Fred Phelps "on the edge of death"

[Cyberman]

Pastor Fred Phelps, founder of the loathsome Westboro Baptist Church and since kicked out, doesn't have much time left according to this Facebook posting by his estranged son Nate:

I've learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the "God Hates Fags" Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the "church" back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.

I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.

So far there's been no mention on their site, blog or Twitter feed.

Though it would be churlish to take joy over the death of another, even one as hateful as Phelps Sr has been in life, as Hemant Mehta of the Foundation Beyond Belief wrote on the Friendly Atheist blog would it "make a larger statement to picket his eventual funeral or ignore it and turn the other cheek"?

[Psykhronic]

That fucker isn't worth making a picket sign for. Let them have their funeral. The world should ignore them on that day just like every other.

[Esquilax]

Personally I'm more interested in why he got excommunicated. Sounds like a fascinating tale of overreaction and petty weirdness to me. But then, the internal politics of backwards, insulated cults are often so interesting.

[Mr. Moncrieff]

I'm sure there will be some who will picket the venomous old cunt.

In my opinion, we should ignore him and his ilk. A despicable human if ever one existed.

[fr0d0]

Personally I'm more interested in why he got excommunicated.

Me too. Surely he was a victim of his own dogma. Poetic if it was.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

I don't think we should picket his funeral. However, when he kicks it, I may buy a cake to celebrate.

[Nine]

I'm sure there will be some who will picket the venomous old cunt.

Probably the WBC themselves if he's been excommunicated.

What a strange group of people..

[Cyberman]

Now that would be interesting.

[Nine]

Now that would be interesting.

I'd be honestly be a bit surprised if they didn't. They love to show how little they care about anything in life other than God. This would be an opportunity for them to show off that even their own family don't matter to them as much as their beliefs.

[Rahul]

I hadn't heard that he had gotten kicked out. How did that happen? I thought he was the driving force behind Westboro.