Brainwashed by the Westboro Baptist Church

Brainwashed by the Westboro Baptist Church

2012, Religion  -    -  Playlist 202 Comments
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Ratings: 6.65/10 from 43 users.

Brainwashed by the Westboro Baptist ChurchVICE followed the story of the Westboro Baptist Church as families split and children were brainwashed into picketing funerals and bashing homosexuals.

During that time, VICE interviewed more than a dozen members of the reviled group, including some of the only members not related by blood, the Drains.

They welcomed the filmmakers into their homes and gave them access to 17 years of home video footage. In return, they produced an unbiased look into the lives of one of America's most despised organizations.

ALSO SEE: The Most Hated Family in America and America's Most Hated Family In Crisis.

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duncan
duncan
4 years ago

i dunno guys here at the westboro baptist church we dont brainwash no one, but like come on those homos deserved it, i aint seen a beat homo i aint laughed at and nor has god.

P_C
P_C
6 years ago

Steve Drain's daughter summed her father up perfectly: he is one of those men who are terrified of losing control so they end up controlling every aspect of their lives and of those around them. My own father was a slightly less far-gone version of him - and without the bible as a prop.

Turtlegirl
Turtlegirl
8 years ago

Well, you've gotta hand it to these people. At least they're hard workers.

But don't worry. Eventually they will go down hard, them and their hate.

Fk_censorship
Fk_censorship
8 years ago

This documentary was interesting but superficial. It left out crucial details about Phelps' life, and jumped from his law practice to his protests. It didn't even mention how the ministry was started etc. It felt like it skipped an important topic. Interesting, nevertheless.

Fk_censorship
Fk_censorship
8 years ago

@aura calm down. Actually, having total freedom of political speech is one of the best things about America.

becky bertish
becky bertish
8 years ago

Wow I have heard about Westboro Baptist but wow they are insane. Thank you Vice for showing me how much hate these people have , and they also abandon their own children/family if they decide to leave the church. It makes me sick.

eggsplat
eggsplat
8 years ago

i wish people would stop using "God" as a way to hate others. God doesn't hate anyone he hates sin. these people are definitely people who can't think for themselves and read the bible themselves. where in the bible does it say that God hates homosexuals? and i wish the people who are commenting who are shaming the bible just because of a group of people would stop because these people don't represent all believers of God.

Josh Clements
Josh Clements
9 years ago

How can people actually study a book that is up to 3500 years old and worship its text. "Where is it in the bible...", "the bible says...", who actually cares, its a book, and its a fantasy story. It's make believe. Written by people that didn't understand the world, so made up stories to try and feel better about it.

rise and shine
rise and shine
10 years ago

How does one use the words hate and God in the same sentence?Also what about where it is said in the Bible that there is neither male nor female in the spiritual realm or in the Kingdom ? These folks are pitiful to believe in a God that is both vindictive and ugly and intent on fostering destructive and malicious behavior of so called christians. This documentary proves organized religion is sadly misleading the blind leading the blind.

aura3192
aura3192
10 years ago

I think the most disgusting and offensive part of this whole documentary is that Westboro's evil funeral picketing is protected by so called 'free speech'....Albert Snyder had to pay Westboro's legal costs? Fuck you America, you f--king vile country piece of shit

glenstephen
glenstephen
10 years ago

Very sad indeed! An extremely un Christian group.

Anomalous Hominid
Anomalous Hominid
10 years ago

They are hateful, evil people, and the supposed authority of the Unholy Babble is just a convenient excuse for their disgusting behaviour to masquerade as virtue. And that is why every copy of the bible should be repurposed as toilet paper.

Hux Leary McShulgin
Hux Leary McShulgin
10 years ago

Fred Phelps is a perjuring wife-and-child beater with a previous drug addiction who started the ministry as a way to vent his rage. The anger is apparently contagious, since the other church members seem unhappy as well.

Bet his anus is so tight it could snap a pencil in half. Loosen up before you blow a gasket, old man.

Pysmythe
Pysmythe
10 years ago

I read the news today, oh, boy.

Seems a group of opportunistic Satanists held a "pink mass" over the grave of Phuckface Phelps's poor dead mama recently, thereby, in their "religious worldview," making her "gay for all eternity". Before leaving, one even had a nice photograph made of his gnarly Satanist pecker laid on top of her tombstone.

Juvenile? Perhaps. But I say it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving group of people.

Ah, hate! It's... it's just so damned liberating, isn't it?

(lol)

edit- No, "lol" doesn't stand for "Lucifer Our Lord"...

Johanna Saarni
Johanna Saarni
10 years ago

he looks like a decrepit mummy from Hammer horror-movies.....when he dies I think they will dwindle into oblivion. We should really stop feeding the trolls.

ZuZu
ZuZu
10 years ago

The bible says that gluttony is a sin you fat sonsabitches. So is judging. I will never understand, or want to understand CULTS.

Nikki Ut Ufa
Nikki Ut Ufa
10 years ago

Praying for someone to die?? Sorry but my God must be different than the god they serve because he hates no one! If someone does sin he says to hate the sin but love the sinner. Little do the Phelps know they are heading straight to hell themselves, hopefully they wake up and realize before it's too late.

Lin Frank
Lin Frank
10 years ago

Guess what Phelps? MY GOD DOESN'T HATE GAYS...I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOURS THOUGH.

Lin Frank
Lin Frank
10 years ago

a real humble guy...right...

Lin Frank
Lin Frank
10 years ago

what a hypocrit...he supports and defends blacks but condemns gays....go figure?

vr
vr
10 years ago

Does anyone else think this old Grumpy man is Satan?? Anyone that spreads this much negativity on a daily basis have to be a follower of Satan! I was brought up to believe god is a loving god that wants us to focus on the good in every situation and learn from it (free willpower and all) not spread hate around..

jackmax
jackmax
11 years ago

Jabranpin

Man having sex with an animal, I would consider the most unnatural act there is...:)

Jabranpin
Jabranpin
11 years ago

Homosexuality is the most unnatural act there is. But homosexuality has backing in the organs of power so there is nothing to do other than try as much as possible to avoid them and it.

Tim Burns
Tim Burns
11 years ago

US Citizens pay for this. Up to 50% of America is owned by churches, and tax exempt. Personally, I'd rather see everyone on Social Security and Welfare get a big fat raise.

knowledge_lover9
knowledge_lover9
11 years ago

Agreed, you have the right to practice, but you have no right to judge. I'm from Canada and I'm living down south in the bible belt, let me tell you religion causes more trouble than it does peace and joy. The bible thumpers who are judging everyone else don't take a second thought to think about how their harsh judgements might affect them. I am married to an Arabian man I know what its like to be judged religiously, I know what discrimination feels like to the max, and I know what racism feels like. Especially living down here. We have comments made openly, and looks strong enough to make anyone want to hide. The ironic part of it all we have experienced more discrimination and hate down here with all the "good Christians" more than back home; and anywhere else we have lived. It's just not right by any means. God mad us all different to teach us acceptance and love; not discrimination and hate.

Hollis Evon Ramsey
Hollis Evon Ramsey
11 years ago

George Orwell would be proud of this miniature Minilove

Bon Beems
Bon Beems
11 years ago

How stupid. They say God is a liar but God hates? Really? They dont even make sense when they contradict what they say.

Dave
Dave
11 years ago

What I want to know is WHERE do they get the money to go "picketing across the globe"?? That sounds crazy expensive...

DigiWongaDude
DigiWongaDude
11 years ago

There is a great calamity. Everyone dies. Heaven is in chaos trying to sort everyone out. God divides the men from the women, and divides the men in to two groups - those you dominated over their women, and those who were dominated by their women.

To his horror, only one man stands in the group that dominated over his woman.

"How can this be?" exclaims God, and asks St. Peter to take the women away. "I created all of you in my likeness, yet only one solitary man here managed to dominate his wife. Please, come up here and explain to everyone how you did it."

A little shy, the man addressed them all saying, "My wife told me to stand there."

------

All the major religions are inherently radical, since what kind of 'heaven' would it be, knowing people you love are endlessly burning in agony? It doesn't get more straight forward than that. If you could hack that, then what does that say? 85% of the universe is completely missing from us, all we can account for is 15% or less. There is plenty of room for spiritualism, but these holy books are pure folly. Love and peace.

nafasto
nafasto
11 years ago

how can God hate someone? wasn't everything created by God? why would God create something that He hates? anyways ppl will always twist religion to gain their goals. take away religion some thing will happen with some other ideology. its not religion, its the people with political agendas. and there is always people with political agenda behind religious movements. you dont want to be gay? fine dont be, you think this will get you to heaven? cool. stop telling others what to believe, cuz that annoying. same for Muslims who always try to impose their theology on just about anyone. BlaseAttitude helps..

Eric Villanueva
Eric Villanueva
11 years ago

What was that song at the beginning of the doc?

Nombre
Nombre
11 years ago

I suspect that in America we have more to fear from radical Christianity than from radical Islam.

Moderate Christians and Muslims should stand together to criticize these types of haters.

And the best response to the next Koran burning would be for American Christian clergy to read passages from the Koran - passages espousing shared values - during their next services.

One thing for sure, allowing these Westboro people to spew their hatred shows that we still value the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, i.e., free speech and religious freedom. I think we should be proud of that.

Jeff Mullins
Jeff Mullins
11 years ago

that's because your post wasn't a question but a statement. if you have a question then ask it and i'll answer it

Ramus73
Ramus73
11 years ago

American fundamentalists are one of the biggest dangers our society faces. Getting young children to hold messages of hate is disgusting and if disowning your own child is what god intends I'm glad I'm an atheist. These sub humans make me sick.

Frost
Frost
11 years ago

technically all good christians should join WBC according to what the bible says because they actually stand by all parts of the bible, not just the warm and fuzzy parts. the bible is pretty extreme

Foza
Foza
11 years ago

Your valid point has been corrected, thankyou for that observation mate

Foza
Foza
11 years ago

YES robertallen1, you are perfectly correct and my words could have been chosen better, All child abuse is a horror. I have 3 grown up and very much loved kids

Foza
Foza
11 years ago

WOW. what creeps, I think they have a vitamin deficiency or something, these are very sick people. It must be a sad thing to live with such hate and righteous defenses in your life. Don't they realize that god is a myth made up by man when man wiped out the pagan religion to make the new found christianity the main controlling belief. I am sure they have not read the bible and put it's contradicting messages together with moral logic and new scientific discoveries that negate most of the stories in the bibles fairy tales. isn't there laws protecting children from the horrors of child abuse teaching them to hate so strongly in life, the lives of those poor kids is going to be horrible for them, forever outcasts

Kurt
Kurt
11 years ago

They seem to want to share a wrong their told. An enlightenment of wrongful infliction. Aiming a kind of hatred and seperation away from mans course foreward. How could they live with themselves.

Kurt
Kurt
11 years ago

Exactly which God told them to behave like that? The focus on simply being human, must be lost in that neighborhood. Bring a book from the Bronze age into the future of man is like re-inventing the wheel every Sunday. One day reality will set in and the'll one day discover the realization there's no new news about this God on CNN News, NBC News , ABC News, BBC News, etc, Their sold on the preacher preaching of a God that only exists in the mind, and no where else. They make real humans look and act primatve, like stuck the dark ages, restricting and promoting no chance to evolve. An aweful infliction upon restricting man from advancing. If only pastors realize what actual harm their doing to humanity bringing hell here. The sharing of focus brings it.

Banshaboyo
Banshaboyo
11 years ago

stay well away from that lot

Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks
11 years ago

Any person filled with so much hate must be a demon! And any person who takes the bibel literally Is a moran.

Shambo1
Shambo1
11 years ago

God hates the media. Unless your mentally deranged and then he likes you using it.

Shambo1
Shambo1
11 years ago

Their preaching crap out of the old testament(Hebrew bible) and making fun of Jews. There is no mention of gays in the new testament and only a passing mention in the Hebrew bible. They don't know what they are. Publicity whores.

Shambo1
Shambo1
11 years ago

Crazy s***. They are mentally challenged. That poor soldiers family. I guess the devil is good to his own. That journalist wanted to be part of it before he went there, or he wouldn't bring his young impressionable children to that cauldron of hate.

Shambo1
Shambo1
11 years ago

He said it himself, PRIMITIVE.

NoGod,NoProblem
NoGod,NoProblem
11 years ago

Religion is bulls**t. -George Carlin

Joël Cuerrier
Joël Cuerrier
11 years ago

Yes, but the process is part of the promotion. It's like the Church in Florida that wanted to burn some Korans. Medias don't talk about it, no one care. Every medias pick it up, there is riots everywhere in the Middle-East. All that because of some wackos in Florida? It's very easy to burn a Koran, can do it right here at home. Should I call CNN to tell them about my intentions? Will they broadcast it everywhere around the world so we get some "Death To Canada, the Mini-Satan" publicity.

The medias have created that Church, not Phil Phelps. They made it what it is.

Joël Cuerrier
Joël Cuerrier
11 years ago

But it worked, they wanted to censor him and that only made him more popular. You have similar things everywhere. In France, they had an antisemitic standup, he got sued in court, couldn't perform anywhere as a result. Guess what? He's more popular than ever!

Joël Cuerrier
Joël Cuerrier
11 years ago

Phelps superstar... in Church and what a swimmer too!