One of the cruelest people in the world is no longer in the world. The leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, a tiny enclave of extended family and friends in Topeka, Kansas, Fred Phelps and his band of followers are best known by their funeral protests that have created numerous state laws and anti-protest groups designed to protect the funerals of innocent children, US soldiers, and other good and kind people who don’t deserve to have attention-seeking leeches picket them. Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, has died at age 84. Here’s hoping he’ll take his unique mix of hatred and publicity stunts with him.
Phelps has been in a hospice facility for the past few days in ill health, and fortunately his health took a turn for the worse and his presence on earth is now gone. Phelps passed on sometime last Wednesday night. Westboro member and Phelps’ son Tim Phelps has confirmed the death in media outlets. Hopefully there will be a funeral, and the family of every deceased serviceman, every child slain by gunfire, and every person whose funeral has been turned into a public event by the Phelps family can show up and make their lives miserable.
I hate to be that guy and celebrate someone’s death, but the world is a much better place without someone like him. Say what you want to about his take on every issue, but he made his name by tormenting innocent families about his pet issue of homosexuality, and that’s just not cool. To quote the Bible (a book Fred probably didn’t ever paid attention to save for cherry-picking passages to justify his vitriol), Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” I have no doubt that the Phelps family’s cruelty will be given unto them tenfold.
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