Episode #974
Megan Phelps-Roper
Books mentioned
The Bible
Mentioned by Megan Phelps-Roper · at 00:01:27
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Going Clear
Mentioned by Megan Phelps-Roper · at 00:42:25
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Mentioned by Joe Rogan (host) · at 01:05:20
Amazon (opens in a new tab; affiliate link) Source: Transcript (podscripts.co)
Timestamps are segment start times from the podscripts.co transcript of the audio release (includes ad reads), so they may differ from the video by a few minutes.
Megan Phelps-Roper recounts her upbringing in and departure from the Westboro Baptist Church, including the theological contradictions that fueled her doubts and her estrangement from family members who remain there. She and Joe examine rigid ideology, tribalism, public shaming, online discourse, and how empathy and intellectual humility can help people reconsider harmful beliefs.
What they talked about
- Growing up in Westboro Baptist Church
- Misconception of hatred vs. love in the church
- Protesting funerals and soldier funerals
- Twitter as an empathy machine
- Leaving the church and losing family
- Internal contradictions in doctrine
- Writing a book about her experience
- Lessons on communication and empathy
Data last updated · Report a mistake · How it works: mentions are pulled from public transcripts and episode descriptions, partly with AI-assisted extraction, so details and timestamps can be off.