Apologetics Library

Notes: Westboro Baptist Church is categorized as a Hate Group and has been denounced by Baptists and Calvanists alike. Lead by former civil rights attourney Fred Phelps (disbarred in the State of Kansas for his conduct and perjury in 1979, and then asked to stop practicing in Federal court in 1989), Westboro Baptist has conducted over 30,000 pickets displaying signs including "God Hates America" and telling passer-bys that "God hates you." They have also demonstrated with much more crude signs, and relatively crude websites.

Mark Phelps, son of Fred Phelps, has publicly said the following about his father, "He considers his environment to be against him without admitting, acknowledging or taking responsibility for how he contributes to that. He likes to show himself as being moral, pro-family, pro-Bible, but his actions just don't add up to that. I believe in God and the Bible, and my father's behavior doesn't fit the description of behavior that would show in the life of one who loves God; behavior characteristics such as Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Instead, my father's behavior characterizes, I believe, Hate, Outbursts of Wrath, Contention, Jealousy, Vengefulness, Misery, Harshness, and Selfish ambition.... my father is a very unstable person who is determined to hurt people." [2]

[1] According to B.H. McAllister, the Baptist Pastor who ordained Phelps.
[2] View full letter to The Capital-Journal here.

Status: this article is undisputed.

Last updated: August 6, 2008