Founder of Westboro church in Kansas excommunicated, on deathbed: son

S

Sorcerer

Put a Spell on you
Registered Senior Member
Interesting article from the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-kansas-westboro-20140316,0,3720753.story

Quote:

"The founder of a fundamentalist church known for picketing military funerals and political events with anti-gay signs was excommunicated last year and is near death in a Kansas hospital, his son said on social media Sunday.
Fred Waldron Phelps Sr., who launched the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church in the 1950s, "is on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house," his son, Nathan Phelps, wrote on his Facebook page.

The younger Phelps, one of several members of the family to have parted ways with the church, also said his father was excommunicated by his own church in August, but did not say for what reason.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this," he said. "Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.""


There is a certain irony here. I wonder why he hated gay people so much? Hate is such a negative emotion.
 
D'oh, lol, I just posted about this under the religion forum heh.

I am hoping that people of faith are smart/kind enough to give his family the courtesy they denied so many... show by example how to live Gods word, and all that.
 
Kittamaru said:
D'oh, lol, I just posted about this under the religion forum heh.

I am hoping that people of faith are smart/kind enough to give his family the courtesy they denied so many... show by example how to live Gods word, and all that.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd stay away from Syne, since he's got a hard-on to get me banned.......
 
Fair 'nuff - I'm sorry he's being such a jerk to ya, for what an apology is worth
 
Kittamaru said:
Fair 'nuff - I'm sorry he's being such a jerk to ya, for what an apology is worth
Click to expand...

No apology necessary from you. I've been following the various posts and I appreciate your fair-minded contributions. You seem like a decent human being.
 
Much obliged mate!

To get back to the topic - I have to wonder... him having been excommunicated from the Baptist Church... does that mean his entire church is no longer, officially, a recognized religious establishment?

If so, wouldn't that mean they have to pay taxes and such on it?

Nevermind, reading into it, it was his own church (WBC) that excommunicated him from it... ironic and sad at the same time. I'm surprised the baptist church as a whole hasn't condemned WBC... interesting.
 
Sorcerer said:
There is a certain irony here. I wonder why he hated gay people so much?
Click to expand...

It's unfortunately quite common. Reasons include:

-They don't like specific forms of sex (they are gross, they don't want to think about them etc) and feel that those forms are exclusive to gay men
-They are gay themselves, and don't want to admit that to themselves or others
-They feel that gays are "the enemy" because their ideological leaders (i.e. Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann) have told them they are
-They feel that gays are causing some societal change that, they feel, harms them (i.e. they are messing with "the sanctity of marriage")
-They imagine that gays in society will cause some bizarre consequences, like "forcing their sons to be gay"
-They think that gays are all diseased and amoral and thus would prefer to eliminate them - or at least force them out of society

Fortunately these rationales are slowly fading away. Not because "reason has won out" or anything, but because as gays gain rights, more people see them. And while it's easy to hate a chaps-wearing flamboyant gay man in a picture in a news story, it's a lot harder to hate your mailman or neighbor for being gay.
 
Meh... He was an arrogant, pompous, self serving, self righteous douchebag... The thing is, some other prick will step up and take his place, as asshole of the decade... All in the name of pleasing his " lord" Holy hell... The King is dead, long live the King...
 
billvon said:
It's unfortunately quite common. Reasons include:

-They don't like specific forms of sex (they are gross, they don't want to think about them etc)
-They are gay themselves, and don't want to admit that to themselves or others
-They feel that gays are "the enemy" because their ideological leaders (i.e. Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann) have told them they are
-They feel that gays are causing some societal change that, they feel, harms them (i.e. they are messing with "the sanctity of marriage")
-They imagine that gays in society will cause some bizarre consequences, like "forcing their sons to be gay"
-They think that gays are all diseased and amoral and thus would prefer to eliminate them - or at least force them out of society

Fortunately these rationales are slowly fading away. Not because "reason has won out" or anything, but because as gays gain rights, more people see them. And while it's easy to hate a chaps-wearing flamboyant gay man in a picture in a news story, it's a lot harder to hate your mailman or neighbor for being gay.
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It seems that the States are lagging behind. We have gay marriage in many European countries now, and even in sport we have some people who are 'out' - the former Welsh rugby captain, Gareth Thomas (very large and not to be messed with) and a referee too, and they are well-accepted, and members of the government too. I've seen the thread here detailing the slow changes to the law in those US States which still criminalise gay people, and it seems to be changing for the better, but slowly.
 
Yeah... our problem is we got a bunch of old farts in power who get paid obscene amounts of money by groups with VERY specific interests to keep the "status quo"... so it's hard to get any kind of real changes rolling. A potentially big one is coming this year though - this memorial day there is a movement being put into action to try and get term limits imposed on senators and congressmen using an interesting bit in the constitution that would allow this to be done regardless of if the senate/house/et al want to ratify it or not... I'm curious to see where it goes :D
 
The irony here is that he was excommunicated for advocating a kinder gentler approach.

"Pastor Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. was excommunicated from the Westboro Baptist Church after advocating a kinder approach between church members.

The excommunication occurred after the formation of a board of male elders in the church. The board had defeated Shirley Phelps-Roger, the church’s longtime spokeswoman, in a power struggle, and Fred Phelps Sr. called for kinder treatment of fellow church members.

The board then ejected Fred Phelps Sr., who founded the church in the 1950s.

The power struggle and excommunication was revealed by Nate Phelps, a son of Fred Phelps who broke away from the church 37 years ago, during an interview with a Topeka Capital-Journal reporter" http://savannahnow.com/news/2014-03...elps-hospice-care-excommunicated#.UytHZMJOUcA
 
joepistole said:
The irony here is that he was excommunicated for advocating a kinder gentler approach.

"Pastor Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. was excommunicated from the Westboro Baptist Church after advocating a kinder approach between church members.

The excommunication occurred after the formation of a board of male elders in the church. The board had defeated Shirley Phelps-Roger, the church’s longtime spokeswoman, in a power struggle, and Fred Phelps Sr. called for kinder treatment of fellow church members.

The board then ejected Fred Phelps Sr., who founded the church in the 1950s.

The power struggle and excommunication was revealed by Nate Phelps, a son of Fred Phelps who broke away from the church 37 years ago, during an interview with a Topeka Capital-Journal reporter" http://savannahnow.com/news/2014-03...elps-hospice-care-excommunicated#.UytHZMJOUcA
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Hmm, pity that "kinder gentler approach" didn't extend to gay people.
 
Death and the Shame of Defeat

I'm not prepared to dance on the late Mr. Phelps' grave. He lived long enough to know he'd lost, and that's enough. Everything else is 'twixt him and God, now.
 
What is interesting to me, and I only just learned of this, is that apparently Mr. Phelps was an advocate for civil rights... and quite the active one at that... interesting how he was determined to help minorities but then turned around and tried to smack down homosexuality... equality without equality?
 
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