Inside the Westboro Baptist Church

Fred Phelps is 89. What are the chances that this church will implode once he is dead? I mean, its basically just his immediate family.

 

I don't think Shirley Phelps-Roper will stop once he's dead.

 

Yeah... but will the Church follow her?

 

Yes, they will. It's the power of indoctrination. Religious folk don't suddenly come to their senses with the death of their founder, as evidenced by the many longstanding religions around today.

 

Even though his subject matter is frequently abominable, I have to say this Karen fella is a pretty awesome photographer.

 

I wouldn't be so sure. You might be right about this case. But plenty of one-of-a-kind churches fall apart after the founder leaves/dies.

Heck, look at the Roman Catholic Church, they now recently started appointing an 'interim' priest after a long-term priest leaves a parish, because the congregation tends to immediately dislike the replacement and many leave the church. But, they have discovered recently that by appointing an interim priest, the congregation dislikes him but then, has a much better chance of liking the guy after him, who will then stay long-term.

While I come from a mainstream, pro-gay church, I know when our female priest left, many people disliked the male replacement and left the church either completely or joined another church. However, since he has left, some have returned, but then some have left again because they don't like his replacement.

No to suggest that the Westboro example, is anything like the Roman Catholic or Episcopal Churches, but people generally don't like change.

 

The kids look so miserable during the protests. It's so heartbreaking.

Has anyone else read "Addicted To Hate"? Fred Phelps is a complete sociopath.

 

Really? The kids don't seem to have any major qualms in the footage I've seen.

 

I was talking about the pictures in the OP.

 

That I don't doubt. The true question is does she have the capability to lead the church once that happens.

What is funny is that Fred Phelps was once a civil rights lawyer. Talk about a fall from grace.

 

After browsing through the Wiki on the Westboro Baptist Church I would encourage this over-the-top troupe of unintentional comedians to stay the course in doing more to undermine the credibility of anti-LGBT funny-mentalists than the combined efforts of nearly every pro-queer group on the planet.

 

You mean the Wikipedia page. Don't scare me into thinking that someone had actually devoted a whole Wiki to them.

+1

 

Umm thing is Shirley Phelps-Roper has been doing a lot of leading like with interviews and shit...so seriously this might continue...

 

I stand corrected midwestblues.

But now that you mention it, any group of consensus builders this effective...

"...A frequent critic of the WBC is political commentator Bill O'Reilly, who regularly calls the church "evil and despicable."[139] Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has also criticized the church...."

...deserves its own Wiki!

 

Personally, I like Westboro. Who better to make people support LGBTQ than haters of that scale?

 

Just thinking. When Fred Phelps kicks the bucket would they picket his funeral?

 

Why don't we picket his funeral, using the same legal techniques they did to other funerals?

 

I think this statement has a lot of merit to it. My brother, the only person I fear coming out to, said he was offended by being compared to Westboro (since he is very outspoken and all).


Anyway, two people quit the church recently:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/02/07/182257/granddaughters-of-fred-phelps.html

 

The westboro baptist church is crazy...they picketed the funerals for the children of Sandy Hook because Connecticut either approved or is in the process of approving gay marriage and they thought the shootings were Gods way of punishing everyone...