I just read ‘Addicted to Hate’, and it’s obvious this guy has a problem that does not include simple homophobia. He is on a totally seperate level than the average homophobe. I honestly think that the whole anti-gay thing is just a way for him to hate people. He doesn’t even seem serious about it. I think he just wants to spout his Biblical rhetoric. Has anyone here actually talked to him? Does he ever come out of preacher mode? Everything about this man suggests to me that he has some… issues…
I wonder what it is though. How would a psychologist diagnose him?
IANAP, but I’ve often wondered if his behaviour isn’t rooted in some kind of self-loathing and projection, due to deeply repressed homosexual leanings.
I’m aware that this proposition generates a chorus of disapproval from our gay dopers, but let me stress that I’m not suggesting the guy is in any way normal or unfreaky, but from my completely unqualified armchair, it seems at least moderately plausible that he’s trying to convince God that he’s not even been a little bit gay, never has been.
Question: Is this guy a “real” minister? By that I mean, does he perform sacraments, give sermons on Sunday mornings, etc, or is he one in name only and spends his time gay-bashing? If the former, shouldn’t there be some higher-up in his religion (WTF is his relgion, anyway?) pull his preaching privaledges? If the latter, then my hubby is more of a minister than Phelps will ever be, and he got HIS certificate in the mail! (Only $30 through the Universal Life Church - he’s licenced to perform weddings here in Ohio AND he’s doing his first on on the 18th).
Yeah, he is a minister-but the only members of his church are his family. I believe he was once a Baptist minister, but his license or certificate was revoked.
And yeah, he’s crazy. His homophobia is just an excuse to be nasty-if it weren’t gays, it would be something or someone else.
At one time, it was his family.
The really weird thing is he was a major civil rights activist in the 60’s. So I’m not sure the whole “need to hate” things really works. Why not blacks in the 60’s if that was his thing?
No he wasn’t a “major Civil Rights activist”-he merely claimed this. Read the whole article, Opus. Basically, he filed a few frivolous lawsuits claiming discrimination-but he’d screw the families over, and threaten to sue them for more than the agreed upon payment. He was a real piece of work.
What’s really disgusting, is that his picketing and harassment of gays are the least of his crimes-it’s child’s play compared to the way he treated his family for all those years.
I don’t think it’s as much necessarily about repressed homophobia as it is about some people viewing women as sex objects to be dominated, taken, claimed, <i>et al</i>, and assume logically enought that all other guys do as well, including gay guys, and fear being dominated, claimed, etc. Or possibly secretly wanting it.
I lived two years in Topeka, Kansas with FP nearby–in fact when I was driving my moving truck from Ryder over to the home we were moving out of, and there was the Phelp’s clan, disgusting signs and all, picketing an Episcopal Church–and I had the awful temptation to aim right at Freddie and do the world a favor-but I resisted :smack:
Incidently, my brother -in-law was a junior high class mate of one of FP’s sons–one of the one’s who later came out as gay (which apparently sparked Freddie’s current rage) The story I heard is that Fred would beat that boy with a baseball bat & shave his head for good mesure. FP would have the entire family selling candy for charity (e.g. Fred’s pockets, or so I heard), and out would come the belt or bat if anyone couldn’t meet their $100 per day quota. Fred also is personaly disbarred in Kansas, apparently for agressive stalking -or so I heard. I have no wish to be sued by FP, but I’m so bloody beset by creditors he’ll just have to get in line.:wally
That thought is one that is more than supported by the fact that, evidently not satisfied with the newsmedia facetime he was getting (not much) from his initial website, he made another one … godhatesamerica dot com.
Eventually, IMO, he’s going to put up another one … something like “God Hates Christians” or something equally ludicrous.
Why?
Because if he isn’t controversial, stirring up a storm, then his views aren’t being aired.
Unfortunately for him (but otherwise for the rest of us), one can only be so controversial if one starts out almost at the end of the spectrum. If he were even the slightest bit imaginative he’d have started www dot god hates immigrants dot com or god hates [insert racial slur here] dot com … something a bit more stirring than his current baby project.
I haven’t seen a major newsmedia outlet talk about him in so long you’d think he was working as a grocery bagger, they’ve been so quiet.