Westboro Baptist Church

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an American unaffiliated Baptist church known for its extreme opinions and protests, especially those against gay people. The church is widely described as a hate group. Establishment It was originally headed by Fred Phelps and consists mostly of members of his large family. In 2011, the church claimed it had about 40 members. The church is in a residential neighborhood on the west side of Topeka about three miles (5 km) west of the Kansas State Capitol. Its first public service was held on November 27, 1955. Actions The church has been involved in actions against gay people since at least 1991. This is when it sought a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park six blocks northwest of the church. In addition to conducting anti-gay protests at military funerals, the organization pickets other celebrity funerals and public events that are likely to get it media attention. Protests have also been held against Jews and some protests have included WBC members stomping on the American flag. Affiliation The WBC is not affiliated with any Baptist denomination. The Baptist World Alliance and the Southern Baptist Convention (the two largest Baptist denominations) have each denounced the WBC over the years. The church describes itself as following "Primitive Baptist" and Calvinist principles. References