Anti-Westboro

About me:

My name is Melissa. I'm a 28 year old patriotic Christian. My family has a military heritage that we can trace back to the Civil War. This MySpace is dedicated to the fight against the Westboro Baptist Church. A few facts about this group: - They have no affiliation at all with any Baptist organization, including the Southern Baptist Convention, one of the largest Baptist groups in the country. - Their pastor has no background in any religious education and is in fact a former laywer who was disbarred from practicing state law in 1979 and disbarred from practicing federal law in 1989 for committing perjury in a case in 1979. - The group is mostly members of his family and a handful of the families close, personal friends. One member, Charles Hockenbarger, is the son of Karl Hockenbarger, who helped to form the family's legal practice, Phelps Chartered with Fred Phelps Sr. AFTER he was disbarred. - Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist "Church" had a direct role in the death of a young woman named Debbie Valgos in 1972. She had dated Phelps' son and was tricked into attending services at the "church" by Phelps. When she attended, she was called a whore by Fred in his sermons week after week. After Phelps introduced his son to another woman and Debbie was basically forced from Fred's son's life, she became depressed and overdosed on drugs. She passed away when her heart stopped. Fred Phelps himself celebrated her death when it was reported in the papers the next day. - The group is one of 400 hate groups monitored by the Southern Poverty Law Center.