Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Drain,... Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Drain, Lauren. Westboro Baptist is still a tiny church, with 43 … The first to prod her conscience was an Orthodox Jew from Jerusalem who pointed out inaccuracies in her Old Testament translations and encouraged her to learn Hebrew to see for herself. Among the picketers was 5-year-old Megan Phelps-Roper, holding a sign she could not read. October 21, 2009 (San Diego) - Members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed outside local schools during the past week, bearing messages of hate directed towards Jews, gays, and … or. The company's filing status is listed as Active And In Good Standing and its File Number is 0235903. Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2013. The WBC holds that God is still angry with the human race for the debacle in the Garden of Eden and there's apparently nothing we can do about it. She was an enthusiastic believer and enjoyed the triumph of hurling invectives and Scripture at the ignorant masses. 197 Comments / User Reviews. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Some reviewers have also complained she was a "whiny teenage girl trying to fit in." For a sociological assignment for school I actually had the guts to go to this place and do an assignment. “The question felt like an iron key sliding into the lock of a long-sealed door. She was stunned. Reviews for Westboro Baptist Church. Although I would hate to be her parents or the church and have details shared about me such that she shares in her book, it is still a scintillating, rare opportunity to get on the inside of this cult and what makes them tick. So the WBC sees its mission as spreading this dismal news among the almost certainly damned. They picketed at American soldiers’ funerals, thanking God for killing those who’d fought for a country that “institutionalized sin.” They prayed God would kill Westboro’s enemies. Meanwhile her weak mother has no input into the family dynamic, content to let her clearly-abusive husband harangue and humiliate their oldest child. For our preaching.”) She became the church’s official voice on Twitter, where she expanded Westboro’s reach by targeting influential users and baiting followers with her hateful posts. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest at funerals, arguing that even hateful speech, … He created it for us. I found the father, Steve, to be an interesting character. Believe on the Lord Jesus for remission of sins (Acts 10:43, 16:31). Throughout, she paints a nuanced portrait of the lure and pain of zealotry, though she leaves many questions unanswered. Not an expose, more of a memior, but still worthy! 14 reviews of Westboro Baptist Church "Oh what a long and turbulent history I have had with Westboro. This page works best with JavaScript. Grace McCleen. Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper review — inside the Westboro Baptist Church Love is strong in this memoir of life in an extremist church, says Grace McCleen. … That’s another sin that deserves the death penalty, isn’t it?” — Megan cut off contact; he was fraying her beliefs. Book Review: ‘Unfollow — A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church’ by Megan Phelps-Roper. Created by Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter. Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2013. Log In. Editor's note: This book review includes a homophobic slur. At 5, She Protested Homosexuality. The Westboro Baptist Church didn’t destroy America, neither did the Jim Jones cult. Louis Theroux revists Westboro Baptist Church for a third time. Before I read this book, I felt sorry for the children in the Westboro Baptist Church because it seemed to me that people in a church that spouts so much hatred must beat their children. She vividly portrays the comfort and sense of purpose she felt when surrounded by her tightknit extended family, a sanctuary where every expectation was clear and every problem had a pat solution. Besides the grammatical errors and a couple of sentences that don't make sense, this is an excellent inside look at the Westboro Baptist "Church" in Topeka, Kansas. I give the book five stars for a very interesting read and would recommend it for anyone with a curiosity about cults and how destructive they are. Still, great read! My only regret is that Lauren had had more time in this book to describe the "after": although she describes briefly her new viewpoints of faith and life, I would have loved to hear more of how she dealt with the dissonances and losses that she's processed. Forgot account? The Westboro Baptist Church is a family-run hate cult that was started up by Pastor Fred Phelps in 1955 and is still going strong thanks to a family full of brainwashed kids and grandchildren. Multiple sources describe it as a hate group and the WBC is monitored as such by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern … Her father, Steve Drain, is definitely the villain in the story, despite Lauren's attempts to gain her father's acceptance. Lauren Danielle Drain (born December 31, 1985) is a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church who wrote the 2013 book Banished, which chronicles her experiences and eventual banishment from the church. God hates fags and all proud sinners (Psalm 5:5). Comment. She knew her public silence would be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of Westboro’s message, so she tweeted an apology, explaining she’d left the church. Megan Phelps-Roper (born January 31, 1986) is a former member and spokesperson of the Westboro Baptist Church.Her mother is Shirley Phelps-Roper and her grandfather is the church's founder Fred Phelps.She grew up in Topeka, Kansas in a compound with other members of the church. When he noted the hypocrisy of Westboro’s calling for the death penalty for gay people — “Didn’t your mom have your oldest brother out of wedlock? By 13, Megan was happily sparring with opponents in the chat room of the church’s website, GodHatesFags.com. Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2013. Far from feeling "positive" about the WBC, Lauren relates her feelings at the time she was in the church, which are not the same as her feelings after being banished. Create New Account. As a real-life drama, this is a deep insight into the many ways the human mind adapts and even warms to indoctrination and control by fear. Of course her feelings at the time she was in the church are going to be happy -- that is what happens when you're brainwashed. He was an aspiring filmmaker who took a trip to make a documentary about the church and originally wanted to show how they were bogus. Cancel reply. God hates fags and all proud sinners (Psalm 5:5). “The heck you say. Louis Theroux returns to visit the Westboro Baptist Church in the wake of the death of its leader. jenny s. over a year ago. This man wants to transform his rainbow-colored house into the first-ever marriage equality museum. She’s also oddly silent on her take on religion now — on whether or not she still considers herself a Christian, whether she believes in God at all. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Create New Account. Very emotional at times, Lauren does a good job of describing her ordeal when her family had finally come to the point of disowning her. She dismissed their raging responses as ignorant or close-minded, exactly what they thought of her. or. Though they disapproved of Westboro, they approached her with curiosity and humor instead of scorn, lowering her defensiveness. She was taught the Westboro Baptist Church doctrine and at the age of 13, she was baptized as a member of the church. If you don't know the basics of psychology or what it means to be in a cult, please read up on that before picking up this book so you can appreciate Lauren's message. The next month, the Sandy Hook massacre occurred. The WBC also believes in predestination - most human beings are damned to hell at birth, while some 0.1% will be saved and go to live with God upon their death. Megan was an obedient child, steeped in church doctrine. A fascinating look into the Westboro "Baptist" "Church" and how one family became sucked into it, ultimately banishing their own daughter (Lauren's family is not related to the Phelps by blood or marriage). I just did not think this book was well written. Westboro announced it would protest the memorials with signs saying, “Pray for More Dead Kids.” “My relief at not participating was tempered by my distress at the number of times I had done exactly the same,” Megan writes, sickened that false righteousness had driven her to devote herself to such cruelty. Her writing style is very simple, straightforward but sufficiently descriptive. The Westboro Baptist Church is very well known for their hatred towards gay people and for picketing on military funerals. A counter-protester in the presence of Westboro Baptist Church members in 2015. But as their targets multiplied and their pickets became more blistering, so too did the local and even global reaction. Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2013. Westboro Baptist Church, Inc. is a Kansas Not For-Profit Corporation filed on May 15, 1967. Her book reflects its author’s upbringing, and often cites biblical passages to explain why Westboro’s members were so persuadable. Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. The Cult of Trump won’t destroy America, and … I've often wondered why the Westboro Baptist Church picketed with those "God Hates You" signs and figured this book would enlighten me. When he came back he had a completely different mindset and ended up joining the church. Editor's note: This book review includes a homophobic slur. For a few brief (VERY brief) moments, I found myself coveting what she had there at the beginning. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2019, Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2020. She was born into the Westboro Baptist Church, the widely-reviled group created by her grandfather, Fred Phelps, in Topeka, Kansas. Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2013. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. But for three members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., a memorial service Saturday (April 12) at Anderson-Cottonwood Neighborhood Church became a pulpit to spew a message of hate. I could not wait to finish it and move on. Slowly she started noticing that what was in the Bible and what they were preaching did not add up and starting questioning the church, which led to a series of events that ultimately led to her being kicked out. Brent Drinkut/Statesman-Journal, via Associated Press, “In the era of Donald Trump,” Megan Phelps-Roper writes, “the echoes of Westboro are undeniable.”. This is a well-written autobiography. Responses of encouragement and forgiveness poured in, even from those she’d once ruthlessly condemned. Not Now. At the end of the book, Lauren seems to be at peace with her experience and I'm happy for her and happy that since she had been writing the book, several members, including Megan Phelps-Roper and Grace Phelps have left the Westboro Congregation. Holding handmade signs that read “Gays Are Worthy of Death (ROM. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Westboro Baptist Church was founded in 1955 by Fred Waldron Phelps, who served as its pastor for many years thereafter. Lauren provides a very well-written account of her experiences with the infamous church that provides insight on a very confusing, provacative group of people. As someone so deeply enmeshed in religion, the author is in a unique position to ponder the overlap between extremist and mainstream religiosity, or the ways many mainstream evangelicals have driven the culture wars in the name of their God. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Abigail R. Phelps and is located at 3636 Sw Churchill Road, Topeka, KS 66604. “If the church was wrong about all those things, what else were we wrong about?” Phelps-Roper reflects. how can you support a killer of a 10 yr old little girl. Just as they’d done to her brother after he defected, the family would block her from their lives. But for readers who aren’t as familiar with the Testaments, the scriptural passages may be overwhelming. She also goes into detail about how the Phelps family all have legal backgrounds and how they keep themselves from getting sued. how dare you go to springfield and picket her funeral for what, because you are a;; insane. Lauren Drain, who joined the Church as a young teenager, describes how she got completely convinced of the Church's mission and how hard she worked to become a full member in the eyes of the Church members and her parents. She knew leaving the church would mean losing everyone she’d ever loved. Megan Phelps-Roper … Repent or perish (Luke 13:3). But Phelps-Roper does note the current, seemingly uncrossable national divide, each side sure of its Truth and unwilling to hear the other’s. how can you call you people of god. Our children are taught from the cradle what the Lord their God requires of them. 5 out of 5. And yet Phelps-Roper grew up loving her grandfather’s church. I've had an academic curiosity about the Westboro Baptist Church for some time, not out of agreement with their beliefs, but just out of sheer morbid curiosity. See more of Atheists of The Westboro Baptist Church on Facebook. Now She Protests the Church That Made Her Do It. Ratings and reviews have changed. He and his followers believed God had handpicked them for the “eternal conflict between the righteous and the wicked.” It was their obligation — and their key to heaven — to rebuke outsiders for betraying God’s word. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Outside there was only gray, and innumerable people who had every right to despise her. Creeper take on the Westboro Baptist Church with “Satanic underworld anthem” ‘Annabelle’ The band's second album 'Sex, Death & The Infinite Void' is out in the spring By Patrick Clarke If you are at all interested in this group and why they do what they do, Lauren's book will suck you in and help you understand. Years later, she would become one of Westboro’s most adamant defenders, but on that day she was simply the granddaughter of Fred Phelps, the church’s founder, pastor and fire-and-brimstone provocateur. Family and friends had gathered to mourn Joshua Munns, a 25-year-old Anderson man who was kidnapped more than a year ago and later murdered in Iraq. The church described itself as an “old-school (or primitive) Baptist Church.” Her mother, Shirley Phelps-Roper, was one of Phelps’s 13 children and served as the church’s picket organizer and spokesperson. Lauren is self-perceptive and honest, and does her best to explain "what was going through her head," and the book will give you a whole new appreciation for the power of social acceptance and peer pressure. I've had an academic curiosity about the Westboro Baptist Church for some time, not out of agreement with their beliefs, but just out of sheer morbid curiosity. Many people in Topeka, Kan., first became aware of the Westboro Baptist Church in the early 1990s, when members began what would become their trademark public action: picketing to protest what they saw as the ills of an ungodly world. “In the era of Donald Trump,” she writes, “the echoes of Westboro are undeniable: the division of the world into Us and Them; the vilification of compromise; the knee-jerk expulsion of insiders who violate group orthodoxy; and the demonization of outsiders and the inability to substantively engage with their ideas, because we simply cannot step outside of our own.” Underneath it all, in her words, is “a sentiment that Westboro members would readily recognize: We have nothing to learn from these people.”. , 16:31 ) did not think this book was well written Church would mean losing everyone she ’ ever! And if the Church ’ by Megan Phelps-Roper, she was baptized as a member of the Church Unfollow a. 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