Just finished watching Small Town Gay Bar, a 2006 indie film that focuses on the struggles of two gay bars and homophobia in the smaller towns of the Deep South and the killing of a young gay man, Scott Joe Weaver, an 18-year-old murder victim from Bay Minette, Alabama, whose burned and partially decomposed body was discovered on July 22, 2004, a few miles from the mobile home in which he lived. He was beaten, strangled and stabbed numerous times, partially decapitated, and his body was doused in gasoline and set on fire.
The Baldwin County District Attorney David Whetstone stated that Weaver's sexual orientation was a factor in the crime. He remarked that the brutality involved "is suggestive of overkill, which is not something you see in a regular robbery and murder". Alabama's hate crimes statute does not apply to people targeted because of their sexual orientation.
Three people were charged with capital murder and robbery in connection with the crime, two of whom were Weaver's roommates, Christopher Gaines, age 20, and Nichole Kelsay, age 18. Also charged in the crime was Robert Porter, age 18.
Three years later in May, 2007, Christopher Gaines pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Porter pleaded guilty to murder and first degree robbery in September, 2007 and received two consecutive life sentences. Kelsay pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder.
Weaver's murder was not included in the FBI’s hate crime statistics for 2004, serving as further proof of flaws in the FBI's reporting
Despite the collective outings of Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, Rosie O'Donnell and Olympic diver Greg Louganis, homophobia is alive and well -- especially in the small towns of the Deep South and in many other rural towns throughout the United States.
This film focuses on the day-to-day struggles of two Mississippi gay bars and the grateful patrons who often travel hundreds of miles to find them, filmmaker Malcolm Ingram reveals a surprisingly close community that treats its residents like family members.
The film prompted me to put together this series of articles I pulled from the Internet. Rev. Fred Phelps is interviewed briefly in that film and the scenes I have provided in our own VIDEO PLAYER from that film also include Scott Weaver’s brother talking about this killing. Take note of what he says about Billy Graham.
Some people say that Phelps is nothing more than a media whore who likes attention because of his hate mongering targeted towards others who are not gay, including servicemen who have died in Iraq, and that he should be ignored. Phelps’ WBC Baptist Church is monitored closely just the same. Phelps and others like him DO PROVOKE and instigate people to commit hate crimes just by their words and actions.
The YouTube videos are a compilation of varying hate crimes and groups that still thrive today. They speak for themselves.
“the dingo”
Defining Hate Crimes
No longer a Black and White issue
"...Until justice rolls down like waters
and righteousness like a mighty stream."
These powerful words were uttered by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the midst of the racial unrest of the 1960s. Decades later, it seems the unrest of that period has resurfaced—but this time with a broader target. Last week's rampage on a Jewish community center in Los Angeles reminds us that crimes once driven solely by hatred for one's race now stem from opposition to one's religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit organization which tracks hate crimes, there were over 500 hate groups operating in the U.S. in 1998. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles tallies even more, monitoring over 2,100 hate sites on the Internet.
The term "hate crime" is a part of our everyday vernacular. But what's the definition of a hate crime? What are the issues facing legislators, law enforcement officials, and the American public? More importantly, why the proliferation of these violent crimes?
Seeking a definition
The dictionary defines a hate crime as "any of various crimes... when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)." But the term doesn't always carry a commonly understood meaning.
In the on-line magazine Slate, Eve Gerber writes, "The definition of a hate crime varies. Twenty-one states include mental and physical disability in their lists. Twenty-two states include sexual orientation. Three states and the District of Columbia impose tougher penalties for crimes based on political affiliation."
Evolution of hate crimes
In Hate Crimes: Criminal Law & Identity Politics, authors James B. Jacobs and Kimberly Potter recount the introduction of the term hate crime in 1985, coined in legislation centered around the Justice Department's collection of "hate crime statistics." The media picked up on the term and quickly began to write about an epidemic before these statistics had even been gathered.
Current legislation allows federal prosecution of a hate crime only if the crime was motivated by race, religion, national origin, or color. In addition, the assailant must intend to prevent the victim from exercising a federally protected right. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999, passed by the Senate in July 1999, seeks to expand federal jurisdiction over these crimes.
Controversial legislation
Dissenting opinions mar even a seemingly black and white issue such as hate crimes. Jacobs and Potter argue that hate crimes legislation is redundant, as these offenses are already punishable under the law.
Clyde Haberman of The New York Times described the views of hate crimes critics in a recent column. "What is really being punished, as they see it, is a criminal's thoughts, however objectionable they may be. The actions - incitement, vandalism, assault, murder - are already against the law."
Understanding perpetrators, victims
Last year the American Psychological Association issued the report Hate Crimes Today: An Age-Old Foe in Modern Dress. In the report Dr. Jack McDevitt, a criminologist, stated, "Hate crimes are message crimes. They are different from other crimes in that the offender is sending a message to members of a certain group that they are unwelcome."
The National Institute of Mental Health has funded the first major study of the consequences of hate crimes on victims, narrowing in on anti-gay hate crimes. Preliminary research indicates that hate crimes have more serious psychological effects than non-bias motivated crimes.
Lone wolves, strong packs
Understanding the nature of those who commit hate crimes may be the most difficult aspect to grasp. Contrary to the notion of hate group conspiracies, most offenders act as lone wolves: small cells, pairs, or individuals acting alone.
Identifying individuals planning hate crimes is a formidable task. One common trait is membership in a hate organization. The majority—and perhaps most recognizable—are fringe neo-Nazi or Ku Klux Klan groups, but some organizations such as the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) have reached a level of positive acceptance. At a recent CCC's national conference, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott— whose support of hate crimes legislation falters only because of its inclusion of homosexuality—was a keynote speaker.
In fact, a copy of Hunter, a novel by William Pierce (the leader of the neo-Nazi National Alliance) was found with the belongings of Oklahoma City bomber McVeigh. Pierce, like others involved with hate groups, has cultivated ties with other white American ethnic groups within our borders and abroad.
The Internet has undeniably contributed to alliances among these hate groups. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center's estimates— more modest than the Simon Wiesenthal Institute's— hate sites rose from 163 web sites in 1997, to 254 in 1998.
Where do we go from here?
Changes in hate crime legislation— whether viewed favorably or negatively— are simmering. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999 was passed by the Senate, and awaits a vote in the House.
In the words of Vice President Al Gore: "We must send a clear and strong message to all who would commit crimes of hate: it is wrong, it is illegal, and we will catch you and punish you to the full force of our laws."
The organization is monitored as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Not only is WBC opposed by supporters of gay rights, but the vast majority of Christian groups (even those who agree with WBC that homosexuality is a sin) oppose WBC's theology and practice, believing it to be incompatible with authentic Christian teachings.
For disciples of the WBC, the Bible and free speech go hand-in-hand. Proclaiming "God hates fags" and "Thank God for dead soldiers," the small band of evangelicals from Topeka, Kan., has ignited a firestorm by spreading its gospel of damnation at the funerals of AIDS victims and slain soldiers.
Calling the protests an affront to grieving families, lawmakers in dozens of states are seeking new anti-picketing regulations.
WBC has challenged such efforts before, forcing changes to Kansas laws and collecting more than $200,000 in legal fees. Faced with a growing backlash, WBC may be headed back to court . “The scriptures are crystal clear that when God sets out to punish a nation, it is with the sword. An IED is just a broken-up sword,” Ms. Phelps-Roper said. “Since that is his weapon of choice, our forum of choice has got to be a dead soldier's funeral.”
The church, WBC, is not affiliated with a larger denomination and is made up mostly of Fred Phelps's extended family members. The WBC is a hate group masquerading as a Christian church. Led by Fred Phelps, members of this church target homosexuals with messages of hate. The group's extremist views and despicable behavior mark it as a cult of Christianity.
WBC is an organization based in Topeka, Kansas, headed by minister Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. and notorious for running godhatesfags.com and other websites expressing its condemnation of various groups (see "WBC Websites" below). Although its members identify themselves as Baptists, the church is one of many independent Baptist churches throughout the United States not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations. The church describes itself as following Primitive Baptist and Calvinist principles, though it has been accused by others of Satanism or more lightly, Hyper-Calvinism.
The group bases much of its work around the dogmatic belief that "God hates fags" (its best known slogan and the address of its primary website) and expresses the opinion that nearly every tragedy in the world is linked to homosexuality (specifically society's increasing tolerance and acceptance of gay, lesbian and bisexual people); they believe God hates homosexuals above all other kinds of sinners. In addition to their anti-homosexual stance, the organization also possesses a strong anti-Semitism stance, picketing Holocaust Memorials in an attempt to downplay the severity of the event, and holding the belief that "Jews killed Christ."
Recently WBC has started encountering people from different walks of life who show up at his staged appearances of funerals of soldiers who were killed in Iraq. Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters. They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and they are more than 5,000 strong, forming to counter anti-gay protests held by Rev. Fred Phelps at military funerals. The bikers shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters, and overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue flags.
Mr. Phelps believes U.S. deaths in Iraq are divine punishment for a country that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs thanking God for so-called IEDs – improvised explosive devices – that are a major killer of soldiers in Iraq.
“The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation cares,” said Don Woodrick, the group's Kentucky captain. “When a total stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement.”
At least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protesters, who at a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell wrapped themselves in upside-down U.S. flags. They danced and sang impromptu songs peppered with vulgarities that condemned homosexuals and soldiers.
The Patriot Guard was also there, waving up a ruckus of support for the families across the street. Community members came in the freezing rain to chant “U-S-A, U-S-A” alongside them.
“This is just the right thing to do. This is something America didn't do in the '70s,” said Kurt Mayer, the group's national spokesman. “Whether we agree with why we're over there, these soldiers are dying to protect our freedoms.”
Shirley Phelps-Roper, a daughter of Fred Phelps and a lawyer for his church in Topeka, Kan., said neither state laws nor the Patriot Guard can silence their message that God killed the soldiers because they fought for a country that embraces homosexuals.
During the 1990s, church members were known mostly for picketing the funerals of AIDS victims, and they have long been tracked as a hate group by the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project.
The project's deputy director, Heidi Beirich, said that other groups have tried to counter the Phelps message but that none has been as organized as the Patriot Guard.
“I'm not sure anybody has gone to this length to stand in solidarity,” she said. “It's nice that these veterans and their supporters are trying to do something. I can't imagine anything worse, your loved one is killed in Iraq and you've got to deal with Fred Phelps.”
Kentucky, home to sprawling Fort Campbell along the Tennessee line, was among the first states to attempt to deal with Mr. Phelps legislatively. Its House and Senate have each passed bills that would limit people from protesting within 300 feet (about 100 metre) of a funeral or memorial service. The Senate version would also keep protesters from being within earshot of grieving friends and family members.
Richard Wilbur, a retired police detective, said his Indiana Patriot Guard group comes to funerals only if invited by family. He said he has no problem with protests against the war but sees no place for objectors at a family's final goodbye to a soldier.
“No one deserves this,” he said.
ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT WBC
The Anti-Defamation League has condemned the demonstration planned for Monday in Exeter by members of what it calls the "virulently homophobic" Kansas-based WBC. Diane Kolb, associate director of ADL's New England Region, said she hopes her group's condemnation will encourage others to speak out against members of WBC.
"We have issued the statement condemning the attitude and the behavior and the opinion of these folks," Kolb said. "The position of ADL is that we must counter hate speech with more speech so we have been working with all of the groups that have been targeted to encourage them to speak out. We are supporting whatever action or inaction that they feel is appropriate for their school."
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is an organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Rev. Fred Phelps, 71, will lead his anti-gay crusade into town on Monday to protest Phillips Exeter Academy's decision last May to allow gay and lesbian faculty and staff to serve as dormitory parents.
The church also plans to protest against PEA alumnus Gore Vidal, an American novelist, playwright, and essayist well known for his attack of sexual norms. The group claims Vidal advocated jail for its members for picketing the funeral of an openly gay student beaten to death in Wyoming in 1998.
The ADL recently issued a report titled
"In Their Own Words: Fred Phelps & The WBC."
The report examines so-called "hateful" remarks the church in Topeka has made over the last decade.
While putting a public face on its crusade against homosexuality, the ADL contends in the report found on the organization's Web site that Phelps and the church have issued hate literature attacking blacks, Jews, other minorities and Christians with "great force."
The ADL maintains members of the church have staged protests at many non-gay events in some cases, targeting mainstream public officials and government entities that Phelps believes to be encouraging homosexuality.
The WBC spreads its message using faxed fliers and news releases that are often posted on the group's Web site. "Fred Phelps has made patently clear his mission of targeting gays with hateful rhetoric and public demonstrations," said Robert Leikind, executive director of ADL, New England region, in a written statement Friday. "What is less widely known about Fred Phelps is that he and followers of the WBC have also attacked Jews, blacks and Christians. He and his church continue to spread vile rhetoric against many groups."
Portsmouth resident Tracy Singer said those who have a problem with the pastor's thinking need to stand up to him. "Do you know what I would say to him if he came to town?" Singer asked. "I'd tell him he's wrong; God does love everybody, even him with his hateful ignorant view and we'll pray for his soul." Instead of attacking a person for his or her race or sexual preference, Singer said his focus should be to denounce pedophiles. "The focus about who needs to be a role model for others is distorted. It is about who has a healthy mind and a healthy heart," she said. Singer pointed to how many men of organized religious organizations have been accused and convicted of sex crimes against children and young adults.
NEWS ARTICLE:
HELENA, Mont. -- A Kansas church group that abhors homosexuals and claims "God's hatred is one of His holy attributes" is planning a religious protest in Helena next month, targeting several area churches, the Montana Supreme Court, and the University of Montana.
The WBC, based in Topeka, Kan., gave notice in a fax Monday of its intention to picket Helena's "pro-gay" churches, as well as the "fag-infested" University of Montana.
"We need to be sure the people of Helena call to mind that there is a God, a standard, and a day of judgment, and it's not OK to be gay," Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of the WBC Church, said in a phone interview Tuesday.
The six Helena churches targeted by the group are the Calvary Baptist, St. Helena's Cathedral, St. Peter's Episcopal, St. Paul's United Methodist, Our Redeemer's Lutheran, and First Presbyterian. "You can put this mess right at their doorstep," Phelps-Roper said of the six churches. "They've carried the big lie that God loves everyone. Does he love those people that have been burning in Hell since the flood? These churches have enabled the sin that plagues this generation."
The group called its arrival in Helena a "religious protest and warning" that was initiated by a Montana Supreme Court ruling, which found that gay and lesbian partners of the Montana university system have the same right to health insurance benefits as their heterosexual partners.
The group's fax included a picture of the Montana Supreme Court, along with a reference to that court as the "People's Republic of Sodom."
Travis McAdam, research director at the Montana Human Rights Network in Helena, said the WBC Church is led by Fred Phelps, the father of Phelps-Roper -- one of his 13 children.
Many of the church's congregants, which Phelps-Roper placed at 100, are related to Phelps by blood, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Phelps, along with his family, has made a career protesting gay and lesbian issues around the country, including the funeral of gay murder victim Matthew Shepard. The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the church as a hate group.
"Communities have resoundingly rejected these people," McAdam said. "They're generally treated with scorn by the mainstream, and they're not able to generate much sympathy and support locally. They're really the nastiest of the anti-gay groups that are out there."
St. Paul's United Methodist Church, one of six churches targeted by the group in Helena, said it will stand by its Doctrine of Social Principles despite the group's attack.
The WBC Church has gained the attention of equal rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League. The church's protest signs often bear such statements as "Fags Die" and "Hell is real: Ask Matt" -- a referring to the death of Shepard.
The ADL said the group's fliers, such as that received Monday, typically emphasizes the race or religion of those it believes are gay. This, according to the ADL, suggests that the church's hate goes beyond it's abhorrence for homosexuals.
"What appears to be anti-gay rhetoric is often a vehicle for the church's anti-Semitism, hatred of other Christians, and even racism," the ADL said.
RELEVANT LINKS
http://www.godhatesfags.com/
This site is the main website of Fred Phelps' church, The WBC. The main goal of the site shows and explains why Phelps and his followers are against homosexuals. To get a better understanding of the WBC, there is audio of Phelps' sermans, pictures of his picketing, news updates and archives.
http://blank.org/addict/
In 1994, Jon Michael Bell filed a lawsuit against The Topeka Capital-Journal saying the newspaper owed him overtime salary as well as clarification that his work on the project Addicted To Hate was owned by the newspaper. Bell's work appears on this Web site as part of the court case, therefore making it a public document.
http://fredthemovie.com/
This site is all about Fred Phelps. If you do not know much about him and want to learn, this is the place. There are videos clips, pictures, links, and text to help the viewer learn about the controversial WBC pastor.
http://www.geocities.com/nottodayfredtopeka/
Unity Boulevard began shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when Jared and a few friends protested WBC's picketing. The number of picketers with Jared -- and support for the group -- swelled almost immediately. This is Unity Boulevard's site.
http://www.adl.org/special_reports/wbc/default.htm
This site within the Antidefamation League website provides viewers an overview of the Rev. Fred Phelps and his church WBC. It also discusses the views his church has on other subjects. This includes religion (Jews and Christians), gays, blacks, and America itself.
http://godlovesfags.com/
This site provides all kinds of information about gays and lesbians for those interested in keeping up with the latest news. To do so, godlovesfags.com contains links to other gay/lesbian sites and what they are featuring each week. There are also essays and articles from those feeling a need to voice their opinion about this sensitive subject. And for those interested in keeping up with the Rev. Phelps and the WBC, this site contains phelpswatch, which lists his current and future protests.
http://www.godhatesamerica.com/
This site provides an archive af WBC faxes and is supportive of Rev. Phelps actions and message. It also includes a map of the United States citing various events as evidence of the wrath of God on humanity.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,4872,00.html
This is a story chronicling the formation and rise of the URL godhatesfags.com.
http://www.baptistwatch.org
A site dedicated to Matthew Shephard that informs visitors about the WBC. At the funeral of gay murder victim Matthew Shepard, they held up signs reading "No Fags in Heaven" and "God Hates Fags." According to their Web site, they have staged "20,000" protests across the nation and around the world in the last decade.
They believe that "God's hatred is one of His holy attributes."
Incorporated in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization, the virulently homophobic WBC (WBC) considers itself an "Old School (or, Primitive)" Baptist Church. The Church is led by the septuagenarian Reverend Fred Waldron Phelps Sr., and many WBC congregants are related to Phelps by blood. His wife, several of his children and dozens of his grandchildren frequent the church.
While WBC has picketed the gay community at hundreds of events nationwide, most of the individuals protested by the Church are not homosexual. In fact, WBC most often targets people it mistakenly claims are gay or those it believes to be encouraging homosexuality. Many WBC fliers emphasize the race or religion of these individuals, suggesting that the Church's hate spreads beyond its abhorrence of homosexuality. What appears to be anti-gay rhetoric is often a vehicle for WBC's anti-Semitism, hatred of other Christians, and even racism, though in the 1980s Fred Phelps received awards from the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Blacks in Government and the Bonner Springs branch of the NAACP for his work on behalf of Black clients.
Trained as a lawyer, Fred Phelps was disbarred in 1979 by the Kansas Supreme Court, which asserted that he had "little regard for the ethics of his profession." The formal complaint against Phelps charged that he misrepresented the truth in a motion for a new trial in a case he had brought, and that he held the defendant in the case up to "unnecessary public ridicule for which there is no basis in fact."
Following his disbarment from Kansas State courts, Phelps continued to practice law in Federal courts. In 1985, nine Federal court judges filed a disciplinary complaint charging him and six of his family members, all attorneys, with making false accusations against them. The Phelpses fought the complaint but lost. In 1989, Fred Phelps agreed to surrender his license to practice law in Federal court in exchange for the Federal judges allowing the other members of his family to continue practicing in Federal court.
In 1991, WBC staged its first public demonstration, targeting a park in Topeka allegedly frequented by gays. Thousands of protests have followed, and WBC shows no sign of slowing down. In addition to speeches on the picket lines, the Church spreads its hateful message via faxed fliers and "News Releases." These faxed documents also appear at WBC's notorious Web site, Godhatesfags.com, along with photos of Church pickets and a schedule of upcoming demonstrations. A second WBC Web site, Godhatesamerica.com, contends that the United States is "doomed" because it supports gays. According to Fred Phelps, "God invented the Internet for us to preach on."
The following info from WBC materials and other sources expose the Church's views on Jews, gays, Blacks, Christians and the United States. WBC's own words best demonstrate the wide range and disturbing nature of its hatred.
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. (founder and pastor of the WBC, disbarred lawyer, activist, author; born 1929) and Margerie "Margie" M. Simms, wife of Fred Phelps (since 1952).
Fred Phelps Jr. (lawyer, born 1953), son of Fred Phelps, and Betty Joan (Schurle) Phelps (lawyer, born c. 1952), second wife of Fred Phelps Jr. (Phelps Jr.'s first wife died under suspicious circumstances, see Former Members section below)
Benjamin Phelps (designer of the WBC website, born c. 1976), son of Fred Phelps Jr., and Mara Jones-Phelps, wife of Benjamin Phelps (daughter of Robert and Kathryn Jones, believed to be of Pittsburgh). They both have a daughter and son (born March 3, 2003 and March 13, 2006, respectively).
Sara Phelps (reported age 24 as of February 2005), daughter of Fred Phelps Jr.
Elizabeth "Libby" Phelps (reported age 22 as of March 2005), daughter of Fred Phelps Jr. She is one of the two Phelps granddaughters featured on a hidden camera interview broadcast by British television network Sky News.
Margie Jean Phelps (lawyer, born c. 1956), daughter of Fred Phelps. Margie is one of two Phelps daughters who write insulting response letters posted on the WBC website; her collection can be found under the heading "Dear Margie".
Shirley Lynn Phelps-Roper (lawyer, born c. 1957), daughter of Fred Phelps, and wife of Brent D. Roper (human resources lawyer for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), author, born c. 1963) (Brent is also her brother, as he was purportedly adopted by the Senior Phelps, however this is not confirmed). As with Margie, she writes insulting response letters posted on the website, under the heading "Dear Shirley". Shirley also is active in writing many of the WBC Epics. One of Shirley's many TV interviews Phelps Chartered biography video of Shirley unable to asnwer questions about her sins.
Jonathan Baxter Phelps (lawyer, born c. 1959), son of Fred Phelps, and Paulette Phelps (Ossiander) (high school graduate, born c. 1960), wife of Jonathan Phelps (Jonathan and Paulette were disfellowshipped from WBC, see below, but were readmitted in 1988). Jonathan is considered to be the Phelps child most like his father in terms of being confrontational with opponents; he is reported to be highly vulgar in such dealings.
Jael Phelps (pronounced Jay-Ell, nursing student, unsuccessful Topeka City Council candidate in 2005, reported age 20 as of March 2005), daughter of Jonathan Baxter Phelps. Jael has been featured on MSNBC and several media outlets, and is one of Fred Sr.'s most ardent supporters. Along with Libby Phelps, she is featured on the Sky News interview.
Estranged Members of the WBC
As noted below, all these individuals are or were related to Fred Phelps. With the exception of Debbie Valgos (death), the individuals were voted out of the church and "turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh", and certificates of such were mailed to them. None of the estranged members have made any reported attempts to reunite with WBC or the Phelps clan.
Mark Phelps, (businessman, born c 1954), son of Fred Phelps, purportedly moved to Orange County, California in 1981 along with brother Nate (see below).
Katherine Phelps, (suspended lawyer, born c 1955), daughter of Fred Phelps.
Nate Phelps, (businessman, born c 1958), son of Fred Phelps, purportedly moved to Orange County, California in 1981 along with brother Mark (see above).
Dorotha (Phelps) Bird, (lawyer, born c 1964), daughter of Fred Phelps, reportedly practices law in a town just outside Topeka. Bird changed her last name as a sign of cutting off all association with the Phelps clan. Transcripts of WBC sermons from the 1980s show that she was a "favorite" of Phelps and acted as his personal assistant; the reasons for the later disassociation with Phelps Sr. and WBC are unknown.
Debbie Valgos, (college student, born 1954, died 1972), purported first wife of Fred Phelps Jr. (the couple purportedly eloped; however, no marriage certificate has been located, and the marriage may have been common law if it in fact ever took place). Valgos was never accepted by the Phelps clan, as her religious background was Catholic and she never fully accepted the WBC doctrine. Died of an alleged drug overdose following a party at an army base outside Topeka. Mark and Nate Phelps maintain that Valgos was murdered and that Phelps Sr. was "probably" involved or at least knows something about her death. Interred at Mount Calvery Cemetery, Saint Mary's Church, Pottawatomie County, Kansas. Valgos told friends before her death that she joined only with the intention of marrying Fred Phelps Jr., and that her affiliation with the church ended after they were married; her membership also pre-dated the church's picketing campaign. Phelps Jr. later denied having any relationship, or even knowing, Valgos.
In addition, for a time in the mid-1980's Jonathan and Pauline Phelps were disfellowshipped from WBC for "fornication" (premarital sexual relations which ultimately led to the birth of Jael Phelps). Pauline was evicted from the WBC compound; Jonathan was allowed to remain but was placed under tight supervision. When Phelps Sr. realized that Jonathan was going to leave WBC for his wife and daughter, having already seen four of his children leave the family completely, he allowed Jonathan's family to return to the WBC compound. (For Phelps Sr. this has turned into a "blessing" of sorts, as Jael has become one of his strongest supporters, having been featured on MSNBC and various media outlets.) nndb.com
In 1993, as Phelps' name became controversial in his home town, his estranged son, Mark Phelps, wrote a letter to his hometown newspaper, The Topeka Capital-Journal:
I believe in God and the Bible, and my father's behavior doesn't fit the description of behavior that would show in the life of one who loves God; behavior characteristics such as Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Instead, my father's behavior characterizes, I believe, Hate, Outbursts of Wrath, Contention, Jealousy, Vengefulness, Misery, Harshness, and Selfish ambition. He mis-states the truth about his own behavior, about others, about the Bible, with apparent ease and regularity. He behaves with a viciousness the likes of which I have never seen. He accepts no genuine accountability in his life and is subject to no one. His lifestyle betrays the sacred trust of what a pastor, husband, father and grandfather should be. I suppose if a comparison were made between the life of Jesus Christ and my father, there would not be much to compare.
I believe that Topekans are making a good effort to try and stop him and should continue to do so. He can seem very intimidating. He can use foul language and come across with a booming voice to the community, but the truth is, like the Wizard of Oz, when Toto pulls the curtain back, instead of this big powerful individual, it's only a small, pathetic old man. I feel sorry for my father as I would for anyone who displays this kind of hate and evil viciousness. These can only be the manifestations of tortured, injured and agonizing souls."
WEBSOURCE:
http://www.killfredphelps.com/
DEFINE ‘BAPTIST’ - GIVE THREE EXAMPLES
There’s no doubt about it. The Rev. Fred Phelps of the infamous WBC of Topeka, Kan., is a Baptist — because he says so.
Then again, so is Bill Clinton. So is Al Gore Jr., now that you mention it. Ditto for the Rev. Bill Moyers, Dr. Harvey Cox and the Rev. Jesse Jackson (last time I checked).
What’s the point? Well, one of the big stories of the week was that a federal jury in Baltimore delivered a $10.9 million verdict against Phelps and his WBC congregation, due to its ugly protests at the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, who died in Iraq.
It’s a story that everyone, or almost everyone, wishes would go away. It’s the dark side of free speech and it’s hard to know where to draw the line. Can ACT UP crash a Mass? How far could protesters go at a funeral for, let’s say, Vice President Dick Cheney if he died with the Iraq war still raging? Is a soldier a “public figure” if he died in a war? So many ugly, ugly questions.
Veteran Julia Duin of The Washington Times found an interesting angle on all of this, the one I was hinting at with my references to Phelps, Clinton, et al.
How would you like to be a Baptist minister in Kansas right now? How would you like to have the same brand name on your church sign as the WBC crew? Duin wrote this, focusing on the efforts of other Baptists to disavow Phelps and his church:
Although the 75-member church led by the Rev. Fred Phelps uses the name “Baptist,” it is an independent congregation not affiliated with any known Baptist convention or association.
“It’s a little bit frustrating,” said a ministry official at First Baptist Church of Topeka, who asked that his name not be used.
“People want to know why Baptists allow it,” the First Baptist official said. “Every church is locally autonomous, and anybody can call themselves ‘Baptist’ if they want to.” Speaking of the WBC congregation, he said, “Their views don’t reflect anything at all of our church.”
One of WBC’s most vociferous opponents has been the Southern Baptist Convention, chiefly because Mr. Phelps was ordained an SBC minister in 1947 at age 17. It is not clear when he left the denomination, but WBC was founded in 1955 as an independent church.
So what does the word “Baptist” mean, in the first place? I grew up in the home of a Southern Baptist pastor and executive and, you know what, I don’t think I have ever heard anyone agree on a common definition. Here is one online take:
A member of an evangelical Protestant church of congregational polity, following the reformed tradition in worship, and believing in individual freedom, in the separation of church and state, and in baptism of voluntary, conscious believers.
Ah, but the Baptists predate the “evangelical” movement. And is that “reformed” or “Reformed”? And are Baptists united in a common definition of the “separation of church and state”? Clearly not.
So you have to start stacking up the adjectives. Duin notes:
WBC describes itself on its Web site as an “old school or primitive Baptist” congregation. Primitive Baptists are a decentralized denomination scattered across the country. A call to their Arkansas headquarters got no response.
Mr. Phelps describes himself on the same site as a “five-point Calvinist who urges all people to carefully study and discern what are the signs of the times.” The church also says it is a “TULIP Baptist church,” referring to the acronym TULIP for the five points of Calvinist thought: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints.
As you would imagine, that draws yowls from Calvinists. It isn’t fair to pin Phelps on them, either.
So what should the totally free-church Baptists do to shut down a free-church Baptist without violating all the principles of what it means to be a free-church Baptist?
Just asking. It’s a sad story and, alas, a good news story.
The Reverend Fred Phelps, founder of WBC in Topeka, Kansas, is one of the most despised public figures in the United States. His reputation for aggressive speech and abusive behaviour has grown over the past ten years after he established a web presence with godhatesfags.com.
Now, Phelps has turned his rhetorical guns on Ireland with a new website: GodHatesIreland.com. Both sites redefine offensiveness, so be warned: if you decide to access either, be prepared to encounter some extremely nasty and hate-filled language offered in the context of a "sermon". This is a PDF version of the "sermon" Phelps preached in WBC Baptist on July 29th in which he singles out Senator David Norris and former president Mary Robinson for sustained abuse. Phelps's allegedly Christian address also constitutes the most appalling example of anti-Catholic speech I have heard or read in a long time.
This outpouring of viciousness seems to have been prompted by an invitation Phelps received from the Literary & Historical Society of University College Dublin to take part in a debate on gay adoption scheduled for 6 February 2008. Phelps's reply to this invitation (he declined) is bizarre and hilarious.
It would be a mistake to take Phelps seriously at a theological level, and his protests appear so deranged to many people that he may have assisted the causes he opposes. But it is worth reflecting on one question. Which is the greater distortion perpetuated by his rhetoric: the image he constructs of gay people or the image he constructs of God?
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