Zach Phelps-Roper is settling into his new neighborhood in Old Monroe, about an hour north of St. Louis. He’s there working with a group called United Bikers for Unjust Causes - part of what they do is counter protest the Westboro Baptist Church which is most of Zach’s family. His grandfather is the church’s founder, Fred Phelps.
Zach says he was protesting as young as 3 years old. He would hold up signs that said things like “God Hates Fags,” but now he holds signs that say “God Loves You.”
He says he was too young to know what the sign even meant – he felt brainwashed – we asked Zach if he thought the church was a cult. Listen to his response below:
Zach left the church over a disagreement with his parents. He said he was experiencing pain and they thought the solution
was to pray it away. Zach said he felt like no one was listening to him, so he left. As he began to meet people, he realized the profound effect Westboro had.

“It was at first a painful process but I love to live life now. I look forward to each day and it feels like every day gets better than the last.”
We asked Zach for his thoughts on Heaven and Hell:
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