Guys like Phelps are essentially nutballs as foar as those who work in the common universe are concerned.
People become nutballs from a variety of causes. One is emotional and physical trauma, acute or chronic. Another is unresolved confusions which can arise, for example, from being lied to about the world and hammered with false information, making it impossible tot hink straight. This is sort of "cognitive abuse" that makes nmorons out of potentially intelligent individuals. It is often passed down through generations, because parents act out lessons they never understood and force them on their young.
You can't make good or pragmatic decisions if you have a falsified understanding of the situation you are deciding about. And if that situation is existence itself, you are liable to make some really lame ones.