Ex-pastor of gay-hating church close to death, says estranged son

Ex-pastor of gay-hating church close to death, says estranged son

Fred Phelps Sr, once pastor of the infamously intolerant Westboro Baptist Church, is close to death, according to his son.

Nathan Phelps, who has been estranged from his father for 30 years, posted a statement on Facebook which said: “I’ve learned that my father, Fred Phelps Sr, pastor of the ‘God Hates Fags’ 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 goodbyes.”

Nathan Phelps, the sixth of Fred Phelps Sr’s 13 children, ran away from home when he was 18. He now lives in Canada and works to promote LGBT rights.

The Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church gained notoriety in the US and beyond through its practice of picketing funerals, often of service members killed in Afghanistan or Iraq but also of public figures, in order to promote a virulently anti-gay message under the slogan “God Hates Fags”.

How the mighty have fallen.... I wonder if his funeral will be boycotted?

Hopefully when he passes on he will be going to a "hot" climate.

reply to post by Xcathdra


There are very...very..very few people on Earth I have or ever will feel good about hearing the news of their passing. In as tragic and slow a way as possible, in fact.

We JUST had an abduction/murder of a little girl here that was particularly brutal. Really horrible stuff with some especially tragic 'almost could have been different' things to tie into it for pain in the community.

Those yahoos arrived in town in their bus during a downtown evening memorial to the little girl who was brutally killed. They seem to have had a sudden attack of self preservation sense, as they were reported to have stopped, decided it was too busy to do any good (yeah...I'll let it go with that.. whatever) and left.

However...anyone who thinks those bunch of hate nuggets have mellowed ONE INCH simply hasn't been catching the recent events where they are concerned for how much else is going on in the world.

Personally, I hope that he finds his way to "heaven" or whatever you want to call it.

Obviously, this man has lead a life of hate and anger towards many different types of people and he has a very dark and tormented soul. Perhaps that was his purpose in this life.

Hopefully, he goes on to a better place to learn the errors of his way and comes back in the next life, or whatever you believe happens after this life, to become a soul that brings people together and spreads the joy that can come from life itself.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I was thinking the same thing.

I did not know the Baptist Church excommunicated the pastor. I can see why, based on the westboro church history, westboro did not announce it.

Interesting concept - Exactly how far has a person strayed from the flock when their own religion tells them to leave and get bent? To be honest part of me wishes people would do to his funeral that they have done to everyone else.

The other side of me wishes all the people he pissed off / protested against would show up and actually give him a proper funeral and sendoff. At the very least it would show Westboro that they stand alone with their religious nonsense.

To me this illustrates how a persons soul filled with hate, vitriol and arrogance can make themselves sick. The mind is still mysterious.

reply to post by Xcathdra


Fred Phelps Sr...is definitely not one of my favorite people that I have heard about and read about...but...now that he is in his last days; perhaps he has realized the error of his ways...and is really repenting in his heart, mind, spirit, soul, thoughts etc.

Sometimes (in a person's last hour) they do really change; and they are moments away from death.

reply to post by caladonea


The Catholics favor the idea of deathbed salvation and one last shot to crack the lock on the Pearly Gates. I personally don't. I think fate or God or whatever the truth of it is out there, judges us by the totality of our actions and not by single periods of good or bad.

He's led a group that brought great misery to normal folks, already at their lowest in every real sense from a loss most of us haven't and won't know to experience..thank goodness. Karmic debts are the ones we can't bankrupt, and they demand payment eventually... I'd hate to see how his next turn around the mulberry bush goes.

Already posted:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Please add to the ongoing.

~Tenth