Nathan Phelps: The Death of My Father

TheThinkingAtheist

The Thinking Atheist

Education, Society & Culture, Science

4.7 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2014

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fred Phelps, reviled (and excommunicated) pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, built his life upon a foundation of hatred: the protests of military funerals, the condemnation of homosexuals, professed gratitude to God for terrorist attacks, and much more.

Recent news reports of Fred Phelps' death have again brought his name and face to worldwide attention, prompted by a public statement from his own son, Nathan, who escaped Wesboro and has become a champion of human rights in the face of his father's hatred.

In this podcast, we talk to Nathen Phelps. About his father. About his father's death. About the celebratory public response. About the Westboro legacy. And about the often conflicted feelings of a father's son at a time when he is denied access, or should he choose it, the opportunity to say "goodbye."

Join us for a compelling discussion.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, I haven't seen you seeing Starbuck after that festival. Oh, yeah, we need to hang out with the weather's good.
0:06.5	This weekend, shopping Saturday, Sunday, Niels and lunch with Oscar. Next weekend, we're in Brighton.
0:12.5	Thursday night, we've talked for the most. Next Friday, in a mood to party. Oh, another one.
0:17.5	How about right now? Perfect. Starbuck, the new chocolate waffle cone frappuccino!
0:24.5	You read my mind? Summer hits different with Starbuck's. Subject to availability while stocks last.
0:30.5	Okay, here we go. The Starbuck! Three, two, one. Action!
0:36.5	A sewer? Nothing.
0:38.5	Brash, bald, big, black, blue.
0:40.5	Question. Everything.
0:42.5	I find it extremely hard to imagine. Open your eyes.
0:46.5	It is quite alright to be an atheist. A fastest growing group of people in the country has been measured as being those who have no belief.
0:53.5	You don't have to be apologetic or quiet about it.
0:57.5	Challenge the opposition. You see religion on 100 fronts losing the argument.
1:02.5	And start thinking.
1:07.5	This is the thinking atheist worldwide.
1:13.5	Tonight's broadcast is brought to you by a long time supporter of the thinking atheist website and radio show EvolvedFish.com.
1:21.5	Gary and Becky and Gavin and all the folks at EvolvedFish.com terrific people doing terrific things.
1:27.5	They're helping you share your message with the world with a variety of different products that bear different types of messages.
1:33.5	Emblems and jewelry, magnets, buttons, stickers, literature, posters, a whole lot more.
1:39.5	They've got t-shirts like the one I saw on the homepage that says, I tie nine.
1:45.5	And of course, it's about Bill 9, the science guy. Big bow tie on it.
1:49.5	And it's especially relevant in the wake of Bill 9's debate with Ken Ham.
	...

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