How does westboro baptist get money

Excommunication and death He said that Phelps had been excommunicated from the church in August , and then moved into a house where he "basically stopped eating and drinking". His statements were supported by his brother, Mark. The Westboro Baptist Church operates as a tax - exempt church.

While it speaks volumes that many Americans value their right to free speech, this does not mean that we have to pay for their vitriol. Born January 31, Topeka, Kansas, U. Most of it comes from within the organization, which consists of about 70 followers—most of whom are offspring of or related to founder Fred Phelps.

Members are required to give 30 percent of their income to the church , which is tax deductible for the donor since WBC is technically a religious organization. What does the Baptist church believe? Baptists believe that faith is a matter between God and the individual religious freedom. To them it means the advocacy of absolute liberty of conscience. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case to address issues of laws designed to protect the "sanctity and dignity of memorial and funeral services" as well as the privacy of family and friends of the deceased.

The justices will be asked to address how far states and private entities such as cemeteries and churches can go to justify picket-free zones and the use of "floating buffers" to silence or restrict speech or movements of demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights in a funeral setting.

Both Phelps and Snyder's attorney said they were surprised that the 4th District chose to weigh in on the issue of legal costs when they could have waited until after the Supreme Court hearing.

The fact that so many people hate these words does not mean you can silence or penalize them. That's supposed to be the great liberty that we congratulate ourselves on protecting in this nation. We strut all around the world forcing people to give all the liberties we supposedly have," she said. Phelps anticipated that a Supreme Court ruling in the church's favor would be unpopular, but she said Westboro's members viewed the potential outcome in Biblical terms.

These children casually use the words "f--" and "dyke" in interviews, and the older children report having no close friends at school. The Phelps family raises its children to hold hateful and upsetting views, and to believe that all people not in WBC will go to hell. The tenets of WBC are so strict that no other churches are taken to be legitimate.

The children quickly grow alienated in school and in society, leading them to build relationships almost exclusively within the family. This helps to explain why nine of Fred Phelps' 13 children have remained members of the church. Fred Phelps and his small congregation provide WBC's funding; the group neither solicits nor accepts outside donations. In addition to this income, the church makes money by winning or settling civil lawsuits involving the church.

During the s, the group sued Topeka multiple times for failing to provide sufficient protection during its protests. Because the Phelps family represents WBC in court, they can put the fees they win towards supporting the church.

As of , several WBC members worked for the state , providing an additional income stream. Margie Phelps was even awarded "Kansas Correctional Association Employee of the Quarter" in late — this despite her arrest at a protest at a dedication ceremony for the Brown v. Board of Education Historical Site in Topeka.

Abigail Phelps, another Westboro activist, worked in the staff development office for Kansas' Juvenile Justice Authority. In February , Prison Legal News , which monitors human-rights abuses within America's prison system, filed an ethics complaint with Kansas legal officials against Shirley Phelps-Roper. The complaint alleged that Phelps violated legal ethical canons because of the extreme vitriol she directed toward gays and lesbians on a radio show. In the s, WBC sued the city of Topeka several times for not providing the group protection during protests.

Since the family represented themselves, all that money went back to the church. In , Shirley Phelps-Roper was charged under a Nebraska flag desecration law for letting her son stand on an American flag that she wore around her waist. In an interview with NPR , WBC spokesperson Shirley Phelps-Roper spoke about the income the church receives from lawsuits against communities that prevent them from protesting—cases that often earn tens of thousands worth of fees. So will the WBC be suing seek legal recourse if Charleston prevents them from protesting?

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