Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church | Megan Phelps-Roper | Oxford Union
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Published 2019-12-10
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Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church, a controversial American church known for its inflammatory rhetoric and homophobic beliefs. The daughter of the organisation's spokesperson, and granddaughter of its founder, she was one of the church's most prominent members before leaving the organization in 2012 alongside her sister, Grace. No longer a practising Christian, she now works as an activist to overcome religious and political hatred and division.
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All Comments (21)
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Can we all just take the lesson here that approaching people respectfully, even when they are saying the most hateful things, is the only way to actually get through to them?
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I'm so glad she left, shes so brave for getting out of that cult.
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It still amazes me that I went from truly hating this person with a passion to completely respecting and admiring her. She gives me hope that people can still be good.
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Megan is one of my heroes I think. I find her to be an incredibly compassionate and courageous woman. Her increasing sadness toward the end of her speech was truly heartbreaking.
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I can't imagine the courage needed to leave a cult and openly talk about it. Great talk! Thank you to her
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Most UN-FUN thing you can do: Shape yourself. Reflect on yourself. Adapt and overcome mistakes. This woman is dragging herself through hell to find truth, i think thats brave and stunning.
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It takes a lot of courage to leave a cult like WBBC. I can't imagine how hard it was to cut ties with almost her entire family.
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I became interested in the WBC from the Theroux documentaries. I remembered thinking "how the hell do people like that had the brainpower to be lawyers". I remember the day Megan and her sister left Megan released a public statement and it was so well written and impressive. Incredible how even very intelligent people can still be brainwashed into something like religious extremism.
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This is why 'cancel culture' needs to end, because imagine if we'd 'canceled' Megan after she got out. We need to be open to people growing, changing, apologising and moving on. At a certain point people need to be able to stop apologising for their past if they've changed and done their best to make amends.
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It’s amazing how I couldn’t stand Megan in the original Louis Theroux doc but have now been a big fan of her for months. She’s so kind, well-spoken & really likeable. I’m glad she got out.
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She's a very eloquent and articulate speaker, isn't she. This shows that even highly intelligent people can be susceptible to brain washing, which seems to work best when started early. Am glad people are prepared to give her a second chance.
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So glad Megan found the courage to leave & accept people for who they are
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Her family cult caused so much pain and suffering to people who did not deserve the abuse. Congratulations to Megan for escaping this horrid cult that has terrorized far too many people.
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thanks for this - Megan is a very articulate woman and knows what she's talking about without dismissing any ideas
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Well, despite the cultiness of her family, they still managed to raise a wonderful woman.
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I have a lot of admiration for Megan, that cannot have been an easy decision to make, let alone go through with and accept the consequences.
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I remember watching the Louis Theroux documentary on WBC and my heart just breaking for the girls. It makes me so happy to see the girls have left that life behind.
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The strength and courage to be open, to change, and to act against such an authority in her life is so beautiful..
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Watching her reaction to her finding out her sibling's engagements is so emotional.
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Leaving religion is the hardest and loneliest act one can undertake. But she is not alone in this choice.
