Whoo, boy. So. Last night, Fred Phelps, the founder of Westboro Baptist Church, died at age 84. Westboro Baptist--which is not related to any other baptist or otherwise church in the country, and which boasts a membership of 20 people, predominently Fred, his wife, several of their 13 children, those children's spouses, and other family members--is the church famous for picketing, among other things, funerals of our military dead with signs saying that God wanted them to die. They have tested the limit of the First Amendment all the way up to the Supreme Court, and have become famous for their hate-mongering vitriol.
This morning a few of my friends on Facebook were celebrating Fred's demise, sort of a ding-dong, the witch is dead, posts. I felt a little badly about celebrating someone's death. I regretted the wretched waste of Fred Phelp's life. But Westboro wasn't too high on my radar, so, before I started this post, I Googled them.
Wow. To start with, their main church website is Godhatesfags.com. They have sister websites, among them Godhatestheworld, GodhatesIslam, Godhatesthemedia, Priestsrapeboys, JewskilledJesus, and BeastObama.
They post their picket schedule. Today is Midland Theater in Kansas City, where Lorde is performing. They don't have much to say about her; their diatribe ends, "blah, blah, barf." Tomorrow is another theater in Kansas City, to denounce "fag filth furthering" "potty mouth" Kathy Griffith. Then on Sunday, at what looks like right before the 9am Mass, they'll be picketing St. Patrick's Church in Osage City, Kansas, in an apparent protest against the Pope: "You love his sin-teaching false doctrine, because it justifies you in your rebellion against God. The catholic church is filthy from stem to stern, the anti-church, full of idols."
It goes on from there. The whole website goes on and on, more wretched and hate-filled than anything I've ever read. Including a "Numbers" list that tallies the number of soldiers "God has killed in Iraq," the number of people "God has cast into hell since you loaded this page" (622--I'm a slow reader, or God's pretty quick with the casting), and adds, "Zero--- nanoseconds of sleep that WBC members lose over your opinions and feeeeellllliiiiiings." Here's what they have to say about soldiers: "These turkeys are not heroes. They are lazy, incompetent idiots looking for jobs because they're not qualified for honest work."
I'm done. My feeeellllliiiiiings have changed. I'm glad he's dead. I'm relieved he's gone. Most cults fall apart with the death of their creator, and today I'll ask you to join me in prayer that Westboro Baptist becomes on of them.
This morning a few of my friends on Facebook were celebrating Fred's demise, sort of a ding-dong, the witch is dead, posts. I felt a little badly about celebrating someone's death. I regretted the wretched waste of Fred Phelp's life. But Westboro wasn't too high on my radar, so, before I started this post, I Googled them.
Wow. To start with, their main church website is Godhatesfags.com. They have sister websites, among them Godhatestheworld, GodhatesIslam, Godhatesthemedia, Priestsrapeboys, JewskilledJesus, and BeastObama.
They post their picket schedule. Today is Midland Theater in Kansas City, where Lorde is performing. They don't have much to say about her; their diatribe ends, "blah, blah, barf." Tomorrow is another theater in Kansas City, to denounce "fag filth furthering" "potty mouth" Kathy Griffith. Then on Sunday, at what looks like right before the 9am Mass, they'll be picketing St. Patrick's Church in Osage City, Kansas, in an apparent protest against the Pope: "You love his sin-teaching false doctrine, because it justifies you in your rebellion against God. The catholic church is filthy from stem to stern, the anti-church, full of idols."
It goes on from there. The whole website goes on and on, more wretched and hate-filled than anything I've ever read. Including a "Numbers" list that tallies the number of soldiers "God has killed in Iraq," the number of people "God has cast into hell since you loaded this page" (622--I'm a slow reader, or God's pretty quick with the casting), and adds, "Zero--- nanoseconds of sleep that WBC members lose over your opinions and feeeeellllliiiiiings." Here's what they have to say about soldiers: "These turkeys are not heroes. They are lazy, incompetent idiots looking for jobs because they're not qualified for honest work."
I'm done. My feeeellllliiiiiings have changed. I'm glad he's dead. I'm relieved he's gone. Most cults fall apart with the death of their creator, and today I'll ask you to join me in prayer that Westboro Baptist becomes on of them.
I like what George Tekai said when it was announced that Phelps was dying.
ReplyDelete"I take no solace or joy in this man's passing. We will not dance upon his grave, nor stand vigil at his funeral holding "God Hates Freds" signs, tempting as it may be.
He was a tormented soul, who tormented so many. Hate never wins out in the end. It instead goes always to its lonely, dusty end."
I hope that you are right about his cult, Kim.