By JUSTIN KENDALL
The black sheep of Fred Phelps' flock, Nate Phelps, recently gave an interview to a student newspaper in Western Canada.
The Ubyssey recaps Nate Phelps' alleged beatings at the hands of his father and his exile from the church. The younger Phelps is now a cab-driving atheist living in Cranbrook, British Columbia.
The most intriguing nugget in the story is Nate Phelps' claim that nephews he's never met have contacted him and told him they've left the Westboro Baptist Church.
“Once he made the choice, he’s cut off," Phelps says of his nephew Tim. "Everything that he grew up with is taken away from him, and he gets to wonder if he’s going to burn in hell….[He’s] living with that shadow.”
For his own part, Phelps says, "I just want peace. I want to not wake up fearful every morning.”
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This family is so BRAINWASHED, living out in the middle of Nowheresville, ignorant from the rest of the world. They can't even realize they're feeding into everything they say they hate. They are media whores. I pity them SO much. And I feel bad for those kids especially. Maybe they will grow up and save themselves by leaving that insufferable cult.
I wonder about the accuracy of this article. Last I knew, Nate Phelps lived near his brother, Mark, in Southern California.
I wonder about the accuracy of this article. Last I knew, Nate Phelps lived near his brother, Mark, in Southern California.
SHIRLEY PHELPS ROPER IF THERE IS A HELL THEN YOU WILL MOST CERTAINLY SERVE AS THE MISTRESS OF SATAN (E.G YOUR FATHER) THROUGHOUT ETERNITY!
SHIRLEY PHELPS ROPER IF THERE IS A HELL THEN YOU WILL MOST CERTAINLY SERVE AS THE MISTRESS OF SATAN (E.G YOUR FATHER) THROUGHOUT ETERNITY!
Shirl...
Are you so messed up in the head that you're talking about your own brother? Oh, and those "rebellious nephews," one of them happens to be your own son Josh.
You're going to turn your back on your brother and your own child to feed your father's lust for hate?
If so, you're not only a sorry excuse for a sister. You're also the worst mother I've ever seen in my life.
I'm a Christian, but I dont blame him one bit for turning to atheism. If my religious experiences as a child were that traumatic, I probably would lose my faith too...
I only hope he isn't a believer because of any resentment he harbors towards his family's inane, hate-filled teaching. If that's the case, he won't find peace in himself, until he makes peace with God...
Or I could be wrong, if that's what he truly believes, more power to him...
Wait a minute. Everybody lay off Shirley and the Westboro Baptist Church. When they tell you that the God of the bible hates these certain people, it's because the bible says he does. This love and cinnamon buns picture you've created about Jesus and Jehova God is the illusion
Christianity is, by it's very nature, violent. The god of the Jews was even more so. You can serve or you can burn. There are no other options outlined in scripture.
I am an atheist, and I support this message.
It is consistently amusing to see so many people, for good or ill, quoting a book of fiction as though it were irrefutable fact.
Shirley Phelps-Roper: I've seen several of your comments on various sites on the Internet. I don't know much about Westboro Church, and don't care to. What I do know is that angry, hate-filled speech and writing is never from the Lord. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the use of edifying....." (Ephesians 4:29) How does GOD HATES F*GS satisfy the requirement of the quoted Scripture? It doesn't.
Instead of obsessing on gays, Christians should be focusing on the goodness and righteousness of heterosexual, Christian marriage. Every time you want to lash out at gays, you should, instead, say something positive about man/woman marriage and family. Philippians 4:4 says to think on the things which are just, pure, lovely, etc. Christians are not supposed to focus on what we believe to be sin more than we focus on godly living.
Most people are tired of hearing about the Phelps. We're tired of all of them. Do they reflect the fruit of the Spirit? (Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faith, meekness, temperance?) NO. The legacy of the Phelps family is wrath, hatred, anger, excess, indignation, pessimism, and fear.
Should Christians be wrathful toward the unsaved? NO. "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God". (James 1:20)
This kind of angry, wrathful proselytizing is not of Christ, and most people know that. Anger, wrath, and spite comes from another spirit, not God's Spirit. I don't think this post will convince any of that group; but it's important that other readers know that most Christians do try to reflect Christ and not their own fears and hatreds.
Shirley Phelps-Roper you are an incurious deluded tool, who is prone to trance induction, and hypnotism. Your sad critical thinking skills lack most of necessary abilities needed to independently continue existence. You could not keep yourself alive on your own judgment making capabilities, much less that of thriving vital children.
I guarantee that parts of your brain are bleeding/ damaged from being beaten, by some insecure authority figure.
If hell is an absence of the virus of your beliefs, I graciously accept my damnation.
Oh wait, nevermind I just rot into the earth and nothing happens when I die.
Have you ever truly considered that you may be in heaven, right now? You are certainly screwing it up then, aren't you? Bigot.
don't worry, shirley is also going to hell because of she had a child out of wedlock which means pre-marital sex. technically, she should have been stoned on her father's doorstep for not being a virgin on her wedding night, but in her form of christianity they only teach the hateful messages that don't apply to them. too bad too, because shrimp is a delicious, delicious abomination.
Shirley, wow. Jesus teaches love, did you miss that part in the Bible? It's interesting how you morons take the Bible out of context to promote your views. I don't believe in Hell, because quite honestly I'm not stupid enough to take other people's teachings of the Bible seriously. I can think for myself. Your hateful views make no sense in the context of God, love, Christianity, the Bible, and Jesus. But if anyone was deserving of burning in Hell (IF IT EXISTED) it would be the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.
Shirley Phelps-Roper sounds like she has the emotional and intellectual maturity of a six year old child throwing a nanny, nanny boo, boo tantrum.
It's profoundly sad to me that so many of the Phelps family members will never have the intellectual honesty of integrity to look at the bible skeptically, understand that it is a hodge podge of inconsistent writings by ignorant bronze age men and I'd bet none of them a a clue about the history of the Christian church or how the New Testament was assembled.
On the other hand, this story gives me hope for humanity that the mind is capable of escaping even from such a warped and fundamentally backwards family.
The best part of this story for me is that I have experienced the release of losing my religion as I used to be an evangelical Christian. Reading Shirley Phelps-Roper's ranting about not finding peace made me laugh because I never really knew peace until I unburdened myself from the ignorant mind controlling religion that was insisting I am a terrible sinner and everyone who doesn't jump through hoops X, Y and Z is going to pay for their finite crimes on Earth with infinite torture in Hell. If that's what these people believe about God, then it's clear to me that in the depth of their minds they will never find true peace in this lifetime, and since this is the only life we get, it may as well be an eternity without peace, so I'm actually sad for the Phelps family in that regard.
I hope Nate has or finds a healthy community of free-thinkers to enjoy his life with.
Good for you Nate - don't let the mind games get you down. It's all about control but you don't have to play.
Peace and love from a fellow atheist.
I find the most intriguing nugget in the story is the nugget of truth that is brought to bear on this discussion. The title of the story was "Running From Hell" and the words of TRUTH that comes shining through it all. The gripe of Nathan Phelps and his rebel nephews is that they are fearful of spending eternity in hell. Well duh, what do they think - they don't get to grow up among the servants of God and lack knowledge of what God promises to rebels. Check it out:
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses� law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
You go like a brute stomping along lying about God's people and chasing your lusts, and you think that is going to go well for you. Nathan Phelps is a living testimony to the truth of God! Check it:
Isa 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Isa 57:21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Jer 6:14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Jer 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Eze 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
Eze 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.
At the end of the day, we are going to stay on task and on message, THAT is our duty - THAT is YOUR duty. We will obey - you do what you want, but don't act surprised when you have NO PEACE! The promises of God are as good as gold and he made a covenant with his people, to wit:
De 11:26 � Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Your best friend,
Shirley Phelps-Roper
11/1/08
I find the most intriguing nugget in the story is the nugget of truth that is brought to bear on this discussion. The title of the story was "Running From Hell" and the words of TRUTH that comes shining through it all. The gripe of Nathan Phelps and his rebel nephews is that they are fearful of spending eternity in hell. Well duh, what do they think - they don't get to grow up among the servants of God and lack knowledge of what God promises to rebels. Check it out:
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses� law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
You go like a brute stomping along lying about God's people and chasing your lusts, and you think that is going to go well for you. Nathan Phelps is a living testimony to the truth of God! Check it:
Isa 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Isa 57:21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Jer 6:14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Jer 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Eze 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
Eze 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.
At the end of the day, we are going to stay on task and on message, THAT is our duty - THAT is YOUR duty. We will obey - you do what you want, but don't act suprised when you have NO PEACE! The promises of God are as good as gold and he made a covenant with his people, to wit:
De 11:26 � Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Your best friend,
Shirley Phelps-Roper
11/1/08
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