Category Archives: Student Posts

Final Thoughts On Westboro Baptist Church 2018 – Bobbie

A few days after this trip, as I’ve finally had time to reflect, I’m mentally going back to a paper that I wrote for Dr. Gray’s religion 101 course. Without posting the entire paper, my thesis was that the WBC’s marginalization isn’t only due to the way that they practice their religion, but also strongly due to how they react to others when confronted. In the paper, I cover many topics, including totalism, social exclusion, and reactions to social exclusion (prosocial and antisocial).

Previously, I made assumptions that they are constantly practicing totalism. It seems to me, that it is something they do struggle within day to day life. Jonathan mentioned that he enjoyed running but there were times that he felt he had to pull away because he was devoting so much of his life to it. Maybe totalism isn’t something they are doing, but rather something the WBC members aspire to do.

So, what about my assertion that a reason they are so marginalized is that the group reacts in an antisocial way when confronted? This would be like when in past interviews, a member of the church would yell at someone who is confronting their values and beliefs.

When discussing outsiders counter-protesting, it seems that they feel like it’s almost laughable. At the same time, though, they mentioned that they really respect the first amendment and therefore also respect these people sharing their opinions and using their freedom of speech. So, I wouldn’t say that they respond in an antisocial way, as I had previously assumed. Their response to this social exclusion is not antisocial or prosocial but maybe, nonsocial. A nonsocial response can be characterized as pulling back into your “comfort zone” when faced with exclusion. Usually associated with cowardice, this might just be a result of exhaustion. The church members seem to just be tired of fighting back. They don’t engage in the discourse as much anymore, possibly.

I was also curious why they believed that they are so marginalized. In an interview with Abby, she mentioned that she believes that one of the strongest reasons why the Westboro Baptist Church is so strongly marginalized can be attributed to the media. A term the media uses a lot when describing the WBC is “hate group”. She mentioned that this tends to then cause people to shift to the word terrorism. It was shocking to her that a term such as terrorist could be attributed to this group, considering they don’t partake in any physical aggression.

But does the group even care that they are incredibly marginalized? And are they really? In an interview with around 6 girls ranging from their teen years to their 30s, I found some answers to this question. While it can be seen from previous interviews with older adults that they were incredibly bullied for being in the church when younger, these girls say that usually, people let them keep their church life and home life separate. They also mentioned that they don’t care much to hang out with people their own age outside of the church. So, they do seem to be socially excluded or marginalized but that seems to be due to their own preferences, like a separation strategy. I don’t think this means that they want to be separate in all situations or seen as bad people, but it’s almost what comes with their choice to stay separate in most ways from the general population.

Overall, I feel that my previous assessment of the church doesn’t represent who they are as a group. It might have in the past, but it seems that the church has changed in their mannerisms. Many people have tried to explain this to us, but can’t exactly find the right words. I don’t know if this change will help or hurt how marginalized the group is, but I do know that it is happening, and it is noticeable.

Concluding Reflections on 2018 Trip

I feel a mix of emotions after this trip, mainly awe, fear, and pain. It brings me joy that I have the empathetic capacity to relate to a group that may seem so different than me. As I was talking with one of my roommates about the trip, she mentioned that coming out and being in the church may not feel all that different. When I, and unfortunately many LGBT-identified folks, had been considering coming out, I was worried that my community would reject me. I felt terrified by the possibility that my family may not accept me.

First, I am awed. Awed that many members of the church may have had similar thoughts, now or if their views happen to expand. This has been apparent in some cases of ex-members, like Nate Phelps, who has spoken about the terror they had in leaving their family, their community, and their home. From what I observed, the members of the church seem like a big loving family. Although, not to entirely discredit that, we were only able to observe members during isolated circumstances and in select environments. In a way, they come out to, whether that be to outsiders regarding their beliefs, in physically leaving the church and separating the group’s beliefs from their own, or in times where they may falter in their faith. I am awed by these potential circumstances, and how they could elicit feelings of fear.

Next, I fear for their future and for their well being as individuals. As we spoke to each interviewee, I thought to myself, “Do you truly believe this deep down? What if Fred Phelps Sr. never founded the church 50 years ago? Would you still be supporting this doctrine and these beliefs?” Several outsiders have integrated into the church, presenting that some do come to believe in the message of the church.

Moving on, though I see them in a different light, as Pedro noted, that does not nullify the pain that many have felt as the church’s messages impacted them. Furthermore, as we came to learn, Child Protective Services have been very investigative of members of the church. This leads me to have fear for the well-being of members of the church. Will there be some significant event that changes the trajectory of the church’s softening? Something that brings back the more offensive messages of Fred Phelps Sr.? Many people do not agree with the message that the church is trying to convey, past or present. Some instances of such vehemence in disagreement have escalated in violence toward the church. As noted in “God Hates,” this may very well reify their perception of the outside world, which is one full of sin. Staying true to what you believe in can be scary, especially when others don’t agree.

Lastly, I feel pain as I wonder what members our own age, and younger children, would be like had they not been born into or taught this. Many members don’t leave Topeka, aside from vacations and pickets. When Shirley broke down on the way to the soldiers funeral, were the tears for our inevitable damnation? Or for the circumstances that members were traveling into? Was she exhibiting fault in her belief or empathy for the fallen? I feel pain for members of the church as it is apparent that many outsiders are not yet willing to show them compassion. From human to human, I believe we all deserve a little kindness. I feel that this is “not their fault, but it is their responsibility.” For example, Noah Phelps-Roper stated that he “wants to become a lawyer because others from this generation haven’t.” He feels responsible… Is he? I don’t think that he should be. Are they being responsible? Will they continue to change? Are they scared to change? Despite all of this, I do feel overly joyous that we could show them compassion, something they don’t appear to be used to and have them be so receptive to it.

Alex’s Reaction to Empathy

During this trip, so far, it has been significantly less challenging to understand the emotions of several members of the Westboro Baptist Church. It also seems that some of the members feel more comfortable sharing their stories with us! While interviewing Kathy and Rebekah, the latter’s passion for Domestic law stuck out to me. Here, I was able to relate to Rebekah’s desire to fight for those who don’t have a louder voice in our society.

Domestic law encompasses many different cases including divorce, child support, domestic violence, employment law, paternity, and many more. As the Phelps’ law firm transitioned from primarily civil rights law to family law, Rebekah didn’t lose the passion to help those who needed it the most. She went on to elaborate upon a particular story in which she had worked to defend clients from a version of Child Protective Services. As she recalled the details, you could see the pain in her eyes, hear it in her tone of voice, and the rhetoric she utilized. She went on to say that “[Because of the peculiar circumstances] They went on to make a life-altering mistake… Separating a screaming [crying] child from their guardians… The only ones to show them love and kindness… These people desperately need help and no one will help them. We’re dealing with peoples’ lives.” Following the unfortunate ruling of this particular case, Rebekah goes on to say that she wrote a 15-page letter to try to overturn the decision.

The specifics of the story reminded me of struggles that both my own family has faced as well as friends in the community in which I grew up. Upon recalling some of my own memories, during the interview, I kept generating thoughts along the lines of “I wish [insert name here] would have had a Rebekah to fight for them then. To fight for them now.” I never met the late Fred Phelps Sr, however, some of his vehement passion certainly lives on through his family, in both their personal and professional lives. With each interview, I believe that we are challenged to pull out and perceive the story of the individual, and not that of the church member. As I go on to further my education in the field and practice of social work, I know that I will have to work through many demanding situations with difficult circumstances. One thing, going into this interview, that I had not anticipated was that I would leave feeling not only better about my passions, but a connection with a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. I want to fight for my clients as passionately as Rebekah does and also be an admirable force in the professional world.

Showing “Critical” Empathy

Although they are known for their controversial messages, the Westboro Baptist Church has been able to show compassion and understanding for individuals who are not within their community during interviews with The Topeka Twisters. Despite outsider’s opinions on what they might believe the WBC to be a community of heartless protesters, we have been able to see another side from members of the church when discussing the types of individuals they defend in court. While talking with the two sisters, Kathy and Rebekah, they first described the hardship they underwent when applying to law schools. Subsequently, their persistence eventually led them to being excepted into their desired programs.

The sisters also opened up about the difficulties they have faced when dealing with the criminal court system. During the late 1970’s to early 1980’s they worked on defending minorities and their civil rights during the Wichita aircraft cases. Without disclosing case details, the sisters continued on to elaborate on certain challenges when handling cases involving domestic and child abuse. They informed us that Kansas has a No Fault Divorce law, which just adds another obstacle for WBC attorney’s grueling case loads. The sisters started getting choked up when remembering some of the most emotionally tolling cases they defended for, which only showed their sympathetic and humanistic characters.

Kathy and Rebekah continued to compare their law skills to their father’s, where they noted his litigating skills over his negotiating ones. They reminisced on their childhood, where Rebekah communicated her desire for always wanting to go into law. Her father was in school to become an attorney when she was born, so the law has always had a special place in her heart. Kathy acknowledged her reasons for leaving the church, but also the spiritual aspects of what drew her back to the Westboro Baptist community. Overall, it was an enthralling and refreshing interview.

 

Reflections on Empathy

As our interview with Kathy and Rebekah pressed on, it became increasingly clear that there was no lack of empathy between these sisters, although they expressed this aspect of themselves in very distinct ways. Becky could have talked through the night about how emotionally invested she is in the family law cases she handles, going into great detail about the impact this type of work has had on her. This same zealous advocacy for clients is very apparent in the other WBC lawyers my group has interviewed, such as Jonathan Phelps. Both Kathy and Becky expressed a strong sense of empathy for those who belong to marginalized groups.

We then spoke to Kathy about her estranged brother, Nate Phelps. She related to us that, despite their fragmented relationship, Kathy has a “soft spot” for her brother. These feelings for Nate may be unique to Kathy because she is able to relate to his situation. Having been formerly estranged from the church, she may be understanding of Nate’s perspective more so than other current members. Kathy also spoke to us about her eldest son, who is autistic, and her hope to one day open a center to help others with disabilities through sensory integration therapy. This left me with the impression that she feels a certain empathy for individuals with disabilities and possibly mothers with disabled children.

Our First Day in Topeka

Yesterday, everyone arrived in Topeka to begin our task of investigating Westboro Baptist Church. Tired eyes and fuzzy minds, in need of caffenation, filled the room as we immediately jumped into the work at hand. While the Topeka Twisters  group immediately began interviewing, the El Gato Rojo group (My group), began looking over past interviews and pulling them apart looking specifically at body language, verbal indicators and the actual content of what Westboro spoke to us about in our interviews. By having time to pull apart some past interviews we were well prepared for our only interview of the day with Abigail Phelps.

Abigail was welcoming and began joking with us all from the beginning. Before we could ask questions she was ready to tell us about her life and her experiences being apart of the Church. She informed us of how being the youngest of thirteen children presented its own challenges and explained the way she felt unjustly treated when she was a child in school. It was hard for me to not feel emotionally overwhelmed as she told touching stories.

Many of her stories stemmed from her experiences as a juvenile corrections officer and how this career, which she began in her 20’s, has shown her many aspects of those outside the church that has lended a unique perspective. She seemed to be empathetic to those that she has assisted and also seemed excited for these individuals. She informed us that her day has been very busy prior to our interview and on her list of accomplishments for the day was her finding job placement for 7 members of the juvenile corrections facility. She also described the work of the University and how there are opportunities for students to earn a good wage while learning skills that will make them high-demand employees right out of college. Abi looked to students and provided them with helpful career tips and she seemed delighted by helping young individuals.

Abigail provided us with a unique perspective of the church and made us feel very welcome on our first day. While she stilled utilized scriptural proof-texting and was firm in her beliefs, I did not feel like she was advancing an agenda. Rather, I felt she was simply trying to convey her story. Meeting with Abigail first gave our team perspective on how many various personalities exist within the church, we are excited to observe several pickets today and interview more individuals tomorrow. While the ethics of the church are hard to not focus on when interviewing individuals, it is important to keep our attention on the way individuals in the church feel for the those they place accusations on.  We are excited to continue to compile a better view of the individual perspectives and the church’s ideas and goals as a whole. -Reid

The Westboro Baptist Church and Popular Culture- How the WBC integrates pop culture inside and outside the church

By: Margaret Hamm   

A tweet from Paul McCartney the day after WBC members picketed his concert

      Throughout its history, the Westboro Baptist Church has worked to connect its message with popular culture in multiple different ways. For example, most people who are generally familiar with the Westboro Baptist Church are aware that the church is notorious for its public use of, and frequent attacks on, popular culture through their social media and picketing efforts. However, church members also incorporate popular culture into the internal life of the church community, such as through mention of pop culture figures and events in their sermons. Therefore, although it is clear at first glance that WBC members actively integrate pop culture references into their public messaging, what may not be clear to the casual observer is that pop culture plays a role, although more subtly, in the internal teachings of the Westboro Baptist Church.

      Two of the most common ways that the church publicly connects its teachings to pop culture are through their social media outreach and, perhaps most well-known by observers, their parodies of popular songs. A recent example of this tactic is a video on July 22nd, in which church members took part in the “Keke Challenge”, a viral video challenge in which participants dance to Drake’s “In My Feelings”.  While the content of the challenge is similar to most other “Keke Challenge” videos (i.e. the dancer in the video gets out of a moving car and performs the dance while keeping up with the car), the lyrics featured in the video have been changed to fit the WBC’s message of their praise and love for Jesus, and members featured in the video are holding picket signs as they dance. In a similar vein, the WBC makes a concerted effort to picket many pop culture events, including concerts and funerals of pop culture figures. For example, when the Miami research team visited the church last year, a group of church members picketed a Paul McCartney concert. Notably, these pickets also serve as ways in which the church’s integration of popular culture into their messaging draws more attention to their work. In the case of the picket at the Paul McCartney concert, McCartney posted a photo on his Twitter after the concert of some of the WBC protestors, which, whether he realized it or not, gave the WBC a significant platform.

      The second, much less recognized way in which the Westboro Baptist Church incorporates popular culture into their teachings is through using certain pop culture events or phenomena as main topics and as introduction points for their sermons. Over the past few months, I have been analyzing 630 WBC sermons for our research team. Generally, the sermons focus on analyzing Biblical texts through the lens of the present day, specifically in light of what WBC sees as a corrupt society. However, their familiarity with popular culture also comes through clearly in these sermons.  While this evidence of pop culture fluency has often been true of WBC sermons and American politics (the 2016 election, as well as former President Barack Obama, have been mentioned multiple times in recent years), the trope applies to more lighthearted aspects of pop culture as well. For example, in a recent sermon preached on Sunday, July 22nd, the preacher opened the sermon with a mention of a new show on Netflix, entitled “How It Ends”. He offered a brief summary of the show and consequently used it to connect to the theme of the day’s sermon, “The Drawing of the Jews in the Last Days”.

      Though there may be a misconception that church members do not engage in discourse on present-day politics, technology, and culture, in reality, they do much more than just read the Bible. Most members of the Westboro Baptist Church are highly educated, with many having law and other professional degrees. As a result, many members are well-read and skilled at discussing current events related to American political and social life. In addition, although members do spend a lot of time reading and studying the Bible, they are not limited in their consumption of media to Biblical texts; they watch movies, play video games, and take part in social media. Members of the Westboro Church are well aware of the popular culture trends that are going on in the world around them; in turn, they respond to these phenomena by not only taking part in them but also by altering or interpreting them to further the church’s message.

      Whether this strategy of incorporating pop culture references into their messaging makes the WBC’s argument more or less appealing to others is up for debate. However, at the most elementary level, it is indicative of the fact that the Westboro Baptist Church makes an effort to intertwine its message with popular culture, whether through informal mentions in their sermons or formally through certain topics in their social media messaging.

 

Initial Reflection on WBC – Bobbie Hall

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a group that I really didn’t know anything about until I took Dr. Gray’s Religion 101 class this past Spring 2018. Since then, it has become a very interesting topic to me. As a psychology major, I am more often interested in the whys and hows of life than the whats. Due to this, for my final paper in the class, I decided to evaluate possible reasons for why I believe the group continues to be so marginalized aside from the obvious, polar views. This will be a part of my focus during interviews.

I find it interesting that the group holds such strong values, even while enduring all the backlash it causes. Honestly, I tend to scoff at strong values and beliefs. I do not understand the reason for a screaming battle of opinions when most people will not change their minds. I’ve grown up in an area where many of the political views are the opposite of mine. Due to this, I tend to keep quiet when politics, religion, or other “touchy” subjects are discussed. I’m certain this quality that I have consequently adapted will be beneficial for this trip, as it will be crucial to keep a critical distance from the situation and keep myself within a scholarly viewpoint.

Despite my tendency to keep quiet when faced with people whose values are starkly different from mine, I have a lot of empathy for people that I am close to. While I have never approached religious protestors, I can’t say I’ve had many critically distant thoughts towards the ones I’ve encountered at Miami University. This will likely be one of the challenges I will face in interviews. Rather than being empathetic with those in my personal life, I will need to work to ignore or put aside that empathy for my family and friends in order to understand the views of the members of the WBC, all while keeping that crucial critical distance.

I also think it might be a challenge for me not to be in complete awe of the members. As mentioned, I am incredibly curious about the whys and hows of this group. Why do they choose to follow the beliefs they are handed after they are born? Why do they feel so strongly about their message that they are willing to endure all the hatred towards them? How has being so marginalized affected their quality of life? How has it affected their mental state or capacity? While these might not be questions I can answer, this is what will be swirling my mind. I will need to work to focus and stay engaged within the conversation while also thinking about the whys and hows, within reason.

Overall, I’m excited to do this research and most importantly, learn something new about this group of people. While we are both from the same country, that does not mean we have the same culture. It will be interesting for me to learn about this new culture that I have never experienced before. I am eager to begin interviews and hopefully uncover something that hasn’t been thought about yet.

Ben Phelps on using the term “gay”

In this interview from July 2017, Ben generally comes across as somewhat laid back and unchangeable. At one point, when Ben first mentions that “I personally don’t like to use the word gay,” it seemed as if he was going on to say something more empathetic in reference to the LGBT community. Instead, Ben goes on to say that the term gay has “been hijacked,” then continues to support that claim.

His body language during this video clip also supported the way he conveyed his message. At first, he leans towards Dr.Gray, seeming to show some familiarity or trust, as he jokes. Next, he fixates his gaze downward as he speaks and, later, becomes somewhat stern whilst supporting his beliefs about homosexuality. At this point, he seems to make eye contact with someone out of view.

Overall, I don’t believe that this clip necessarily gives a viewer the opportunity to resonate with him on an emotional level. I do believe that this clip challenges the observer in the practice of listening empathetically. It can be difficult to hear out those whose opinions clash with yours, but it can be done!

— Alex

Initial Reflection on WBC – Sarah Kutler

I am very excited to be given such an incredible opportunity to be amongst and interview members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Although they have been known to have controversial attitudes and values by outsiders from their group, I believe that I will be able to maintain a critical distance when having discussions with people of the WBC congregation. I intend to give members of the WBC my full and undivided attention during the interviews and when they tell their stories. I will aim to control my facial expressions (considering they may be too expressive at times), however my curiosity in what members of the church have to say will be displayed by my body language, eye contact, and through constant engagement. I am going into this trip wanting to have a better understanding of a group that I know little about, and I hope to share my knowledge in the future with others about what I will learn when meeting and having conversations with the WBC.

I am not concerned about how I could possibly react when confronted with disputable topics of discussion. Knowing that I may not agree with majority of the beliefs that members of the WBC have, I will have a constant mindset throughout the trip that different groups will have different beliefs everywhere I go in life. Some values may differ slightly from my own, and others may contradict my beliefs greatly. However, Dr. Gray’s Religion 101 class has prepared me to maintain a critical distance when interviewing the WBC. If, however, there comes to be a discussion where I do not agree with what a member might say, I will restrain my emotions and continue throughout the interview. Additionally, I could politely excuse myself from the interview where I can compose myself privately. Nevertheless, I do not feel that my emotions will overcome me and I will be able to interview members of the church without making normative judgments.