The duality of Fred Phelps is one of the things that keeps me scratching my head. His law practice was focused on social justice and he ran for office, unsuccessfully, as a democrat. Then he founded his cult and began the whole "God hates fags" movement. When that school principal in Omaha was murdered a few years back, some of my friends in the area organized counter protests against the Westboro picketers who showed up. From what I learned, as soon as the Westboro people learned they wouldn't get access to, or be able to influence the attendees, they kind of slinked off without much fanfare.
From some of the things I've read recently, Phelps was excommunicated in the summer of 2013 because his views were changing.
I believe he earned himself a special place in the pit, but thankfully, I don't get to make that decision.