Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Fred Phelps has Made a New Religion?

One Guy's Take on the Westboro "God hates Figs" Baptist Church

Members of WBC generally avoid the name "Christian" when referring to themselves, preferring the mysterious term "Tachmonite." This apparently refers to a servant of King David's, but I'm not sure of the derivation or the intention.

The Tachmonites believe Phelps is "the last prophet," with the power to determine who will be damned and who will be saved. They themselves, as followers of Phelps, also have the power to condemn souls to hell. Most people are destined for hell, but "Good Samaritans" who help the Tachmonites (for example, police officers who prevent counter-protesters from assaulting them) may be offered an indeterminate "reward" for their good conduct. Apparently "sola fide" is not part of the Tachmonites' creed.

via Eve Tushnet

Phelps' acolytes paid a visit to my parish last Easter Sunday, so I did a bit of slumming at their website. There are definitely remnants of old Reformation-Era doctrines, such as a commitment to Calvinistic predestination, but I didn't notice the wackier theology described here. Not that it would be incredibly surprising.

No comments: