Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, died Wednesday at the age of 84. Westboro was known for their anti-gay protests from numerous events from Lady Gaga concerts to the funerals of soldiers. The congregation of the Topeka, Kansas church, founded in 1955, is mostly made up of family, related either by blood or by marriage. The philosophy of the church dictated that the causes of all horrendous events in the USA - the Newtown shootings, Hurricane Sandy, etc - was God's punishment for the country's acceptance of homosexuals and openly advocated the death of lesbians and gays. Hence this is the reason for picketing, with signs like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates F**s."
The church recently chided the 'worldwide media' for 'gleefully anticipating his death.'
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/20/us/westboro-church-founder-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
I'm personally glad he died, not sorry. He brought much pain to an already struggling group as well as to many families across the United States and worldwide. My hopes are that this institution falls apart now that he's died, so that no more people can suffer from Westboro's pickets.
"Fred Phelps will not be missed by the LGBT community, people with HIV/AIDS and the millions of decent people across the world who found what he and his followers do deeply hurtful and offensive." -National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
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