Westboro Baptist Church Research Paper

The Westboro Baptist church became infamous in 1998 when they protested at the funeral of Matthew Shepard who was killed due to his sextual orientation. They originated long before this controversial protest, and they have continued to protest at funerals of: public figures, children, and soldiers. The Westboro Baptist Church claims to have taken part in over 40,000 protest since 1991, portraying an image of a huge enterprise; when in reality there is less than 100 members, primarily members of Fred Phelps family. Fred Phelps has a history of abuse, lending to the fact that four of his 13 children cut all ties with the family. The Westboro Baptist church was originally a branch of the East Side Baptist Church of Topeka opened in 1955. Fred Phelps was promoted to be the pastor of the new extension, but after Westboro Baptist church was established Fred Phelps became unaffiliated with the East Side Baptist church. To this day, many other Baptist and Christian churches have denounced the activities of the Westboro Baptist Church. …show more content…
They also participate in hate speech against other groups including: catholics, orthodox christians, muslims, jews, U.S. soldiers, and politicians. A spokeswoman for the Westboro Baptist church explains that, “members want God to punish Americans for tolerating homosexuality. They picket funerals to make people angry, she says. They want people to reject God and be condemned to hell.” The church portrays their ideals through the uses of propaganda, especially signs. They have even gone as far as generating music videos called “Santa Clause Will Take You to Hell” along with “ God Hates the