Megan and Grace Phelps leave Westboro

[OriginalGeek]

http://skepchick.org/2013/02/megan-and-grace-phelps-leave-westboro/

Megan Phelps is the 27-year old who introduced the Westboro Baptist Church to the wonders of social media. Today, she posted this:

Until very recently, this is what I lived, breathed, studied, believed, preached – loudly, daily, and for nearly 27 years.

I never thought it would change. I never wanted it to.

Then suddenly: it did.

And I left.

I say: Well that's nice. I am happy for you. I reckon this is a start. But you got a LOT of atoning to do. Not to god or even to me right now but to all the people you have directly hurt. And they are many.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. She can join her siblings that left years ago.

[OriginalGeek]

3. was there more than one?

I knew about a son that left but hadn't heard of any others. Hopefully these two will get with them and learn to do something useful the world.

[bluestateguy]

4. If you look at who the Westboro refugees are

You'll find that most seem to be female.

I suspect that is because of their primitive views on the role of women.

[backscatter712]

8. Not all.

There is Nathan Phelps, who left the Westboro cult, and became an atheist and LGBT rights activist.

[zappaman]

11. and wasn't he actually Fred's son?

I guess the brainwashing didn't quite take...

[backscatter712]

14. He was, IIRC.

Yeah, I'd say this is a case of brainwashing fail that the world can be thankful for.

[bluestateguy]

15. and another Phelps boy left too, a few years back

But it's still mostly women who leave: Lauren Drain, Libby Phelps, the two mentioned in this article, and there is another Phelps daughter who left many years ago and actually changed her name away from Phelps.

Forgive me, but Lauren Drain is astonishingly beautiful.

&feature=youtu.be

Here she is advocating against CA's prop. 8.

[OriginalGeek]

21. Well forgive me too!

because yeah.




I am happy to find out more of them had escaped than I ever knew!

[backscatter712]

22. Goes to show what a piece of work Fred Phelps is. n/t

[joeybee12]

17. I think there was quite a bit of abuse of these women...

Given their views of them.

[Liberal_in_LA]

26. on documentary, he said others left, some returned. I think there are a few that broke away

permanently

[hrmjustin]

2. I agree, but forgiveness is possible.

[OriginalGeek]

6. Oh I definitely believe in forgiveness

I also know I'm not ready to believe them just yet. But I'm willing to watch and see what they do next. They have participated in some low-down dirty shit.


I wonder what the recidivism is for people leaving their religion...do they leave completely or find a different religion? DO they leave for a while and come back?

I left a fundie home and religion when I was 17 and have been an atheist for the last 30 years. I still feel like I'm atoning for some of the evil shit I believed back then.

[hrmjustin]

7. There are a few that left and never went back.

I think there were a few members that were gay that left.

[JI7]

5. she should talk about what changed , wasn't she one of the more vocal members ?

of recent years ?

since they are brought up with this hate i give them a chance to try to change their ways when they are older. and it's good that she did.

but why now?

[OriginalGeek]

10. Apparently they left last November

From the article:

My doubts started with a conversation I had with David Abitbol,” she says. Megan met David, an Israeli web developer who’s part of the team behind the blog Jewlicious, on Twitter. “I would ask him questions about Judaism, and he would ask me questions about church doctrine. One day, he asked a specific question about one of our signs—‘Death Penalty for Fags’—and I was arguing for the church’s position, that it was a Levitical punishment and as completely appropriate now as it was then. He said, ‘But Jesus said’—and I thought it was funny he was quoting Jesus—‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’ And then he connected it to another member of the church who had done something that, according to the Old Testament, was also punishable by death. I realized that if the death penalty was instituted for any sin, you completely cut off the opportunity to repent. And that’s what Jesus was talking about.”

[JI7]

13. so she was exposed to the hypocrisy of her church based on the bible, but

it shows these people must be totally cut off from the rest of the world that this is where it comes down to.

how about everything else in life, science, history etc. things that should influence people earlier on.

it's pretty much a christian madrassa where they learn but all they learn is "god hates fags".

[OriginalGeek]

20. When you're in it

it's hard to know you're in it. I went all four years of high school to a fundamentalist Baptist school. I was gung-ho to go in 9th grade because all my friends were there and I thought it was what my folks and god wanted. I never even started seriously doubting until my senior year and even then I didn't know if I was rebelling against the church or my sick POS step-father. I guess it was both.


but yeah, we were cut off from most everything. All books, TV and music were closely monitored. Movies were out of the question. Weren't gonna be no Hellyweird poisoning my mind!

[yardwork]

38. So she still thinks that being gay is a sin.

[OriginalGeek]

39. Sure seems that way

but maybe this is a case of Baby Steps. She was indoctrinated for 27 years and broke away in November so I imagine she has a lot of stuff to work through.

But, as far as I'm concerned, she needs to get there - that being gay is a normal and natural part of life and not something that needs to be forgiven - or else she might as well have stayed with her loony kin.

[Marrah_G]

9. I feel badly for her

She was raised in that. Brainwashed her entire life. Kept separate from all the experiences that give the rest of us have had.

I can only imagine the turmoil she is going through inside.

[zappaman]

12. It takes a shit ton of courage to turn your entire world upside down!

I hope she does well now!

[Marrah_G]

18. Hopefully she finds some emotional support

[obamanut2012]

23. I feel the same way

[Marrah_G]

24. There are days...

That I am almost positive you are my mischievous twin!

[obamanut2012]

35. lol did you ever watch "Super Friends"?

Wonder Twins!

[Marrah_G]

36. Activate!!!!!!!!

[obamanut2012]

37. +1

[TrogL]

16. I had them on my twitter for awhile.

I'm hoping I made a small difference in changing her mind.

[truegrit44]

19. I'll give these lunatics credit for one thing.......

for only having 40 members (according to wikipedia) they sure get a lot of front page attention. I guess we should be happy there isn't more of the bastards.

[Terra Alta]

25. Kudos to them for leaving.

I know it couldn't have been an easy decision for them to make -- they have been brainwashed their entire lives and were told if they left the "church" they would be shunned. And they were.

I hope these two women will become strong gay-rights activists in the future.

[fujiyama]

27. I don't think you're giving these two enough credit

I think it takes a lot of strength to break away from any cult - especially since members have to severe most family ties in the process of leaving. And since these people are so isolated from the rest of society, that means its really the only life they've ever known. The interview posted in this thread with Lauren Drain is revealing.

I hope those that leave find strength going forward and become productive members of society. I can't imagine the church's treatment of its female members being much better than its thoughts on gays.

[OriginalGeek]

28. I don't know if you are right or not. It's possible for sure.

I do know how hard it is to give up your family because I did it. I WANT to celebrate their escape but I also want to see them understand what evil shit they did before they saw the light.

[Heathen57]

29. One by One.

This must have been very hard for these women to do. They have been told all of their lives the most vile and scary stories about the world outside of their little bubble. You see it quite often with cults and very strict religions.

Perhaps with these two leaving and being fine in the real world will let their siblings see they survived and even thrived, it will inspire them to question what they have been taught.

So congratulations are in order for these two and maybe they can work against the cult and in that way they can atone for the wrongs they have done in the name of their Grandfather.

[rocktivity]

30. Well, when you start boycotting Bon Jovi concerts

Last edited Sun Aug 17, 2014, 04:56 PM - Edit history (4)

a band whose members were raised as Catholics and Jews -- you're definitely going in the wrong direction.


rocktivity

[OriginalGeek]

31. lolwat?

[rocktivity]

33. As Metallica might say, sad but true.

...(T)o protest Catholicism and Judaism...(a) protest is...scheduled at the St. Pete Times Forum's Bon Jovi concert on April 17.

Referring to Bon Jovi, the church Web site says: "These old fools have had access to millions all over the world for nearly 3 decades, but they have not one time told any of them what God requires of them."

link


rocktivity

[OriginalGeek]

34. lolz!

that's definitely the thing that should not be...

[VenusRising]

32. Kevin Smith talked about texting with Megan a lot.

He even convinced her to bring the Phelps clan to the screening of his movie Red State.

I'm glad she got out. It takes a lot of courage, and a true act of faith to leave everything you've ever known. I wish her the best, and I hope she finds it in herself to make up for some of the horrible things that she put grieving people through. I can't imagine the guilt I would feel if I were her.