By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-935846.mp3
East Lansing, MI – The East Lansing community turned out in force Thursday to oppose a controversial church group protesting against homosexuality.
Carrying signs with all sorts of messages, hundreds of people came to East Lansing High School to face just a handful of members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. The church is known for its vehement stance against homosexuality and for protesting military funerals.
Elaina Earle came with her sign, touting a biblical verse.
"I'm Christian and stuff...but I don't understand why they think that God is somebody who hates when God is somebody who actually loves, you know," Earle says. "And I don't understand why they have to be so violently and wrathful towards everybody else, you know? It doesn't make sense."
The Westboro Baptist Church is involved in a free speech case before the U-S Supreme Court. Earlier in the day, the daughter of the church's pastor took part in a forum on the First Amendment at Michigan State University.