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Botany

(70,291 posts)
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 11:54 AM Mar 2014

Founder of Westboro Baptist Church, Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. Dies

Source: ksn.com

TOPEKA, Kansas – The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., who founded a Kansas church widely known for its protests at military funerals and anti-gay sentiments, has died according to his son Tim Phelps and Kansas First News.

Phelps, 84, was being cared for in a Shawnee County facility, Westboro Baptist Church spokesman Steve Drain said Sunday.

Members of the Westboro church, based in Topeka, frequently protest at funerals of soldiers with signs containing messages such as “Thank God for dead soldiers,” and “Thank God for 9/11,” claiming the deaths are God’s punishment for American immorality and tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.

Westboro Baptist, a small group made mostly of Phelps’ extended family, inspired a federal law and laws in numerous states limiting picketing at funerals. But in a major free-speech ruling in 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the church and its members couldn’t be sued for monetary damages for inflicting pain on grieving families under the First Amendment.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights nonprofit group, has called Westboro Baptist Church a hate group.

Read more: http://ksn.com/2014/03/20/founder-of-westboro-baptist-church-rev-fred-phelps-sr-dies/



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Founder of Westboro Baptist Church, Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. Dies (Original Post) Botany Mar 2014 OP
w00t! meegbear Mar 2014 #1
Double WOO Hawaii Hiker Mar 2014 #20
RIP yeoman6987 Mar 2014 #56
Why? PumpkinAle Mar 2014 #58
He's not dead. LiberalFighter Mar 2014 #107
Now Rev. Phelps you will meet your maker and be judged for your deeds. sinkingfeeling Mar 2014 #2
Gawd hates Freds corkhead Mar 2014 #3
To Hell with that De mortuis nihil nisi bonum crap Brother Buzz Mar 2014 #4
The world just got a little less evil. The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2014 #5
^^^this^^^ irisblue Mar 2014 #8
Oh well. atreides1 Mar 2014 #6
Phelps comparing notes with Falwell TommyCelt Mar 2014 #85
She did not play well with others... Kurovski Mar 2014 #90
Is there *anyone* outside his own "church" whom he considered not-evil? nomorenomore08 Mar 2014 #125
kick OKNancy Mar 2014 #7
If only he could take all the hate in the world with him. mountain grammy Mar 2014 #9
That would have been nice. n/t Jamastiene Mar 2014 #49
He flushed his entire life down the toilet. backscatter712 Mar 2014 #10
I agree. It makes his life as much a tragedy for him because he wasted it yurbud Mar 2014 #28
Yup, One Life To Live and he wasted all of it. n/t JimDandy Mar 2014 #33
Well said! People make hell on earth for themselves and/or others. This is it, this RKP5637 Mar 2014 #44
Not to mention as a fellow atheist, I believe humans live on through how we're remembered pink-o Mar 2014 #77
Whatever our beliefs, we can all be Wheatonists catrose Mar 2014 #109
Good - nt Ohio Joe Mar 2014 #11
His hatred help bring more equailty to LGBT community warrior1 Mar 2014 #12
Too bad... Lithos Mar 2014 #13
I think it will be gone soon TlalocW Mar 2014 #25
Finally. About 40 yrs too late, unfortunately. nt Nay Mar 2014 #14
Topeka Capital-Journal article alp227 Mar 2014 #15
I hope during his last weeks in hospice TlalocW Mar 2014 #16
better yet, a gay male nurse who gave him the best care possible and treated him with dignity yurbud Mar 2014 #29
Agree 100% ChazII Mar 2014 #48
May he be reincarnated as a strap-on sexual prosthetic derby378 Mar 2014 #17
he does not deserve the attention. mikeysnot Mar 2014 #31
It's not about Freddie anymore - it's about balancing karma derby378 Mar 2014 #45
I keep reading that the Phelps cult does not believe in funerals. Jamastiene Mar 2014 #50
Then why do they keep picketing them? KamaAina Mar 2014 #65
This message was self-deleted by its author KamaAina Mar 2014 #66
Maybe they accuse everyone else of promoting necromancy? derby378 Mar 2014 #73
Lol, you are asking me to explain them? Jamastiene Mar 2014 #74
As said Scipio, 'Non gradus anus rodentum...' LanternWaste Mar 2014 #18
He's dead. His hate isn't. He passed that on to his spawn. Solly Mack Mar 2014 #19
Please, don't Rest in Peace question everything Mar 2014 #21
Was it he who was evil, or the religion he worshipped? I think people interpret religion as they Sarah Ibarruri Mar 2014 #22
Hallelujah! One less stain on the world. geomon666 Mar 2014 #23
That has got to be the FUNNIEST animated Internet image I've ever seen! radicalliberal Mar 2014 #75
I'm using that when Scalia dies davidpdx Mar 2014 #118
Quick, where can I rent some size 12 dancing shoes? TheCowsCameHome Mar 2014 #24
Now this is a day brightener. Nika Mar 2014 #26
I was wondering why the sun finally came out today. yourout Mar 2014 #27
I think it is safe to say... mikeysnot Mar 2014 #30
Can't say I am shedding any tears over this gopiscrap Mar 2014 #32
I look forward to wiping my ass with his obituary tomorrow. Throd Mar 2014 #34
Rip. Catherine Vincent Mar 2014 #35
I don't think he'll be missed. TygrBright Mar 2014 #36
It's good to see you. TB! Kurovski Mar 2014 #91
Hidy! Good to see you and LOVE the sigline. n/t TygrBright Mar 2014 #129
Good riddance to bad rubbish. sakabatou Mar 2014 #37
good riddance trusty elf Mar 2014 #38
k-a-r-m-a n/t cosmicone Mar 2014 #39
There goes Hell's Turbineguy Mar 2014 #40
I say nothing at all steve2470 Mar 2014 #41
+1 davidpdx Mar 2014 #119
This is the only thing that comes to mind: kestrel91316 Mar 2014 #42
Why give him attention? Amaya Mar 2014 #43
The balance must be reestablished, the lesson must be taught derby378 Mar 2014 #47
Then you are giving him exactly what he wants. jeff47 Mar 2014 #60
Oh, he will be, don't you worry... derby378 Mar 2014 #76
Why delay the punishment? (nt) jeff47 Mar 2014 #79
To forget Fred Phelps and his evil deeds is not punishment derby378 Mar 2014 #93
Your point would make sense if his movement was expanding. jeff47 Mar 2014 #94
Point taken - I'll try to keep that in mind derby378 Mar 2014 #101
Because there are some deaths that make the world a better place Warpy Mar 2014 #114
I rec this comment. I wish we could click a button to do that. Dark n Stormy Knight Mar 2014 #124
About time n/t Prophet 451 Mar 2014 #46
Well, if there is indeed a Heaven & a Hell, I'll bet ol' Fred is getting his nuts toasted catbyte Mar 2014 #51
I can only repeat George Takei's brilliant comment: LongTomH Mar 2014 #52
My mama taught me to say only good about the dead. GliderGuider Mar 2014 #53
I woke up at exactly the time this post was created. Jamastiene Mar 2014 #54
This looks good: The treasure uganda gay and lesbian youth association Kurovski Mar 2014 #95
I would guess that in his final moments, he had a rude awakening... olddad56 Mar 2014 #55
Did anyone find out why he had been excommunicated from tsuki Mar 2014 #57
... Nathan Phelps, Phelps' estranged son, posted a Facebook message March 15 saying that his father struggle4progress Mar 2014 #63
Thanks. nt tsuki Mar 2014 #69
Wonder if his church is going to picket his own funeral Dopers_Greed Mar 2014 #59
don't let the shovel hit you on the way out. magical thyme Mar 2014 #61
He passes on International Happiness Day corksean Mar 2014 #62
He's in front of a higher judge now. Beacool Mar 2014 #64
Be not too hard struggle4progress Mar 2014 #67
The followers, associates, and loved ones of Mr Phelps have my sincerest condolances rocktivity Mar 2014 #68
I hope the funeral is a very lonely affair mitchtv Mar 2014 #70
Freddy's dead! KamaAina Mar 2014 #71
Au revoir, Mssr. Fred. Kurovski Mar 2014 #72
May the vacuum in the cesspool of hate he leaves behind... sofa king Mar 2014 #78
Buh-bye. nt valerief Mar 2014 #80
Bill Maher on why death isn't always sad: Initech Mar 2014 #81
Here's the door Fred, I'll hold it open for ya.... DainBramaged Mar 2014 #82
the world is a better place , may he reap the fires of hell and Herself Mar 2014 #83
King was right. James48 Mar 2014 #84
Humor is love! Kurovski Mar 2014 #88
"Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather" DinahMoeHum Mar 2014 #86
The "Rev." stands for "revolting" tarheelsunc Mar 2014 #87
Heads up, Satan. nt onehandle Mar 2014 #89
Good riddance. Oakenshield Mar 2014 #92
I'm sorry he's dead. nyquil_man Mar 2014 #96
I guess his church, his own family really, excommunicated him just before ck4829 Mar 2014 #97
A tribute..from The Onion hibbing Mar 2014 #98
"Listen to the demons chuckle and yell .." DemoTex Mar 2014 #99
100! GOOD! Behind the Aegis Mar 2014 #100
Sodomy now okay again. Orsino Mar 2014 #102
he's roasting on a spit right now RedstDem Mar 2014 #103
Kick. n/t Tx4obama Mar 2014 #104
Meh nt jdadd Mar 2014 #105
Good. nt awoke_in_2003 Mar 2014 #106
Now I don't really believe in any afterlife but mysuzuki2 Mar 2014 #108
As a gay man I should delight in his passing but I don't...... Swede Atlanta Mar 2014 #110
God to Fred Phelps: "You were wrong" nt Ruby the Liberal Mar 2014 #111
Juanita Jean has the best idea as how to respond to this death-Ignore Phelps Gothmog Mar 2014 #112
BUH-Bye ! YOHABLO Mar 2014 #113
DING DONG (anotherr) Wicked Witch Is Dead!! Sunlei Mar 2014 #115
U mean I dont have to hear “Thank God for dead soldiers,” and “Thank God for 9/11,” anymore??? lunasun Mar 2014 #116
I'm dancing! NYtoBush-Drop Dead Mar 2014 #117
Another tombstone on the list obxhead Mar 2014 #120
The only response to this I have is... n/t. Bernie2016 Mar 2014 #121
My God is a merciful God. My God is a forgiving God. BadGimp Mar 2014 #122
Good riddance. Unfortunately, damage already done. gtar100 Mar 2014 #123
Message auto-removed Name removed Mar 2014 #126
Fred Phelps preached hate, but his death is no reason to celebrate mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2014 #127
No Funeral After Death Of Westboro Church Founder Fred Phelps rocktivity Mar 2014 #128
RI... fujiyama Mar 2014 #130

PumpkinAle

(1,210 posts)
58. Why?
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:29 PM
Mar 2014

There are plenty of dead who have been truly disgusting while they lived and deserve the ill words.

As for Phelps - he had an evil heart and mind and that still stands.

atreides1

(16,046 posts)
6. Oh well.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 11:59 AM
Mar 2014

He and Jerry Falwell are together comparing notes..and waiting for the rest of their friends to join them!

TommyCelt

(838 posts)
85. Phelps comparing notes with Falwell
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:49 PM
Mar 2014

NOT likely!

Phelps on the death of Falwell...

"On Tuesday, May 14, the old fat false prophet Jerry Falwell died and entered hell. As the old preacher used to put it, he split hell wide open... Hell from beneath was moved to meet Falwell at his coming, rousing the dead, even those that used to be bigshots on Earth now in hell greeting him with such words as these: 'Why, hello, Reverend Fraudwell, you old money-grubbing pervert!' ... As a young preacher in Springfield, Missouri, Falwell was a true Calvinistic Baptist preacher who believed and preached the truth. But he saw early on that his lust for power and lucre could never be satisfied if he was faithful to the word of God. And so the old fool like the false prophet Balaam sold his soul for a mess of free will-ism, God loves everybody-ism, Arminianism, lies — sold his soul for lies."

Kurovski

(34,655 posts)
90. She did not play well with others...
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:59 PM
Mar 2014

as is clear by the misery of some of Phelps' still as-yet psychologically enslaved children.

May they fly free the binds!

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
125. Is there *anyone* outside his own "church" whom he considered not-evil?
Fri Mar 21, 2014, 04:04 AM
Mar 2014

I'm not sure what Falwell preached early on that met with Phelps's approval, but it couldn't have been too much nuttier than Falwell's later "teachings."

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)
10. He flushed his entire life down the toilet.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:07 PM
Mar 2014

I am an atheist, so this is how I mark his death.

I do not believe in an afterlife. No heaven, no hell, this universe is all we've got.

That make the life we are living now that much more valuable and special.

Fred Phelps flushed his entire life down the toilet spreading hate.

Learn a lesson from this. Try not to be shitty to your neighbor. Live your life well, and help those around you do the same.

Don't be like Fred.

RKP5637

(67,032 posts)
44. Well said! People make hell on earth for themselves and/or others. This is it, this
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:05 PM
Mar 2014

is what we've got, and one gets only one chance, and then that's it for ad infinitum. He chose to make hell on earth. There ain't no second rounds!

pink-o

(4,056 posts)
77. Not to mention as a fellow atheist, I believe humans live on through how we're remembered
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:26 PM
Mar 2014

That is immortality: you live on in the people you love who keep you in their hearts.

So who the HELL loved Fred except a bunch of his whackadoodle family who're just as messed up as he is? No immortality for you, Phelps.

And no funeral, the hypocritical, cowardly bastards! Maybe they should scatter his ashes in Uganda.

catrose

(5,048 posts)
109. Whatever our beliefs, we can all be Wheatonists
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 05:46 PM
Mar 2014

whose philosophy was declared by Wil Wheaton: "Don't be a dick."

TlalocW

(15,358 posts)
25. I think it will be gone soon
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:28 PM
Mar 2014

Part of the story of Fred being close to death is that he was excommunicated because he wanted his family to be nicer to each other (according to one son who escaped the lifestyle). This happened during a power struggle that deposed his daughter, Shirley, who's been the face of the protests for several years, from her position so it sounds like there's a lot of bad blood and hurt feelings. Shirley seems like the workhorse of the family so without her in charge of things, things will be a mess for a while.

There have been some noticeable defections from the church in the past few years including two granddaughters who did a lot of work in the church. Now with Fred gone, I'm sure some of the others will feel safer leaving. And these desertions are of younger people in the church making the remaining family/congregation older on average. If more people leave, they're going to lack the person power to keep up their protesting schedule.

I could be wrong of course, but I hope I'm not.

TlalocW

TlalocW

(15,358 posts)
16. I hope during his last weeks in hospice
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:20 PM
Mar 2014

He had a gay male nurse who really queened it up around him.

"Oh, Freddyyyyyy! Time for your medth thweet-cheekth! Thethe will make you feel faaaaaaaaa-bu-louthhhhhh!"

TlalocW

yurbud

(39,405 posts)
29. better yet, a gay male nurse who gave him the best care possible and treated him with dignity
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:37 PM
Mar 2014

and killed him with kindness.

It sucks when people you hate deprive you of your stereotypes and an enemy.

derby378

(30,252 posts)
17. May he be reincarnated as a strap-on sexual prosthetic
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:20 PM
Mar 2014
Here lies Fred Phelps, anti-GLBT firebrand,
Who spoke evil of everyone except God,
Giving the excuse, "I never knew Him."




I can't picket his funeral, but if you can, have fun and send pics.

derby378

(30,252 posts)
45. It's not about Freddie anymore - it's about balancing karma
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:07 PM
Mar 2014

Balancing the scales, however you want to perceive it. An ending of things that, in its own right, is a new beginning.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
50. I keep reading that the Phelps cult does not believe in funerals.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:17 PM
Mar 2014

Something about worshiping the dead or something.

Response to KamaAina (Reply #65)

derby378

(30,252 posts)
73. Maybe they accuse everyone else of promoting necromancy?
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:19 PM
Mar 2014

They probably think it has something to do with Necco wafers...

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
74. Lol, you are asking me to explain them?
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:21 PM
Mar 2014

I can't figure out what goes on in their pea brains any more than the next person. I don't understand them in the least.

 

LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)
18. As said Scipio, 'Non gradus anus rodentum...'
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:22 PM
Mar 2014

As said Scipio, 'Non gradus anus rodentum...'


(Not worth a rat's a**)

question everything

(47,265 posts)
21. Please, don't Rest in Peace
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:25 PM
Mar 2014

I don't believe in heavens and hell but if there is hell, I hope that you go through all the stages and never emerge.

Sarah Ibarruri

(21,043 posts)
22. Was it he who was evil, or the religion he worshipped? I think people interpret religion as they
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:26 PM
Mar 2014

well please. If they're evil, they interpret it in an evil manner, if they're not they won't, and will stay away from religions with evil intents.

radicalliberal

(907 posts)
75. That has got to be the FUNNIEST animated Internet image I've ever seen!
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:21 PM
Mar 2014



It also leaves me speechless! I don't know what to say about it. Is it a happy skeleton of one of the deceased, or is it the Grim Reaper himself playing the clown?

Thanks for providing my laugh for the day (and undoubtedly many more)!

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
118. I'm using that when Scalia dies
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 08:35 PM
Mar 2014

As for Philips, he's gone and he wasn't a nice person. I can't be sad about that.

mikeysnot

(4,755 posts)
30. I think it is safe to say...
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:37 PM
Mar 2014

there is one less asshole in the world now.

Let him finally find peace that he could not find here.

gopiscrap

(23,674 posts)
32. Can't say I am shedding any tears over this
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:42 PM
Mar 2014

perhaps with out his looming figure in the family, the rest of them will come to their senses.

Throd

(7,208 posts)
34. I look forward to wiping my ass with his obituary tomorrow.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 12:44 PM
Mar 2014

Like I did when Jerry Falwell croaked.

derby378

(30,252 posts)
47. The balance must be reestablished, the lesson must be taught
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:10 PM
Mar 2014

And if that means we descend on his grave and dubstep his sorry hide into the Earth's core, so be it. Karma.

jeff47

(26,549 posts)
60. Then you are giving him exactly what he wants.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:33 PM
Mar 2014

He wants hatred. He wants attention. He wants people to talk about his message. Your gravedancing would bring him joy. That makes it a terrible punishment.

The worst possible punishment for Phelps is to be forgotten.

derby378

(30,252 posts)
93. To forget Fred Phelps and his evil deeds is not punishment
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:18 PM
Mar 2014

Look at how many people are doing their damnedest to pretend that the eight-year ordeal under George W. Bush never happened. The more we forget what happened, the more likely it is that such evil will be visited upon our heads and the heads of our children - over and over and over again.

Phelps will eventually be forgotten except by historians, but his vile legacy should be used to inocculate the rest of us against such hatred and venom. Otherwise, the demons of Westboro may come back to haunt us all again, and we'll have nobody to blame but ourselves.

This legacy needs to end - and we're the ones who need to end it.

jeff47

(26,549 posts)
94. Your point would make sense if his movement was expanding.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:25 PM
Mar 2014

However, his movement is already collapsing. It's been shrinking for years, and the remaining members are infighting. So much so that they excommunicated Phelps himself.

His legacy is already over. Dancing on the grave gives it a brief boost. Don't give him the joy.

derby378

(30,252 posts)
101. Point taken - I'll try to keep that in mind
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 04:29 PM
Mar 2014

If I do remain a little celebratory, however, please try to understand. Among other things, it is the first day of spring.

Warpy

(110,910 posts)
114. Because there are some deaths that make the world a better place
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 07:39 PM
Mar 2014

This is a shining example of it.

catbyte

(34,170 posts)
51. Well, if there is indeed a Heaven & a Hell, I'll bet ol' Fred is getting his nuts toasted
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:18 PM
Mar 2014

right about now.

LongTomH

(8,636 posts)
52. I can only repeat George Takei's brilliant comment:
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:19 PM
Mar 2014
"I take no solace or joy in this man's passing. We will not dance upon his grave, nor stand vigil at his funeral holding "God Hates Freds" signs, tempting as it may be."

"He was a tormented soul, who tormented so many. Hate never wins out in the end. It instead goes always to its lonely, dusty end."

Please take note of the comments by Sue Hyde of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

Sue Hyde, a staff member at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said plenty of churches and ministers preach a message that attacks gay people. But Phelps and his family had “taken this out on the streets,” forcing people to confront their own views and rousing a protective instinct in parents and friends of gays and lesbians.

“It’s actually a wonderful recruiting tool for a pro-equality, pro-social acceptance movement,” she said. “To the Phelps family, that is not particularly important or relevant. They are not there to save us. They are there to advise us that we are doomed.”

I've seen too much hatred from rightwing acquaintances, and even family members who have been twisted by 'conservative' talk show hosts like Beck and Limbaugh. I do not wish to add to the already destructive hatred and divisiveness afflicting our society.

No, I don't claim to be blameless in this myself.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
54. I woke up at exactly the time this post was created.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:22 PM
Mar 2014

It's time to send the HRC the best donation I can afford.

If anyone knows a good gay youth suicide prevention organization please let me know.

Kurovski

(34,655 posts)
95. This looks good: The treasure uganda gay and lesbian youth association
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:29 PM
Mar 2014

"This is to introduce to you treasure Uganda gay and lesbian youth association (treasure-lgbt Uganda) a non profit making organization and with offices located in Luzira 2a commercial street Portbell Road Nakawa Kyadondo Kampala. The association has over 1000 students and non lgbt adults as it current registered members

The association was founded with major objective for improving educational status and standard of living among lgbt in Uganda, vocational training, counseling, lgbt awareness and expanding lgbt horizon in Uganda , Hiv/Aids awareness to lgbt , Hiv/Aids testing, promote information technology and other services ."

http://opps.tigweb.org/8931

When one thinks about it, there are all kinds of great opportunities to donate as an override to Phelpsies goofball of a crap-sack life, with a little online research.

olddad56

(5,732 posts)
55. I would guess that in his final moments, he had a rude awakening...
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:25 PM
Mar 2014

followed by an agonizing reappraisal.

struggle4progress

(118,041 posts)
63. ... Nathan Phelps, Phelps' estranged son, posted a Facebook message March 15 saying that his father
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:47 PM
Mar 2014

had been excommunicated from the church. Later, though, Nathan Phelps said it was "unclear" whether his father had been expelled from Westboro. Westboro declined to say whether Phelps has been excommunicated. A church statement said March 16 that "membership issues are private" and that eight unnamed elders lead the congregation ...
Westboro church founder Fred Phelps dies
By Daniel Burke, CNN
updated 1:25 PM EDT, Thu March 20, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/20/us/westboro-church-founder-dead/

 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
61. don't let the shovel hit you on the way out.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 01:33 PM
Mar 2014

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Finally people will be able to say their final goodbyes in sacred peace, instead of hate spewing at them.

Beacool

(30,244 posts)
64. He's in front of a higher judge now.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:01 PM
Mar 2014

I wonder if he'll be reminded of the Lord's prayer: Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

He went through life causing grief to people. He might spend eternity paying for it.



struggle4progress

(118,041 posts)
67. Be not too hard
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:03 PM
Mar 2014
... be not too hard for soon he'll die
often no wiser than he began
be not too hard for life is short
and nothing is given to man ...


rocktivity

(44,555 posts)
68. The followers, associates, and loved ones of Mr Phelps have my sincerest condolances
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:10 PM
Mar 2014

But then again, they always have.

May his funeral have to be held in secret out of fear of it being boycotted.


rocktivity

sofa king

(10,857 posts)
78. May the vacuum in the cesspool of hate he leaves behind...
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:26 PM
Mar 2014

... be filled instead by love and understanding for all.

I note his passing only to remind myself on some far future date that slowly but surely, things improve. There won't be another Fred Phelps in my lifetime, and that's a great thing.

Initech

(99,915 posts)
81. Bill Maher on why death isn't always sad:
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:30 PM
Mar 2014


I hope his new rule is something along these lines this week.

Herself

(185 posts)
83. the world is a better place , may he reap the fires of hell and
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:39 PM
Mar 2014

come back as a gay black man!

sorry, but the man was evil!

Kurovski

(34,655 posts)
88. Humor is love!
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:53 PM
Mar 2014

Sometimes joy has to do instead of love.

It's far more attainable, and harder to fake.

tarheelsunc

(2,117 posts)
87. The "Rev." stands for "revolting"
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 02:53 PM
Mar 2014

I never wished death on him or anything, but I'm not particularly sad to hear he's dead. I just hope there's a funeral so the largest funeral picketing of all-time can be organized.

nyquil_man

(1,443 posts)
96. I'm sorry he's dead.
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:49 PM
Mar 2014

I hoped he would live long enough to see marriage equality in all 50 states.

I hoped he would live long enough to realize that all of his howling hatred had been for nothing.

I hoped he would live long enough to regret not devoting his life to something that would have benefited his fellow human beings.

He got off light.

ck4829

(34,977 posts)
97. I guess his church, his own family really, excommunicated him just before
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:50 PM
Mar 2014

Shows you what their family values are really like behind closed doors.

hibbing

(10,076 posts)
98. A tribute..from The Onion
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:57 PM
Mar 2014


TOPEKA, KS—Fred Phelps Sr., the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church and the man who is widely credited with forever ending the gay rights movement in America, died today at age 84.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/fred-phelps-man-who-forever-stopped-march-of-gay-r,35582/

DemoTex

(25,371 posts)
99. "Listen to the demons chuckle and yell .."
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 03:58 PM
Mar 2014

".. cutting his hands off down in Hell."

Vachel Lindsey

 

RedstDem

(1,239 posts)
103. he's roasting on a spit right now
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 04:34 PM
Mar 2014

over and over every day in the devils back yard.

finally, falwell can take a break!

mysuzuki2

(3,521 posts)
108. Now I don't really believe in any afterlife but
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 05:40 PM
Mar 2014

I remember the Adam Sandler movie Little Nicky (I'm not sure I believe in Adam Sandler either BTW) where he is Satan's son. In one scene Hitler has to endure on a daily basis having a pineapple shoved up his ass. If there is any justice in the world Satan will need 2 pineapples every day from now on.

 

Swede Atlanta

(3,596 posts)
110. As a gay man I should delight in his passing but I don't......
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 05:48 PM
Mar 2014

As a Christian as well I am taught to turn the other cheek regardless of how my neighbor has harmed me. The Phelps of his later years was a hateful, bigoted, pitiful man who was enraged at the world. His hatred was targeted at homosexuals and abortion. My experience is when someone is so narrowly focused on issues is he had some "personal" concerns with these two issues whether he was a closeted homosexual, had been involved in the termination of a pregnancy at some point in his life, I don't know.

I was attending a same gender legal issues seminar in Atlanta today. One of the speakers asked if anyone in the audience was familiar with Mr. Phelps. There was some general grunting and chortle around the room until the speaker announced he had died. Then the speaker passed on some information of which I was previously unaware.

Mr. Phelps' professional career started in the mid 1960s as an attorney. He was involved in several civil rights cases and supported black liberation. He sued Reagan for having appointed an ambassador to the Vatican because that act constituted an endorsement of religion. Only in 1979 was he finally disbarred after having an altercation with a court reporter.

His hatred to gays appears to have started, according to his family, when his 5 year old grandson was allegedly lured by a male homosexual in a park near the Phelps home.

A life that started with what might be seen as promise as a civil rights attorney and someone very concerned about the 1st Amendment to have deteriorated into a hate-filled descent into what must have been personal despair is tragic, regardless of how you look at it.

lunasun

(21,646 posts)
116. U mean I dont have to hear “Thank God for dead soldiers,” and “Thank God for 9/11,” anymore???
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 07:53 PM
Mar 2014

hope the whole cult is out of commission now with papa Fred dead
Adios
Adieu
Auf Wiedersehen
to this terrible bit o' US hate history

 

obxhead

(8,434 posts)
120. Another tombstone on the list
Thu Mar 20, 2014, 08:48 PM
Mar 2014

I think his will get a big fat turd laid across it.

The world is a better place with his passing.

gtar100

(4,192 posts)
123. Good riddance. Unfortunately, damage already done.
Fri Mar 21, 2014, 12:08 AM
Mar 2014

Just an incredibly toxic person. What a legacy.

Response to Botany (Original post)

mahatmakanejeeves

(56,897 posts)
127. Fred Phelps preached hate, but his death is no reason to celebrate
Fri Mar 21, 2014, 12:31 PM
Mar 2014
Fred Phelps preached hate, but his death is no reason to celebrate

By Steven Petrow, Published: March 20

On Sunday night, the estranged son of the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. posted on Facebook that his father, the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, was near death. From then until his death was formally announced Thursday, the elder Phelps became a trending topic on social media, with the discussion centered on this question: Might it be a cause for celebration?
....

Instead, what if those on the receiving end of Phelps’s ideology did the opposite, which is to say, let him go quietly — and without protest — into that good night? Imagine the karma lesson that would be to all those who have supported Westboro Baptist.

Revenge against Phelps — or, frankly, any hateful or toxic person — doesn’t really allow for healing. Joseph Burgo, a psychoanalyst and an author, told me this week: “For those of us who have felt hated and shamed by people like Phelps, the temptation is to turn tables and triumph over their demise. You might think of it as ‘giving back’ the hatred and shame that was inflicted upon us, but this reaction binds us to the other person as long as we continue to feel that way.” He then added that we need to “break the hold of these destructive emotions and move on.”

So, with Phelps’s passing, I suggest we bombard Westboro Baptist with sympathy cards and prayers. Or, as a friend of mine tells me, “Drive your enemies really crazy: Love them.” Okay, maybe not love, but at least not hate. Never hate.


Steven Petrow is a former president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association and the author of five etiquette books, including “Steven Petrow’s Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners.”


Disclaimer: Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and Amazon.

rocktivity

(44,555 posts)
128. No Funeral After Death Of Westboro Church Founder Fred Phelps
Fri Mar 21, 2014, 11:47 PM
Mar 2014
TOPEKA, Kansas (WIBW): Fred Phelps Sr., the former head of the Westboro Baptist Church, died...(on March 19, 2014) just before midnight (at the age of 84)...

Phelps' daughter told WIBW-AM that there will be no funeral for him...

Nathan Phelps, who has been estranged from his father for 30 years, said the senior Phelps (had been) in hospice care in Topeka, Kansas, and that he had been excommunicated...in August of 2013...


Excommunicated by his OWN church, and no funeral because people might boycott it with signs saying GOD HATES PHELPS or THANK IGNORANCE FOR WESTBORO BIGOT CHURCH? That is such an appropriate epitaph, the only thing I'm going to add is "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap!"


rocktivity

fujiyama

(15,185 posts)
130. RI...
Sun Mar 23, 2014, 03:10 AM
Mar 2014

W (whatever?)

Honestly, though? Meh. What a waste. He had a chance to lead a decent life. He had the charisma and leadership skills to do something decent for this world, and instead he created a nasty and hateful club claiming to be a church.

Fuck him. I hope his followers learn soon. They are all on the losing side of history. In fact, they are way past lost.

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