What can we learn from this guy that we don’t already know? He may have been a decent person at one point (or maybe not). He may have become a giant asshole as a result of sexual trauma or repressed sexuality, or maybe not. We already know those things can make people miserable and cause them to do horrible stuff. We know that some religious fanatics are terrible people; as a species we’re up to our eyeballs in people like that. If you can think of some insights specific to this particular dickhead, that might be interesting. But I don’t think there’s much to learn from Phelps and I think it’s too bad he got such media attention. To me he’s just one more variation on the Mega Asshole type. I suppose each one of them is unique in some way, but once you realize you’re not going to get them to change, they become intensely boring.
The page has just been changed. I went and checked out their citation, which is this TheThinkingAtheist interview with Nate Phelps last year, and that statement doesn’t hold up. The WBC members simply believe they’re going to be alive for the Second Coming, and therefore won’t die as a result (because they’ll just go straight to heaven). Much different than being immortal.
Near as I can tell, it’s a tenet of their particular faith that members of that faith will live eternally and cannot die. Fred dying would negate that. So, by excommunicating him on his death bed, they’re protecting their religion.
Meh. Other faiths do other things that strike me as equally [de]ridiculous[/del] illogical.
Even if he was sexually molested as a boy scout, or merely never recovered from the untimely death of his mother, none of that matters. Everyone should be accountable for their own personal actions, and blaming stupid shit like childhood trauma is NO excuse. And frankly, I’m disgusted that our modern society always tends to play the “Victim Card”, even with people who’ve NEVER claimed to be victimized at all, ever.
No matter the cause, Fred Phelps is a sick, sick man who deserves a lot more than he’ll ever get in this current life. With any luck, he’ll be reincarnated as a slime mold.
To that end it should also be pointed out that there are people who go through abuse and all manner of horrible trauma and still become good, decent, compassionate people.
If the Westboro Baptist Church excommunicated Phelps, does that mean they got tired of his God-Hates-Fags message, or that they’re prepared to carry on proclaiming it without him?
As despicable as he is, Phred did more for the LGBTQ movement than a lot of people. If it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be people all over the world saying, “That guy’s a real asshole. I don’t want to be on his side. Equal rights for all!”
I’m with the ones who say to ignore it. Or, at least, picket with signs talking about love, not hate.