The easiest way to see hate is through the unapologetic acknowledgement of it by those who are hate-mongering. One family that does this openly is the Phelps family. While some may say the family is fascinating (in a disturbing way), the Phelps family is more bothersome and something that people should fear, simply because they are an unpredictable, crazy bunch.

It is easy to see that the Phelps could be capable of violence and many other destructive, hurtful tactics, to take their hatred one step further. That is why every human being on this Earth should be aware of this family, what they are capable of, and what they believe.

You may have heard about a group who protest at the funerals of soldiers. The group is the members of the Westboro Baptist Church, whose membership is made up primarily by the Phelps family. Fred Phelps is the head of the Phelps family. I don’t like to write about Phelps much merely because the more attention he seems to get, the more he believes his mission (whatever distorted vision that may be) is being accomplished, merely because his hate messages are spewed to a national and international audience. However, since the documentary, Fall From Grace looks at the Phelps and their mission, from both their perspective and the perspective of others, it is easy to see why so many people oppose Phelps and his ministry. It is hard to imagine anyone could be swayed over to the side of this crazy man, whose only followers appear to be his family and a few stragglers who like causing trouble.

Fred Phelps is the minister of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Phelps is the father of 13 children, 52 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. Of his children, all but four of them, all of whom are estranged from the main family, are members of the Westboro Church. While two of his estranged children were interviewed by telephone, it is not only through his own words, but through the words of his children both followers and non-believers who paint a picture of a disturbed, abusive, and psychologically unstable man. While the Westboro Baptist Church has been painted as a cult, it is easy to see why given the church leader’s background.

Fall From Grace lets the Phelps family speak in depth on their beliefs. It even shows Fred, multiple times, as he goes through this manic hysteria where he preaches his beliefs, whether they are truly Christian or not. It isn’t hard to see that Fred is crazy. He really does seem to need mental help. Of course, how easily most of his children and grandchildren follow his lead is just disturbing. All of his grandchildren (who aren’t estranged from him) have been brainwashed to believe the BS he spews and all of his children have obviously been trained through years of listening and being pounded with his beliefs, to train their own children and taint a new generation with their hate speech and hateful beliefs.

While the only members of the Westboro Baptist Church are his family, people who have married into the family, and a documentary filmmaker who converted to the church, with so many children and grandchildren to carry on the work of Reverend Phelps after he has passed on, there are enough Phelps to last for multiple generations to come. You can almost see the gleam of triumph in the eyes of Fred’s most vocal son, Tim Phelps, who speaks of how his father’s work will go on after he dies. It’s clear that Tim thinks he’s the next Fred Phelps and granted, he’s crazy enough to believe he could take over the old man’s place. Of course, I think Phelps Sr. might have qualms about just how much his son seems to want to overtake the role of head of the church (and family) from his dear old dad.

On the female side is Shirley Phelps-Roper, the daughter of Phelps. Since their beliefs, according to one of the estranged siblings, have women in a somewhat subversive role, it is surprising to see how active Shirley is with the church. Phelps’ granddaughter is also very vocal and the two women, by his own laws of church (and the Biblical world) should be considered heretics. I guess for the Phelps only certain passages of the Bible apply and others don’t. Furthermore, Fred mentions several stories he claims are in the Bible. I have read the Bible (both Catholic and King James) multiple times and cannot recall even a hint of recognition to the stories he was spewing.

At some points in this documentary, it felt like Fred was mixing the Biblical word with that of his own messed up concepts and beliefs. He also takes passages out of context, doesn’t read whole passages, and interprets “his Bible” the way he believes it was written. I wonder if Fred has ever looked into reading the original Biblical passages written in Ancient Greek and Hebrew. Since he hates Jews, it would be interesting to see how he would go about reading the true Bible’s passages, which are said to differ distinctly with that of its English translation. Of course, it is clear Phelps is mentally ill and he’s going to believe whatever he thinks is right, whether it is or not.

The sad part is that innocent children are involved in this. The children have been groomed from birth to preach the word of their Grandfather. These children are filled with hate and proud to be that way. Like little robots they repeat their token slogan, “God Hates Fags” again and again. They also call gay people ‘dirty beasts’ (again this was a term ingrained in them) amongst other names. They also truly believe that anyone who doesn’t follow their beliefs will go to hell.

One little girl says her favorite slogan/sign they use while picketing is “God Hates Fags”. When asked why she states ‘because gay people are bad and God is going to send them to hell.’ The other children, some who look as young as four, repeat the same message over and over, in nearly identical words. They may not even understand what they are saying, but they think their beliefs are right nonetheless.

Tim explains why he should be allowed to teach his kids about why “God hates Fags”. Since Christians let their ‘nitwit’ children participate in Christmas, Easter and Halloween, his hate-mongering ways are a similar way for him to bond with his children. While harmless holidays really have nothing to do with teaching children about hate, none of the Phelps seem too stable. Of course, this is what makes them dangerous, especially if they ever got their hands on semi-automatic weapons.

Fall From Grace, which debuted at Austin’s SXSW Film Festival, will air on December 4, 2007 on Showtime. If you miss it, it will be airing on the various Showtime networks throughout the month of December. This is one documentary you won’t want to miss watching, if only to make yourself aware of the Phelps family, their mission, and the danger they could cause if they decided to take more physical action on a quest to spread their hateful words.

Technorati Tags: Fall From Grace, Fred Phelps, Westboro Baptist Church, Hate, God Hates Fags, Topeka, Kansas

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