Editing Fred Phelps (section)

==Family life==
Phelps married Margie M. Simms in May 1952, a year after the couple met at the Arizona Bible Institute. They had 13 children, 54 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/us/fred-phelps-founder-of-westboro-baptist-church-dies-at-84.html|title=Fred Phelps, Anti-Gay Preacher Who Targeted Military Funerals, Dies at 84|date=March 20, 2014|access-date=March 21, 2014|last=Paulson|first=Michael |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

[[Nathan Phelps]], Fred Phelps' estranged son, claims that the elder Phelps was an [[child abuse|abusive]] father, that he (Nate) never had a relationship with him when he was growing up, and that the Westboro Baptist Church is an organization for his father to "vent his rage and anger."<ref name="anderson2006">{{cite news|first=Ric|last=Anderson|url=http://cjonline.com/stories/072306/loc_phelps.shtml|title=Phelps' Son Speaks Out|newspaper=[[The Topeka Capital-Journal]]|date=July 23, 2006|access-date=January 20, 2013|archive-date=September 29, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929095543/http://cjonline.com/stories/072306/loc_phelps.shtml}}</ref> He alleges that, in addition to hurting others, his father used to physically abuse his wife and children by beating them with his fists and with the handle of a [[mattock]] to the point of bleeding.<ref name="anderson2006"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/16/westboro.nate.phelps/index.html|title=Estranged Son of Anti-Gay Westboro Pastor Says Father Does 'Evil'|date=March 17, 2011|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=December 10, 2012}}</ref> Phelps' brother, Mark, has supported and repeated Nathan's claims of physical abuse by their father.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/the-new-fred/Content?oid=2183486|title=The New Fred|last=Kendall|first=Justin|date=November 2, 2006|work=[[The Pitch (newspaper)|The Pitch]]|access-date=January 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226164820/http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/the-new-fred/Content?oid=2183486|archive-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref> Since 2004, over 20 members of the church, mostly family members, have left the church.<ref name="KCStar11212012">{{cite news|first=Dugan|last=Arnett|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/19/3275645/megan-phelps-roper-an-heir-to.html|title=Megan Phelps-Roper of Westboro Baptist Church: An heir to hate|newspaper=[[Kansas City Star]]|date=November 21, 2012|access-date=March 21, 2014}}</ref>