Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps Sr. “on the edge of death,” son says

[Omaha Steve]

Source: CBS

The estranged son of the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church said his father is "on the edge of death."

Fred Phelps Sr. became famous for organizing picket lines of brightly-colored signs carrying hateful messages against tolerance during the funerals of military personnel and famous figures. His actions led to at least two federal and several state laws restricting protests during military funerals.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Nathan Phelps, who has been estranged from his father for 30 years, said the senior Phelps was dying in hospice care in Topeka, Kan., and that he had been ex-communicated from his own church in August of 2013.

"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," Nathan Phelps wrote.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/westboro-baptist-church-founder-fred-phelps-sr-on-the-edge-of-death-son-says/

[Maynar]

1. Couldn't happen

to a more deserving individual.

Rot in hell, Freddy.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

40. I hope they have the mother of all gay pride street parties outside of his funeral

Fuck that guy.

[Lucky Luciano]

55. haha - that would be good and should seriously be considered. nt

[Jamastiene]

64. That is the ultimate idea.

I have heard people talk about picketing his funeral, ignoring his funeral, and going to his funeral to wish nice things for him(I never get that whole love your enemy thing, especially after they are dead), but your idea is the best one I have heard yet. It would be the ultimate. I love it!

[putitinD]

76. I think a few thousand picketers with "God Hates Bigots" sign would be priceless

[7962]

87. Wouldnt that be something?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

84. Having gay sex on his grave would fit too.

[bamademo]

2. Good. If anyone deserves death it is him. And I'm not sorry.

As much hurt and hate over the years that he has spread, I can't spare one bit of human kindeness.

[africanadian]

3. Give my regards to the Devil

Freddy Gonna Fry!

[RufusTFirefly]

4. God hates haters

[mysuzuki2]

5. It will be hard to feel any sense of loss at his passing.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Hear that creaking noise?

It's the gates of Hell opening wide to receive an extra-special V.I.P. Watch out, Satan, you might soon have a rebel leader in your ranks!

[Historic NY]

7. Maybe someone will block his funeral.

[ashling]

8. Who will protest at his funeral?

[christx30]

10. Maybe a bunch of LGBT people

holding signs that say "We forgive you. We love you. We're better Christians than you."

[Thinkingabout]

29. Good thought, just because he has been a terrible person doesn't mean we should get as

Dirty as he has been, it would only stand to lower our standard to his.

[eppur_se_muova]

56. No protestors, but maybe a bucket brigade to move the casket along ...

can't put that one in the ground fast enough.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. I'd love to show up to his funeral with Roger Waters flying pig balloon.

But preferably the demon pig one from Run Like Hell.

[Lancero]

11. I'm just wondering how he got excommunicated

[Mopar151]

49. Gotta be a story there.......

Did the old fart finally show a thread of decency, someway, or did he get out-eviled by one of his daughters?

[Jamastiene]

65. He probably got out-eviled by that Phelps-Roper daughter.

Hell, in some ways, I think she is worse than he was/is.

Something tells me that this death watch is going to take a while. Those types don't die easy or fast. It takes forever to finally even get them to even consider dying. Look how long it finally took Strom Thurmond and Jessie Helms.

[onecent]

12. Boooo Hooooo n/t

[Grins]

13. To be sure....don't you need a wooden stake?

Just askin'.

[Jamastiene]

66. This would make a great DUzy!

[SkatmanRoth]

14. Message to Fred Phelps: Take Dick Cheney with you

n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

63. ...

[wildbilln864]

15. good rid! n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. I never rejoice in the suffering of another human

But I am willing to make an exception in this one case.

[NYC Liberal]

17. I hope NOBODY protests that funeral.

Nobody giving a shit is worse than hate. He'd love everyone to show up.

[47of74]

34. True

As Marcus Aurelius once said, "The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury."

[icymist]

69. Exactly! His memory be forgotten. nt

[davidpdx]

86. I agree with you

Someone in another thread suggested the idea of donating to a charity. I'd take it one step further and donate to a charity that he wouldn't support in HIS name.

[cui bono]

18. I'm pretty sure how I feel about this.

Sorry for any one who had him as a father though. What an hate filled man he was.

I don't get what the irony is. "Destroyed by the monster he made," Nathan Phelps wrote."

Did hate and intolerance kill him? Did his church kill him?

[JimDandy]

41. They excommunicated him. n/t

[cui bono]

44. Oh. I thought it was the son who had been excommunicated.

Thanks, guess I misread it.

[SoapBox]

19. I hope you have a painful and horrid death...that's the least that evil deserves.

And that you suffer for eternity in a boiling vat of hell.

Then maybe in a few trillion years you'll finally get a clue about about living like a civilized, HONEST, fellow human being.

Well...hope does spring eternal.

[Archae]

20. I sort of "predicted" this...

After Fred dies, I said that his "church" and family would break apart, in battles over money and power.

That Shirley Phelps-Roper will probably take over the "family crusade."

[Thinkingabout]

32. Hopefully the church will find hate is not the way Jesus taught.

[Archae]

42. Fat chance.

Shirley Phelps-Roper likes the money and attention she gets by carrying on the family "crusade."

[BlancheSplanchnik]

80. she's got Michelle Bachman eyes.

Hrm. That's an interesting thing.

[Jamastiene]

83. A lot of cult followers and leaders to.

I call it the glassy eyes of zealots. They have that look in their eyes in common. It's damned creepy. Their eyes glaze over more and more, depending on how obsessed they become as they go deeper and deeper into whatever cult like mentality they have embraced.

[valerief]

21. He'll be missed like cancer. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

22. The world's about to get a little better. nt

[Kablooie]

23. At times like this I kind of wish there really was a heaven and hell.

[pangaia]

24. Boy, is HE in for a surprise !

[TheCowsCameHome]

25. Hang on, Fred. Don't give up just yet.

The lingering misery will do you good.

[Turbineguy]

26. !

Nudge, nudge.

[Teamster Jeff]

27. Do we have to only say nice things about him when he croaks?

[William Seger]

31. The nicest thing that can be said is that he is mentally ill (n/t)

[Jamastiene]

67. I hope the Hell not.

I will have to be quiet if that is the case. I have nothing nice to say about him. His death, however, I do have something good to say about that. IF he ever does die; good.

[physioex]

28. I would be Karma....

To have protest at his funeral, to see what its like to have the shoe on the other foot.

[Jamastiene]

68. I like the Gay Pride Parade idea more and more.

It would be the ultimate Fuck you to him.

[Martin Eden]

30. Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps Sr. on the precipice of hell

If there IS a hell, that's where he's going.

[olddad56]

35. He is about to escape the hell that he created for himself.

His soul will be returned to the cosmic consciousness of the universe and he will be whole again. His sick mind will die with his sick body. Just my opinion.

[ehrnst]

33. May he have an LGBT hospice caregiver...

who shows him what compassion really means.

Then comes out to him just before the end.

[CFLDem]

36. Amen

[Jamastiene]

70. That would actually be nice.

In a passive aggressive vengeful sort of way. I like it.

[Ilsa]

37. Sounds like a good teaching opportunity.

Remind them all that no one is immune to Death's clutches. We'll be judged in part by the joy or misery we brought others.

[marble falls]

38. I wish him well in his pending new location.

[Bosonic]

39. God hates painkillers

[olddad56]

43. God doesn't hate anything or anybody. People hate and they hate out of fear.

[PorridgeGun]

60. More than a few people hate

because they're projecting their own worst faults onto the object of their derision. We all have our own reservoir of contemptible behaviour in our psyche. The more honest we are with ourselves about it, the less likely we are to fall under the spell of our "shadows" (as Jung would have put it) when we come under stress.

[armed_and_liberal]

45. In the words of Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar..

I won't be attending the funeral, But I do approve of it!

(Usually and incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain)

[Stargazer09]

46. I hope nobody shows up at his funeral

Just let him slide right into anonymity. Hopefully, his insane followers will disappear, but I'm not holding my breath on that happening.

[Jerry442]

47. I'd say Fred Phelp's greatest fear..

...would that his departure would be ignored by everyone and that he'd be forgotten. We can do that, and not even get our hands dirty.

[AAO]

61. But how do we get rid of his wikipedia entry?

[groundloop]

48. I refuse to celebrate anyone's failing health....

Therefore, as I have nothing good to say about this person I shall say nothing.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

50. Burn baby burn!!!!

No more mention thanks!!

[progressoid]

51. Oh well.

[demwing]

52. Hey Phelps? God loves you man

because God doesn't hate.

I, on the other hand, am glad you are dying you fucking piece of shit, and I hope you experience a long, drawn-out, painful transition into whatever hell awaits you.

[lastlib]

53. Burying him would be a terrible thing to do to the dirt.

[Lucky Luciano]

54. Wow - I look forward to seeing this obituary with great pleasure. nt

[get the red out]

57. Everybody dies

Except maybe Dick Cheney.

[AAO]

58. My Mom told me - "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything".

If there really is a Christian God, and a heaven and hell, I hope he burns in hell for the rest of eternity.

[Jack Rabbit]

59. I promise not to picket his funeral

I don't plan on attending it in any way, or to otherwise observe his passing.

[The Wizard]

62. Some say it

is AIDS.

[Jamastiene]

71. Is he dead yet?

Something tells me this is going to be a long death watch. People like him usually won't even consider dying. When the decision is made for them and they do start dying, they take forever and drag it out.

IF he ever really does die, I really like the Gay Pride Parade at his funeral idea the best of them all so far.

[LarryNM]

72. He Dies Goes to Heaven and Finds God Is Gay n/t

[LadyHawkAZ]

73. Let's all show up at the funeral and have a giant same-sex kissathon!

Ya know, see the old bastard off right.

[blkmusclmachine]

74. What a shame...

[JoeyT]

75. I really really really want to know the story behind that excommunication.

I'm wondering if he had a sudden change of heart and his kids that remained in the church, realizing that would screw up their meal ticket, kicked him out of the church and are preventing people from seeing him. The last thing they want or need is the Phelps patriarch going on record with some liberal nonsense about how "God loves all his children, even the gay ones.". Or even worse, donating a bunch of their ill-gotten gains to charities.

I don't hold out much hope that that's the case, but that would be a pretty hard story to beat. (And would be a massive blow for the anti-LGBT rights crusaders.)

Nathan seems like a good guy, and I hate this for him.

[Jamastiene]

82. I do feel for Nathan.

I highly doubt Fred Phelps has had any kind of change of heart.

I think the real story is why was he excommunicated, to be honest. Whether he lives or dies is sort of immaterial at this point. I'd love to know why he was excommunicated though.

[Orsino]

94. I'm gonna guess that the story is more banal...

...involving the choice of successor and control of church assets. Phelps raised an army of lawyers, so there was probably little chance of his ending comfortably.

I suspect that he is both Lear and Fool.

[Warpy]

77. "Daddy's standing at death's door and we're hoping our prayers will pull him through"

goes the old joke and I'm sure there's a bit of that going on. I imagine there is quite an empire built up over the years from nuisance lawsuits.

[mn9driver]

78. Only speak good of the deceased.

Good.

[Jenny_92808]

79. He will receive his just Karma...

we need to do nothing to harm him but speak out against this kind of hate in the future.

[maddogesq]

95. Slogan for the Hell Motel:

"We'll keep the fires burnin' for ya."

[Jamastiene]

81. Is he dead yet?

[DeSwiss]

85. The greatest and best response here, would an outpouring of LOVE.

Love is the answer to ALL THINGS.

TO EVERYTHING.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

We should remember him in this way.

That without this man's existence we would not know LOVE like we do.

Thank him for the lesson he taught us.

To love one another without restraint.

Without prejudice.

Without limits.

Make this the legacy of Fred Phelps.

There is a thin line between love and hate.

Let us broach that line.

- Let us all refuse to remember him in any other way than that he taught us all the importance of LOVING EACH OTHER UNCONDITIONALLY.

That is the best legacy of all.......

K&R

[7962]

88. Great message, but this is DU. You HAVE read some comments here on stuff as basic as taxes, right?

[DeSwiss]

89. All the more reason. n/t

[Beacool]

90. This man is an intolerant bigot whose theatrics caused pain to many people.

He will soon encounter the Lord, may he have mercy on his soul.

[Orsino]

91. And a serial child abuser.

His family won't live long enough to heal what he did to them. And what they've done to their own kids. And from what they've wished on millions.

[Beacool]

92. Terrible man.

I didn't know about the abuse.

[Orsino]

93. The allegations of physical and sexual abuse are out there...

...but his doctrine? That has undeniably fucked up the family. Some of them will never recover or atone.