Here we go again...

[GUDLUSS]

I hesitate to use the term "credibility" in the same sentence as "Westboro Baptist Church", but whatever little bit of it they had suddenly went out the window today. In a press release put out June 1 (http://www.godhatesfags.com/written/...-Missing-g.pdf), the WBC has, in their always calm and sane manner, praised the Lord for the loss of Air France's Flight 477. To quote the release:

"GOD SENT THE LIGHTNING BOLT THAT
KNOCKED THE AIR FRANCE AIR BUS OUT OF
THE SKY INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, KILLING
ALL 228 SOULS ABOARD - IN PUNISHMENT FOR
THE WORLD'S FILTHY SINS OF SODOMY,
INCEST, ADULTERY, FORNICATION, IDOLATRY,
PERSECUTION OF GOD'S PEOPLE, ETC. LOOK
FOR WORSE AND MORE FATAL STROKES FROM
THE WRATH OF AN ANGRY GOD AS THE WORLD
GALLOPS TO THE DAY OF ITS FINAL DOOM. WE
AT WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH PRAY FOR IT.
GOD HATES THE WORLD.
WE WILL PICKET THEIR FUNERALS."

It's like they're just stabbing at the dark at this point. Apparently gays weren't a large enough target, so now they're taking on the world? And how is "incest" in this list? Who exactly condones incest that they feel the need to protest again? And doesn't Christianity have a story about some dude...I forget his name...who died for the sins of the world? How does even make sense within the most conservative, fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible? I have serious doubts that God wants to claim personal responsibility for every death and tragedy on the planet. He's probably sitting up there just having fits, yelling "Guys, shut the f*$& up!" God hates the world...we will picket their funerals. Do they picket each other's funerals, or are they not considered part of "the world"? I almost feel sorry for them - they've completely lost was little focus they once had that made them cohesive in their insanity. Now, they might as well be standing on a street corner wearing a "The End is Nigh" sign on their chests.

In any case, while I hate to give the WBC any more media attention, this is just too funny. It has crossed over to a point that borders on farce. Is it even possible to take the above press release seriously?

http://forum.thedailyshow.com/tds/bo...essage.id=9157

[davo]

if this 'god' hated the world so much he would just wipe the whole thing out and redo it (bit of a stuff up eh?)

[Godless Ray]

Davo,

Didn't the big guy already try this in different ways? Flood, meteor strike, killer bugs, Bobby Goldsboro music..

Wouldn't your average god worth his keep has some equivilant of Baygon?


Godless Ray

[davo]

http://friendlyatheist.com/2009/06/1...-got-stranger/

Commence Ur trip to hell! We will be on hand at your graduation to ask a few things and point out a few things. Why do you Methodists want to pretend you are going to heaven? You know you threw out the truth of God many years ago. Now you are all about works righteousness, good deeds and such. You have forgotten your first love and gone the way of all the idolatrous perverts around you. Get real, and at least just admit you are all about appearances and could not care less about what God requires of you. The rate of divorce, remarriage and fornication (fag and otherwise) is extremely high amongst your membership. You are in big trouble for this and because you refuse to obey God. This song is really most fitting for you all (Sing it to 50 ways to leave your lover):
The problem is easy if you want to obey God.
Put away your filthy idols and hear ye the rod.
But you love all your sins and follow lying frauds,
There must be 50 ways to eat your baby.
Just give ‘em to the Pope, dope; pass ‘em through the fire — liar.
Fornicate and divorce of course, just listen to me.
Put ‘em on a bun, son. Don’t forget the onion.
Make ‘em take the mark, Clark — and eat your babies.
Yes Obama will make official what you religious hypocrites have been doing for several decades now — so get that shocked look off your faces! Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: all because you are rebels, and refuse to obey God! AMEN!

[johnrgordon]

Wow, what an incredible story. His father should have been locked up for child abuse. Parents can pretty well push their own dogma onto their children as they see fit, and as we read here, the damage can last a lifetime. I hope it was a worthwhile process to write and be able to share his story with us. I am stunned.

[youngmoigle]

There is a YouTube video showing Phelps' grand daughter singing a song called "God hates the world..." I feel so sorry for her - and her cute smile to camera at the end is really quite heart-breaking.

The song starts at 1m43s

embedding has been disabled:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqvewouaGWw

[Fearless]

Doing a bit of a thread mine here but whilst I was doing my occasional internet breadcrumb chase, I came across a video of two of the Phelps granddaughters. Some more of your typical shocking brainwashed banter:

(Pay note to Libby Phelps on the left)



Sad as it was too see two young people like this (yep, I know there are many more, even younger) with so much hate and blind faith.

This might be old news to many but it wasn't until I was reading the comments below when I read:

Suprahampton 1 week ago - Irony is that Libby has since left the WBC

I was immediately interested in the 'why' so I started trying to dig but I struggled to find much.

Fall from Grace 9/9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMI0Kjgl67A&NR=1
I am not embedding this vid as there is not a lot of relevance to my point but only a glimpse of her I think it is at 4:40 where she says something like 'you thought [inadible] generation was bad, you haven't seen the [inaudible] generation yet' clearly being one of the more outspoken members.

In this video titled:
Talking to the Phelps fam about beatings, Libby, and why standards seem to have changed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhOES...eature=related
The interviewer is probing about the family and towards the end is trying to get information about what happened to Libby but they only tease and insult her, but won't go into specifics (of course) but the main hate instigator is Jael Phelps, the girl on the right in the first video I linked who mainly said:

"She didn't repent for her sins"
"She is a liar and a rebel"
"Filthy whore"

But when continually asked what she did wrong Jael (and the first girl) would not say any more.

Reading random comments around the internet I came across a few suggestions but could not seem to find any more. Does anyone know why she left or was removed from the church?

"It appears wearing a bikini and being chastised for it was the final straw"
http://boards.ign.com/spirituality_r...#ixzz11A4SIT2N

"Of course. She was down with treating other people like dirt, but when she realized SHE'D actually have to sacrifice something the deal was off. With that said, good for her."
http://boards.ign.com/spirituality_r...#ixzz11A4j7fWb

There was an audio clip from an interview with Libby but it was removed by the radio station that published it but they will not respond to questions why it was removed.

Some other random comments:

Have you heard that libby phelps left the phelps family?
i heard her on the radio (a local alternative station) and she said she had left, they had stolen her car, and she was trying to get her footing and find some independence.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...0110442AAWyeGk

I can't find a link, been looking for one. it was on 96.5 the buzz in kansas city's station. it was a really good interview, and was neat because you could tell it was real, and that she was still a little afraid of them. they tried to get her any help she needed.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...0110442AAWyeGk

the thing that struck me is that the dj asked her to look back and tell him the craziest thing that they had ever made her do, and she said "to pray for people to die" and sounded so sad that she had done it.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...0110442AAWyeGk

Although I am a little frustrated that I can't find any decent article on this it does remind me of people who are obviously born into faith who have managed to de-convert.

My feelings on the first video I felt I was so annoyed I wanted to get in her face, but after reading about her leaving this crazy hate group (WBC) and that she may have suffered for it also makes me feel sorry for her, given right up until she left what would be most of her family, she wouldn't have known any better and probably lost most of her childhood to this madness.

Does anyone know anything more about Libby?

[Goldenmane]

I remember seeing a clip (from... 20/20?) about one of the daughters leaving. Might have been Libby. Included an interview with her parents, wherein they were asked something about her going to hell or some shit, and the dad fucking deadpan described her as dead to them and destined for hell.

I'll hunt around, see if I can find it.

[Fearless]

Oh cheers, I found it hard to find anything surprisingly...

It's not like I am going to go and track her down etc but it's just stories like these, in probably one of the most messed up hate cults that we see today that interest me.

I know a lot of these sort of situations end up being that the person is usually ostracised. In Libby's case she basically would have to turn her back on her whole family which would be bloody hard and probably bloody scary too.

What is it that turns a mind programmed from birth?

I can only assume she would need ongoing counselling and probably would have gone through a time where everything she learned would either unravel on her or cause her some significant social issues or both. Will she ever recover completely?

How much of a life sentence might this have had on her?

I wonder if she fell back on another faith. Maybe that was the safest thing for her state of mind considering?

[Loki]

I wonder if she fell back on another faith. Maybe that was the safest thing for her state of mind considering?

The Phelps clan is not totally immune to sense. Nate Phelps went through the same sort of shit as young Libby and came out an outspoken atheist. Hopefully he was there to help catch the pieces.