Rebecca Watson reports that two of the daughters of Fred Phelps have left the family and the Westboro Baptist Church, joining two of their brothers including, of course, Nate Phelps. Megan Phelps-Roper posted on her website that she and her sister Grace have left:
Where do you go from there?
I don’t know, exactly. My sister Grace is with me, though. We’re trying to figure it out together.
There are some things we do know.
We know that we’ve done and said things that hurt people. Inflicting pain on others wasn’t the goal, but it was one of the outcomes. We wish it weren’t so, and regret that hurt.
We know that we dearly love our family. They now consider us betrayers, and we are cut off from their lives, but we know they are well-intentioned. We will never not love them.
We know that we can’t undo our whole lives. We can’t even say we’d want to if we could; we are who we are because of all the experiences that brought us to this point. What we can do is try to find a better way to live from here on. That’s our focus.
I sure hope they make it. Nate has told me that a couple of his siblings have left and later gone back. I sure hope these two can escape the vortex of hatred and barbarism their family has taught them. And I hope Nate is in touch with them and can help them do that.
21 comments
Skip to comment form ↓
MikeMa
February 11, 2013 at 11:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They have an unbelievable amount of poison to filter from their systems. Good luck.
Trebuchet
February 11, 2013 at 12:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
These are actually granddaughters, I think. Best of luck to them. Escaping from a cult which has controlled your entire life has got to be one of the hardest possible things to do.
raven
February 11, 2013 at 12:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Being well intentioned and sincere and $1.75 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Most dictators like Stalin and Pol Pot were sincere and well intentioned.
F [nucular nyandrothol]
February 11, 2013 at 12:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I guess the first step is admitting you have a problem.
chilidog99
February 11, 2013 at 12:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
A cup of coffee is only $1.75 at Starbucks?
slc1
February 11, 2013 at 12:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Re raven @ #3
Hey, ole Frankenberger was well intentioned when he took over in Germany in 1933. He built the Autobahn, set up the Volkswagen company and reduced unemployment a lot more then Roosevelt did in the US. What do you want, blood?
gshelley
February 11, 2013 at 1:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It’s kind of interesting that they can see that the WBC is wrong, and that it is treating homosexuality like a special case, without any real biblical justification, but that they still think of them as basically good people who mean well.
raven
February 11, 2013 at 1:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
???
Well, really I don’t know.
I do frequent a coffee shop occasionally but it is a local one. That is what they charge for a basic cup of coffee.
Anyone know what Starbuck’s coffee is up to these days?
jba55
February 11, 2013 at 1:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That must be a wicked tough family to leave, I hope they do well.
Ace of Sevens
February 11, 2013 at 1:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I think these are actually Shirley’s daughters.
Drew
February 11, 2013 at 1:16 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They are indeed Fred’s grand-daughters, These are Shirley Phelps-Roper’s Daughters.
Modusoperandi
February 11, 2013 at 1:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
jba55 “That must be a wicked tough family to leave…”
In retrospect, we should have seen this coming. At the protests their signs said “Taxi!”.
“… I hope they do well.”
Me too.
abear
February 11, 2013 at 1:23 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They probably didn’t leave the Westboro Church voluntarily.
My guess is Chris Clarke banned them for not being obnoxious enough.
d.c.wilson
February 11, 2013 at 1:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
One can only hope more of Fred’s brood will break away and that the WBC cult will fade away when he finally goes toes up.
Modusoperandi
February 11, 2013 at 2:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
d.c.wilson “…when he finally goes toes up.”
…sign sticking out around the edges of his slowly-lowering, closed casket, Fred holds one last protest…
Peter Binkley
February 11, 2013 at 3:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
There’s a good essay on the two sisters here . What I love about the story is that it was walking into a library and looking at some philosophy books that made the difference. THAT’s how it’s supposed to work. Support your local public library!
Pieter B, FCD
February 11, 2013 at 3:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I hope they do well, and I hope they do good, too.
chriswalker
February 11, 2013 at 6:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
One of their older brothers is out on his own, and married I think. As is one of their cousins. Both still live in Kansas, if I recall correctly – Kevin Smith chanced to encounter them when he was outing touring his movie “Red State”. Ended up podcasting them, it was very interesting. At any rate, those two were working on forming their own little family group (spending holidays together, etc) and I hope these young women get in touch with them.
Incidentally, Kevin Smith’s wife thought that Megan Phelps-Roper was flirting with him.
Michael Heath
February 11, 2013 at 8:24 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I pay $1.85 for a 16 oz. coffee at Starbucks. That includes the discount I get for having them pour it in my mug. With MI sales tax @ 6% that comes to $1.96.
cry4turtles
February 11, 2013 at 9:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Of all the nutbag Phelps’, Shirley makes my skin crawl the most. I’m glad it’s her daughters. I’m getting the distinct urge to sneer’ ” Neener neener!”
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :)
February 11, 2013 at 11:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What makes you think they aren’t both?