestant Christian churches, and all Protestant Christian churches that do not strongly condemn homosexuality are said to be sending their members to Hell.

They refer to priests as "vampires" and describe Pope Benedict XVI as "the Godfather of paedophiles".

The Rev Bob Brown, of Affirmation Scotland, which represents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians in the Church of Scotland, said: "We find it sad and disappointing that people who claim to follow Jesus would use this kind of language. It shows a total lack of understanding of the Church of Scotland."

The General Assembly decision to move towards the ordination of gay ministers has led to some congregations questioning whether they want to remain within the fold.

Last month, the High Church at Stornoway held a vote on breaking away from the Kirk. A total of 74% of the congregation backed the move, but the figure fell short of the 80% threshold agreed by the kirk session.

In May, the minister of Glenelg and Kintail, the Rev Roddy MacRae, stood down from his post over the issue.

The Rev Andrew Coghill, minister at Leurbost Church, Lochs, Lewis, has said he will stand down in protest at the end of August.

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