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Westboro Baptists' Fred Phelps Sr. "near death"
woot_whoo
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From the Facebook page of Nathan Phelps, who left the family business decades ago, and is now an atheist:
'I’ve learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the “God Hates ****” Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the “church” back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.
I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.'
And so it ends. Can you imagine having come to the end of your life, very nearly to the moment in which you will meet your God and be reckoned with, and all you have to show for it is … that? I’ve always thought the Westboro Baptist Church people were despicable, but there is something about the thought of that old man lying on his death bed, forsaken, the victim of his own sins, that makes me pity him. One tear of repentance from the vicious old preacher will open the floodgates of the divine mercy he spent his life trying to deny to others. I pray for that tear.
And I hope no one pickets his funeral, giving to his family the mercy they do not deserve.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/the-miserable-end-of-fred-phelps/
Hard to have much sympathy for such a hate-filled manipulator or his family of seeming con artists. I hadn't heard that the old man had been excommunicated from his own church last year, though. I wonder why.
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Maybe his views were considered too liberal?
Heh! Absolutely bonkers. I've long thought that the family's religious views were a front for their real MO, which was making money. They seemed to me to deliberately provoke reactions so that they could sue through the civil courts using freedom of speech legislation. It's surely no accident that nearly all of them are lawyers. I wonder if old Fred left the church so that he could make his peace with whatever God he actually believes in (i.e. atone for being a professional hate-monger for most of his life) before he hops the twig.
He has been kicked out of the church so presumably his own family will be picketing.
I can just imagine God sitting there going "Phelps... you ASSHOLE". And then flipping the switch that drops him down a trapdoor into hell. (Yes. In my head, heaven and hell are slapstick cartoon places, thank you for asking).
I hope they're wrong and that there's a big fire being stoked up ready for him.
I didn't know that, how come he was kicked out?
Most likely an internal power struggle where one or more of the senior members of the family wanted more power. Dressing that up as a religious issue is hardly a new thing for churches.
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Fanny Crosby.
Is repentance required?
(Yes, I know this isn't *that* thread, and I won't argue whether you answer yes or no, or don't reply.)
and that's why religion is a joke and God is basically a power hungry evil dictator.
Yes it is. This is why I refuse to have anything to do with my father. Until he acknowledges the things he did wrong and asks for forgiveness he can damn well bugger off. On this matter me and god are in agreement, though my flat is hardly heaven.
Ha, yes it would seem somewhat fitting.
His funeral should be interesting! Mass picket and his coffin spray-painted pink!
That sounds pretty plausible. I mean as much as I find them loathsome, I definitely wouldn't call them ignorant, they are only too aware of the laws and how to manipulate things to their advantage. It does seem sad though, if it's all an act, that they disown family members in the name of their cause. I'm not referring to Fred, but some of the others who appeared in Louis Theroux's documentary.
So if we indulge this claptrap for a moment...
To them the "vilest offender" would be the gay person and s0 they will also be fully pardoned under this offer as well.
So they have been wasting their time here on earth. (Which is warming to know)