A Westboro Baptist Church Defector Describes Life After Leaving The Infamous 'Cult' | LADbible

His parents thought he was over-exaggerating his symptoms to get sympathy and attention from others, viewing it as an act of self-centered manipulation in a group characterised by self-sacrifice. His dad told him that he should be 'praying' to get rid of his pain instead of seeking the aid of the Internet. "You don't know shit [about fixing your back and shoulder pain]," his father had told him. This made little sense to Zach, as a recent graduate who held a bachelor's degree in science in nursing.

It culminated in Zach asking to be taken to A&E because his symptoms were reaching their limit, but his father refused and yelled at him. That's when Zach decided he'd had enough. He ran about 10 blocks to his cousin's place, who had left the church a few years earlier, and stayed the night.

Zach was told by his parents to come home the next morning to pick up his things, which were sitting on the front porch. His mum and dad didn't want him to come inside to pack, because they wanted to avoid his younger siblings seeing him and engaging him in conversation.

A Westboro Baptist Church Defector Describes Life After Leaving The Infamous 'Cult' | LADbible

ADDENDUM::Grandson of Westboro Baptist Church Founder Is Exiled From Hate Group

There is no commentary I could add to this story that would do it justice. I wish Zach all the best that this life has to offer!

This February, Zach, who was born and raised in the church, left Westboro, having suffered for weeks with a back injury his parents believed could be cured with prayer. After begging them to no avail to take him to the emergency room, he decided he was done being a martyr. “I don’t love this religion anymore,” he said.

In the eyes of the church, that declaration was an unforgivable offense worse than blasphemy. And it meant that Zach would be excommunicated. He knew he would never be able to talk to his parents again, and all traces of him would be scrubbed from his family’s home and their place of worship. The congregation would classify him as an apostate who would spend eternity in hell.

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The church’s obsession with homosexuality derives from Leviticus 18:22: “Thou shall not lie with mankind as womankind; it is an abomination.” However, it is a common misconception that Westboro believes homosexuality is a worse sin than any other—murder, for instance, is just as bad. The difference is a matter of tolerance. Murder is outlawed, whereas homosexuality is not. Westboro focuses on the latter because of the belief that God compels them to do it.

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This insularity­ reinforces the members’ belief that they are distinct from the rest of mankind and must protect themselves. Steven Hassan, an author who has extensively researched the subject of cults, refers to it as “phobia indoctrination.” “It implies that if you leave, you’ll be harmed,” says Hassan. “What happens in people’s minds is they can’t imagine a positive experience [outside of the church].”

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Every Sunday, Zach would listen to his grandfather Fred Phelps preach the word of God. His style recalled the backwoods pastors of an earlier era, all hellfire and brimstone. Pulling from the most brutal passages of the Bible, Fred laid out his argument that God was ruthless, not loving. For as long as Zach had known him, Fred’s primary focus was homosexuality. “The United States is a fag nation,” he would often say during services. His warnings of impending destruction were often bizarre and accidentally comical. “You’re going eat your babies!” he once said.

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In May, as Zach told the world about his grandfather’s “change of heart,” he underwent his own spiritual transformation. “I had an epiphany,” he recalls. In an interview with the Topeka Capital-Journal, he described his new perspective. “I feel like I have unconditional love for every person around the world,” he said. “I feel like I have found the Holy Grail, the overarching solution to solving all of society’s problems.”

Grandson of Westboro Baptist Church Founder Is Exiled From Hate Group

Fourth Phelps-Roper sibling leaves Westboro Baptist Church | CJOnline.com

The church he grew up in was too busy pointing out problems to look for solutions, he said. He has been able to spend the past two months investigating the second part of that equation.

His conclusion: “Most problems come from a lack of understanding of how we affect other people and things around us. I feel like I have found the holy grail, the overarching solution to solving all of our society’s problems, and I want to learn more. I want to do more.”

Phelps-Roper said he has been driven to help, he said, because of the treatment he has received since he left: Doctors have treated the back pain his parents wrote off as an attempt for attention.

Homosexuals have offered to buy him meals, drinks and shown him empathy and love.

At least 20 family members he was banned from speaking with for half a decade — including two sisters and a brother — have surrounded him with warmth and support.

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He said his doubts started about age 18, when he started to examine his faith from the creature’s perspective, rather than just the creator.

He was upset the God his church taught about punished sinners, despite being the one to cause them to sin.

“I viewed my creator as sadistic,” Phelps-Roper said. “He sent them to hell because they sinned, but he compelled them to sin. I felt it was an injustice.”

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Phelps-Roper said he feels as though he is being called to a new mission, one to lead a charge of love, understanding and empathy to bring people happiness. He said he had particular compassion for those suffering from neuroticisms and suicidal thoughts because he experiences the same. Now that he understands how to help, he said, he “has no choice but to speak up,” in an effort to save as many as he can.

“I still believe I’m being led by my creator here,” Phelps-Roper said. “I’m just not sure what his name is. I am sure he is one who has unconditional love for his creatures.”

That belief, he said, is a hybrid of his childhood faith and his experiences outside the church.

Fourth Phelps-Roper sibling leaves Westboro Baptist Church | CJOnline.com