# I just found out that my church was picketed by the Westboro people. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723 "2013-08-20T17:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/1 "2013-08-20T17:04:24Z")
I don’t know when it happened, but it was some time between 2003 and 2012, when I wasn’t living here. We must be doing something right. 🆒 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/2 "2013-08-20T17:18:14Z")
Indeed. Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/3 "2013-08-20T17:28:52Z")
That does speak well for your church! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/4 "2013-08-20T17:31:20Z")
We pray for, among others, the leaders of North Korea and al-Qaeda. I like that. We are a very small Episcopalian congregation. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/5 "2013-08-20T21:14:16Z")
Oh, a fellow Episcopalian! There’s several of us here, we should form an on-line parish!😛 There’s you, me, Elendil’s Heir, swampbear, who else? **nearwildheaven** , I attend Grace Episcopal Cathedral here in Topeka, Kansas. And Topeka, being the home of the rock the WBC lives under, sees a lot of picketing. Grace has been picketed quite a few times. Grace is not only a prominent congregation, it’s on a street with quite a few other churches within a block or two. So they can hit a lot of places by timing it right. Topeka has a law against picketing within a certain distance from a half hour before to a half hour after a published service time. It’s only fifty feet, but it keeps them across the street, rather than on our side while people are entering for services. Of course, to “protect” themselves, the WBC takes advantage of that law itself, by publishing a special notice in the newspaper that they have religious activities going on from early morning to late evening, so people can’t efffectively picket them. Plus, the streets that border their compound are narrow, neighborhood streets. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/6 "2013-08-20T21:56:36Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I don’t know when it happened, but it was some time between 2003 and 2012, when I wasn’t living here. > > We must be doing something right. > > 🆒 😃 I congratulate you too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/7 "2013-08-20T22:09:34Z")
mrAru is Episcopalian. Or as he likes to put it ‘catholic lite’ or ‘scots heretic’ depending on his mood:p ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/8 "2013-08-20T22:14:25Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > mrAru is Episcopalian. Or as he likes to put it ‘catholic lite’ or ‘scots heretic’ depending on his mood:p I’ve heard the “catholic lite” one before!😃 Could I ask the general area at least where the OP’s congregation is? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-found-out-that-my-church-was-picketed-by-the-westboro-people/666723/9 "2013-08-20T23:12:51Z")
Upper Midwest. It’s highly unlikely that they came here just for us; IDK the whole story, but the chances are, they were already in town or the area for something else.