Fred Phelps Snr, My Thoughts

Today we learned that Fred Phelps, the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in the United States, has died at age 84.

I have seen a lot of posts on Facebook with people rejoicing over his death, and saying that the world is a better place without him.

I'll be the first to admit that I found him and (continue to find) his family deeply misguided and outrageously offensive. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a religious person, and that I can often be very critical of religion for the pain and suffering it has brought to the lives of those that are persecuted for being of an opposing faith, different gender, colour, or near enough any other reason we can think of. Religion is a freedom that everyone in this world should be entitled to, but it shouldn't mean those views are force fed to everyone else. To live in peace and harmony with everyone of all faiths, genders and ethnicity is something that someone as liberal as me can only dream will be true some day. Fred Phelps abused his religious freedom to impose his and his family's hateful views on the lives of other people, often in awful ways that caused a lot of hurt to their victims.

Filled with so much hate inside of him and a misguided passion to cause others deep harm, Fred Phelps never had the opportunity to fully embrace the joys of life, and live in peace with the rest of the world. I will not be wishing that he finds peace in the afterlife he believed in, but instead hoping that he realises the pain he caused others during his life, and understands that the harmful choices he made only made his life less enjoyable; something which I hope he eternally regrets.

I will not partake in outright name calling of him or dance on his grave like many I've seen online today, as that makes me only as bad as he. He was someone's father, grandfather and husband, but life goes on, and there is once less person in it spewing their hate. But that isn't something to rejoice in. It should send a strong message to us all that hate will never win. Love and peace will triumph, and to spend a life hating is a life wasted. Don't die with a world hating you as Fred Phelps has. We only get one chance. Peace and love, always.

Dan.