Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain says she was banished after questioning its beliefs to her family. When his daughter, lauren drain, started to question the beliefs of the church. The author behind the popular tellall now details her new life as a fitness model, nurse and personal trainer. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain. Been interested in the westboro baptist church since louis theroux covered them on a documentary, as i cant understand them. Fitness model reveals how she fled americas most hated. An instagram model has revealed how she fled americas most hated family at gayhating westboro baptist church because she didnt want an arranged marriage. Lauren s fathers time with the cult had changed him into becoming one of them.
Her parents are dedicated members of the westboro baptist church and. The westboro baptist church is very well known for their hatred towards gay people and for picketing on military funerals. Lauren drain s father visited westboro baptist church over a decade ago while making a documentary film which was tentatively titled hatemongers. Lauren drain, now 27, spent her formative years in the westboro baptist church before being cast out after challenging many of its beliefs. Cumulatively, lauren drain served as a registered nurse for nine years before becoming a fulltime personal trainer and fitness model. This book was fascinating and loved hearing about lauren s time with the wbc, but also how shes doing now. Lauren drain archives the life and times of bruce gerencser.
I am lauren drain, former westboro baptist church member. Steve and luci drain have four children bo, faith, 19yearold taylor drain and 24yearold lauren drain. The daily beast in 2014 called drain the future of westboro baptist church. Escaping westboro after spending seven years as a baptized member of the westboro baptist church, lauren drain was kicked out of the antigay church for talking to a. After listening to one of fred phelps sermons, he converted to the church and moved his family to kansas. Outside the building for the commission for the investigation of abuse of authority in kathmandu, nepal where all five of the agencys commissioner positions remain vacant after they hampered with investigations of political corruption inside the region. The curious case of steve drain and westboro baptist church. Westboro baptist church founder fred phelps may be gay, suggests former member lauren drain by cavan sieczkowski a former member of the westboro baptist church who recently published a book about leaving the hatemongering group has also revealed that founder fred phelpss antigay ideology may have spawned from a gay experience. Lauren s photos were taken down after she was kicked out of the church in december 2007 when she was 21. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain says she. In 2000, lauren was moved, along with the rest of her family, to the heart of the midwest, kansas. Prior to this, she is a former member of the westboro baptist church.
Exwestboro member lauren drain wishes for peace, change. Lauren drain is an american nurse and a fitness model, she is the former member of the westboro baptist church who wrote the 20 book banished, which chronicles her experiences and eventual banishment from the church. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain is. He is the sixthborn of the children of fred phelps, from whom he along with three of his siblings had been estranged since his 18th birthday in 1976 until his fathers death in 2014. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain says. Lauren drain was a member of the highly controversial organization known as the westboro baptist church wbc as an indoctrinated child between the years of 2001 and 2008, until she was banished for questioning the belief system and the methods used by the church in expressing their ideology. The book is written by lauren drain along with lisa pulitzer a former member of the westboro baptist church in topeka, kansas. Before he joined the westboro baptist church, he was a filmmaker who wanted to document the church. Lauren drain spent her teenage years as a member of the infamous westboro baptist church. Steve drain was filming a documentary on fred phelps and the church in 2000 and came to accept the churchs beliefs, uprooting his family from florida and moving them across the street from westboros compound in topeka. She was expelled from the church, which is one experience documented in the book banished. One that has made westboro baptist church, picketer of. Surviving my years in the westboro baptist church will be published on march 5th.
Search and read dayspring baptist church opinions or describe your own experience. The book is 295 pages long and is published by grand central publishing. Lauren drain, a former member of the controversial westboro baptist church speaks to inside edition about life inside and outside the. Surviving my years in the westboro baptist church drain, lauren, pulitzer, lisa on. My indoctrination into the church started at the young.
She is a successful american nurse and fitness model. Florida fitness coach forced to picket at childs funeral. Lauren drains emotional plea to her family youtube. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain looks back on her days in the church in this revealing tellall book and she apologizes. Lauren drain fitness model, nurse, and author who is known for having published her memoirs as a member of the controversial westboro baptist church. Steve drain first came into contact with westboro while working on a documentary critical of the church. Lauren drain was a member from 2001 until 2008, when she was excommunicated for questioning church doctrine.
The author behind the popular tellall now details her new life as a fitness. Lauren drain was a member of the westboro baptist church in topeka, kan. Banished westboro cult member writes memoir hartford courant. Lauren drain is best know for her new york times bestselling book, banished. Lauren worked as a registered nurse for nine years before becoming a fulltime personal trainer. Surviving my years in the westboro baptist church which chronicles her experiences and eventual banishment from the church and her claim to fame on social media for stunningly fit body and workout routines lauren drain fitness model. A florida fitness coach has revealed she was forced to picket a childs funeral before her westboro baptist churchgoing family banished her for breaking a rule. Lauren danielle drain born december 31, 1985 is a former member of the westboro baptist church who wrote the 20 book banished, which chronicles her.
Banished is laurens memoir of life prior to the wbc, why her family joined the controversial church, what life was like within the extreme sect, how she was banished from the group, and her healing process and newfound sense of love and security apart from the church. The exwestboro baptist church member was thrown out of the cultish organization. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain says she was banished, reveals new life as fitness model former westboro baptist church member lauren drain. Lauren drain says she was banished from the westboro baptist church in 2008, just before her 22nd birthday, for chatting with a man online. Lauren drain is an american author, a fitness model, personal trainer and a nurse. She has established herself as a successful author too. Fitness model, nurse, and author who is known for having published her memoirs as a member of the controversial westboro baptist church. Lauren drain the westboro baptist church is wellknown for loudly making its hateful, virulently homophobic views known by protesting at highprofile funerals, including those of soldiers.
Drain graduated from washburn university in 2007 with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Aug 02, 2016 jason did later make another appearance on the hills, with lauren briefly wondering if they would get back together, but it was revealed he had a girlfriend, with lauren, who is now married to banished. No one from lauren drains family attended her wedding. Lauren drain biography, parents, siblings, husband, family. Banished lauren drain on growing up in the westboro baptist church when 21yearold lauren drain found herself in a shabby apartment in a rough part of topeka, abandoned by her family, her mind. Exwestboro baptist church member speaks out after banishment. After lauren drain escaped the extremely homophobic westboro. Lauren drain says she was banished from the westboro baptist church in 2008, just before her 22nd birthday, for chatting with a man online and on. Lauren drain bio boyfriend, affair, net worth, salary. For years she had been taught to hate by the westboro baptist church, but 27yearold lauren drain has now found love and security away from the. Nate phelps, a former member who has since renounced westboro, told the publication that. Former westboro baptist church member lauren drain, who wrote a book about her time in the wbc after being excommunicated, is urging compassion for the controversial groups founder, fred waldron phelps, sr. In her new life, the 33yearold fitness model and registered nurse runs a personal training and nutrition program in hopes of encouraging others to.
Westboro baptist church founder fred phelps may be gay. Lauren danielle drain born december 31, 1985 is a former member of the westboro baptist church who wrote the 20 book banished, which chronicles her experiences and eventual banishment from the church. Lauren is the first of three children born to steve and lucy drain. However, in my opinion, religion of any kind is a personal choice, full of personal values, definitions and views that should stay just that personal. He eventually became a fervent convert, and his entire family followed him into the church. In 2008, the westboro baptist church excommunicated lauren, who had been a member for seven years. When she was fifteen, lauren drains family joined the westboro baptist church, known for picketing the funerals of veterans and spewing hate.
Surviving my years in the westboro baptist church lauren drain, lisa pulitzer on. The first thing lauren drain did after her family disowned her was walk to a local drugstore, buy poster board and markers, and list out her sins. When he returned home a month later, though, he was a different man. An interview with lauren drain, former member of the. Lauren drain, who joined the church as a young teenager, describes how she got completely convinced of the churchs mission and how hard she worked to become a full member in the eyes of the church members and her parents. Lauren drain spent her teenage years in the infamous westboro baptist church before being kicked out and disowned by her family.
My name is lauren drain, former member of the westboro baptist church, and despite having denounced any and all beliefs and preachings of the wbc, i am still a christian through and through. Lauren drains wedding ignored by westboro baptist family. Nathan nate phelps born november 22, 1958 is a canadianamerican author, lgbt rights activist, and public speaker on the topics of religion and child abuse. Banished lauren drain on growing up in the westboro. Lauren drain s life was turned upside down when her father told her she was joining the westboro baptist church. Surviving my years in the westboro baptist church by. At westboro baptist church, steve drain found religion but lost a daughter. Lauren was made a member of the westboro baptist church when she was a child pic. The drain family moved to topeka to join the church in 2001 and they remain members to this day. Now 27, drain tells her side of the story about life as a member of the infamous hate group in banished.
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