Megan Phelps-Roper, granddaughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, has described her journey from devoted member to defector in a new memoir. The church, infamous for its anti-gay protests with signs reading 'God hates fags,' was a family affair for Megan, whose relatives made up almost the entire congregation. They faced constant hostility from their local Topeka community, including having eggs and urine thrown at them, but retaliated by targeting anyone who opposed them.
Growing up, Megan and her ten siblings were taught that their fate was predestined by God, and obedience was the only sign they could have of being among the elect. Her mother, a key figure in the church, was both caring and ruthless, often subjecting her children to verbal and physical abuse. Megan recalls dreading the period between waking and leaving for school, never knowing whether her mother would be kind or cruel.
The church expanded its picketing to include military funerals, arguing that God was killing soldiers to show disdain for the country's acceptance of homosexuality. Megan felt 'unwillingly, involuntarily, like a terrible person' during these protests, despite trying to justify them with Bible verses. She became the church's voice on Twitter, where she baited celebrities and celebrated disasters like Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident.
However, Twitter also exposed her to outside perspectives. She began chatting with a man from South Dakota, known as CG, who questioned her about the church's doctrines, particularly the funeral picketing. His focus on humility and compassion contrasted with her teachings about good and evil, and she began to see that there were decent people who were not religious. This realisation, along with her growing doubts, eventually led her to leave the church and start a new life.
