If you have been reading this blog for long, you will know I have two biases. My greatest bias is toward women. There is no greater living being on the face of this earth than a woman. And I love them for everything they are. My second bias is toward children and grandchildren of spiritually abusive caretakers.
I just spent all night without sleep studying Fred Phelps, the elderly hateful "pastor" of the Westboro Baptist Church, and his extended family. Part of my research led me to the embedded video, which is part of a series by Louis Theroux titled, The Most Hated Family in America.
In this video, we watch as Theroux goes into the bedroom of Phelp's 11-year-old grandson to interview him. Two things stood out to me during this brief discussion.
1. The young man was quite obviously parroting lines he had heard repeated over and over again. Without even thinking, he said that "gay" meant "happy", which is a line from one of Phelps' many sermons, then he quickly listed "homosexuality" as another trite description of what are most definitely "filthy fags, so you can just shut up." The boy quickly coughed on his words, realizing what just came out of his mouth and seeing Theroux's reaction and incredulous questioning of "you just told me to shut-up?!", quickly backpedaled in red-faced embarrassment and apologized.
He never meant to say those words. You can watch the video and see it in living color. The fact is, he had been trained to say them. The rhetoric had been so etched into his brain that he never even batted an eye. His training was such that he was taught to talk to a person as if they disagreed with his viewpoint. I believe this young man has never met a person outside of his family who agrees with him. It's sad.
2. When asked to validate the "end times" happenings in the contemporary world, he starts speaking incoherently about an aunt's vision of a pink cave that fits their extended family. Then, he tells of them huddling around a computer screen, finding pink caves in Jordan. Obviously, to this young man, this narrative is proof that the end is near. Twice, he tries to get Theroux to acknowledge that the image was "cool". Theroux graciously obliged him. Again, sad.
Reality is not a necessary ingredient in this young man's life. Worse yet, a cave is only small enough to fit his entire 80-strong extended family in. Thus, he has swallowed the idea that other members have set forth, that since nobody is doing what they are doing, there are no others in the elect of God. All others will go to hell.
Then, Theroux moves on to the bedroom of one of the granddaughters. Within seconds, he is surrounded by the other two granddaughters and some woman who I assume was their mother. I stared in shock and wonder. These girls were absolutely beautiful! And they wore fashionable clothing.
Then they opened their mouths. And I wept.
My heart is heavy. I can only hope beyond all hope, that these beautiful young ladies will cast off the shackles of the embittered women they call their mothers, and the pompous pricks they call their fathers, reject the heavy handed, tunnel visioned, hateful, bigoted rhetoric of their master, Fred Phelps, and run. The world needs their beauty for both a brighter canvas of life, as well as the intellect that they revealed.
While you watch the lengthy discussion between Theroux and the girls, note two things:
[Update: Oops! While the video embedded above is the correct video for watching the young boy speak, it does not contain the content of the girl's flushed faces. Watch it anyway to see a discussion about a Muslim wife dying because her husband didn't burn Korans with the faithful. The correct link is here. Start it at 47:00.]
1. The girls are in love with a young reporter from overseas. You can see it in their faces. They are flushed whenever he is referenced. The most beautiful of the girls has his picture on her phone. They have been exchanging gifts and following one another on Twitter. And yet, they rejoice that God is good by sending him to hell. Romance is out of the question even though there is so much there for them.
2. God is sovereign and the girls must worship him for all his naughty judgements, as well as his good ones. Oddly enough, only their family receives the good ones. Everyone else is going to hell. They are not even interested in reaching this young reporter for God. Hell, as his destination, is a bygone conclusion. And they laugh, shrug it off, and go on with life.
I weep. My heart is heavy.
I just spent all night without sleep studying Fred Phelps, the elderly hateful "pastor" of the Westboro Baptist Church, and his extended family. Part of my research led me to the embedded video, which is part of a series by Louis Theroux titled, The Most Hated Family in America.
In this video, we watch as Theroux goes into the bedroom of Phelp's 11-year-old grandson to interview him. Two things stood out to me during this brief discussion.
1. The young man was quite obviously parroting lines he had heard repeated over and over again. Without even thinking, he said that "gay" meant "happy", which is a line from one of Phelps' many sermons, then he quickly listed "homosexuality" as another trite description of what are most definitely "filthy fags, so you can just shut up." The boy quickly coughed on his words, realizing what just came out of his mouth and seeing Theroux's reaction and incredulous questioning of "you just told me to shut-up?!", quickly backpedaled in red-faced embarrassment and apologized.
He never meant to say those words. You can watch the video and see it in living color. The fact is, he had been trained to say them. The rhetoric had been so etched into his brain that he never even batted an eye. His training was such that he was taught to talk to a person as if they disagreed with his viewpoint. I believe this young man has never met a person outside of his family who agrees with him. It's sad.
2. When asked to validate the "end times" happenings in the contemporary world, he starts speaking incoherently about an aunt's vision of a pink cave that fits their extended family. Then, he tells of them huddling around a computer screen, finding pink caves in Jordan. Obviously, to this young man, this narrative is proof that the end is near. Twice, he tries to get Theroux to acknowledge that the image was "cool". Theroux graciously obliged him. Again, sad.
Reality is not a necessary ingredient in this young man's life. Worse yet, a cave is only small enough to fit his entire 80-strong extended family in. Thus, he has swallowed the idea that other members have set forth, that since nobody is doing what they are doing, there are no others in the elect of God. All others will go to hell.
Then, Theroux moves on to the bedroom of one of the granddaughters. Within seconds, he is surrounded by the other two granddaughters and some woman who I assume was their mother. I stared in shock and wonder. These girls were absolutely beautiful! And they wore fashionable clothing.
Then they opened their mouths. And I wept.
My heart is heavy. I can only hope beyond all hope, that these beautiful young ladies will cast off the shackles of the embittered women they call their mothers, and the pompous pricks they call their fathers, reject the heavy handed, tunnel visioned, hateful, bigoted rhetoric of their master, Fred Phelps, and run. The world needs their beauty for both a brighter canvas of life, as well as the intellect that they revealed.
While you watch the lengthy discussion between Theroux and the girls, note two things:
[Update: Oops! While the video embedded above is the correct video for watching the young boy speak, it does not contain the content of the girl's flushed faces. Watch it anyway to see a discussion about a Muslim wife dying because her husband didn't burn Korans with the faithful. The correct link is here. Start it at 47:00.]
1. The girls are in love with a young reporter from overseas. You can see it in their faces. They are flushed whenever he is referenced. The most beautiful of the girls has his picture on her phone. They have been exchanging gifts and following one another on Twitter. And yet, they rejoice that God is good by sending him to hell. Romance is out of the question even though there is so much there for them.
2. God is sovereign and the girls must worship him for all his naughty judgements, as well as his good ones. Oddly enough, only their family receives the good ones. Everyone else is going to hell. They are not even interested in reaching this young reporter for God. Hell, as his destination, is a bygone conclusion. And they laugh, shrug it off, and go on with life.
I weep. My heart is heavy.
