The open exchange of information and ideas is paramount to the development and dissemination of knowledge and ideas. With that in mind, I would like to posit that the Westboro Baptist Church's visit to Miami University should be cautiously embraced for what it is — an invitation by a professor of Religious Extremism to Shirley Phelps-Roper to be the subject of an interview for hate groups. This group's beliefs are rooted in an extremely fundamentalist and literal construction and interpretation of Christianity. It's hard to separate their religious beliefs from bigoted hatred with slogans such as "Thank God for 9-11," "Priests Rape Boys" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."
With the general consensus (even in the Supreme Court) that Westboro's speech is harmful, even hateful, it is appropriate that a Westboro spokeswoman is being invited to a class entitled "Religious Extremism." Even more apropos, this spokeswoman is being invited as a member of a hate group. In light of these circumstances, Shirley Phelps-Roper's visit is quite suitable — I struggle to think of a more hateful group.
In contrast to Westboro's antagonistic approach of spreading their judgmental version of religion, Spectrum and many other student organizations offer peaceful, respectful dialogue between opposing views. In Spectrum, every meeting begins with a Respect Agreement, a general code of mutual respect established for all people. It's how we run our meetings and it's how we grow. All people are included in our discussion, and anyone who desires to speak has a chance to have his or her voice heard. Peaceful, respectful exchange of information builds knowledge and enhances education. Visit http://spectrummiami.wordpress.com for more information about Spectrum.
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