Thank God! Fred Phelps, controversial Westboro Baptist Church pastor, dies at 84
- 9 years ago
Fred Phelps, the controversial founding pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church famous for its anti-gay campaign died on Thursday, according to a Church spokesman.
He was 84.
The Topeka, Kansas, church became famous for picketing military funerals and political events claiming that the deaths were God's retribution for America's lax attitude toward homosexuals and abortion.
Church members would appear at events holding signs that read "God Hates Fags," "Thank God for AIDS," "America is Doomed," and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."
The group's actions inspired numerous laws limiting funeral protest, but the US Supreme Court in 2011 ruled in favor of free speech, saying the church could not be sued for inflicting pain on grieving families.
Phelps, died in a Kansas area hospice. He had recently been put there after suffering health problems.
He was 84.
The Topeka, Kansas, church became famous for picketing military funerals and political events claiming that the deaths were God's retribution for America's lax attitude toward homosexuals and abortion.
Church members would appear at events holding signs that read "God Hates Fags," "Thank God for AIDS," "America is Doomed," and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."
The group's actions inspired numerous laws limiting funeral protest, but the US Supreme Court in 2011 ruled in favor of free speech, saying the church could not be sued for inflicting pain on grieving families.
Phelps, died in a Kansas area hospice. He had recently been put there after suffering health problems.