This is an exclusive interview conducted by The Standard's Peter Klein with Nate Phelps, the estranged son of controversial gay-hating preacher Rev. Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church. It was aired in April 2010 across Canada on VisionTV and regionally on Joytv. It has been posted by Jonathan Roth, senior producer of The Standard.(Thanks mlon)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Standard - Nate Phelps Interview
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It really makes me wonder how people such as he can grow up in a cult like the Westboro Church or the FLDS and later reject it. Most of it probably has to do with genetics since there's nothing different about their environment compared to the rest of the members. Perhaps genes which help in allowing for critical thinking and to identifiy such craziness.
ReplyDeleteAt least Nate got out of that hell-hole. The rest of the family is too indoctrinated, or too scared to leave.
ReplyDeleteRan into this years ago, still feel it's the best look at what went on in the Phelps house when the kids were growing up.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rslevinson.com/gaylesissues/features/collect/phelps/bl_phelpschapter01.htm
Perhaps it´s just down to courage and intelligence. Even after cutting all ties with the family it was only 7 years ago he gave up on religion.
ReplyDeleteThe others who left and came back were just not strong enough to stand on their own and face the realities of the world. It takes a lot of strength coming from a secluded and authoritarian world and then having to make decisions for yourself. It must bring on a massive personality crisis. Dreadful.
Fred Phelps looks mentally ill and so does his daughter.
ReplyDeleteWhere were the social authorities? Physically and psychologically abusing children is beyond pale. Someone should have stepped in decades ago.
As soon as you call yourself a church or faith, society turns a blind eye.
Because homophobia is still acceptable they can get away with it.
1 Kings 15:12 - " And <span>he took away the sodomites out of the land</span>, <span>and removed all the idols</span> that his fathers had made." The irony here is that Fred Phelps is taking a more biblical (OT anyway) stance than anyone.
ReplyDeleteThis always baffles me as well. One would think this is a crystal clear case of a highly disfunctional family with clear child abuse, that goes on openly without even trying to hide it, and no authorities react for decades? It's hard not to conclude that that society having a totally unwarranted respect for religion isn't a big part of the reason.
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