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Former Westboro Baptist Church Member Dissects Communicating with Varying Beliefs

Written by : Julian Irizarry

Former Westboro church member, Megan Phelps-Roper, reflects on how her worldview has changed through conversations on February 25th at Morehead Hall, analyzing how individuals who have differentiating ideas can communicate effectively. 

Megan spoke on the specific moments throughout her life that created a change in her ideals and morals. She delves into her early childhood, full of hate, racism, and homophobia stemming from her parent’s religious beliefs. Not knowing she was leading down the wrong path, conversations with individuals of different religions had sparked curiosity and improved her understanding of the world.

“We celebrate tolerance and diversity more than any other time in memory, and still we grow more and more divided…Each one of us contributes to communities and the cultures and the societies that we make up, the end of this spiral of rage and blame begins with one person who chooses to not indulge in these destructive seductive impulses.”

Megan’s story is one of change, showcasing how individuals are not limited to their upbringing or childhood. Through experiences of learning about the world and all of the cultures that reside within it, she was able to reflect on her previous hateful actions and statements to become a more intelligent person, urging others to do the same. 

Communication is essential in understanding people throughout the world. One of the key points that changed the trajectory of Megan’s life was social media, specifically what was known as Twitter at the time. A conversation with a man of different religious beliefs on the platform sparked curiosity within Megan, this was the start of her journey to leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. The man conversing with Megan was open to answering her questions, gave respectful replies, and layed out their arguments in an articulate manner. Megan emphasizes this point by acknowledging how she wouldn’t be where she is now if he wasn’t so patient with her. 

“These conversations planted seeds of doubt in me…I realized now I needed to learn, I needed to listen,” said Megan. 

Some of the Montclair State University students who attended the event found it to be very interesting and even eye opening.

“What I thought was most interesting was that the turning point for her was when she would go on Twitter and start interacting with people online. Most of the people she was engaging with were challenging her views in a civil way which is what I guess made her start to doubt and question her beliefs,” said student Corinne Zaccone.

Another student had a different opinion on the social media aspect of Megan’s journey. 

“Her idea of never assuming bad intentions when interacting with people online is good on paper, but with the amount of social freedom people have online they might use the platform to push horrible ideals or beliefs, I feel it’ll be very complicated to approach violent people online if they are unwilling to listen to reason,” said Jan Rosario. 

Megan Phelps-Roper’s speech dissected the importance of communication between individuals with varying beliefs. 

“We are all a product of our upbringing, and our beliefs reflect our experiences.”