Nathan Phelps

Boo · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:46 pm **Posts:** 154

Nate Phelps, the estranged son of Fred Phelps (Westboro Baptist Church) recently spoke at the American Atheist Convention. He has also started a website.

His speech can be read on his website http://www.natephelps.com/10801.html

Roselyn · **Joined:** Thu Aug 07, 2008 6:57 am **Posts:** 1558

Excellent speech. Seems family abusing Fred lost two sons in the process of his Calvinistic lunacy. I'm afraid his unlucky wife had no place to go with nine children in tow. He sounds like one of those control freaks who would have followed her and maybe even have killed them all in his self perceived godliness.

Mickey · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:04 am **Posts:** 585

Boo, thanks for posting this fascinating article. I'm glad that Nate got free of his father's evil

This excerpt is even further evidence (as if we needed any) of what a crazy heartless bastard Fred Phelps is:

Quote:

Women were second class citizens in our church and family, and my father proclaimed this adamantly, with no room for compromise. The bible was very clear on the subject. Eve was deceived by the snake in Eden, and was therefore the weaker vessel in every respect. Paul bolstered this misogynistic attitude in his letters to the early churches. Wives were to be in subjection to their husbands; and by extension, it was a husband’s responsibility to bring his wife back into submission if she strayed. Women were to keep silent in the church. Women were to have the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. These were just truths that we took as fundamental.

Yet when my father turned his instructive fist on my mother, I instinctively felt internal conflict. For me, it was intuitively wrong that a 6 foot 2, 250 pound man be allowed to beat up a woman barely half his size. But we dared not intervene or even question his actions, because his behavior was sanctioned by god.

In one instance, as my father was stalking our mother at the top of the stairs, she stumbled and started to fall. Reaching out to catch herself she ripped her arm out of the socket. My father refused to let her get medical treatment to repair the damaged muscles and tendons. In subsequent, years when he was angry with her, he would inevitably grab for that injured arm. On a few occasions he managed to get hold of it and re-injure it.

Boo · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:46 pm **Posts:** 154

You're welcome Mickey. You have to wonder, how many more Nate's are out there? We know he's not alone.

Ham On Rye · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:19 am **Posts:** 82

Poignant

intheory · **Posted:** Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:39 am

This is an AMAZING speech. WOW! Thank you so much for posting, Boo. It's funny, I started writing an autbiography of my childhool in a fundamentalist church, but his experience DEFINITELY takes the cake! I absolutely found a kindred spirit in his writing. My home was not abusive, but the church that I grew up in WAS, and I was the most dogmatic, sincere, bible-believing 8 year old that you can imagine, lecturing my parents about family devotions and daily bible reading.

This was awesome.

Hello to everyone, by the way!

-Dan

Mickey · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:04 am **Posts:** 585

Dan, it's GOOD to see you! What have you been doing......still in Florida? Update pleez!

intheory · **Posted:** Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:21 pm

Hey Mickey! 8-)

I'm good, still in SW Florida. We are growing to love it and think of it as home more and more. I finally got hooked up with a band down here (not that we're doing much more than jamming right now, but they're a great group of guys and REALLY solid musicians, so I'm happy). Family is doing very well. We're looking forward to our upcoming trip to Oregon and Colorado in June-now THAT will be a good time!!!

Good to talk to you Mickey!

Boo · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:46 pm **Posts:** 154

You're welcome intheory.

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