Brad Paisley is defending the Instagram selfie he took in front of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church before his show in Bonner Springs, Kan., on June 1, saying that his dislike for the group stems from his dedicated support of American soldiers.

Paisley posted the pic of himself in front of protesters holding signs reading "God hates drunks" and "sin breeds violence," and he included his own commentary with a caption reading, "Westboro Baptist Selfie!! Or west-Burro(ass) selfie. Hopefully they can hear the show out here. We'll play loud."

Along with those signs, the infamous group speaks out through other controversial acts including picketing funerals for troops who have died in the line of duty -- and that's just one of the reasons Paisley didn't hesitate to call out the group via social media.

“My patriotism starts there,” he says in an interview with Fox News. “We’re talking about, I think everyone can agree -- except maybe Westboro Baptist -- on the fact our soldiers are our most important, the most amazing people that we’ve had.”

Paisley is so dedicated to our troops that he even joined President Obama for a surprise visit to service men and women in Afghanistan on Memorial Day weekend.

“I feel like I’m one of those people that defies category,” Paisley says. “I’m all over the map in a lot of ways, but I feel like being on a journey of trying to figure out how to make this country better is a healthy thing and something I like to look into. I don’t know any answers to it. But, you know, sort of daily it’s easy to look at something and say here’s what you should be doing. It’s harder and more of my approach to look at something and say, ‘OK, what are both sides?’”

Paisley is the most recent country star to confront Westboro Baptist, joining Vince Gill and Blake Shelton in his public outcry against their aggressive tactics.

The 'River Bank' singer is currently in the first leg of his Country Nation World Tour and will also be stopping by the 2014 Taste of Country Music Festival June 13-15 in New York.

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