Another member of the Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for picketing the funerals of soldiers and their signs bearing the slogan ‘God Hates Fags’, has left the church.
Zach Phelps-Roper, grandson of the recently deceased Fred Phelps Senior and son of Shirley Phelps-Roper, one of the church’s most outspoken members, has renounced the church and its teachings.
Zach Phelps-Roper is joining his siblings Megan, Josh and Grace, who have been out of contact with the family since they left the church.
23 year old Zach Phelps-Roper spoke to the Topeka Journal about his decision. “Now that my mind is free from these mind traps, I can see clearly what needs to be done.”
He said that his perceptions changed when he met some members of LGBT community that were kind to him, challenging the representation of the queer community perpetuated by the church.
“After I left the church, I met some homosexual men that were very, very kind to me. I was taken aback.
“I believe that empathy and unconditional love are what is absolutely necessary for us to free ourselves and each other from mind traps and from the many problems that are plaguing our society.
“Most problems come from a lack of understanding of how we affect other people and things around us.
“I feel happier today than I did the day before. I see the world from so many different perspectives now.
“I want to learn more. I want to do more.”
Zach Phelps-Roper also reported that he’d been able to reconnect with 20 members of his extended family that he’d previously been forbidden from contacting because they had renounced the church. This includes his uncle Nate, who left the church in the 1980s at the age of 18. Nate Phelps was the first member of the family to report on the declining health of the church’s leader, Fred Phelps Senior, prior to his death.
Shirley Phelps-Roper also spoke to reporters about Zach Phelps-Roper’s decision to leave the church. “His never-dying soul is what hangs in the balance.” she said.
