Leaving Westboro Baptist Church

It's about a year old but I just ran across this story in The New Yorker. It details the crisis of faith that consumed one member, Megan Phelps-Roper, granddaughter of Fred Phelps, and how her doubts finally led her to leave the hateful church. I wish we all had that kind of courage; she left the only way of life she had ever known. It's kind of a long read so delve in when you have some time.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/conversion-via-twitter-westboro-baptist-church-megan-phelps-roper

 

Interesting. I'm reading it. These people are interesting. They remind me of Puritans. Imagine living in that society. Imagine how much you'd hate those people.

 

Megan isn't the only Phelps family member to bail. Over 21 of them at last count have jumped ship, including three of her siblings and the late patriarch Fred Phelps' own son, Nate, who is an atheist activist! There are only 40 members of this family church, so there are some interesting family dynamics going on.