# Fred Phelps is coming to town - I need a sign **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 17, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252 "2005-01-17T22:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/61 "2011-04-08T20:05:38Z")
For a serious answer, there is my personal quote on the subject; _**The greatest sin is to cast your evil upon the face of God To ascribe to Him the darkness in your own heart.**_ ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/62 "2011-04-09T16:29:37Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > When I saw the big puddle just past them, I just couldn’t help myself. When the light turned green, I accelerated slowly past them into the puddle, hit it coasting in neutral, then revved the engine and popped the clutch as I hit the middle of it. Nailed it-half the puddle rapidly relocated to the area of the protesters. \ Well done! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/63 "2011-04-09T16:53:50Z")
zombie or not, if you have faith then god will provide a sign. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/64 "2011-04-09T23:11:07Z")
I really hate it that I never look at the date on these things and read through the whole sorted mess until someone mentions zombies and then I’m all :smack: Oh, and yes, the creepy Poltergeist preacher, dead ringer! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/65 "2011-04-10T00:36:49Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is it just me, or does Fred look like that dude from the _Poltergeist_ movies? [Oh yeah.](http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/1264599.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/66 "2011-04-10T00:54:09Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It’s probably hopeless to expect this, but the ideal situation would be Fred and a handful of his followers huddled together outside a local church in the snow, freezing their buns off, while absolutely no one pays attention. To think that a religion-twisting illogical jackass (who in history has tried to take a pro-conservative position by bashing military heroes?) will do anything but revel in counter-protests by “sinners” is one of (no offense) the dumber ideas I’ve heard. Attention is oxygen to people like this. You have to be pretty dead to the opinions of your opponents to do what they’re doing. You aren’t going, in a million years, to convince Phelps and his small band of acolytes. And you don’t really need to convince anyone else that the nutjobs are out of line. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/67 "2011-04-10T01:43:40Z")
Yes, I know this thread is a zombie, but maybe tomorrow morning I’ll wave to the WBC outside my church. We’ve been picketed for six weeks straight, no reason to think that tomorrow won’t be #7. Back in the early 90’s, when the WBC was getting started with this I took tons of pictures of them, and counter-protests. But I don’t have the negatives any longer, just the pics, so I can’t post them. My favorites were taken at 17th and Gage, here in Topeka, when they picketed St, David’s Episcopal. It would be one of them, one of us, one of them, and so on. Once the bishop of the Kansas diocese came and held counter signs with us. That was a way cool picture, and I still respect him for that. He wasn’t an ivory tower kind of guy. ---
**Author:** ![causticsubstance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@causticsubstance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/causticsubstance)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/68 "2011-04-10T01:45:48Z")
I secretly thought the best thing to do, were I to counter-protest the WBC, would be to get some foxy men and women to saunter around in skimpy swimwear or something, just to plant seeds in the minds of the younger, sexually repressed/confused/blossoming WBC-ers. Their parents would have to put away the teens and preteens, lest they start thinking thoughts about the human form. This probably doesn’t help the OP though. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/69 "2011-04-10T05:01:57Z")
**JESUS LOVES YOU** but I just want to be friends ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/70 "2011-04-10T12:40:41Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > **God Hates Fred** Winner. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/71 "2011-04-10T15:45:28Z")
I still have a t-shirt that shows a picture of someone being hit by a lighteningbolt, flung from a hand coming out of a cloud. They’re mostly skeleton, and holding a sign, now partially burnt, on which you can see -OD --TES -AGS. The shirt says “God doesn’t hate anyone, but he ain’t too fond of Fred.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/72 "2011-04-10T15:52:44Z")
**I’m with Stupid** This was in an editorial cartoon mentioned in a recent Gene Weingarten on-line chat on the [washingtonpost.com](http://washingtonpost.com) web site. My google-fu is weak today, and the WaPo “upgraded” their web site so I can’t easily find a link to the cartoon or the chat. Reference or no, it’s brilliant! I hope someone can find the name of the cartoonist, who deserves credit. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252/73 "2011-04-11T00:39:56Z")
Things are pretty much okay! > **[The End is Not for a While](https://xkcd.com/470/)** > > I THINK EVERYONE INVOLVED HERE IS CUTE. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-coming-to-town-i-need-a-sign/285252.md?page=3)