âWestboro Baptist Churchâ Pulls Off The Greatest Prank In History
Westboro Baptist Church, known more for its theatrical, attention-getting demonstrations than for its spreading of the gospel, finally admitted what many have suspected all along â itâs all been a colossal prank.âIt started in the church basement,â said former member and amateur performer Keith Lindsay. âWe were losing members and money, so I formed an improv group called Winging It. We dressed up as angels and did lighthearted skits based on good deeds.âThe improvised good deeds changed depending on the audience, as Lindsay explained. âSometimes weâd be at the mall and some woman would walk by wearing the most disastrously put together, wretched outfit, so weâd re-style her! Iâd reach into my big bag and give her a makeover right on the spot! I have a talent for that,â he added.TheÂ small-scale improv wasnât giving the church the exposure they wanted, so Lindsay decided to âtake things up a notchâ in in effort to recruit more members. The troupe began acting out the most dramatic scenes from the Bible.âWe were stoning this woman at the mall once,â said Lindsay, âwhen a mother with her little boyÂ said we should stop because it was too violent for her son to see. Well I was exhausted from being up all night practicing my improv and making all those paper macheÂ rocks, and I lost my temper, but I stayed in character which is an improv comedy rule.âLindsayâs âah-haâ moment cameÂ when he criticized the young mother for dressing her young son in a pink shirt. âI said, âGod hates theÂ pinkÂ shirts and your son looks like a âyou-know-what.â She clearly didnât know what I meant, and because I was still âin the momentâ I suddenly blurted out, âGOD HATES FAGS!â and thatâs how the whole thing started! The moment was so electric! I was trembling!â said Lindsay.From that point forward, the church found themselves flooded with new members, all volunteering to make signs, protest funerals, and picket every event they could possibly think of.âSo thatâs the story,â said Lindsay. âIt was all just an act. The idea started as an improv comedy bit that we thought could get us some attention and new members, and it just blew upÂ from there! Iâm so relievedÂ to finally come out and tell the truth,â he said. ââPastorâ Fred Phelps was a genius, and he took my blow-up at that woman in the mall to new heights. Once he got his daughter Shirley in front of a crowd, with her empty gaze and haggard looks, the entire thing became more believable than ever. I credit Fred and Shirley in making these little bits we had into a work of comedic excellence.âLindsayÂ left the church when founder Fred Phelps passed away in March 2014, and is now focusing on a solo performing career.âIt was time to move on,â said the actor, but right now Iâm writing my own one-man show, so just move over Liza Minnelli! Step aside Lada Gaga! Iâm getting my act together and taking it on the road!â