Uncategorized

So… Fred Phelps is dead.

wbcsignAccording to reports, Fred Phelps died last night at around midnight (local time).

I wrote about this a couple days ago HERE.

The nation is gearing up for a cheer and sigh of relief. I, however, urge a different course of action. A moment of silence and respect.

Think about this… We live in a country that allows a degree of religious freedom that is pretty much unheard of in this world. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church are an extreme version of this freedom. Abhorrent in their choice of uses for the freedom – yes. BUT that freedom is available to all of us.

Are you Christian? Then you partake of the same freedom. Asatru, Wiccan, Erisian, all forms of paganism, atheism, Islam, agnosticism, shamanism… Practicing any of these is possible because of this same freedom.

In spite of Fred Phelps hatred and the WBC, we should be thankful that we can practice as we see fit. And think about how hard it is for you… How difficult it is to stick your guns. One actually has to admire that kind of dedication to any ideal.

Also… there is a side to the man that we don’t see. People that were close to him knew a different side to the man. They saw things that we couldn’t see.

 

 


It has been said that Aspies don’t have empathy, but studies have shown that we have a stronger empathic response, but it is just not automatic. Once triggered, our empathic response is off the scale. The sadness and pain in her posts moves me. I don’t know why, either. I am not sure what triggered my empathic response in regards to this man and his family. I don’t know why, but the whole thing just makes me sad.

So, even if you don’t have an empathic response to this, there are other reasons to let it be.

Megan’s tweet sums up one of them… An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. I am all for justice… and I think his excommunication from his church was justice. The machine of hatred that he put into motion, cast him aside… Reports have it that he had started to state that the church needed more kindness for church members… and they kicked him out for that. Not only is that justice – it is POETIC justice. My favorite kind. But picketing his funeral, throwing hatred and screaming things like “Thank god he’s dead” is not justice… it is vengeance… and that minimizes who we are.

Another reason… it’s childish to lash back out. I find it especially ironic that most of the people that are pushing for picketing his funeral, and things like that… Are christians. I grew up in an OVERLY christian household. While I have embraced an alternate religious path since leaving my parent’s home, I remember some things from the book… The big one, however is “turn the other cheek.”

Turn the other cheek means… just let it go…

Matthew 5:39-41
King James Version (KJV)
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Even if you don’t follow this religion… I urge you to head these verses. Not because it’s the christian thing to do. Not because it’s good karma. Not because it’s the right thing to do.  (though both these things are true)… I urge you to let it go, turn the other cheek… because it is the adult thing to do.

If we can all act like adults, and show some tolerance (even to our backwards religious cousins)… then perhaps there is hope for our species, after all.

Follow me on social media... You know you want to!

2 thoughts on “So… Fred Phelps is dead.”

    1. I have fixed the contact page. It was broken when I migrated the site domains. However, had you included yours instead of registering with a fake email, I could have responded directly.

Leave a Reply