An Epiphany I've had about the Westboro Baptist Church

[Voskhod]

I've been struck by something, something very rare that only happens about once every 3, 4 months at best. Just about this afternoon I was struck by a revelation that revolved around the most hated family in the world, the Westboro Baptist Church - Or more specifically, the leader of the church, Fred Phelps himself.

The religious dogma? The constant parading around and picketing of funerals? The psychotic, single-minded obsession with homosexuality? It's all a diversion. A sham. A play to take your attention away from what the church encompasses, and what Fred Phelps' preaching really stands for beneath the incredibly thick veil of huge colorful signs and intentionally provocative, racist, and sexist interviews/parody videos.

It came to me as a stroke of dawning clarity and comprehension when I tried to deduce the true meaning of the Westboro Baptist Church. Right off the bat I knew it wasn't about religion, it wasn't about preaching the "word of god" or trying to inform the world that homosexuality is somehow the single most heinous crime a sentient being could possibly commit. No, for the kind of true devotion and unwavering defiance the church shows in the face of parading around an obviously lost cause that's been scientifically, logically, and theologically disproven thousands of times in the past few centuries...There has to be something more to it. Something we're not supposed to see, something that all the flashiness and provocative-as-possible messages try their best to cover up.

But what was it? What are those invisible supports holding up the ideology and faith of such clearly educated (And I mean that without sarcasm) individuals? At first, I thought it was something more personal and down to Earth - Fred Phelps was using his twisted view of religion and distorted scripture to create a hollow justification for his own fanatical hatred for homosexuals, most likely spurred by a few extremely repressed 'desires' on the part of Fred Phelps himself. This idea seemed to make some sense, it allowed a feint map of clarity across the Church's useless ideals and cherry-picked biblical verses. Whenever the family was parading around, screaming and shouting about how much their God hated fags and homos, the family members truly believed that there was a wrathful all powerful deity who took the deepest possible offense in same sex relationships. All family members, that is, with the exception of Fred Phelps himself - he's the only one who doesn't believe the lie, because he created it and knows the real ulterior. To the family, wife, and children of Fred, God was theological - a mythical and long-discredited bronze age desert God who apparently has the emotional stability of an insecure bipolar schizophrenic who forgot to take his Valium. But to Fred Phelps himself, its different - every time he reads "God Hates Fags" on the many hand-painted signs his family parades around, he sees the sign for what it is - "I hate fags! I hate them so much! Hate! HATE!".

This was essentially my slowly-pieced together explanation, that Fred himself was using the indoctrination and resultant fanatical fervor of his religious teachings in order to project his own hatred of homosexuals as the word of God himself, possibly to also give him a sense of he himself being God in some twisted way. But then something changed in my mode of thinking - I read a long biography, written by four of Fred Phelps' nine estranged run-away children who, thankfully, live in the present day as self-sufficient adults who are independent of their ultra-zealous family. It was after I read this documentary that I began to realize the full scope of insanity I was dealing with when trying to deconstruct Fred Phelps' mind

I will not go into detail for fear of those among you who have PTSD, but the documentary by his children, named "Addicted to Hate", provided me with some stomach churning insights to the incredibly damaged psyche of this Kansas pastor and 'prophet'. It was also then a very important change occurred in the above hypothesis I had slowly collaborated. It actually wasn't about Fred's own psychotic hatred for the LGBT community at all! But something far deeper, and much, much darker.

The constant hullabaloo about homosexuals was actually another diversion, like their signs, videos, interviews and other such blasphemies against the Christian faith. So that meant the invisible support structure was something entirely different. This is where my readings into the biography of Fred Phelps came into place.
Now,  I am a fairly forthright person when it comes to plain-faced evil. I have read countless prisoner of war accounts of Nazi Germany's concentration camps, the vivisections done by Josef Mengele, the Rape of Nanking and Manilla along with the abhorrent human experimentations of Unit 731 - I have read detailed reports of the sickening pleasures of various serial killers throughout the ages, and researched quite vigorously the horrific situations that exist in modern day Africa, North Korea, and the Middle East.

Despite this, I am willing to make the following statement: Based on what I read and heard from Phelps' four runaway children, and what they wrote in their Biography of their father, I can say without any shadow of a doubt in my mind that Fred Phelps is perhaps one of the most violently sadistic, pain obsessed, sadomasochistic, tyrannical, egotistic, and unrepentantly malevolent psychopaths that are still alive to this day - and if not that, /the/ most.
Though, you may be wondering what this has to do with the modification I made to my original theory, that of the Church's hatred merely being a mirror of the Phelps' own hatred masquerading in disguise as biblically justified scripture-based morality and whatnot. And I'll tell you: I noticed a pattern. A pattern that constantly kept emerging, but I dismissed as mere background noise, a simple unintended side-effect of their hysterical propaganda and willingness to let the world know of "God's word".

That pattern is the suffering they cause. Or rather, the suffering that Fred Phelps has directly, indirectly, advertently, and inadvertently caused. This is where my revelation became to take form, you see. The Westboro Baptist Church isn't about religion...It's not about preaching a message of a wrathful god, or blathering about how homosexuality is somehow immortal - It isn't even about hatred, the thing that the WBC so often indulges and bathes itself in.
It's about causing pain. That is what's holding up the church and its followers at the very foundations: That is what Fred Phelps is ultimately trying to accomplish when you manage to see past his facade of fanatical self-proclaimed righteousness. Fred Phelps has created an organization, a Church, and molded it into the perfect tool of his desire, the only desire Fred has, the only desire that brings him any amount of pleasure in his own pathetic, miserable life - The desire to inflict as much mental torment and physical agony unto others as humanly possible. And what's more? He has succeeded, he created a near-perfect family that knows nothing; No emotions or feelings other than hatred, malice, spite, rancor, resentment, and loathing- and he unleashed that family unto the world...And laughed as he beheld the misery and anguish they sowed in his name.

Fred Phelps, I believe, is not a religious nutcase. He's not a closed-minded bigot, or even a senile racist old grandpa - he's perhaps worse than all of those combined. Phelps is a genuine  psychopath, a psychopath whose only goal in life and single driving ambition is to see others suffer in any way possible, whether physical, psychological, or emotional. A psychopath who has learned how to play by the rules of society...And win. No amount of hollow and feigned preaching can deter me from the clarity of what I have just realized. For behind the masquerade of incessantly nagging self-righteousness, lies the exact opposite of what Fred Phelps so vainly proclaims himself to be. A saddening display of deceit and trickery which ultimately unveils to expose nothing more than a shameful, jaded, hateful, and astoundingly bitter shell of a sadistic old man who has a mind so utterly damaged beyond repair that the only way he can find any sense of self-worth and fulfillment in his own empty and meaningless life is by causing as much wanton and senseless misery in the lives of others as humanly possible.

[Brian37]

I had an epiphany once. But a doctor gave me a shot and it cleared up.

[Brian37]

In all seriousness, I think it is possible for someone to be BOTH mentally ill and a psychopath on top of being one or the other. Fhelps has screws loose just like any maffia member like Buldger did.

I think the either or look on psychology needs to change. Just like chaos vs order is wrong, it is both, with overlap.

The other danger I see in singling him out is when delusions are valued in mass. We consider him nuts because he does not have the numbers. But why is it considered perfectly sane for someone to fight for their god? People have been doing that and still do that with far worse results that Phelps could ever hope to commit.

[Brian37]

There are quite sane people as well who are sociopaths who become heads of very exploitative businesses, big banks that caused the great recession. The damage financially caused by their narcissism and "I'm rich I cant do anything wrong" caused the collapse of several industries, made people lose their retirement savings and houses and jobs.

I am glad Phelps is as nutty as he is, it allows him to be spotted more easily. I'd worry more about those with money, power and the delusion they can't do anything wrong.

[Voskhod]

There are quite sane people as well who are sociopaths who become heads of very exploitative businesses, big banks that caused the great recession. The damage financially caused by their narcissism and "I'm rich I cant do anything wrong" caused the collapse of several industries, made people lose their retirement savings and houses and jobs.

I am glad Phelps is as nutty as he is, it allows him to be spotted more easily. I'd worry more about those with money, power and the delusion they can't do anything wrong.

Difference.

A sociopath is someone who is calm. Collected. Calculating. But also has no sympathy or empathy at all for his fellow man.

A psychopath is someone who is violent. Unpredictable. Erratic. Prone to unprovoked fits of rage. Completely off the hook. But also has no sympathy or empathy at all for his fellow man.

Phelps would fall into the latter, easily.

[PickelledEggs]

My friend emailed me all the contact info for all the members of that church. Apparently someone hacked in to their system and it was leaked a while back.

I tend to not give the extremists too much attention. It always seems the more attention they get, no matter if it's good or bad, the more validation they get as a force and the more they persist as idiots.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Phelps strikes me as someone who profits hansomly from selling his message of hate. The more money he can make from it the better then he can unleash more hate and make more money.. It's about the money. Find a group supposedly despised by everyone, spread a nasty message about them then rake in the dough. It's a time tested tactic and it happens to work.

[Brian37]

There are quite sane people as well who are sociopaths who become heads of very exploitative businesses, big banks that caused the great recession. The damage financially caused by their narcissism and "I'm rich I cant do anything wrong" caused the collapse of several industries, made people lose their retirement savings and houses and jobs.

I am glad Phelps is as nutty as he is, it allows him to be spotted more easily. I'd worry more about those with money, power and the delusion they can't do anything wrong.

Difference.

A sociopath is someone who is calm. Collected. Calculating. But also has no sympathy or empathy at all for his fellow man.

A psychopath is someone who is violent. Unpredictable. Erratic. Prone to unprovoked fits of rage. Completely off the hook. But also has no sympathy or empathy at all for his fellow man.

Phelps would fall into the latter, easily.

So? Screwing your fellow human is still screwing your fellow human. You can shoot someone suddenly or boil the lobster slowly. The only difference is tactic.

I fear more the wolf in sheep's clothing than the blatant nuts that make it obvious.

[Colanth]

APA got it (because we've been through this before).  Notice the profession that so many of the Phelps clan chose.  Spew a message of hate, have people react badly to it and sue them.  If you lose, you lost nothing but a filing fee, because your attorney is a member of your immediate family.

And how do you get people to react most badly?  You do things that even extremists would consider outrageous.  You vilify a fallen hero.  You stomp on the flag.

It's about money, not about Christianity.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Even atheists have people profiting from the hatred of religion. Vilify the clergy, especially the dreaded pedophile priests and give it some thought. It won't take long to see dollar signs. If I had the money right now I'd be running ChristianFuckBuddies.com. It's about the $$$. Although...a friend suggested IslamicFuckBuddies and let the feds pay to put me in witness protection.. less work involved. :)

[Solitary]

Priest are nonproductive hypocrites that prey on the credulity and ignorance of their fellow unthinking man and little boys.  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ I never knew it could be so easy.  :shock:    Solitary

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Priest are nonproductive hypocrites that prey on the credulity and ignorance of their fellow unthinking man and little boys.  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ I never knew it could be so easy.  :shock:    Solitary

You never noticed those pretty buildings all over town that are only open one day a week a few hours a day? Hint: They're not all banks, but it's tough to tell sometimes.. look for the stained glass windows and the $100000 automobile parked in the lot.

[Brian37]

APA got it (because we've been through this before).  Notice the profession that so many of the Phelps clan chose.  Spew a message of hate, have people react badly to it and sue them.  If you lose, you lost nothing but a filing fee, because your attorney is a member of your immediate family.

And how do you get people to react most badly?  You do things that even extremists would consider outrageous.  You vilify a fallen hero.  You stomp on the flag.

It's about money, not about Christianity.

BINGO! It is never about ideology or labels or boarders. It is about resources.

That is not to say that delusion does not exist, or that Phelps is sane. Just that we are rats out for cheese. Civil society has learned to adjust. Marketers, sane or insane look to corner, and exploit for their own gain.

[PickelledEggs]

APA got it (because we've been through this before).  Notice the profession that so many of the Phelps clan chose.  Spew a message of hate, have people react badly to it and sue them.  If you lose, you lost nothing but a filing fee, because your attorney is a member of your immediate family.

And how do you get people to react most badly?  You do things that even extremists would consider outrageous.  You vilify a fallen hero.  You stomp on the flag.

It's about money, not about Christianity.

BINGO! It is never about ideology or labels or boarders. It is about resources.

That is not to say that delusion does not exist, or that Phelps is sane. Just that we are rats out for cheese. Civil society has learned to adjust. Marketers, sane or insane look to corner, and exploit for their own gain.

I actually never realized that. It does make a LOT of sense though.

[aitm]

really a damn shame though, what an absolutely fuckin brilliant poe.