IndexIntroductionHistory of the Westboro Baptist ChurchThe First AmendmentIs it OK to place limits on the Church?LogosPathosEthosConclusionIntroductionWhen most people think of the church, they think of the Bible, the teachings, and people greet each other in an atmosphere of love and acceptance. But there are also those who are a little more controversial and therefore have different opinions and feelings from those of the traditional church. This article will discuss the Westboro Baptist Church to include the history of the church, the First Amendment of the Constitution relating to the church, considerations regarding the limitations of this church, Logos, Pathos, and Ethos relating to this topic, and a conclusion that brings all the information together . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayHistory of Westboro Baptist ChurchWestboro Baptist Church was formed in the late 1960s and is a nonprofit organization. Church members consider the church to be a Primitive Baptist church with the leader, Fred Phelps and his family, making up the majority of the group's membership. The church has no official affiliation with what are considered mainline Baptist (ADL) churches. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church protest such things as Jewish institutions across the country to include Israeli consulates in synagogues and Jewish community centers. This group also distributes materials at protests including anti-Semitic leaflets used to let people know where future planned protests will be held. In 2010 the group began sending anti-Semitic DVDs to Jewish organizations and leaders. The DVDs also attacked President Obama as the antichrist. The group has targeted homosexuals, Catholics and other Christian denominations that the organization deems non-Orthodox (ADL). The group said it believes most Americans and American institutions sin with the plan to target any individual or organization at will. The group announced a planned trip to Britain in 2009 and traveled to Canada in 2008. In Canada, the group picketed the funeral of an individual who was murdered on a Greyhound bus. Canadian authorities tried to prevent the group from coming to Canada, but the group said they managed to evade patrol officers (ADL). The First Amendment One of the most important documents created in the history of the United States is the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution is important because it protects individual freedom by placing the power of government in the hands of the people who live in the country. One amendment within the Constitution that is relevant to this document is the First Amendment which has several annotations. Within the First Amendment of the United States Constitution it states that the Congress of the United States shall make no law respecting an establishment of any religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of right of people peaceably to assemble or peaceably assemble. petition the government for redress of grievances (Findlaw). This amendment allows for freedom of religion which is an important part of the American conception of freedom. Although the First Amendment cannot be used to break fundamental laws, the free exercise of religion is not seen as tolerance but as a natural right (Findlaw). Is it right to impose limitations on the Church? Because of the First Amendment of the Constitution, there is no legal way to impose limitations on the church;however, it is somewhat confusing whether Westboro Baptist Church is truly a church or simply a group of people who agree on the same concerns. Although the organization was established as a nonprofit, it does not, by all accounts, truly act like a church. According to Hitchcock, the First Amendment's separatist clause is fundamentally general with some states maintaining church-state relationships that subsequent constitutional doctrine deemed unacceptable. When considering religion, the First Amendment contains two clauses, the second of which confirms the free application of religion; however, the scope of the free exercise clause is not. There are no restrictions on religious freedom, except in extreme cases, including the Mormon practice of polygamy that existed in the nineteenth century (Hitchcock). There are those who might believe that this group has more to do with extremists than being a member of a church. Logos When discussing Westboro Baptist Church, there are three different perspectives to consider to include Logos (logic vs. reason); Pathos (emotional appeals or appeals to the heart); and Ethos perspectives (ethics/credibility/character). These three aspects can allow for a rational view of Westboro Baptist Church and its purpose. Logos is about logic versus reason since logic is a basic description of cause and effect. When considering reason and logos, reason is not defined as it is a process that transcends logic. The word reason is translated as “The Word” being associated with Christ the Son of God with the paradigm of LOGOS is the source of reason. Throughout the Scriptures Christ, the Son of God, is described in the form of Love, not hate ("LOGIC vs. REASON"). Yet members of the Westboro Baptist Church say that God's hatred is one of His sacred attributes and that picketing is a form of preaching. The group focuses more on doom and gloom rather than love and peace. In 1998, members of the Westboro Baptist Church began a nationwide angry response by attending the funeral of a gay murder victim carrying signs stating that "There are no fags in heaven" and "God hates fags" ("A Story of anti-gay hatred"). While everyone has the right to believe what they choose to believe, the church is seen as a place of refuge where everyone can attend and be accepted. PathosPathos is about emotional appeal which is considered by some to be the most effective method of persuasion. . Emotional appeals allow the ability to change people's minds based on feelings. There are six traditional human emotions to include ("Heartshot"): happiness and pleasure, love and compassion, desire, fear, guilt, and anger. Words as well as images and music can be used to encourage others, thus bringing about a certain degree of rationality. In today's society, the Church plays an important role as it is seen as the place where people can go and get what can be seen as "spiritual fix" as the church is thought to be the hospital for the sick and beyond a club for those who are religious. Through Pathos the church is seen as the place to meet people's needs spiritually, emotionally and physically. Even now there are many people attending church who are literally struggling to meet the basic needs of daily life with the need to feel love and acceptance. No one can feel loved and desired if they are in the presence of someone who only feels that certain people should be loved and welcomed and that others are condemned because they do not fit a certain model. Ethos Ethos is about ethics, credibility and.