Fred Phelps Confronted

(Topeka, Kansas) When we went to talk with Rev. Fred Phelps we thought we were prepared for anything, but even we were shocked about what we saw and heard. Not all words and images in this story are suitable for all audiences.

"God hates America," said Phelps.

He offers no apologies.

"This country is hellbound, it's hopeless," said Phelps.

We went with Phelps and his flock to protest in front of a catholic church and to his sermon because we wanted to find out what it is that makes him spread his message that so many call hate.

Phelps' church isn't a big place. About 60 people were there the Sunday we visited, 30 of them children.

His sermon often rambles, he repeats himself, jumps from one topic to the next and is often tough to follow. He includes conspiracy theories and a lot of fire and brimstone.

Phelps believes in the doctrine of predestination. He says God has selected a small number of humans to go to heaven, the rest are out of luck.

"The doctrine of absolute predestination is the bible from one end to the other," said Phelps.

He says he protests to help people repent and America is doomed if it doesn't heed his message. A first step for the national repentance? He says it is criminalizing sodomy.

"And you have to attach the penalty of death to it," said Phelps.

"So then kill all homosexuals?," we asked.

"You can't make that leap," said Phelps. "When you pass a law that doesn't mean that everybody is going to break it, but those that do break it ought to be executed."

We forced the issue, does he believe homosexuals should die?

"You insist on putting it that way but I'm telling you just because you pass a law you don't assume everyone is going to break it, but that prohibition must be there if this county expects to get any favors from God," said Phelps.

Phelps views himself as an instrument of God's will, but what drives him to be so outlandish, so hateful?

"Those old Baptist preachers delivered me a charge from Isaiah 58:1," said Phelps. "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show thy people their transgressions."

He and his followers certainly lift up their voices attacking those who go to churches Phelps disagrees with, which include almost all of them. Even those considered very conservative, such as the Wichita church ran by anti-gay marriage activist Terry Fox.

"That jackass down there, Fox in Wichita, his church is just chock full of divorced and remarried people," said Phelps. "He has no moral authority to preach about homosexuals."

Phelps says America's acceptance of homosexuality is responsible for the nation's problems.

"Homosexuality is not an innocent alternate lifestyle, it's not a civil right," said Phelps. "It's a monstrous sin against God almighty."

He protests soldiers' funerals because he says their deaths are evidence of God's vengeance.

"Dying time is truth time," said Phelps. "That would seem to us to be God's forum of choice."

We asked Phelps, "Do you preach hate?"

"Not in the pejorative sense I don't," said Phelps. "The truth of the matter is I'm the only one who loves these fags."

Phelps believes by pointing out what he calls the sin of homosexuality, he's fulfilling the Bible's commandment to love thy neighbor, but not letting his sin go unrebuked.

"These kissypoo preachers that are telling them they are all right like they are, they don't love them, they hate them," said Phelps.

He lives in a world familiar to 18th century preachers where hell is real and close by. Where God is often angry and vengeful. He's not sure if he will be going to heaven, but he's pretty sure about members of the media. He often sends us press releases full of slurs and bible verses and calls us on his website fag enablers.

And he says the more hatred he generates toward himself, the happier he will be.

"I seek out ways to speak the truth of god," said Phelps.

By the way, Fred Phelps says on his website he doesn't pray for those he believes damned. But he told us as we left we were on his list of people he was fond of because he has had the opportunity to preach to us.

*Jeff Golimowski is the chief investigative reporter for KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas

You can access Phelp's website at GODHatesFags.com