Keith Allen discovers an unnerving mixture of hatred, fanaticism and fun when he investigates one of the USA's most extreme fundamentalist churches
The members of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, which preaches that every word in the Bible is literally true, are some of America's most fanatical Christian fundamentalists. Bearing ‘God Hates Fags’ and ‘God Hates America’ placards, they cheerfully picket the funerals of US soldiers killed in Iraq, and delight in provoking outrage among both liberals and patriots.
Programme-makers in America and Britain have repeatedly tried to expose their beliefs as anti-Christian, but these attempts have failed. In Channel 4’s investigation, Keith Allen takes a smarter, more streetwise approach. During three extraordinary days at Westboro, Keith reveals more about the church than other television programmes have unearthed in three months.
In interviews that are hilarious, infuriating and compelling, he forensically exposes the curious mixture of hatred and jollity that underpins their faith. Using all his journalistic skills and instincts, he scavenges for information in local bars and discovers a secret about the church's chief spokesperson, Shirley Phelps-Roper. Shirley confesses her ‘sin’ on camera, making a memorable climax to a programme that exposes the hypocrisy of this bizarre, fundamentalist sect.
He was equally as funny in Little Lady Fauntleroy
When I watched Keith Allen Will Burn In Hell I found it to be jaw droppingly funny. Many religious people have impressed me. I have met many Muslims through teaching English, SnoWhite had a Jewish friend through school(who I am ashamed to say I once accidentally fed hot dogs to) I have met every other type of religious you can imagine and almost all have really impressed me. But Shirley Phelps-Roper only made me laugh.
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3 comments:
I'm sorry I missed the show. I saw a programme Keith Allen did on Tourettes earlier this year and found it both warmly amusing, humane and informative.
It's very difficult to understand some of the mindset and I'm a big old Bible thumper myself.
*sigh* Glad I haven't seen it.
I don't think any of what the Westboro Baptist church do or say is really any thing to do with religion and I really think,as the following shows, that Phelps just enjoys hating people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps
During 1993–94 interviews with the Topeka Capital-Journal, the four Phelps children (out of thirteen, Mark, Nate, Katherine and Dotty) who had left the church asserted that their father's religious beliefs were either nonexistent to begin with or have dwindled down to nearly nothing. They insist that Westboro actually serves to enable a paraphilia of Phelps, wherein he is literally addicted to hatred.
Religion has nothing to do with what Phelps and his family get up to.
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