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Phelps' son says "God Hates Fags" church could turn violent

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babylonsister Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:33 AM
Original message
Phelps' son says "God Hates Fags" church could turn violent

Joe Cutbirth
Assistant Professor of Journalism, University of British Columbia
Posted: April 11, 2010 02:24 AM

Phelps' son says "God Hates Fags" church could turn violent


The challenge with writing about Fred Phelps, frankly, is suppressing the urge to urp.

Phelps and his hateful clan spent this weekend in West Virginia taunting innocent families whose fathers, brothers and sons were buried alive in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. The last four of 29 miners were pronounced dead on Saturday. The Phelpses actually complained they didn't get adequate police protection during a picket at the state Capitol, where they carried signs that read: "Thank God for Dead Miners," "God Hates Your Tears" and "God Hates West Virginia."

It's a new low for The Most Hated Family In America, as they were dubbed in a 2007 BBC documentary about the Westboro Baptist Church, whose members routinely picket funerals of American soldiers. They claim God smites our military because America tolerates lesbian and gay people. The group is so obsessed with anti-homosexual theology it adopted the slogan "God hates fags" for the name of its website.

I've always ignored these psychopaths and refused to give them the media attention they crave. But information about them that can't be ignored surfaced last week on The Standard, a Vancouver-based public affairs program. In his first-ever television interview, Fred's son Nate Phelps says the family could turn violent if his father ever finds a Bible verse to justify it.

The interview was conducted by Peter Klein, an Emmy-winning producer for 60 Minutes and my colleague at the University of British Columbia graduate journalism school.

Nate Phelps, who left the family more than 30 years ago and lives in Canada, says his father is a violent individual. He talks about rage and the physical abuse Fred Phelps inflicted for hours at a time on his wife and children. He speculates that his father is mentally ill and effectively calls the Westboro church a classic cult:

They fit the definition, and I've said for years that all it would really take is if my father made the decision, found the right justification in the Bible, that they would turn towards violence -- either violence towards themselves or someone else.


more/video at link...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-cutbirth/phelps-son-says-god-hates_b_533132.html
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DemocratSinceBirth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:34 AM
Response to Original message
1. Bring It
~
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spanone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:34 AM
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2. go for it you sick fucks.
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marmar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:34 AM
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3. So are they asking to be thinned from the herd?
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hobbit709 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:38 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. +100
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RKP5637 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:44 AM
Response to Reply #3
6. +100, n/t
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RKP5637 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 07:43 AM
Response to Original message
5. A cult of psychopaths. n/t
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randr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 09:19 AM
Response to Original message
7. Imagine--finding justification for violence in the bible
Surely not in the "good book"!
My guess is that these asswipes could find justification for violence in the Dick and Jane Readers.
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Fumesucker Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 09:25 AM
Response to Original message
8. I doubt it.. Phelps and his "church" are a lawsuit generating machine..
That's how they make a very good income, getting people so pissed off that those people violate Phelps' and his church's Constitutional rights so Phelps can then sue them for damages.

It's illuminating to note that Phelps wins a big percentage of the lawsuits he brings to court.

The whole thing is a gigantic con game, the leaders don't believe what they are saying for one damn minute.

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zonkers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 09:27 AM
Response to Original message
9. This is really insane.
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east texas lib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 09:50 AM
Response to Original message
10. I believe Phelps is a delusional messianic megalomaniac who has become God in his own mind...
Meting out his own "punishment" as he sees fit. He'll keep pushing the envelope until somebody gets really tired of his shit and does something about it.
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Berry Cool Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Apr-11-10 09:56 AM
Response to Original message
11. That's not really surprising.
Not if you read up on Phelps and the routine beatings and abuse he is said to have delivered to his children who have escaped him and told about it. Part of the reason he has such a huge family cult is that he uses abuse as a form of forced indoctrination into his work.
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