Fred Phelps: Difference between revisions

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==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 had 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.
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Phelps' health also began to get worse too. He started to take perscription drugs, and gain a large amount of weight as well. After nearly dying of a drug overdose, Phelps decied to lose weight. He started to run marathons with his family, and gradually lost weight. But even here, the abuse contiuned, as Phelps would make his family run for up to ten miles a day, and if they beat him home after they were done running, he would abuse them. Phelps would also started to make his young children go around the Topeka area and make them sell candy in order to keep money flowing into the family. He would make the children go into dangerous parts of town such as the red-light district, where his son Jonathon was attacked by a transvestite hooker. As usually, if the children didn't sell the amount of candy as expected, Phelps would beat them.  
Phelps' health also began to get worse too. He started to take perscription drugs, and gain a large amount of weight as well. After nearly dying of a drug overdose, Phelps decied to lose weight. He started to run marathons with his family, and gradually lost weight. But even here, the abuse contiuned, as Phelps would make his family run for up to ten miles a day, and if they beat him home after they were done running, he would abuse them. Phelps would also started to make his young children go around the Topeka area and make them sell candy in order to keep money flowing into the family. He would make the children go into dangerous parts of town such as the red-light district, where his son Jonathon was attacked by a transvestite hooker. As usually, if the children didn't sell the amount of candy as expected, Phelps would beat them.  


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 has permantly disbarred in Kansas. His children, however, continue run the law firm for him, even after his death.
===Picketing Years (1991-2014)===
===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.
The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however had started grow absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown small 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 and recent death, 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.
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.