Fred Phelps is dead. He was the founder of the now infamous Westboro Baptist Church, which is the smallest famous church you will ever here about. For the most part, the Church is made up of Phelp’s admittedly large family and that is about it. It isn’t like they are some giant mega-church or even a match for the local church around the corner (there is always a church around the corner). So why are so many religious writers so giddy that Fred Phelps has died?
Tag Westboro Baptist Church
The news is abuzz at the thought that the head of Westboro Baptist Church, Fred Phelps, is near death. There has been talk about picketing his funeral and everything. For starters, Fred Phelps was excommunicated from his own church last year and even if that were not the case, WBC members don’t believe in having funerals.
While fundamentalist religious believers certainly have a lot of ridiculous beliefs, I actually can understand their position much better than I can understand the position of the more nominal believers — as the old saying goes, in for a pinch; in for a pound.
One of the events that I am planning is the annual Philadelphia Coalition of Reason picnic. On the flyers and press release, I invited atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, etc. Well, someone messaged me demanding that I openly invite theists too.