[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The whole issue of challenging these Baptist fundamentalists vs. ignoring them is tricky. On one hand, I agree that it is often preferable to battle things like this head on, but on the other hand, it has given them way more press and attention than they deserve. They only have like 80 members (and mostly all from the same family). Not too many organizations with such few numbers get as much attention as they do.

They were around for more than 40 years before they received attention for picketing funerals (for a man killed by gay bashers), and it would have been ignored, people probably still wouldn't know who they are. The attention they got from it is what has made them do it more. It sucks, but it probably would have been better to let them stay obscure by just ignoring them.

At the same time, I think you can make the argument that their activities had a negative effect on spreading their message.

I mean, it's not like WBC has grown into a megachurch or something. This is small group most of which are direct descendants of Phelps or married to those descendants. Neither the attention paid to them by the media nor the silence of those who have chosen to ignore them has helped their hate to spread.