Well, I finally made it to Westboro Baptist Church. I was driving through Topeka, so I figured I’d stop there and snap a photo. This is the church of Fred Phelps, the crazy guy who holds up “God Hates America” and “God Hates Fags” signs.
This is how you know you are in Kansas:
Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Ah, Christian love at its best. At least WBC doesn’t try to mask their hate by calling it “love” like some of the others.
The weird part about the church, is it is a house in a neighborhood. I had always pictured it on a farm somewhere. But, it sits across the street, next to the houses of normal people. Imagine having these nuts as neighbors?
Apparently they were not getting quite enough attention to suit the inbred Phelps clan. Their solution was to ratchet up some antisemitism. The people inhale news coverage and exhale hate.
One of these days a defection will lead us to the source of their seemingly considerable funding.
Wayne, those are not houses of “Normal People” it is the extended Phelps Family, they own everything surrounding the church and have fenced in all their backyards together to make one big compound.
Thanks StraightGranny — good to know. :)
I feel that Fred Phelps is a perfect example of what the following article, which was also covered by TWO, is talking about;
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=homophobes-might-be-hidden-homosexuals
He should just come out already, and end the misery.
Well, Peter, I don’t know if that’s the case with Phelps.
I read a bio of him and his family titled “Addicted To Hate”, and from that I gather he was verbally and physically abusive to his kids and wife. (I personally suspect he was also sexually abusive, but I have no proof, just a gut feeling, which isn’t necessarily reliable.) It’s quite clear his “church” is merely a cult that uses pychological and physical intimidation to control its members.
A British tourist would probably wonder how cigarettes doom nations.
I thought “God hates fangs”…wait, me and the hubby have been watching to much HBO…nevermind.
you mention the horror of having this “church” as a neighbor…can you imagine the look on the real estate agent when you try to SELL? “Lovely three bedroom ranch, 1 and 1/2 bath with pool and garage, next to protesting bigoted freak zone, you will be so happy here! there are pegs for your robes by the built in gun rack”…those folks are just stuck! Most of his “church” is made of his own family (the ones he has not disowned yet)…maybe they own the houses next to the freakshow?
@ Bill S,
Perhaps he was abusive because as well as hating himself for his suppressed gay desires, but he resented his family and saw them as representative of the massive lies he was telling himself and the world, and knew of no other way to react to them (all unconsciously, of course).
Alternatively, he could just be the world’s biggest s**t.
Nice to see they put their sentiments right out in the front yard for all to see. That Tornado Shelter sign is interesting, as if they have to admit it’s but a matter of time before God runs out of patience with their blather. I can just see Jesus Christ facepalming Himself (not easy to do on a cross) and groaning, “Yes, I said Love Thine Enemies, but even I have to make some exceptions for this crew…”
All together now:
Ooooooh, the Westboro Wingnuts
Are God’s own Wingnuts,
Of thaat you can be suure (boom boom boom),
For the Westboro Wingnuts
Are God’s own Wingnuts,
No state-ment could be truer!