While living in Illinois, I’d hoped that Fred Phelps was a myth and that I’d never actually see him. When I moved to Kansas, I first saw the Westboro Baptist Church in action in downtown Kansas City. They were across the street from an Obama rally, children and offensive signs in hand. I’ve now seen them protesting twice. [If you’ve somehow been lucky enough to not know who he is, I am warning you: This is his site, its URL is offensive, and its content is extremely offensive.]
So anyway, I just didn’t know how someone could lead a congregation around so much hate. I also don’t understand the train of thought one would take to follow the ill-conceived logic. Not to mention, Phelps, the leader of the church, had previously won awards from the NAACP for excellence in defending Civil Rights of minorities! What an unfortunate turn-around.
So some KU students made Fall From Grace, a documentary about Phelps and his church, and its won some awards. Its a fairly neutral approach, but it is hard to not have a bias against such a negative attitude and public campaign (unless of course, you were for it, in which case it would still be hard not to have a bias). Its worth checking out if you can find the stomach for it. Its heartbreaking to know such hatred exists, but it is something very present in the area, so it is best to be informed.
