‘We Hurt A Lot Of People’
That is what Megan Phelps-Roper, the granddaughter of the virulently homophobic Westboro Baptist Church cult leader pastor Fred Phelps, has said about the congregation:
Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper, granddaughters of Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Fred Phelps, say they have been working to “do good” since leaving the controversial church last year.
“I’m at a complete loss. But I do know that I want to do good, to have empathy,” Megan told the Globe and Mail. “Even though we intended to do good [with the picketing], we hurt a lot of people.”
Megan admits the two were “terrified” after they left the church.
“I was afraid we were going to hell,” Megan said. “Many times when we were driving, I thought God was going to kill us.”
The two are exploring communities they once preached against as members of Westboro. The two told the Globe and Mail they are staying at a Jewish community in Montreal for one month, and they have spoken to some religious studies classes at Concordia University.
“At the church, so many aspects of your life are controlled,” Grace said. “Having this new freedom, this ability to do things as we want to, when we want to, making all our own decisions –- we’ve learned so much this way.”
Megan said she wants to “work on a blueberry farm” or “be an actress” now that she’s no longer tied to Westboro.
“There’s so much I want to do,” she said.
