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Post by hark on Apr 3, 2007 18:58:01 GMT
anyone watch this? It was interesting. Here is the BBC summary, beacuse I cannot articulate most things: "They call themselves the most hated family in the US and they picket funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. So what did Louis Theroux make of the Phelpses after three weeks?" I'll tell you what: He made a lot of them. For those who haven't/couldn't see it: www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2007/04/video_the_surre.html(It's almost an hour long, by the way) DISCUSS. PS: The sheer amount of homophobia in this is enough to make you gag. If you're of a nervous disposition etc.
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Post by youwantthis on Apr 3, 2007 19:01:31 GMT
I'd be what they call a 'fag enabler' Because i support gays and lesbians.
I was so shocked, i got angry. My gay friend got angry, he had to walk out. Then we had ice cream. Its the children i feel sorry for. Won't someone think of the children.
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Post by hark on Apr 3, 2007 19:07:16 GMT
Yeah, it was pretty sickening. I found it really hard to watch.
Those poor kids. Did you think that the girl at college didn't seem to totally believe everything she said? She looked like she was about to break half the time. It was so sad.
One thing I don't get: Almost the whole of their 'church' is part of the family. How do they expect to expand if all of them refuse to get married, and are not alive to 'serve themselves'? Hopefully they'll die out. It's fucking depraved.
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Post by youwantthis on Apr 3, 2007 19:11:56 GMT
Haven't they got a website or something? I guess they will get their message across like that.
I like how the leader of the cult, that old geezer... when he didn't have an anwser for Therouxs question.. he just called Theroux stupid and refused to anwser him. It was obvious he didn't know what the hell he was talking about. I laughed. They all look bloody imbred aswell.
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Post by BoyHeroine on Apr 3, 2007 19:16:14 GMT
They dont seem to want to expand, and they believe there is no one else like them out there.
I was so shocked and angry, particularly whn the little kid got hit by passers by and the the fact they are subjcted to this lifestyle. I was also shocked when the daughter was talking about how her father would be happy if she got hit by a car, as they believe any such accidents and deaths are the judgements of God, and thereofre to strike them down means they are evil and going to hell.
I really wished Louis had managed to track down the children on the main preacher guy who were outcasted for not adhering to him and the church, would have been an interesting perspective.
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Post by mondetriste on Apr 3, 2007 19:28:20 GMT
Westboro Church? I don't even want to watch it, to be honest. I made the mistake of going on his website once and ended up dreaming about about homophobes trying to inject me with needles filled with AIDS just so they can drag me off to hell for two days straight.
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Post by oldgregg on Apr 3, 2007 20:17:04 GMT
I found the bit where he asked the kids if they knew what their messages was heartbreaking. Does that woman not understand how damaging her behaviour is? I pity her children because they are never going to have a life outside the 'church'.
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Post by newslang on Apr 3, 2007 20:29:39 GMT
I watched the whole thing just now....wow. I, too, got the sense that the college-aged girl was trying to hide something/she didn't really believe everything that she was saying. The patriarch obvioulsy had no effing clue what he was trying to preach. Usually leaders would jump at the chance to spread his message via international media. Frig me, that was awful. At least the one woman (leader's daughter) gave some explanation for her arguements, granted they were ridiculous, but she didn't shove off the questions because they made her uncomfortable.
And yes, the children. The 7-year old girl had no idea what she was holding the sign for, it's all fun to them...and the boy who was hit with the cup, he probably doesn't understand what he's out there for either. There were a few babies in the church...I was yelling at the screen telling the reporter to grab them and runnn! They still have a chance.
I almost wonder if some of the members just stay because of the power it gives them/power it will give them even if they don't completely agree with what they preach. Obviously this isn't talking about power in society, but in their own community. Or that they feel that they're in too deep to turn back.
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Post by blake on Apr 3, 2007 20:51:35 GMT
I'll re-posted what I said in another thread today and add another thought,
The Phelps have nothing to do with Christianity though I might add..
Even the most reactionary sects of the American church reject them (largely based on their utterly unsupported by scripture belief that homosexuality is not only a sin but an unrepentable one..)
I would fucking DIE for a chance to debate The Bible with the Phelps or that fat "exhaltation of anus lust" bloke who got posted up on here. They wouldn't stand a chance.
But then if I'm going to be a real Christian I suppose I'm going to have to forgive and love those people, bummer.
The Phelps are a big time news story in the states, all the shows drag them in to argue with them, to gain ratings and as a by-product give them attention. I think its time to like a naughty child or a internetz troll we ignore these people and stop giving them the media platform they crave.
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Post by newslang on Apr 3, 2007 20:55:19 GMT
I'd rather throw eggs at them...it'd be fun. But they'd probably tell me hedonism is a sin.
edit: actually, i'm pretty sure it is a sin. nevermind then. i'd still like to throw eggs at them (not the children obviously)
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Post by resurrectart on Apr 3, 2007 23:52:40 GMT
They are just crazy. I have known about Fred Phelps at least for years.. the rest of the family fairly recently. I don't take anything they say seriously, they are just nuts. They are probably all a bunch of queers themselves.
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Post by blake on Apr 3, 2007 23:57:59 GMT
Fred Phelps reminds me of Hitler, He's a scary man.
But I actually felt sorry for the rest of the family. Louis did a good job of make them seem human beyond the repugnant beliefs.
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Post by resurrectart on Apr 3, 2007 23:59:11 GMT
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Post by hark on Apr 4, 2007 0:03:03 GMT
I thought most American media (and I guess everywhere else) ignores them so they aren't given exposure? here's a letter from one of the kids who left: cjonline.com/indepth/phelps/stories/080394_phelps03.shtmlI wonder how deeply the whole thing has affected him ie. is he homophobic? etc. The whole thing intrigues me. Apparently the KKK handed out leaflets against them, which I find funny in quite a wrong way.
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Post by resurrectart on Apr 4, 2007 0:28:45 GMT
The KKK are against Fred Phelps? Why? Aren't they against everything he is?
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Post by tarantella on Apr 4, 2007 5:31:21 GMT
This brought me to tears a few times, it's so sick. All my rage and disgust is for what these people do to their children--the Phelps hurt themselves far worse than they hurt anyone else. Little kids! It's just inevitable that all of them are going to be completely fucked up, if they aren't so already. I'm glad for the ones that got out.
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Post by josemutiny on Apr 4, 2007 6:45:05 GMT
Why do people actually get angry over this? or cry?
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Post by AnneYgerne on Apr 4, 2007 8:07:28 GMT
I've watched the first 5 minutes and I'm already fed up with their opinions...
and so she's had 11 children: is she planing to have #12, like Jesus's 12 apostles?
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Post by BoyHeroine on Apr 4, 2007 8:58:36 GMT
Why do people actually get angry over this? or cry? I think its those darn human emotion things, damn them all, one day they will evolve into hard shelled metallic bastards and we shal live forever and never die and a computer will have a baby and we'll be fucked.
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Post by hark on Apr 4, 2007 13:30:42 GMT
Why do people actually get angry over this? or cry? Why the hell wouldn't they be angry? That video made me laugh so hard. I'm surprised one of them didn't start punching him.
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