Fred Phelps: Difference between revisions
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''"God hates fags! God hates America! Thank God for dead soldiers! You're going to hell!"'' - Fred Phelps.<span style="display: none;">---=-dee </span><span id="cke_bm_166E" style="display: none;"> </span><span style="display: none;"> </span><span id="cke_bm_166S" style="display: none;"> </span> | ''"God hates fags! God hates America! Thank God for dead soldiers! You're going to hell!"'' - Fred Phelps.<span style="display: none;">---=-dee </span><span id="cke_bm_166E" style="display: none;"> </span><span style="display: none;"> </span><span id="cke_bm_166S" style="display: none;"> </span> | ||
'''Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. '''( | '''Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. '''(November 13, 1929 - March 19, 2014) was an ex-lawyer and the founder and former pastor of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], an Independent Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, known for its extreme antagonism towards most of modern society, in particular homosexuality. The church uses hate slogans on their picket signs such as "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "America is Doomed". The Westboro Baptist Church is comprised mainly of Fred Phelps' large extended family, and although tiny in number the group is infamous throughout America and regularly receives mainstream media attention for their audacity and the sheer degree of their hatefulness. Members are brainwashed from childhood to support Phelps' agenda and spread his dogmatic beliefs in a manner that can be considered fanatical at best and criminally insane at worst. | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
===Early Life 1929-1947=== | ===Early Life (1929-1947)=== | ||
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. was born on November 13, 1929 in Meridian, Mississippi to Fred Wade Phelps, a railroad police man, and Catherine Idalette Johnson, a homemaker. He has a younger sister named Martha-Jean, who has been estranged from for many years. When Phelps was five, his mother died of throat cancer, and he and sister were raised by his great-aunt, Irene Jordan. Fred Wade Phelps would soon re-marry, however. | Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. was born on November 13, 1929 in Meridian, Mississippi to Fred Wade Phelps, a railroad police man, and Catherine Idalette Johnson, a homemaker. He has a younger sister named Martha-Jean, who has been estranged from for many years. When Phelps was five, his mother died of throat cancer, and he and sister were raised by his great-aunt, Irene Jordan. Fred Wade Phelps would soon re-marry, however. | ||
Phelps was described as having a normal childhood, excelling at school and sports, being an Eagle Scout, and even graduating from high school at age sixteen. When Phelps was seventeen, he was ordained a minster after having a religious experience. He soon left home to preach and became estranged from his family. | Phelps was described as having a normal childhood, excelling at school and sports, being an Eagle Scout, and even graduating from high school at age sixteen. When Phelps was seventeen, he was ordained a minster after having a religious experience. He soon left home to preach and became estranged from his family. | ||
===Adult Years 1947-1991=== | ===Adult Years (1947-1991)=== | ||
Phelps began attending colleges around the country, such as West Point Military Academy, which never attended at all, as well as some bible schools. In 1951, Phelps was arrested for assulting a man while preaching, and was even featured in Time Magazine. He moved to Arizona in 1952, where met his wife, Margie M. Simms. The two soon married and had their first child Fred Jr. in 1953. In 1954, the Phelps family moved to Topeka, Kansas. During this time, Phelps got a job as a co-pastor at Eastside Baptist Church. However, the congreation wasn't too happy with Phelps. He would tell the male members that they should beat their wives if they didn't obey them. Phelps was soon voted out of the church, but was made pastor of Eastside Baptist's new branch church, Westboro Baptist. Soon after the WBC was established, Phelps broke ties with Eastside. Several members from Eastside joined Westboro, but some left after Phelps killed a dog with a shotgun after it defacted on his lawn. | Phelps began attending colleges around the country, such as West Point Military Academy, which never attended at all, as well as some bible schools. In 1951, Phelps was arrested for assulting a man while preaching, and was even featured in Time Magazine. He moved to Arizona in 1952, where met his wife, Margie M. Simms. The two soon married and had their first child Fred Jr. in 1953. In 1954, the Phelps family moved to Topeka, Kansas. During this time, Phelps got a job as a co-pastor at Eastside Baptist Church. However, the congreation wasn't too happy with Phelps. He would tell the male members that they should beat their wives if they didn't obey them. Phelps was soon voted out of the church, but was made pastor of Eastside Baptist's new branch church, Westboro Baptist. Soon after the WBC was established, Phelps broke ties with Eastside. Several members from Eastside joined Westboro, but some left after Phelps killed a dog with a shotgun after it defacted on his lawn. | ||
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Phelps would take many civil rights cases during this time, and even helped bring down Jim Crow laws in Topeka. According his estranged sons Mark and Nathan, Phelps was a racist, and would sometimes use the initials, D.N. with certain clients, which would stand for "dumb nigger". In 1977, Phelps was disbarred for perjury, which involved him making false claims about a women during a lawsuit, and in 1979, he permantly disbarred in Kansas. His children, however, continue run the law firm for him. | Phelps would take many civil rights cases during this time, and even helped bring down Jim Crow laws in Topeka. According his estranged sons Mark and Nathan, Phelps was a racist, and would sometimes use the initials, D.N. with certain clients, which would stand for "dumb nigger". In 1977, Phelps was disbarred for perjury, which involved him making false claims about a women during a lawsuit, and in 1979, he permantly disbarred in Kansas. His children, however, continue run the law firm for him. | ||
===Picketing Years 1991- | ===Picketing Years (1991-2014)=== | ||
Phelps and the WBC began pickting around 1991, in order combat homosexual activities at Gage Park. Although the protests started out small, and gained little attention, the church soon began gaining attention nationwide, the most notable event being the funeral protest of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Around 2003, the WBC began to protest the funerals of soilder killed in Iraq and Afganastan, claiming that they died for a doomed nation. Several laws were soon made to restrain the church protests. While not banning them from picketing, the laws passed made member keep a large distance from the funeral. | Phelps and the WBC began pickting around 1991, in order combat homosexual activities at Gage Park. Although the protests started out small, and gained little attention, the church soon began gaining attention nationwide, the most notable event being the funeral protest of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Around 2003, the WBC began to protest the funerals of soilder killed in Iraq and Afganastan, claiming that they died for a doomed nation. Several laws were soon made to restrain the church protests. While not banning them from picketing, the laws passed made member keep a large distance from the funeral. | ||
The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however has grown absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown signs of falling apart, due to fact that several members, mostly younger ones, have either left or were kicked out, a lawsuit that made international news around 2006, that was soon brought to the Supreme Court and other factors, such as Phelps' old age may contribute to the falling apart. On March 16th, 2014, it was confirmed by Phelps' estrangend son Nathan in a Facebook post that his father | The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however has grown absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown signs of falling apart, due to fact that several members, mostly younger ones, have either left or were kicked out, a lawsuit that made international news around 2006, that was soon brought to the Supreme Court and other factors, such as Phelps' old age may contribute to the falling apart. | ||
On March 16th, 2014, it was confirmed by Phelps' estrangend son Nathan in a Facebook post that his father was in poor health, stating that he was on the "edge of death", and had been relocated to a hospice in Topeka. It was later officaly confirmed by church spokesman [[Steve Drain]] that the reports were true. Nathan also stated that his father had been excommunicated from the church in August 2013. Ironically, his excommunication came as the result of one of one of Phelps' few attempts to do something arguably benevolent, when the church's new board of elders - headed by Drain - turned on him after an attempt on Phelps' part to intervene on behalf of his daughter Shirley, who had been all but removed from the church herself. | |||
===Death=== | |||
According to family members, Phelps died of undisclosed health problems on March 19, 2014. | |||
==Beliefs== | ==Beliefs== | ||