Lately I’ve been intriged by a report from the BBC reporter Louis Theroux in regards to his time spent with the Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church – the same group which pickets American soldiers’ funerals among other things.
The report can be found on YouTube here (Warning: Strong Language and plenty of hate)
The Most Hated Family in America (Part 1)
(Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7)
Several things spring to mind while watching this video. The first is how these people have been feed so much hatred by “Gramps” that they themselves say things that you wouldn’t normally hear in today’s vernacular. The words “split hell wide open,” come to mind, both said by Pastor Phelps in regards to the pending death of Billy Graham and by one of the parishiners in regards to Princess Diana’s death.
These people are taught to hate, as evidenced when the reporter interviews the children of the church. How sad it was to see the grand-daughter almost realize how absurd it is to laugh at someone who they believe is going to hell. How sad it is again to hear of how, even from childhood onwards, that she was shunned by the outside world due to their extremist views that she feels she must take on to please her family and her God (see Part 7).
And yet it was surprising to find that this family, apart from the pickets, is relatively stable and polite to Louis the interviewer.