The Death of a Vile Man

Fred Phelps passed away on March 19, 2014. You may not know his name, but I bet you know his works. He was the founder of Westboro Baptist Church, the group famous for picketing at funerals and demonstrating anywhere a camera might be found. Of all the sins in the world, they have laser-focused in on homosexuality, declaring that God hates homosexuals and anyone else who doesn't also hate them. They use the most vile language to get their point across, and are as hurtful as possible along the way. Phelps was a man filled with anger and hatred, fear and arrogance. He did an immeasurable amount of damage in God's name, without really knowing God at all.

Phelps's family has been torn apart by his beliefs. Most of his so called church members are family, and anyone who leaves the church is kicked out of the family. This extended even to his death in that his own children who had left the church were prevented from seeing him on his death bed by church members. Phelps's beliefs hurt a lot of people personally, but they also did a lot of damage to believers in general. His group was quick to appear where publicity could be found, and because of their hate-filled message, reporters were quick to seek them out. They became the poster children for the world's view that Christians are intolerant and that intolerance leads to oppression, hatefulness, and harm. Many have been judged by the actions of a few, even though the few did not really represent the many. No one in the media seemed to bother with the fact that, though Westboro claimed to be Baptist, they did not display ANY of the characteristics that makes one Baptist. Their beliefs were not in line with any Christian beliefs. How many people, searching for something bigger than themselves, interested in God, looked at the news and decided they wanted no part of it after seeing what so-called Christians did?

In case it wasn't clear, I did not like Fred Phelps. I hate everything he did, everything he stood for, and all of the damage he left in his wake. As the daughter of a veteran with great respect for those who serve our country, I am incensed at those who would dare to protest at a service person's funeral. As a person of faith, I hate the way they have twisted the message of love, repentance and salvation into a message of hatred and exclusion. I am not sorry that he's gone, and I pray his church dissolves, although I know that isn't likely as there was already new leadership in place before he died.

I am not sorry that he's gone, but I am sad that he died without the Truth. I saw lots of people celebrating his death, and making comments about wanting to protest his funeral, but when I heard of his death, I was saddened that another one was lost forever. Celebrating his death, protesting at his funeral....those are the same actions he would have carried out, and as Christians, we can't let that infect us. We can not lower ourselves to the same depravity that we despised in him. We can't condemn his lack of love and compassion, and then show the same lack of love and compassion toward him and his family. We must love our enemies, and we should feel sorrow when anyone, anyone at all, is lost in darkness. God desires all to be saved, and so should we.

It's hard. There are people, like Phelps, like Bin Laden, like rapists and murderers and child abusers, that are easy to hate, hard to love, and even harder to want to see saved. There is a reason people say “There's a special place in hell for someone like that.” Our human nature wants to see the vilest people punished, and we want them punished into eternity. We don't feel like they deserve to be saved. They were evil, and they deserve hell. News flash: so did you. So did I. So did we all. I never flew a plane into a building. I never picketed at a funeral or spewed hateful language at someone whose lifestyle I disagree with. I never killed someone or hurt a child. But I've committed other sins, quite a long list of them in fact. And according to God's word, it only takes ONE for me to deserve an eternity apart from Him. One lie. One time not honoring my parents. One time not honoring God. Just one. And that one sin is enough to condemn me to the same fate it is easy to wish on Phelps or Bin Laden or Manson.

When I did not deserve it, Jesus died for me. He died for you. And He died for Fred Phelps too. Let's show His love to the world by not hating as Phelps did, but desiring all to know the Truth. Let's be the light on the hill we are called to be.