Friends, I promised my Twitter followers (my Twitter handle is “RobDuBois” – you just need to click the “T” at the top left to Follow) that I’d post my first dialogue with Margie Phelps, daughter of the “Reverend” Fred Phelps. “The Pastor” is founder of the “God Hates Fags” movement of the Westboro Baptist Church.
I’m keeping that promise, but I have to warn you on two points. Firstly, it’s long. My initial message to her was extensive, but that doesn’t compare with the breathless rants she replied when I gave up on communicating and disengaged.
Secondly, you may need to take a break or two not only for the length of those toxic rants, but because this verbal poison will give you the urge to vomit. Keep a bucket handy, or read near the bathroom.
After this introduction, you’ll be reading the exchange verbatim. I’ll jump back in at the end with a brief conclusion. Here’s a hint as to those concluding remarks: they won’t involve my urging violence against this pathetic bunch. They won’t involve my urging hatred back on WBC at all…because that’s what they want and need. As with the vampire of legend, the Westboro Baptist “Church” (sorry, Baptist friends – that’s what they call themselves!) feeds on the pain of innocents to sustain its unholy life.
Pity them. Laugh at them. Best of all, ignore them. But don’t attack them, because they know how to twist the laws of this great land to spread their misery and hurt even farther. (BTW, if you notice a slight disconnect in “time” hacks, it’s probably because of our sending between different zones.)
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From: Margie Phelps
To: Rob DuBois
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 11:10 PM
Subject: Follow up
Hello.
Per your tweet, I am contacting you to answer questions you may have. I have not read your posting, where you say you’ve condemned us, simply because I have not heard a new thought in the flood of criticism in years, and all the carrying on in response to our simple words changes nothing. So I don’t generally spend time reading such things, given the fast pace we have, and that it adds nothing to the analysis for me.
I am, however, happy to answer any questions you have. Not with the goal of changing your mind; that’s not my goal or prerogative; but with the goal of being ready always to give an answer for the reason for the hope that is within me, and because we are prepared to answer any questions about what we do, because we are publishers.
Thanks for the contact, and look forward to your questions.
Margie Phelps
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From: Rob DuBois
To: Margie Phelps
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 12:39 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Margie,
Thank you for your note. Believe it or not, I won’t batter you and Pastor Phelps with questions – I don’t believe I can change your mind any more than you can mine – but I appreciate an opportunity to go direct to the source on what has troubled me deeply about your organization. Call it curiosity, or more appropriately an intense desire to help improve the lives of all God’s created humans…including yours. I think you’re misled, and I think your excessive emotional violence is not only destructive to others, but to the chance you could have to live a joyous and carefree life as designed by God for you.
Worst of all, I believe your behavior is contemptuous of God, and that He reviles it. You must realize that millions of Germans served Adolf Hitler in the belief that he was a righteous ruler, only to have their illusions shattered along with their lives.
Caveat: Although I despise the pain you’ve inflicted on vulnerable and grieving family members, some of whom are my own friends, I won’t descend into the attacks I’m sure you receive regularly. People in pain react with a desire to hurt; you must hear the F-word and worse directed at your family all the time. I have no interest in conducting personal attacks against you, since it could do nothing productive for my understanding or yours.
I’m fairly certain there was some strategic WBC decision made early on, that direct provocation was the best method for you to transmit your message. By the way, I don’t doubt that at least some of you are sincere in your belief that this is absolute service to God. I don’t doubt that some of you believe it’s a path similar to that of any of the prophets who confronted wrongdoing at great personal cost, only to see the recipients destroyed through hard-heartedness anyway.
Yet I can’t believe you don’t hold some residual compassion, which He hardwired into every one of us as a gift of being distinctly human. I can’t believe that the “act” of glee at suffering is genuine, through and through. I especially can’t believe you find pleasure in the death or illness of our race’s youngest, since you have children among you – and I assume you love them very much.
So my only actual opening questions would be, how much do you really celebrate – in your most honest heart – the death and presumed damnation of each of these thousands of your fellow children of God?
Secondly: your family’s rhetoric is firm, saying over and over that I and many others have had our hearts hardened by our all-merciful God (who “wants” us all to go to hell). If that’s so, why in the world would you keep prattling on about it in public? As always, I’ll be completely honest with you: since your message declares that your mission is moot, the only motivation I can imagine is personal gain. That might take the form of money, pride, media exposure, or some other un-Godly motive.
If this is a correct assumption on my part, I’m also confident you’ll deny it…so my own question is sort of moot, in that case. 
But I do appreciate your time and any dialogue we may exchange.
- Rob
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From: Margie Phelps
To: Rob DuBois
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 2:26 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Would it be possible for you to realize that I don’t read this kind of diatribe, and perhaps ask me a one or two sentence question? Honestly, 7 billion people in this world hate our words. Time makes it impossible to read each person’s version. Just a one or two sentence question, and I promise I will answer. Thanks.
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From: Rob DuBois
To: Margie Phelps
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 2:00 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Thanks anyway, Margie. I had hoped we could communicate; I was a fool in that, as many of my friends had already told me. Your heads are swollen with hate that can only spill out through your mouths and hands…there doesn’t seem to be any “in-bound” capacity to hear, with all that roaring in your minds.
Thanks in advance for letting me share our “discussion” with my readers at http://PowerfulPeace.net. (I won’t give your email address unless you wish.) As I told them recently, with no other discernable earthly value your sad family at least serves as an excellent bad example for the rest of us who might consider also taking the hatred highway. You bless us through your misery.
Sincerely wishing God’s healing on you all and an end to this insanity,
- Rob
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From: Margie Phelps
To: Rob DuBois
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 3:08 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Rob, you have no desire to humble yourself before the mighty hand of God. You have sweeping verbose words, but can’t frame a simple question. If you sincerely want to know something about us, and what and why we do, ask. For instance, do you want to know, Why do you picket in proximity to soldier’s funerals? If so, then ask that. If you want to know, why do you seem to be hateful, ask that. Christ is coming through the clouds soon. This nation is in deep distress, having made God your #1 enemy. We have a duty to use every resource God has given us to do our Ezekiel 33 duty. That passage says in the plainest words possible, when God brings the sword (an IED is a broken up sword, Rob), if you don’t open your mouth and say STOP SINNING – in ways they HEAR IT – when they perish in their sins, their blood is on your hands. You can huff and puff until God takes the last breath from you, and stops your beating heart which he holds in his hands, with the most high-minded rhetoric you can drum up – and hate us with all your being – and bad mouth us all over the world – and that changes nothing. We. Aren’t. Going. To. Have. This. Nation’s. Blood. On. Our. Hands. We, like Noah and all the brethren in the Scriptures, are going to obey God, and warn our fellow man that the proud institutionalized sins of this nation are taking this nation to ruin. You can reject that if you like. But when you and your fellow military friends turn these funerals into massive pep rallies, and invite the whole world to come – whether you have the capacity to see or admit it or not (or are just too darn proud to say it) – you have created a public platform. Prophets use PUBLIC PLATFORMS Rob. That’s how you publish. So if you don’t like us using that public platform, stop all the pomp and parading and go inside. Really very simple. But of a truth, no place we go, no way we phrase it, no circumstance under which we address is – is satisfying to you or your like-minded hell-bound friends. You aren’t going to have anyone say they died for your sins, or a single word about your sins. You will only rest if we bow down to the dead body and call everything in uniform – of whatsoever caliber and character – a hero. We won’t do that, because it would enrage God, and be an act of great treason against him. Now – see how nicely that works – Q and then A. I did you the service of offering up a few Q’s and gave you the A’s. If you have more, Q! Don’t grump and huff – just ask the question. J Have a good day.
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From: Rob DuBois
To: Margie Phelps
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 3:03 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Thanks, Margie. As promised, I will not include your email address in the article unless you so request.
As I touched on before, I want you to know I feel a deep sorrow for the nightmare it must be to live in the terrors and cruelty of your minds.
- Rob
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From: Margie Phelps
To: Rob DuBois
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 4:18 PM
Subject: Re: Follow up
The human heart, says the Bible, is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Stop looking to that for the source of your maudlin view of life. How deep do you suppose your sorrow will be when you awake in hell, and see all the people around you to whom you lied about God and eternity? How do you suppose that sorrow will compare to the faux-sorrow you profess below? How will you look those people in the eye when you’ve lied to them? In the midst of all your words, you say nothing about the duty of man to obey God. You have the same duty to love your neighbor as the Scriptures defines that duty that we have. That does NOT mean you coddle them in their sin; justify their sin; encourage their sin; honor their sin; or teach them to be idolaters by bowing down to soldiers, dead bodies and flags. It DOES – per the plain words in the Bible – mean you tell them not to sin away their final day of grace, and that you in effective ways warn them to flee the wrath to come. You have made up a new standard – you and this entire nation – which is one of false patriotism, and you have substituted that standard for God’s. Tell. People. Not. To. Be. Proud. Sinners. Before. God. Or you hate them. No emotive girly-squally-drivel is going to be a viable substitute for fulfilling that duty. When you are standing on the streets of hell, in great torment, with the reality settling on you that you have no end to that eternal sentence, you will be disinclined to do a lot of jabbering – which is apparently your style of choice in the flesh. You will be stunned, ashamed, and afraid. Picture that, my friend, and fear and obey God. Thanks!
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From: Margie Phelps
To: Rob DuBois
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 4:19 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Oh and I keep forgetting to answer your question about publishing – you are welcome to publish what I wrote, and you are welcome to tell folks they can respond to me on Twitter at MargieJPhelps. Does that give you what you need on that issue? Thanks again.
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From: Rob DuBois
To: Margie Phelps
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 4:19 PM
Subject: RE: Follow up
Thanks again – I will include your Twitter handle, but leave the email address confidential. You deserve to have that boundary respected.
- Rob
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Wow. Did you notice in her first comments that 7 billion people hate their words? Apparently, Margie and her saintly father and their handful of co-parishioners represent the solitary speck of God’s light in the world. Sounds like hell will be pretty full. Sounds like heaven, with 30-40 people from Kansas, will be divinely roomy.
Probably my favorite part of this sad spectacle is one phrase: “emotive girly-squally-drivel.” Can you hear the contempt against women from one ancient, misogynist “pastor” coming through the mouth of his corrupted female child? For the precious, healthy, innocent little girl she once was, I weep in my spirit. This repressed homosexual patriarch has damaged many, many people, but I detest most of all that he damages his children and grandchildren.
That’s really the motive and the lesson for my engagement in the first place. One cruel, cruel old man is almost certainly beyond our reach, as is the second generation of vampires he’s spawned. But at the fringes of this tragic family there are some who are not long-gone. There are some who might be able to stumble back out of the darkness of the Westboro “Baptist Church.”
As I said up front, there is no solution through attacking this perverted mindset. Pity them. Laugh at them. Best of all, ignore them. But if you want to take productive action, look at where legal measures have pushed them back into the shadows where they belong and strive to repeat those successes.
Oh! PS: I almost forgot the most important part, from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
