Merged Fred Phelps nearly dead/Is dead.

Okay, let me rephrase. We can be better than him by not letting our hate spill out of our heads.

Anyway, I don't believe that respect is earned. I believe that it is lost.

Ok. That's one way of seeing it. But then do you believe respect lost in life is refound by dying?
 
My only question is how many people will show up with protest signs, and what kind of music they should dance to on his grave?

I vote for "It's Rainin' Men."

ETA: Having thought it over some more, I realize one song wouldn't be nearly enough. So I suggest an epic mashup from this list.
 
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Pure speculation here...but given what Nate's said about his father's behavior in the past (physically and emotionally abusive, addicted to prescription drugs, etc.), my guess would be that in his old age, Fred 'regressed' into some of his old patterns, and the rest of the church felt that he was damaging their community by remaining in it.

I doubt very much that he gave up his beliefs; they are too deeply held, and he is too deeply invested in them.
 
Does this mean they're done protesting at funerals, or was he excommunicated for not being evil enough for his own church?
 
I wonder if the Temple of Satan's actions had anything to do with his excommunication? Guilt by association and all that.

And I wonder if the WBC will continue to picket after his excommunication. ETA: It seems so.
 
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I would be really tempted to show up at his funeral with a "God Hates Fred Phelps" sign.
Isn't that just a tad hypocritical? Supposedly we hate Fred Phelps for picketing funerals and upsetting grieving relatives, so if we do exactly the same thing then how are we any better? Why should it be OK for us to do it, but not him? Because he 'deserves' to be hated on?

But of course we don't actually hate Fred Phelps - we love him - for giving us a safe outlet for our antisocial urges. If it wasn't for Fred Phelps (and people like him) we might be forced to direct our ire at less 'deserving' victims such as pedophiles, politicians, actors, or newbie posters who make spelling mistakes.

And the irony is that while Fred Phelps may be a loathsome individual who enjoys upsetting others with his extreme religious views, he's also right. Anybody who has actually read the Bible knows that God really does hate fags. We shouldn't be excoriating Fred Phelps for making plain the truly hateful nature of his God, we should be thanking him.
 
Isn't that just a tad hypocritical? Supposedly we hate Fred Phelps for picketing funerals and upsetting grieving relatives, so if we do exactly the same thing then how are we any better? Why should it be OK for us to do it, but not him? Because he 'deserves' to be hated on?

But of course we don't actually hate Fred Phelps - we love him - for giving us a safe outlet for our antisocial urges. If it wasn't for Fred Phelps (and people like him) we might be forced to direct our ire at less 'deserving' victims such as pedophiles, politicians, actors, or newbie posters who make spelling mistakes.

And the irony is that while Fred Phelps may be a loathsome individual who enjoys upsetting others with his extreme religious views, he's also right. Anybody who has actually read the Bible knows that God really does hate fags. We shouldn't be excoriating Fred Phelps for making plain the truly hateful nature of his God, we should be thanking him.

Maybe African Americans should be thanking the KKK for giving them someone to direct their anger at, instead of less deserving targets, like politicians and actors. They should love the KKK.
 
I'm rather skeptical of this article. Two quotes:
Drain’s account hints at the fact that she has serious questions about Phelps’ own sexual orientation and also hints that he might possibly be gay.
So the author is essentially saying, "This is what she thinks, but she didn't say it exactly". Now, yes, I'd agree that she probably does think that...but I hate articles that put words in someone else's mouth.

But that pales besides the next bit:
Researchers have been delving into evidence that supports the concept that the more homophobic a man is, the more likely he is to become sexually stimulated by gay pornography, prompting some scientists to believe that homophobia might be a sign of someone’s own repressed homosexuality. Several studies have been performed that support this view.
This sounds to me like complete nonsense...if true, why does the author not list any of these studies? I'd agree that some homophobes are secretly gay; but the idea that it's concrete evidence of homosexuality? Sorry, I have trouble buying that.
 
Yeah I started mine in R&P, then it was merged into SI&CE. Interesting to see it's in the Trib now.
 
I suspect he'll be cremated, else the location of his grave will come out and be the target of vandals. It might even be hard to find a cemetery that will take him, for that reason.
More like Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Meh, lots of speculation.
 
If he was excommunicated, then how is the church still in a position to block people's access to him?
Sounds like either extremely dubious behaviour or false reporting.

It's more likely to be a family member with power of attorney deciding who can or can't visit, and not anything to do with church membership (although I understand the membership of the church is mostly the Phelps family.)

And I wish there were a hell for him to go to.
 
A fascinating historical character is on his deathbed. Fred Phelps probably did more to hasten the end of homophobia than any other single individual.
 
Being that Fred was an attention whore, the worst thing that could be done to him at this point is to totally ignore his funeral.
 

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