Death of the Westboro Baptist Church?
In 1955, the Westboro Baptist Church held its first service. Since then, despite its tiny size (it boasts only 40 members), it has achieved worldwide notoriety, known for the extreme ideologies promulgated by Fred Phelps. However, his death, and the growing opposition to the group in mainstream religious and political circles leads one to question how long the Church can survive without it’s vitriolic founder. But in order to predict their future, what they stand for must be understood.
The Church, which is primarily known for picketing and a medieval attitude to homosexuality that would make most committed ideologues cringe, has been describedas a hate group and is monitored by several groups. Despite being virulently anti-gay and believers that any other religious groups, even most other Christian groups, are nothing more than satanic cults, the Church is surprisingly intolerant of racism, and Fred Phelps was a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement.
However, this seems to be the only positive facet to a Church that otherwise actively seeks to spread hatred. Until 1996, the Church (composed primarily of Phelps’ family, either through blood or marriage) remained relatively low-key. However, they were catapulted into the media spotlight when they picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard, who was allegedly killed for his homosexuality. Since then, they claim to have picketed at over 41,000 events.
The Church seems to condemn everything, from Catholicism to the USA
The Church seems to condemn everything, from Catholicism to the USA. Of course, its relationship with the USA is paradoxical. For a group that hates the country so much, there’s little initiative to leave for less tolerant pastures. This is because, despite the efforts of several states, the second amendment enshrines the right to religious freedom, allowing fire-and-brimstone groups like the WBC to flourish, no matter how much bile is spewed from the pulpit.
Given the extreme stances of the WBC, it’s worth asking if they truly believe all they say, or if the whole thing is imply a ploy for attention. Nathan Phelps, the estranged son of Fred, has called the WBC an organisation set up for the latter to “vent his rage and anger”, and both he and his brother claim that the family was physically abused to the point of bleeding.
Thankfully, there are positive signs. Many members, mostly relatives, have left the WBC in the last decade, and the death of its leader has resulted in what many think will be a state of uncertainty for the church. As the membership is mainly limited to family members of Phelps, it seems unlikely to grow, and the mutual disgust that exist between the church and other religious movements have rendered it incapable of affiliating itself with a larger group. At this point, it’s simply too early to say, but if recent events are anything to go by, one can only hope that in 50 years, this especially pernicious sect of Christianity will be nothing but a murky memory, a church that is already a relic of less tolerant times, even now.
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Comments (2)
The Bible says “God so loved the world” but WBC says that God hates the USA. They are just vicious hate spreading liars. I watched a couple of documentaries on them and they genuinely believed that they would not die. So now that their leader has died, they’re probably scratching their heads wondering what happened since only sinners are supposed to die according to them.
I’m no fan of the WBC but it’s sad that old man Phelps got no respect from his family but of course he showed not respect towards others so they were just giving him what he’d been giving them. He thought it was okay to be mean and vicious but when the tables were turned, he wanted a “kinder, gentler” WBC but the leaders gave him the boot and he died soon after that. I bet it was because his hole life was tied to the church and to have the leaders, his own family, not just make him step down from leadership, but totally excommunicated him out of the church he founded. He probably died of a broken heart more so than whatever ailment he may have had. Since he and his wife lived about the church, they had to leave their home when they were excommunicated. A tremendous blow to Phelps’ ego I’m sure.
The current spokesman for the church, Steve Drain who is not a family member, showed no respect for Mr. Phelps when the church held their first protest since his death. A group of anti protesters help up a sign that said “sorry for your loss” and Mr. Drain said that he didn’t know what they were talking about. He didn’t even acknowledge that Phelps as dead and didn’t care that outsiders were showing love for a man that preached hate. I have a feeling that Steve Drain will or at least try to take over leadership of the church. I have no insight knowledge. He just strikes as someone who would do that. Also, before Phelps died and was in a hospice, Drain denied that Phelps was at death’s door. I think Steve Drain is an atheist and was attracted to the church because he is a control freak and they advocate dictatorship.
I have no proof but I bet Mr. Phelps was regretting disowning his children who left the church. I bet he wanted them at his bedside but they were not allowed even though I’m sure some of them wanted to. Despite his craziness, that was their father and they loved him and wanted to be with him during his last moments but Phelps himself created a situation in which that wasn’t possible.
God never said to disown and mistreat your children who don’t agree with you but that is what the Phelps clan did when a member left. They cut off all ties to that person and treated them as if they did not exist. That is ungodly.
If there ever was a good thing about the WBC, it is this: they do not recruit. Their hatred is limited to the one church and it’s few members.
I wish I were the fly on the wall at WBC in the days before and after Mr. Phelps’ death to hear and see how the family responded to death which they thought would not ever happen to any of them. I guess they’re too ashamed because their belief that only sinners die would mean that Phelps was a sinner because he died.
The Second Amendment does not protect the right to free speech, the 1st Amendment does.