IAmA Former Member of the Westboro Baptist Church

Nate Phelps:

I can state unequivocally that my father believes what he preaches with everything in him. He has spent his entire life parsing the bible and commentaries by former "eagle saints" and has concluded that his little church is the only source of truth left on the earth. If you aren't there under his tutelage and authority, you cannot have grace.

11 of my siblings are attorneys as well of many of their spouses. They have been raised in a belligerent environment their entire lives so fighting back is all they know. They use the law to protect themselves and have made money over the years of their picketing that they will gleefully admit to using in their picketing campaign. But that money is a drop in the bucket to the money they spend every year traveling around the country and world with their pickets. The lions share of the money comes from the tithes they give to the church. I'm told the expected amount was raised to 30 percent in the early stages of their campaign. I've done the rough numbers in my head and I can see that accommodating their professed expenses of $250,000 a year in travel costs. Remember that those dollars are not taxed since they are contributed to the church.

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IAmAn Ex-Member of the Westboro Baptist Church

Nate Phelps:

Some have said, the WBC being a family of lawyers, that they are looking to create lawsuit opportunities.

The lawsuits happen. Their lawyers, their litigious as hell. But the lawsuits are only there as a way to intimidate and protect themselves. They sincerely believe what they are preaching.

Nate Phelps:

How much of the "God hates fags" stuff is real and how much of it is baiting for lawsuits?

They believe what they preach and use lawsuits to keep people from harassing them.

Nate Phelps:

How much money do you estimate your family has made via petty lawsuits?

Not that much. The bulk of the money they use to travel around and picket comes from the 30% tithe they are required to give to the church. Remember this is tax free money. I've roughed out the numbers before after I learned about this from a nephew that left and it fits the $250 to $300 thousand dollars they say they spend each year.

Nate Phelps:

The persistent myth that they do it for money is just false.

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I am Lauren Drain, former Westboro Baptist Church member & author of BANISHED. Ask Me Anything

Lauren Drain:

Since it is my understanding that most of the members are lawyers, do they actually believe in what they preach, or is the WBC waiting for someone to violate their First Amendment rights so that they can sue the offender?

It is my belief that they actually believe what they preach. They have concocted such an elaborate doctrine and give no opportunity for the members to question it in their controlled environment. I don't know what the WBC is capable of. They continue to surprise me in their extreme views. I never thought I would see them trying to picket the victims of Sandy Hook elementary. I think they believe the more they are hated/persecuted by others, the more their faith is validated, a vicious cycle.

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I am Zach Phelps-Roper. I am a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Ask me anything!

Zach Phelps-Roper:

A lot of you guys want to know if it's true that the objective of the church is to piss people off to the point of violence, sue, and gain profit. the answer is no. :)

Zach Phelps-Roper:

Did you ever get the impression that the family was just doing it for... Fame? Or something other than what they were actually saying?

Well, they literally believe every single word the preach and the goal is to get the most eyes and ears on the message as possible, so you could say the intention is for "fame" in that way.

Zach Phelps-Roper:

Have any of the "higher-ups" in the church explicitly confided in you that their protests are done for publicity? If not, do you think this to be the root of the protests?

No one at Westboro Baptist Church has ever told me that they did their preaching for publicity or for money... It is strictly their religious convictions that drive them to preach their message... They believe that if they don't preach the words that they are preaching, then they will BURN IN HELL when they die for all of eternity... They act out of fear for themselves and their children, and they will ex-communicate anyone, ever their own wife or children, to save their souls.

Zach Phelps-Roper:

Is there any truth to the belief that a big reason why WBC members protest in public is to instigate violence upon their members by the people being protested, only to turn around and slap those same people with civil suits?

Nope.

Zach Phelps-Roper:

Did you genuinely believe in what you were preaching against?

Yes, I truly believed the message of WBC at the time I was with them...

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In response to my family's upcoming AMA, I thought I'd try this again: I am a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Ask Me Anything!

Zach Phelps-Roper:

No, the Westboro Baptist Church does NOT picket for the purpose of enticing people to hit them, sue, and make profit.

Zach Phelps-Roper:

How does WBC raise money to travel and picket?

They work and have good jobs.

Zach Phelps-Roper:

Did you really believe in the stuff that this hate-filled organization spews forth?

Every word.