This time Westboro is in the news over something good, because something bad happened to them.
Huh? Important people left the cult.
Westboro’s back in the news this week, but not for its usual hate-filled protests at the funerals of soldiers or victims of mass shootings. No, the organization, which has fewer than 100 members, is down two more now that Megan Phelps-Roper and her sister Grace, granddaughters of Westboro founder Fred Phelps, have publicly announced their departure. Megan was well-known as the “face” of the organization, using social media to spread the group’s message.
What brought about the departure is rather ironic. Let’s just say the young women had an epiphany of sorts, from an Israeli web designer who owns the blog, www.jewlicious.com. The WaPo reported:
But something happened. Megan explained it to online journalist Jeff Chu: Her doubts started when David Abitbol, an Israeli Web developer and founder of the blog Jewlicious.com, responded to a comment of hers about homosexuals with, “But Jesus said, ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’ ” She found it “funny” that a Jew would quote Jesus, but then Abitbol pointed out something besides homosexuality that was punishable by death, according to the Old Testament.
“I realized that if the death penalty was instituted for any sin, you completely cut off the opportunity to repent,” Megan told Chu. “And that’s what Jesus was talking about.”
She continued to question Westboro’s doctrine until realizing, “The idea that only WBC had the right answer was crazy.”
As expected, Westboro has basically denounced the Phelps-Roper sisters, posting a video on its Twitter feed that explains its official position “on all members who fall away.”
About 20 of the teens young adult members of Westboro have deflected. This time the real faces of the organization left. The family has denounced them and probably won’t even see them. The young women are brave to leave the flock. I hope they stay true to their course. They do admit they have done things to hurt people.
Kids who are born into cults or who are taken in by their parents really are helpless until they come of age or run off.
Click to read the full account.
What an odd epiphany. Well, I hope her new found reality serves as an inspiration to other westboro members.