Phelps-Roper: I would encourage my 16-year-old self to consider how she knows what she thinks she knows. In 2011, Phelps-Roper burst into tears after seeing a photograph of a malnourished child living through the Somalia famine. Specifically, the film will cover Megan Phelps-Roper, the now-31-year-old former WBC member who left the church in November 2012, and David Abitbol, the Jewish blogger … Now She Protests the Church That Made Her Do It", "Why Fred Phelps' granddaughter left Westboro Baptist Church", "No Longer a Hater: The Long, Strange Journey of Megan Phelps-Roper", "Westboro Baptist church key member Megan Phelps-Roper leaves", "Transcript of "I grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. When Twitter users discovered the doctored photos she agreed that church members committed the sin of bearing false witness. Her mother created a blog post praising God for the drought and Phelps-Roper believed that was the incorrect response. Louis Theroux with Megan's mum, Shirley Phelps-Roper, who became a spokesperson of sorts for the church Credit: BBC. A former member of Westboro Baptist Church, Megan Phelps-Roper is now an author & educator on topics related to extremism, bullying, & empathy in dialogue. Megan Phelps Roper was born in 1986 on 31 January and is now 30 years old. In this book, she covers the history of the Westboro Baptist Church. I recognized pretty soon after I left the church that those ideas wouldn’t just take care of themselves. She does not believe the platform is toxic but that some users bring toxicity into Twitter conversations. Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church, the Topeka, Kansas, church known internationally for its daily public protests against members of the LGBT community, Jews, the military, and countless others. That if I had any hope of lasting change, I would need to be very deliberate about putting myself in situations to challenge those beliefs and to create new memories and associations. My little girl is 14 months old now, and I completely reject that idea that I need to physically hurt my daughter to teach her anything. At this point, the former beliefs that surface most often have to do with parenting. A former member of Westboro Baptist Church, Megan Phelps-Roper is now an author & educator on topics related to extremism, bullying, & empathy in dialogue. Here's why I left | TED Talk", "Losing my religion: life after extreme belief", "Mutilating the American Flag: Now O.K. The first inconsistency was outlined by David Abitbol, a Jewish Twitter user whom Phelps-Roper publicly contacted to encourage him to repent of his sins. They cater to a lot of our most basic needs as human beings, and the costs of joining aren’t always obvious up front. Megan Phelps-Roper was born in Topeka, Kansas, on January 31, 1986, and is the eldest daughter of Shirley Phelps-Roper and Brent Roper. [12] They moved to South Dakota after visiting the Black Hills. What I regret is the pain that we inflicted on so many people. Her beliefs in the preachings of hatred towards uncommon cultural development were quite strong. She sent the essay to a friend who encouraged her to write the book. [5] She stated that she is a “believer in humanity” and in that way still classifies herself as a believer. When interviewers wanted the perspective of a younger member of the church, her mother would often have them interview Phelps-Roper. She travels around the world to speak about her experience in the church and advocates dialogue between groups with conflicting views. I’ll keep working toward that end as I keep writing and reaching out to her and the rest of our family. McMurdock: You are only 33 now. They were keeping us from veering off the path, and any attempt on our part to push back against that was seen as rebellion — an indicator that our hearts weren’t in the right place. [1][2] Her grandfather is Fred Phelps who founded the Westboro Baptist Church. [1] She used a softer tone on the platform than she did during interviews because she wanted to avoid ending conversations after insulting the other user or having the conversation side-tracked by angry responses. Phelps-Roper: There was something about being physically distant from people on Twitter that allowed me to be open and vulnerable in a way that I never would have been in a physical space with others. More effective, I think, would be a series of conversations, developing rapport and gently pointing out the internal inconsistencies in Westboro’s doctrines. Phelps-Roper withdrew from picketing and speaking to reporters, fearing her doubts would be revealed. She also appeared as a regular guest on a Kansas City morning show, "Afentra's Big Fat Morning Buzz". [9] She liked using Twitter because it allowed her to share theology directly to people, instead of through a reporter. Megan Phelps-Roper was just a child when she joined her family in Westboro Baptist Church’s picket lines. Here's why I left, "Megan Phelps-Roper, coming to KC, left her Westboro family but still craves their love", "Westboro Church Founder's Granddaughter Who Defected: I 'Still' Love My Family 'So Much, "Louis Theroux: Surviving America's Most Hated Family review – a deeply uncomfortable watch", "Louis's choice to tell me this on camera doesn't just make for a dramatic scene. McMurdock: What did Louis Theroux think when you contacted him to say you’d left Westboro? Her mother is Shirley Phelps-Roper and her grandfather is the church's founder Fred Phelps. Is there any way the two of you could lay your differences aside to just be mother and daughter? McMurdock: What advice would you give 16-year-old Megan — and do you think she would take it? In 2012, she left the church and cut ties with much of her family, a story she recounts in her new book, “Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church.” She’s since become an advocate for overcoming conflicts between religious and political groups. During the taping, Theroux told Phelps-Roper that two of her siblings were engaged to be married which caused her to be upset. [22] Her strategy on Twitter was to counter angry responses with Bible verses, pop culture references and emojis. If you’re interested in talking to other influencers’ representatives, along with members of the Megan Phelps-roper management team, The Handbook contains over 127,000 verified influencer contacts for planning events, interviews and promotions. Then, she would engage in civil conversation to understand the other's viewpoint and explain her own. Megan Phelps-Roper was born to hate, joining her family at an anti-Gay picket at just 5 years old. They shared their beliefs and doubts with each other and continued discussing plans for leaving the church. She reaches out to relatives through Twitter but does not receive responses. [3], In middle school, Phelps-Roper made friends that were not part of the WBC group and participated in extracurricular activities including running track,[1] volleyball and musical theatre. [6] In November 2012 Brent Roper confronted Grace about a relationship she was having with another church member. [6], Phelps-Roper avoids using the word "cult" to describe the Westboro Baptist Church. During this discussion, Phelps-Roper encouraged her sister to leave the church with her, and they announced their intention to their parents. Following her departure, Phelps-Roper became a prominent critic of the group's philosophy and practices. Megan Phelps Roper Bio, Wiki, Age, Height. She picketed various events including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the funerals of soldiers who died in the War in Afghanistan and the War in Iraq. Theroux was criticised for including this in the documentary, with one reviewer stating the revelation exploited Phelps-Roper's emotions and was uncomfortable to watch. She left the Westboro Baptist Church in November 2012 and is now an educator on topics related to extremism and communication across ideological lines. Courtesy of Ireland’s Big Issue / INSP.ngo, Portland, Oregon's award-winning weekly street newspaper, Megan Phelps-Roper is a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. 4K likes. [30] She also credits the platform with changing her views on the Westboro Baptist Church and allowing her to engage in dialogue with others. Megan Phelps-Roper was the subject of a profile in The Kansas City Star in 2011, which described her as “peppy, goofy and, by all accounts, happy”. [9] In 2009 her family celebrated the death of Brittany Murphy while Phelps-Roper felt an emotion closer to sadness, increasing her doubts about her church's doctrine. However, she believes that being allowed to leave the group and her parents' help to pack her belongings are examples of non-cultlike actions of the group. [21] She justified this change in tone with the proverb, “By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.”[1], In the late 2000s, Phelps-Roper sent messages to prominent Jewish Twitter users, calling for them to repent and stop their Jewish rituals before they were sent to hell. The ceremony included a profession of faith and concluded with Phelps-Roper becoming a full member of the church. Megan Phelps-Roper To anyone who feels moved to help or share the gofundme set up by Maria’s family, thank you so very much. I recall being kind of unnerved at first, but almost never afraid. [3][4] She was raised in the church, and lived in a compound that included the church building, houses for members, adjoining backyards, a trampoline, running track, playground and swimming pool, all surrounded by a tall fence. The activist and TED speaker Megan Phelps-Roper reveals her life growing up in the most hated family in America At the age of five, Megan Phelps-Roper began protesting homosexuality and other alleged vices alongside fellow members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Phelps-Roper came to believe that the more the outside world condemned their views and actions, the more righteous they were. [5], Phelps-Roper considered leaving the church in April 2012 when the song "Just One" by Blind Pilot played on her stereo. And other perceived sins future, personally and professionally lyrics caused her to stay in church... 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