The name Fred Phelps has become synonymous with the most unspeakably hateful antigay rhetoric imaginable, but before the reverend passed away earlier this year he’d been excommunicated from the notorious Westboro Baptist Church he founded for reasons that have remained unclear. Now his grandson, 23-year-old Zachary Phelps-Roper, who left the church in February, has shed some light on the surprising reason his grandfather was kicked out of the hate-spewing ministry — he’d expressed admiration for the rainbow-striped Equality House, described as a symbol of peace and positive change for the LGBTQ community,” located across the street from Westboro headquarters in Topeka, Kansas.
A message posted on the Facebook page for Equality House and attributed to Zachary reads:
Fred W. Phelps, my grandfather, came out in support of the Equality House before he was voted out of WBC.
Specifically, on the day that he was excommunicated, he stood outside of the front door of the church (but not within anyone’s earshot but a few members of WBC who happened to be in the immediate vicinity)… I say, he spoke words to this effect to the Equality House: “You are good people.”
I feel like he had a change of heart after my grandmother nearly passed away, and he felt the pangs of loss … he waited for news of her every day and night while she was in intensive care. I think this triggered a chain reaction whereby he developed great empathy for others… which would explain why he would support
Planting Peace‘s anti-suicide and anti-bullying platforms, and their charities across the world….
I love my grandfather! And I believe people DO change, if they are inspired enough!
Facebook commenters wondered if the Equality House’s page had been hacked, but the administrator insists the message is legit.
Author Nathan Phelps, Fred’s son who left the church in 1980 and has since become a noted straight ally to LGBT people, posted a note of his own:
How about we take this to the next level?
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It’s the first I’m hearing of it. I have heard some remarkable testimony from my niece about his kindness to her near the end.
I also heard that he was still singing hymns and praying to his god at the end.
Then there is the conflict with the “elder board”…if you sense ironic disdain in my tone don’t be surprised…that ended with his removal from the pulpit and isolation from his
Church and family.It’s hard to know what to believe.
Let’s hope it’s true and the man eventually saw the error of his ways and that the rest of his rapidly decreasing number of followers will soon follow his lead.
Mezaien
Yah really! another D.E.K.C.U.F UP Christian! he slept with dogs wake up with fleas.
Dakotahgeo
I believe there is, within every human heart and mind, the ability and desire to change in light of mercy, justice, and grace. If Fred Phelps indeed did have an Epiphany moment, no one, not any member of his family, friends, or church can deny him that. He indeed is forgiven, and will have lit a candlefor equality and peace in the world. People CAN AND DO… change for the better!
rand503
I really don’t know what to make of this story. If it is true, then it would be one of the most remarkable reversals in case history. It would be explosive, in fact, because even though he was not necessarily like mired for all the other anti-gay people they still follow him as one of their own. If he can change that means that even the most anti-gay person can change and that is quite earthshaking.
On the other hand it’s rather flimsy evidence and we just don’t know whether it is true. In the end however, I don’t think it really will really make much difference even if it is true. He would’ve had to come out publicly, loudly, irrevocably, and undeniably before anyone would even believe it. A few comments made in private can be easily dismissed, and they will be without further evidence.
hotshot70
Phelps is in Hell now, getting sodomized by the devil’s horns.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Darth Vader redemption scene! Awww, bless. (If true)
ppp111
Honestly, I find that very hard to believe. He spent most of his life hating gays (and pretty much everyone else) and now near the end of his life he has a sudden change of heart? I don’t know. I’d take this with a grain of salt.
robirob
It is their belief that true believers who are free of sin get raptured which to them means body and soul rise up to heaven. Since the guys who run the cult knew that it would be difficult to explain to the other cult members why the founder of the cult would die and leave a body behind they came up with the glorious idea to throw him out of his own cult before he dies.
Thomas Witt
One call to one reporter by he or another member of his family, and it would have been international front page news. This, to me, looks like a couple of family members trying to posthumously rehabilitate the legacy of a monster.
DickieJohnson
This doesn’t prove anything, and wont change the feelings of most people, however, I do believe that anything is possible in God’s World, whether YOU believe it, or not. I have seen “miracles”, or whatever you want to call them. There’s simply no proof for this because of WBC’s secrecy.
lykeitiz
@Thomas Witt: Absolutely. I don’t believe it for once second. And even if it were true, it’s like bringing an eye dropper to put out the forest fire you started.
Cam
My guess is the real true headline should not be “”Fred Phelps Reportedly Came Out In Support of LGBT Equality and It Got Him Kicked Out Of Westboro Church””
My guess is that the TRUE Headline if you were a fly on the wall would be “”Fred Phelps Reportedly Came Out and It Got Him Kicked Out Of Westboro Church””
lol
jabbajarra
@ppp111: This isn’t actually true – Fred Phelps used to be a civil rights lawyer. If anything the reversal was his turning into a bigot later in life, not the other way around.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps#Civil_rights_cases
mcflyer54
If Phelps had a change of heart (which I personally doubt) it would have only been because he knew he was dying and was trying to “rectify” things here on earth before meeting his maker. That, of course, would have simply been little more than a disingenuous act in hopes of preventing eternal damnation.
Bad Ass Biker
At this point, who cares? He is dead and that is that.
ppp111
@mcflyer54:
You’re right. I almost forgot about his past as a lawyer. Still, I stand by my comment that I would take this news with a grain of salt. It seems he was so ingrained in hatred I don’t think he would have seen the error of his ways even if God pointed it out to him. Ah well.
ppp111
@jabbajarra:
I meant my last reply to you, not mcfler. My bad.
SteveDenver
Did Phelps have a CHANGE of heart?
I’m not even sure he had a heart!
I don’t much care if anything got him kicked out of the church, I wish I believed in God and Jesus and Heaven and Hell, so I could revel in Jesus and his 12 boyfriends bitchslapping the bitter old coot.
MrKev
I don’t believe this at all. I think his son is just trying to do something to make it look like the pig actually did one decent thing in his life (which I doubt).
Tackle
I’m not buying this STORY at all. This is right up there with thoes fraudulent Hitler diaries of the 80’s that tried to make Hitler look more sympathetic and less hateful of the Jews. This is a grandson who says he loves his grandfather. Well of course he’s gonna try to
clean-up his loved one’s hateful image. If there were other members of WBC there, cannot anyone of them verify this happing, or are they just too loyal to the church? Or better yet, why not get it from the horses mouth. Did Fred Phelps leave ANYTHING behind, letter, tape, emails,Myspace youtube, Facebook, Instagram,ect,ect??
If he would have really changed, and developed this great empathy for others that his grandson speaks, he would have made some sort of PUBLIC acknowledgment/announcement to help make-up to, and ease the pain of all thoes he hurt and have been hurting for over 30yrs, (family members & loved ones)of thoes who passed, and who were GLBTQ: Were Fred and members of his Church, help picket sings saying: “Fags will burn in hell.” “AIDS is gods punishment”, ect… I call BS to this story. A grandson trying to clean-up grandpops evil ways…
toberlin
Tackle:
Money ( 9,3 Million DM) was the Reason to fudge the Hitler diaries.
So the Question is here can People like Fred Phelps/Amy Kushnir/Pat Robertson/Maggie Gallagher change they View on People who are LGBT or People who are like me?
I think,they can.If they have a PERSONAL Motivation/Intention to change.But not because I try to impress them with logical Arguments or heart-breaking Storys
These People just have a lot of “empathy” for themselves…
LadyL
@Thomas Witt: My thought as well.@lykeitiz: Bingo. Couldn’t have said it better.
1EqualityUSA
Near death experience? Sometimes people change their tune after giving up the ghost for a bit.
evian257
Even if it’s not true, what perfect post-humous revenge.
evian257
@evian257:
Revenge on Fred, I mean. He’d be spinning in his grave to have people think he’s a sympathizer.