CARLSBAD ---- Waving highly inflammatory signs against homosexuals and Jewish people, a half-dozen members of a Kansas church caused a ruckus at a busy La Costa intersection Friday evening.

The Westboro Baptist Church, which has been described as a virulent hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, aimed to raise people's ire with its highly colorful, professionally designed signs. That effort worked.

Midway through their roughly 40-minute demonstration at the La Costa Avenue and El Camino Real intersection, the church members were engaging in shouting matches with counter-protesters and furious passers-by. The verbal battle intensified until church members hopped in a van and departed, but the conflict never escalated into physical violence.

"It was uneventful," Carlsbad police Sgt. Jeff Chapman said after the protest event concluded.

Westboro Baptist Church has about 50 members and is not affiliated with national Baptist organizations, its publicist has said. Its members travel the nation staging eye-catching demonstrations. They believe that the world will shortly come to an end, and their signs typically target homosexuals, Jewish people and members of the military. Friday's protest signs included ones that stated, "Your doom is coming," "The Jews killed Jesus," "God hates Jews."

The church plans to host three more days of protests in Southern California.

Carlsbad is one of the group's key spots, and members expect to be in La Costa for short periods on all three days, church publicist Shirley Phelps-Roper said.

Friday's schedule had called for church members to be outside the Chabad of La Costa, an Orthodox synagogue on La Costa Avenue east of El Camino Real.

Instead, they staged their event at the nearby El Camino Real intersection where there was more parking and a much better chance of attracting the attention of passing pedestrians.

Chabad officials, who had posted no trespassing signs and a giant banner urging Westboro members to "love thy neighbor as thyself," said they were thrilled that the event moved elsewhere.

"Excellent," said the wife of one of the rabbis when she heard the news.

Meanwhile, counterdemonstrators began to gather. They included several local members of the national Patriot Guard organization as well as four teens from San Pasqual High School's Young Liberals Club.

"We just think it's sick that people still think like that today," said 17-year-old David Santana of Escondido, saying it was worth the drive to Carlsbad to make their voices heard.

Passing spectators included a group of curious teenage skateboarders. Wearing an "I love New York" T-shirt, 18-year-old Max Killigrew said he was appalled by the church's signs.

"This is making me so sick to my stomach," he said, adding that he couldn't believe the Westboro people brought their grade-school-age children to such an event. "Why would you raise your kids like this?"

Told of that comment, church publicist Phelps-Roper said she felt it was the right thing to have her children there.

"That's our duty to teach them every day and every way," she said, adding that she believes the counterprotesters are raising their children "for the devil."

Call staff writer Barbara Henry at 760-901-4072.