Pastor Fred Phelps dead at age 72.
Pastor Fred Phelps, 72, died early this morning at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Topeka, Kansas.
It may come as a shock to some, but those who were close to Mr. Phelps know that for many long years he had been struggling with the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), which only recently developed into full-blown AIDS. Little is known, however, about how he acquired the virus in the first place.
Armature cartoonist and longtime roommate of Mr. Phelps, Jack T. Chick, had this to say:
"We knew this day was coming for a long time. I just never thought it would be so soon. I always promised him that before he went I would improve my artwork. I know I should have practiced in between each individual tract, but...sigh...I just can't believe he's gone."
Mr. Phelps was an outspoken religious man with a powerful message that he felt was often misunderstood. Many of his youthful years were spend in London, where he frequented local bars and clubs. Soon, however, he formed a strong aversion to fags, or cigarettes as they are known in the United States. Later when he moved back to the US, he noticed a great number of smokers in southern states, and it bothered him to the point that he felt the need to be outspoken. It wasn't until he realized that the Holy Bible contained verses condemning smoking that he realized how to spread his message to the world -- the simple phrase "God Hates Fags."
To his surprise, he quickly found a large number of supporters. Long-time supporter and previous roommate, Pat Robertson, had this time to say:
"When we met, I knew he had something going. He just had that look in his eye like he had an agenda and was going to take command. It was wraith and charisma like I'd never seen before, except in those old World War 2 videos.
One of his favorite things to do was go around and look for young men to recruit to his cause. We'd pick them up off the street and bring them home, and then he'd take him into his room and spend a few hours converting them. Sometimes he'd even convert several at a time. He was just that good at what he did."
It is not surprising, however, that people misinterpreted his righteous message. One time he went with a group of his converts to protest the funeral of Matthew Sheppard, a gay man beaten to death for his homosexuality. The media misinterpreted their "Matthew Sheppard is in hell" signs, and blew the whole situation out of proportion. They neglected to mention, however, that Sheppard, a frequenter of bars, happened to be chain smoker.
To his dismay, soon after this incident an Internet prankster registered GodHatesFags.com and created an elaborate website lampooning Mr. Phelps' choice of words for his anti-smoking campaign. Eventually, the website grew to such popularity that true meaning of his message was forgotten except by a select few and instead relied on the understanding of others instead of seeking the truth.
Fred Phelps was not a perfect man. He was certainly not a handsome man. But he was a righteous man, and will certainly be missed.
