- Staff
- #1
- 25,905
- 10,784
Westboro Baptist Leader Dying, Relatives Ask for People to Not Protest his Funeral
Some of the most evil folks on the planet, the Westboro Baptist Church, are asking for some respect as their former leader nears death.
From KCTV5:
The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., who founded a Kansas church that's widely known for its protests at military funerals and anti-gay sentiments, is "on the edge of death," according to Phelps' estranged son.
Phelps, 84, is being cared for in a Shawnee County facility, Westboro Baptist Church spokesman Steve Drain said Sunday. Drain wouldn't identify the facility.
"I can tell you that Fred Phelps is having some health problems," Drain said. "He's an old man, and old people get health problems."
However, in a statement on his Facebook page, Phelps' estranged son said the senior Phelps is now on "the edge of death" at Midland Hospice house in Topeka.
"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. "I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes."
Phelps and the members of his church have "harassed" the grieving families of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Kansans and others, Thomas Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, said in a prepared statement.
But Witt added: "This is our moment as a community to rise above the sorrow, anger and strife he sowed, and to show the world we are caring and compassionate people who respect the privacy and dignity of all."
Nate Phelps said he has no doubt some people would want to protest his father's funeral but added, "I wish they wouldn't."
Equality Kansas urged members of the Kansas, United States and worldwide LGBT communities Sunday to respect the privacy of the family of Fred Phelps.
"If the reports of Fred Phelps' declining health are accurate, then his family and friends are certainly saying their good-byes and preparing to mourn his loss," said Sandra Meade, chairwoman of Equality Kansas. "We ask that everyone understand the solemnity of the occasion, and honor the right of his family and friends to remember and mourn his loss in private without interruption or unseemly celebration. Our focus must remain on our mission: ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
Article from: http://www.power1057.com/common/pag...to+Not+Protest+his+Funeral&id=18773&is_corp=0
Some of the most evil folks on the planet, the Westboro Baptist Church, are asking for some respect as their former leader nears death.
From KCTV5:
The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., who founded a Kansas church that's widely known for its protests at military funerals and anti-gay sentiments, is "on the edge of death," according to Phelps' estranged son.
Phelps, 84, is being cared for in a Shawnee County facility, Westboro Baptist Church spokesman Steve Drain said Sunday. Drain wouldn't identify the facility.
"I can tell you that Fred Phelps is having some health problems," Drain said. "He's an old man, and old people get health problems."
However, in a statement on his Facebook page, Phelps' estranged son said the senior Phelps is now on "the edge of death" at Midland Hospice house in Topeka.
"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. "I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes."
Phelps and the members of his church have "harassed" the grieving families of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Kansans and others, Thomas Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, said in a prepared statement.
But Witt added: "This is our moment as a community to rise above the sorrow, anger and strife he sowed, and to show the world we are caring and compassionate people who respect the privacy and dignity of all."
Nate Phelps said he has no doubt some people would want to protest his father's funeral but added, "I wish they wouldn't."
Equality Kansas urged members of the Kansas, United States and worldwide LGBT communities Sunday to respect the privacy of the family of Fred Phelps.
"If the reports of Fred Phelps' declining health are accurate, then his family and friends are certainly saying their good-byes and preparing to mourn his loss," said Sandra Meade, chairwoman of Equality Kansas. "We ask that everyone understand the solemnity of the occasion, and honor the right of his family and friends to remember and mourn his loss in private without interruption or unseemly celebration. Our focus must remain on our mission: ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
Article from: http://www.power1057.com/common/pag...to+Not+Protest+his+Funeral&id=18773&is_corp=0
