Fred Phelps

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Fred Phelps giving an interview in 2000
Fred Waldron Phelps is pastor of the independent Westboro Baptist Church, an extremist organization not affiliated with mainstream Baptist churches, and is a controversial activist against homosexual behavior. Phelps is noted for rallies displaying signs with highly inflammatory and extremist statements. This has classified the church as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. [1] He is said to hold a "hyper-Calvinistic viewpoint" generally regarded as far outside of mainstream Christianity by most Christian scholars. Most of the congregants of the Westboro Baptist Church, which is located in Topeka, Kansas, are related to Phelps either by blood or marriage.

Phelps has openly denounced the Catholic Church and Episcopal Church and has made claims these religious organizations tolerate and harbor homosexuals and pedophiles. He has also referred to a variety of political figures as "fag-enablers", ranging from Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to Democrats such as Howard Dean. His views are rejected by the majority of conservative Christians; evangelical leader Jerry Falwell referred to him as a "first-class nut"[2].

Phelps has led protests at military funerals based on his belief that America is a country that harbors homosexuals and is thus evil. As a result, President George W. Bush signed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, which places limitations on protests at military funerals. These demonstrations led to the formation of the Patriot Guard, an organization of motorcyclists who attend military funerals in order to shield the families of the deceased from the protests by members of Phelps's Westboro Baptist Church.[3] Phelps is being represented by the ACLU.[4]

Phelps has been an active contributor to the Democratic Party and was enthusiastic supporter of Al Gore for President in 1988.[5] Phelps's son, Fred Phelps, Jr., also served as a delegate for Gore. [6]

Phelps has since changed his opinion about Gore when he joined Bill Clinton on the 1992 presidential ticket. Phelps turned on him and claimed Gore was a conservative icon of the Democratic Party that sold out on some critical social issues. Phelps also demonstrated against Clinton and Gore during the 1997 inaugural. [7] [8]

Phelps' Criticism of Religious Leaders

Phelps runs several websites on the Internet which preach against homosexuality and immoral living. Phelps espouses a skewed version of his own "literal" interpretation of the Bible and the holy scriptures, and speaks against mainstream religious and Christian leaders who in his view, distort or twist the literal interpretation of the Bible. Phelps also speaks for greater accountability for religious organizations, such as the Catholic Church, and has been vocal in the press and media concerning the abuse of young boys by Catholic Priests and Church Leaders, and practicing homosexuals in the Episcopal Church.

Phelps and Democrat politics

Phelps ran for governor of Kansas as a Democrat in 1990, 1994, and 1998.[9] Phelps received 31% of the vote in Kansas's 1992 Democratic Party primary for U.S. Senate.[10] In 1993 Phelps ran for mayor of Topeka. and 1997. [11][12] He supported Al Gore in the 1988 primaries, but turned on him in the 1992 election where he staunchly opposed Gore, Bill, and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Phelps and Saddam Hussein

In 1997, upset about United States sanctions on Iraq, Phelps wrote a letter to Saddam Hussein that read, in part, We understand that Iraq is the only Muslim state that allows the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to be freely and openly preached on the streets without fear of arrest and prosecution. Alas, the United States no longer allows the Gospel to be freely and openly preached on the streets, because militant sodomites now control our government, and they violently object to the Bible message. [13] He requested, and received, permission from Hussein to protest in Iraq. [14]

Lawsuits and Litigation

  • Phelps and his congregation were recently sued by Albert Snyder, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq. Phelps and his congregation protested the Iraq War at his son's funeral. The father sued for defamation over Phelps' statement: "Mr. Snyder raised his son for the devil and hell," during the funeral protest and in statements on his website. A federal jury in Baltimore awarded him nearly $11 million in a verdict against the church; Mr. Snyder won on every count of his complaint, receiving $2.9 million for compensatory damages and $8 million for punitive damages.
  • Phelps has also been threatened with prosecution by the Canadian Government for alleged hate speech in Canada for preaching what he has stated are the literal teachings of the Bible against homosexuality.[15]
  • Already picketing daily in Topeka, the Phelpses began to shower faxes on the community, targeting business and political leaders they disagreed with. After Topeka councilwoman Beth Mechler publicly doubted Phelps' claims that wild gay sex was occurring in Gage Park, Phelps responded with an insulting fax.

Criticism of Phelps

Phelps has been criticized by a great number of individuals, both conservative and liberal. For example, Jerry Falwell referred to Phelps as "a first class nut". [16]

Illinois Family Institute Executive Director Peter LaBarbera said "Fred Phelps' curious message is hardly Christian, and only fuels societal bigotry toward those who espouse genuine Biblical views on social issues like homosexuality and abortion," [17]

Phelps was also cited during Canadian deliberations[18] about declaring anti-gay sentiments to be a hate crime.

Westboro Baptist also is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League.

Pickets

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Phelps announced that he and his group would picket the funeral service of actor Heath Ledger.

In February 2009, Phelps' group announced that they would travel to the United Kingdom to protest in Basingstoke against a gay-themed play called The Laramie Project, based on the murder of Matthew Shepard. However, the British Foreign Secretary Jacqui Smith later announced on February 19th that they would be barred from entering the country as the group "engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities". Phelps' group later responded with a message on their website GodHatesFags.com stating:

"You British Bastards will not have Jesus Christ to rule over you, and think you can issue bans and pass laws to remove God’s word from the landscape. You do greatly err, not knowing the power of God; and, you do that against your own interests. It is a great kindness to have God’s prophets in your land. But, you ungrateful brutes despise knowledge. It is too late for the UK. God Hates You! God’s wrath and destruction is all that’s left for you, thanks to Secretary Smith."[19]

Despite efforts by leftists to link Phelps to the Religious Right, Phelps refers to Christian conservatives as "People who have gone a whoring after strange gods." Phelps preaching has much in common with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Outside links

References

  1. Counterdemonstrators drive off hate group in Flight 3407 protest The Buffalo News, February 22, 2009
  2. http://cjonline.com/webindepth/phelps/stories/102498_protests.shtml
  3. Funeral protesters say laws can't silence them, By Charlie Riedel, Associated Press, July 2006. Retrieved from USA Today October 14, 2007.
  4. ACLU Sues for Anti-Gay Group That Pickets at Troops' Burials, By Garance Burke, Associated Press, July 23, 2006; Page A02. Retrieved from the Washington Post October 14, 2007.
  5. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1999/03/lauerman.html
  6. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=15559
  7. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={91058469-F6DE-4615-8B2A-73CDF3E8FCAC}
  8. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20001104/ai_n11753681
  9. 1998 Kansas Primary Results. Compiled by Congressional Quarterly.
  10. State of Kansas Secretary of State Website
  11. The "God Hates Fags" Left, By Mark D. Tooley, FrontPageMagazine.com, February 09, 2006.
  12. Kansas anti-gay church embarrasses Topekans, November 7, 2002. Retrieved from ReligionNewsBlog.com, October 11, 2007.
  13. http://www.adl.org/special_reports/wbc/wbc_on_america.asp
  14. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={91058469-F6DE-4615-8B2A-73CDF3E8FCAC}
  15. Gore sought help from anti-homosexual group, 'God hates fags' creator preaches 'hate because the Bible preaches hate', By Jon E. Dougherty, WorldNetDaily.com, October 25, 2000.
  16. http://cjonline.com/webindepth/phelps/stories/102498_protests.shtml
  17. http://www.eleventh-avenue-south.com/archives/2005/08/fred_phelps_a_p.html
  18. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07121806.html
  19. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11226.html