I will admit it. Westboro Baptist punches my buttons. When I see them at a funeral of a gay  man chanting, “God hates fags!” This morning I was taught a lesson by a hip hop artist who was being protested by Westboro Baptist. They took her song “We R who we R” and changing the lyrics to “God hates who U R.” Apparently the folks at Westboro were a bit stunned when the groups dancers came out and danced to the song as a way of reclaiming it.

When mystics have told us to turn the other cheek, I always assumed it simply meant not becoming reactive to hate and violence. This morning I was taken to school by a hip hop artist. Perhaps, more profoundly, “turning the other cheek” means not letting the hate of others rob us of our own song.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/19/westboro-baptists-kesha-dancers_n_3782051.html