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Fred Phelps, Founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, near death


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jase: I've read it all the way through two or three times. I was raised Presbyterian and went to a religious school for some eight years.

I was indoctrinated - I really believed that shit. Then I read it all again after I gave up on it, and I realized that no matter which lens you read it through, it's all bullshit.

Just thought I'd comment on my personal experience.

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children raised in the WBC are no different from children raised devoutly christian. some will peel away, but others blindly follow. children's minds are malleable; you expose a child to anything for a long enough period of time and it'll become fact to them. even as adults we can convince ourselves that non-truths are fact. we are more apt to remember a memory they way we want to instead of the way it actually was.

 

this is basically my long-winded version of what jase said:

 

You realise that is every religion on earth.

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jase: I've read it all the way through two or three times. I was raised Presbyterian and went to a religious school for some eight years.

I was indoctrinated - I really believed that shit. Then I read it all again after I gave up on it, and I realized that no matter which lens you read it through, it's all bullshit.

Just thought I'd comment on my personal experience.

Similar sort of experience here. Raised Southern Baptist and forced into the church at an early age. I've read through the Bible twice.

I just find it lame when I know the Text better than the person sharing "the good news" with me does.

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going off on a rant here, but I was at JC Pennys yesterday buying stuff when two people came up to me and stated "hi, were here shopping, but I wanted to know have you heard of _______(i forgot what they said)?"  I replied no.  he went on "well do you believe in the lord the holy savior and that the bible is the word of god?" i said no, thanks and started to turn away.  "do you believe in science?"  UUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH.  I got fucking CORNERED by some biblethumping assholes in JC Pennys.  I told them I dont care, I dont believe in anything, I dont care what happens to me, my soul, their souls, I. dont. care.  then the girl speaks up "I was like that once, too, then I found jesus, and if you believe in history then you'd love jesus too, do you believe in history?"  and then I blew up and told them to fuck off, I dont care all I want is to buy a pair of jeans, leave me the fuck alone and walked away.  some dude with his baby gave me a headnod as he walked past me, apparently having heard everytthing.. they also found my wife in another store and did the same shit.  and she's a history teacher.  she was so mad.  what is wrong with people

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I mean usually the pickets against them (at least the one I went to and others I've seen) are about love and acceptance and protecting the victim's family by making a wall between them and the WBC folk. 

 

He's a weird guy Fred; a disbarred civil rights lawyer turned hater.

 

 

Wishing death on people sucks but no matter what, he's right about to go.

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going off on a rant here, but I was at JC Pennys yesterday buying stuff when two people came up to me and stated "hi, were here shopping, but I wanted to know have you heard of _______(i forgot what they said)?"  I replied no.  he went on "well do you believe in the lord the holy savior and that the bible is the word of god?" i said no, thanks and started to turn away.  "do you believe in science?"  UUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH.  I got fucking CORNERED by some biblethumping assholes in JC Pennys.  I told them I dont care, I dont believe in anything, I dont care what happens to me, my soul, their souls, I. dont. care.  then the girl speaks up "I was like that once, too, then I found jesus, and if you believe in history then you'd love jesus too, do you believe in history?"  and then I blew up and told them to fuck off, I dont care all I want is to buy a pair of jeans, leave me the fuck alone and walked away.  some dude with his baby gave me a headnod as he walked past me, apparently having heard everytthing.. they also found my wife in another store and did the same shit.  and she's a history teacher.  she was so mad.  what is wrong with people

 

so your wife is a history teacher who doesn't believe in history?  :P

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He was an unimportant man that had little influence whatsoever. The audacity behind his message lead to outsized media coverage. He inflicted pain on many individuals through the evil of his actions. He'll be remembered as a hateful, small minded man who inspired myriad more people to come out and express love than he did to join his crusade of hate. The ultimate legacy is one where thousands come out in opposition to his rallies of a dozen. His message was rejected and in fact likely helped us usher in a greater understanding of what hate and bigotry look like with full outward expression which ultimately has lead to great reform sweeping this country because in the end who the hell wants to be Fred Phelps? 

 

In a really odd way, thanks to his media-whoring, this guy gave a face to all the faceless bigotry we were fighting and as an example gave us a place to point as we asked for hate crime legislation, as we asked for equal rights for homosexuals, and as we simply asked for a world where we can all be equal and accepting of each other as humans on a common planet. 

 

Peace Freddie - thanks for helping to hit fast forward on social change legislation you deplored. 

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so your wife is a history teacher who doesn't believe in history?  :P

i just wanna say something to the phrasing of this

 

depends on the meaning of your question.

history is a chronicle of things that have happened, so no we do not believe in history, we know of it.

however history is written by the majority and things and left out, so do i believe in history there, no.

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i just wanna say something to the phrasing of this

 

depends on the meaning of your question.

history is a chronicle of things that have happened, so no we do not believe in history, we know of it.

however history is written by the majority and things and left out, so do i believe in history there, no.

 

the meaning of the question was that it's a joke

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Watched Louis's first documentary last night.  I'll have to search for his follow-up.  

 

Before watching this film, I never really took the time to understand what their beliefs really were. The hate they were propagandising was enough for me to completely disregard them, but after watching that film, their form of moral absolutism is terrifying.  There were so many questions I wish Louis had asked that I would think would trip them up and prove their hypocrisy but they are so damn rehearsed in their speech, it's scary.  Such hateful people. Again, not that I wish harm on anyone, but I wonder how they would justify if one of their members was killed since their beliefs are if you're killed or get cancer or any other random act of life, you're a sinner and going to hell.

 

 

On a side note, this comes up on these boards a lot about how religion is terrible - there are a lot of religious people in this world who are decent people who never push their beliefs on others and just live their lives like a lot of us.  While some groups are outspoken and do abuse whatever chance they get to meet people, they do not speak for the whole and never will.  I'm not particularly religious at the moment, but I would also never join in the same realm of moral absolutism and say that anything ever to do with religion is bad and causes this type of hate.  Power and hate and fear do that, sometimes under the guise of some god's will, but we should be more careful to distinguish between these nonsensical hate groups and people living decent lives as they choose.

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I dont think religion is bad, there are some great people out there who are of faith who do great things for people, and some people really need religion and the belief of something else to move on in their lives.  thats great!  whatever makes you a better person.  I heard this from one of my friends when she was explaining her beliefs, she simply said, "I believe in Good, not God."  and really, that says it all.  just be a good person towards people. 

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Just looking at this from the other side of the coin here, but why is it assumed that people who are good are so because they are religious?  I don't think it makes sense to categorize it as people who are good because of faith vs people who are good because of morals.  It should be good people vs not so good people, because there's no way to tell that someone is that way due to a religious background, or from the absence of one.

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I dont think religion is bad, there are some great people out there who are of faith who do great things for people, and some people really need religion and the belief of something else to move on in their lives.  thats great!  whatever makes you a better person.  I heard this from one of my friends when she was explaining her beliefs, she simply said, "I believe in Good, not God."  and really, that says it all.  just be a good person towards people. 

 

so, humanism?

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also, True Detective laying down the truth:

 

Hart: I mean, can you imagine if people didn't believe, what things they'd get up to?
Cohle: Exact same thing they do now. Just out in the open.
Hart: Bullshit. It'd be a fucking freak show of murder and debauchery and you know it.
Cohle: If the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward, then brother that person is a piece of shit; and I'd like to get as many of them out in the open as possible.

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