", the case is about free speech and could limit the American people's ability to protest anything if they lose."

This is more about Hate speech than free speech, there is a big difference ..

Soldiers Die in war.

Church Members stand on the street outside cemetarys, picket and hold signs that say they deserve to die.  I think because of gay people.

People sued because they didn't like this group harrassing people who's family has just died... for something that's really really not related.

The courts ruled that while these people are giant doucehbags... you can't make it illegal for people to simply taunt someone else unless they cross over into threats or inciting threats.

The Westboro Baptist church makes Christians and Christianity look horrible. The New Testiment and all of Jesus's preachings do not condone the acts that this church commits. I was recently watching to see if they would do anything about the Christian being executed in Afghanistan, I thought the most out spoken protest trigger happy church in the world would for sure protest acts against fellow Christian's.

Yet guess what they didn't say a thing (To my knowledge) finally a time when their protests could do something good and guess what they were silent. I despise the Westboro Baptist Church they don't protest to do good or improve peoples lives they do so out of spite and hatred.

Their constantly being self righteous and hurting others, not only are they hurting everyone else but they are shaming the whole Christian faith and insulting every Christian within. I hate to say it but I wish God set them straight with alittle fire and brim stone.

They are ignorant and stupid, yes, but so are we, for giving them a platform to preach their hate.  As long as people pay so much attention to what they do, they will continue to do it.  Giving them a spot on national news is exactly what they want.  The want the world to hate them, becaue they think they are above everyone else. I say pay them no mind.  They've chosen to be ignorant and hateful, and for that, they should be ingored.  They aren't going out killing people...if they start doing so they should of course be dealt with.  But as of now they only have words.  Words can be ignored. Our best defense against hate is tolerance.

But aren't they essentially just saying out loud what Christians beleive and what their (your) religion teaches?

In the Gay marriage case yes, but the New Testiment and teachings of Jesus does not preach to persecute sinners and many of their protests aren't protests against the sin rather persecuting the sinner. Jesus taught love your neighbour and be nice to those that do you wrong or sin. Jesus did not teach anywhere in the Bible to persecute people for their beliefs or actions.

Also some of the Westboro Church's protests like the one that picketed a little childs funeral, because they believed it was an act of God to punish the non-believers. That is complete utter bullshit, even if it had been an act of God would God want you to go and torment that girls family. Though I highly doubt God would cause someone to go nuts and shoot a ton of people. Let alone call a church to picket that girls funeral.

Christian's aren't Christian's if they do not show love and compassion to those around them. A very common Christian saying is "Hate the sin, not the sinner" it accuratly depicts how a Christian should act. The Westboro Baptist Church teaches its followers to hate the sinners themselves and to persecute them. Which Jesus did not teach!

Example as a Christian I think Homosexual acts are a sin, yet I have three friends who are gay. One who came out of the closet recently. I know that they are sinning according to my beliefs however showing anything but love to them wouldn't be in line with what Jesus taught.

Matthew 7:1 - "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

Mathew 7:2 "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Mathew 7:3 - "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

And that is just from three verses in Mathew. Just look at Romans

Romans 3:23 - "For All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"

Jesus and the Bible clearly preach against casting Judgement on others. What the Westboro Baptist Church is doing is clearly not Biblical and not a good representation of the Church. Now I guess I'm being a little Judgemental on them but they are Christians and they represent Christ and they are doing a very bad job of it.

But don't Christians beleive that being gay is a sin, and that gays will burn in hell? Aren't these people essentially just saying what Christians believe? Why does that make you uncomfortable?

Probably because imho, they are calling themselves a church inorder to spread their hate and to tarnish the Church. The Church itself wound never condon the level of extremeism that they pull off. I truly want to say its a cult with Jesus Christ as their symbol.

Their "hate". Is exactly what Christianity teaches. Again, why does that make Joel and you uncomfortable?