![]() ![]() ![]() The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has added WBC to a list of hate groups for its homophobia. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes the group as "virulently homophobic", saying its anti-homosexual rhetoric is often a cover for antisemitism, anti-Americanism, racism and hatred of other Christian groups. WBC is known for its homophobic rhetoric. Their Primitive Baptist practices include their style of worship, approach to church discipline, liturgical preferences and seeing themselves as from a "separatist, antiestablishment" lineage (p.66). They see themselves as coming from the Primitive Baptist movement. In her dissertation on Westboro Baptist, she labels this theology as hyper-Calvinist. According to Barrett-Fox, they see "moral living as a sign of election" and they say they have a duty to preach to the public, not to "save people" (who are predestined) but to spread a message of obedience to God. They believe in limited atonement, unconditional election, and the double predestination of both the saved and the damned, which can weigh heavily on members as well as those who leave the church. Westboro Baptists believe in five point Calvinism, as reflected in the TULIP acronym that is displayed prominently at the front of the church sanctuary. He had previously been voted out of his leadership position and, according to representatives, the organization had no defined leader in the time leading up to his death. His daughter Shirley said a funeral would not be held because Westboro does not "worship the dead". įred Phelps died of natural causes on March 19, 2014. One of the bombers was fined $1,751 and was sentenced to 16 days in prison plus 100 hours of community service. They had believed Phelps-Roper's house was that of the pastor, and wanted to retaliate against Westboro's anti-gay protests at Washburn University. In 1996, two men were arrested for the bombing, and both admitted to causing the blast. The blast damaged an SUV, a fence, and part of the house, but no one was injured. On August 20, 1995, a pipe bomb exploded outside the home of Shirley Phelps-Roper, the daughter of Fred Phelps. įred Phelps Sr., laughing during an interview in his office, July 7, 2010 He founded the Phelps Chartered law firm in 1964, which has since been used to sue communities that are targets of Westboro's protests. Phelps was a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. His vitriolic preaching alienated most of the original congregation, who either returned to East Side or joined other congregations, leaving him with a small following consisting almost entirely of his own relatives and close friends. After Westboro was established, Phelps broke ties with East Side to become independent of any Baptist denomination. Its first public service was held on November 27, 1955. In 1954, East Side hired Fred Phelps as an associate pastor, and then promoted him to pastor of its new plant, Westboro Baptist, which opened in 1955 on the west side of Topeka. Westboro Baptist Church originated as a branch of the East Side Baptist Church, established in 1931 on the east side of Topeka. Several former members have accused the group of brainwashing.Īdvertisement for opening service of Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka Capital, 1955 The group consists primarily of members of Phelps's extended family however, some family members have left the group in protest at its hostile actions and attitudes. The group was once headed by Fred Phelps, although its representatives said there had been no defined leader for some time before his death in March 2014. In 2016, Forbes stated WBC had about 70 members. ![]() WBC is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. Many protests have included WBC members defacing the American flag, flying the flag upside down on a flagpole, and holding protest signs with inflammatory statements such as "God hates fags" and "Thank God for dead soldiers". Protests have also been held against Jews, Mormons, and Catholics. In addition to conducting anti-gay protests at military funerals, the organization pickets celebrity funerals and public events. WBC has been involved in actions against gay people since 1989, later seeking a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park near its headquarters. Their theology and practices have been widely condemned by Christian churches, including the Baptist World Alliance and the Southern Baptist Convention. Labeled a hate group, WBC is known for engaging in homophobic and anti-American pickets, as well as hate speech against atheists, Jews, Muslims, transgender people, and numerous Christian denominations. The Westboro Baptist Church ( WBC) is a small American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. ![]()
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