Lee Eisenberg Fred Phelps has run the Westboro Baptist Church for over 50 years, but the church only grew famous after it picketed the funeral of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard. Since then, it has staged protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, alleging that the troops got killed because America tolerates homosexuality.Ryan Jones's documentary "Fall from Grace" is a look at Phelps and his congregation, which consists largely of his family. It features interviews with people who consider Phelps evil, but there are also interviews with Phelps and his family, who all make themselves look psychotic.The point is that Phelps has twisted the gospel to fit his narrow-minded views, as have numerous other clergymen. Even so, the price of free speech is that we have to allow even the most repulsive speech. This is a documentary that everyone should see.In the past year, the WBC picketed the funerals of Christina-Taylor Green (a nine-year-old girl killed in the attack on Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords) and stunt performer Ryan Dunn. The WBC had planned to picket the funerals of Elizabeth Taylor and Steve Jobs, but then canceled their plans.

EXodus25X I have never experience such a range of emotions while watching a film, from anger and rage to down right disappointment and sadness. Something has gone terribly wrong in the mind of the Phelps family. They are the reason that Christians around the world are stereotyped into these kind of hate mongers. I am dumb founded by these people, in the ultimate act of love and sacrifice their God sent his only son to die for their and all of our sins. Sins that in Gods mind are all equally horrible yet Jesus at no time held up signs or preached that God hated anyone be it any kind of sinner. So from such an act of love these people have choose to express nothing but hate. I simply don't understand, I am so imperfect that to damn anyone for there sins would make me feel like the worlds biggest hypocrite, the only one qualified for that is God. A pastor in this film I thought said it best when he said he preaches what Jesus preached and chooses to stay silent on the issues Jesus chose to stay silent on. I would assume that if God felt that homo-sexuality was this huge issue then his son would have made a more clear stance in the Bible so it would not be open to interpretation by individuals. Personally I have my beliefs and I stand strongly behind them but I do not force those beliefs onto anyone else and my goal isn't to force anyone to believe what I believe but for the LOVE of Jesus to shine through me, the LOVE. That's what it's all about, that's the very cornerstone of Christianity, how do you loose that? So to the Phelps family I don't have words of anger or hate for you even though I disagree so completely with what you do, to the Phelps I have just one question, where is the love?

MartinHafer This documentary is about one of the most despicable and evil men living in America today. The Reverend Fred Phelps is a leader of a small cult in Kansas that has risen to national prominence due to their protests of funerals and churches--with its followers holding up placards that are mostly too offensive to list here on IMDb! Among the mildest of them is "God Hates America" and "Thank God for IEDs". The group takes sick pleasure in offending and makes no effort to actually convert. Their message is that God hates pretty much everyone and that THE message of the Bible is God's wrath and all-consuming hatred of everything about the US, Sweden, Ireland, Mexico and, well, pretty much EVERYONE but the 60-some members of his odd little hate filled church.The documentary features many interviews with Phelps and his clan. It also features many interviews with community leaders, ministers and phone interviews with two of Phelps' own children who have left the cult and talk about the abusive nature of their clan.About the only aspects of the film I didn't particularly care for were some quotes from other ministers (such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson). While their views on homosexuality might offend some, they never in their worst days came close to the evil hatred-spewing methods of Phelps and his smug followers, so playing the "moral equivalency card" seems inappropriate.For a slightly more succinct and more interesting view of the Phelps cult, try watching the one hour British documentary "The Most Hated Family in America". While featuring far less of Phelps himself (he was too surly and hate-filled when they tried interviewing him so they had little footage of this maniac in action), they let the kids in the cult do a lot more talking and the film maintained a tighter focus--as a few of the interviews from FALL FROM GRACE seemed a tad weak.

JustCuriosity This film has its world premiere as Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It would have been very easy for first-time filmmaker Ryan Jones to make a one-sided polemic about hate-mongering Rev. Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. Phelps despicable "God hates fags" theology and their protests especially at military funerals are clearly beyond the pale.However Jones opted to try to dig deeper. Much of the film allows Phelps and the member of his extended family (which makes up most of his "church") to speak for themselves. While the film provides plenty of space to Phelp's critics, it also allows Phelps and his family to hang themselves with their close-minded bigoted rhetoric. The interviews with two of Phelps' children who have left his church are particularly revealing. Most of all, the film shows that what they preach is anything, but the true spirit of Christian charity and generosity. The film shows that this is an ideology of hate disguised as Christianity. The film also explores some themes such as the extent of free speech which have long been associated with the famous Neo-Nazi march in Skokie.This film deserves to be seen by a wider audience so that people can see the true face of intolerance and the dangerous power of a charismatic leader to cause great pain and suffering. I suspect Jesus would cry at what Phelps is doing in his name. Jones should be commended for this powerful piece of film-making.