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Anthony Karen / LIFE.com
Services at the Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka, Kansas in June, 2008.
Anthony Karen / LIFE.com
Signs used during pickets in storage at the Westboro church garage.
Anthony Karen / LIFE.com
Fred Phelps' daughter and church spokesperson, Shirley Phelps-Roper, holds a sign during a protest at Topeka's Gage Park, June 2008. The Westboro church's first protest was held here in June 1991 after an incident in which, according to Pastor Phelps, a gay man tried to lure his then five-year-old grandson into the park. The church still pickets at the park on a regular basis.
Life published a series of images by photograher Anthony Karen, who spent some time with members of the Westboro Baptist Church. The church first made headlines in 2006, picketing the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq. The church planned to protest at the funerals of the victims of the Tucson shooting. Who are they? What drives them to protest? Karen attempted to find out. See more of his images on Life.com.
Update: Brought to my attention by a reader, is that the group first gained notorietyafter picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard in 1998. They have also protested at services for Fred Rogers, Coretta Scott King and Jerry Falwell. In 2006, they protested at Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder's funeral and his family sued for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Leave a Comment:
Please stop feeding the trolls. The less you call attention to their hate, the greater the chance they'll find another hobby.
Matthew, Pastor Phelps is like Charles Manson; he's the 'father'. He hides, in Kansas, while his girls and their kids go forth to do his vile bidding. It's just a big, ugly extended family. When Phelps passes away so will the Westboro Baptist Church. Then those poor souls will have nothing.
"Phaedra Singelis writes:Life published a series of images by photograher Anthony Karen, who spent some time with members of the Westboro Baptist Church. The church first made headlines in 2006, picketing the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq."
Um. Matthew Shepard? Killed October 12, 1998 and his funeral protested by WBC.
These lowlifes started showing up at the funeral of gay men at least as early as the early 90's. As the funerals they were showing up at were only those of queers who died of AIDS, no one cared. It was only when they started protesting at soldier funerals did anyone start trying to stop them or care what they were doing. Now we have all kinds of people upset at their antics. A little late, but better late than never. These evil clowns will get theirs. Paybacks an eternal bitch.
As a person living in Topeka we are contantly disgusted by these hateful people. We shield our childrens eyes so we do not have to explain the hate they portray. The whole city is embarrassed by thes Phelps Cult
why do they even bother to show this garbage group?
Just looking at the words on the back of this man's shirt is disturbing. It was bad enough these people showed up at the burials of gays but then to single out soldiers and more recently wanted to single out an innocent young girl was outrageous. These people are not living the lives of true Christians or treating one another as Christ would have wanted.
They do it to get attention, and the more attention they get the more they will do these protests. It is a hate-filled church, not a Christian Church. There is a big difference between the two.
They should be ashamed, God wouldn't do this. Jesus wouldn't do this. Jesus loved and prayed for those who hated him.
The mere existence of this "church" almost lends truth to the existence of Satan. If there was such an entity, it's home would be in Topeka, at the Westboro Baptist Church!
These people give new meaning to "pornographic."
It is media outlets like msnbc that keeps them going. Without the media no one would even know they existed and without an audience they would soon stop demonstrating. Nothing can be done about it because media greed trumps common sense and decency.
I heard that they had planned to picket at the funeral of the young girl who was killed in Tucson. If they did, their ugly mugs or even a mention of them didn't make the news. Maybe it is true-- IGNORE THEM, THEY WILL GO AWAY. And I think they have found out that the noise of 50 motorcycles can drown out the stupid noise of 100 pickets.