By JON MICHAEL BELL
Added: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Reposted from:
http://www.blank.org/addict/

This is an article/book from 1994 on the Phelps family and Westboro Baptist Church that was made available on the web after the author ran into difficulties getting it published. Nate Phelps' story is a bit out-of-date (see his American Atheists speech for an update), but I thought this was a very informative piece, and worthy of cross-posting. - Josh

For those unfamiliar with Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church:
'The Most Hated Family in America' by Louis Theroux, BBC2

Also see Nate Phelps' post about Richard Dawkins' question at the American Atheists conference: Why isn't that man in jail?

CHAPTER ONE

A TIME magazine article from 1950 hangs framed on the wall. It's about a college student's crusade against necking on a campus in Southern California.

That student's office in Kansas today is aclack with fax machines and ringing phones, but the chair behind the great mahogany desk is empty.

When the former campus evangelist finally bursts in, he is trailed by grandchildren-so many sixth-grade secretaries-gophering, sending faxes, fetching papers-and a glass of water for the reporter.

Thoughtful. It's 93 outside.

"Sit down," says Fred Phelps, rumored ogre, with an effusive Southern graciousness. "But I got to tell you, you know we're going to preach the word, the same thing I've been preaching for 46 years, and it's supremely, supremely irrelevant to us what anybody thinks or says. "You get a little bit of this message I'm preaching, you can't ask for anything more. God hates fags-that's a synopsis."

Continue reading:
http://www.blank.org/addict/

Download the full document as a PDF (101 pages)

TAGGED: -, BOOKS, RELIGION