Skip to main content

Libby Phelps-Alvarez, Former Westboro Baptist Church Member, Breaks Down On Anderson Cooper Show

By

 

Yesterday, ex-Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) member Libby Phelps-Alvarez appeared on Anderson Cooper's "Anderson Live" to discuss growing up in the WBC and why she left.

The granddaughter of Fred Phelps, founder of the group known for spreading anti-gay messages and picketing funerals, said that she began her work with the Church at 8 years old and initially thought that she was doing an admirable thing.

“In the moment, I thought I was doing the right thing,” she explained to Cooper. “I thought the only way to love your neighbor was to tell them that their sins were taking them to hell.”

Phelps-Alvarez, who has now been shunned by the Church after defecting, said that she eventually began to doubt Westboro's mission.

"I believed it when I was there and then I got to an age where I started questioning some things and I just got to a point where I ended up leaving," she said.

The exclusive interview then turned emotional when the mother of a man whose funeral Westboro picketed expressed her hurt and pain. As Queerty notes, Phelps-Alvarez broke down in tears, apologized and said that she now understands the anguish that the group has caused.

In recent months many former Westboro members have publicly spoken out against the group. Ex-WBC member Lauren Drain said that she was brainwashed, manipulated and controlled when she described her experience on "Piers Morgan Tonight" in March.

Nate Phelps has also blogged for HuffPost Gay Voices about his experiences with the Westboro Baptist Church and why he left.

Watch the clip here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A MASON IN NIGERIA

By
 After all i have said about this fraternity if you are still interested in becoming a mason there are just simply ways in which you can do that, but inspite of my post i am neither encouraging nor discouraging you all i am doing is just to let you know more about this frat and there's more to come about those who have joined, the so called stars like jay-z, kanye west etc i guess its just 7 simple ways to join and off you go  Are there things you want to accomplish in your life? Are there ways you want to enrich yourself? Do you enjoy being with people you like and respect? As a Freemason, you’ll find friendship and fraternity. You’ll develop life skills like self-confidence, leadership, and effective communication. You’ll learn to work as part of a team  and to better yourself as you help others. Think about taking the first step into becoming a Mason. It is widely thought that one must be invited to become a Freemason or that Freemasonry is so exclusive as to be b...
240 comments
Read more

Microsoft Is About To Leave One-Third Of All Computers Vulnerable To Hacking

By
Hundreds of millions of computers running everything from ATMs to the power grid will be vulnerable to hacking next month when Microsoft stops supporting its old Windows XP operating system. Hackers have been holding onto flaws in Windows XP and waiting to exploit them until after the software giant stops issuing security updates on April 8, experts say. Adam Meyers, vice president of intelligence at Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity firm, said it was “fairly dangerous” to continue using the 12-year-old operating system because after the deadline “victims can’t defend themselves.” “I certainly wouldn't run Windows XP after the 8th," Meyers said in an interview. Microsoft announced six years ago it will no longer provide security patches or technical support for the out-of-date software. Yet about  one-third of computers  around the world -- or about 500 million PCs -- still run Windows XP. On Microsoft’s website , a clock ticks down to next month’s Windows deadline an...
4 comments
Read more