by Justin Lee
On
Monday night, Nate Phelps, estranged son of Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred
Phelps, gave a talk about his upbringing in the extreme Calvinist sect and his
experiences adapting to secularism. The
event was co hosted by the GW Secular society and Allied in Pride, along with
Phelps’ own organization, Center for Inquiry.
Phelps
talked for an hour about his father and the harsh set of religious doctrine and
physical abuse he subjected Nate and the rest of the family to. Phelps recounted
instances of his father’s deteriorating mental health, ranging from amphetamine
abuse while his father was in law school to the detailed accounts of Fred
Phelps beating his children and wife.
Phelps
then told of his life after he ran away from home. He talked about his
experiences with different types of religion and coming to terms with his
father’s abuse through therapy. Phelps ended his talk with a warning about how
faith based organizations could pose a threat to the development of society. A question and answer session then followed.
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