I am interested in the Liberyian orphan angle, as the Lydia Schaefer case was one of the catalysts in my deconversion from To Train Up a Child.

It has only been a year since then, so I guess you could say I am still processing everything, and this is the first time I have read anything about AR’s roll in all this.

Smoke in the lungs can do serious damage, especially to children’s tiny lungs. My grandparents lived safely with no running water and a wood stove, but their house was warm. There isn’t an option for responsible childraising that involves frostbite or hypothermia. Little ones could get pneumonia and die. They can’t hold body heat as well as an adult.

This woman absolutely should not be facing this situation without help. Where is her husband? Where are her parents? Where is her pastor? Does nobody know, or care, what happens to her and her family? Where’s the husband while this is going on? In a warm office? How can he live with himself? What Christian can accept that no family member or friend comes forward and presses help upon her, even if she doesn’t ask, if they know? Her family is nearby and surely they know. The children’s welfare comes above all things.

I don’t apologize for caring about helpless children’s welfare more than adults’ pride or ignorance. If she feels she must obey her husband’s wishes by staying home and freezing to death, rather than seeking shelter elsewhere, please send the kids to Grandma’s. They deserve better.

Really? I mean, really? The author posts on a site that claims to want to help women out of this movement yet the best she can come up with is to slander fellow mothers who are allegedly her sisters in Christ? Yikes! It seems to be a pattern that women who claim they want to help other women are often the first ones in line to cut them down. The author of this post does so anonymously while she calls out Serene and Nancy by name. At least have the courage and decency to put your real name on it. And unlike some people here who commented, I actually READ this AR article. Lies? Hmmm, I’m thinking a pot and a kettle right now. The original article in AR has been terribly exaggerated by the author of this post which could also be seen as a form of lying. Her descriptive word choice is inflammatory. She has born a false witness to the simple contents of an article which described a particularly bad winter day in rural TN and how one mom chose to respond to it. It was not about denying the reality of the situation but about not wanting to drag children through every peak and valley of a mother’s own emotions.

This exaggerated description of Serene’s article has stirred up hatred and anger against someone none of you even knows. Would anyone here like someone to take a bad moment they had with their children and run to CPS with it? Threatening CPS is a sure way to harm children who love their mother. Hello, somehow human civilization survived thousands of years without electricity and running water. Romans 3:23 says that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death–not a nice house with things that never break down. Some have decided that everyone “deserves” these things because they are lovers of themselves, having elevated their own opinions above scripture and brotherly love.

There is a difference between believing everyone “deserves” these things and desiring that everyone have these things. The former is Biblically incorrect because it involves entitlement but the latter is loving our neighbor. Because some believe that her children are entitled to a certain standard of living, they are willing to destroy the entire family to make sure they get it. Bravo. I’m sure the children would be so thankful to be without a mom so they could have a nicer house. Who’s next? Should we call CPS on parents who raise their voices or whose children have to wear clothes from thrift stores? I know some who deem used clothing to be utterly disgusting for a child to have to wear.

Take a good, hard look at yourself, your own shortcomings as a mother, and your own need for forgiveness of sins and then perhaps you will find the grace to give Serene and others in the QF movement. If you want to call out the QF movement, offer a mature discussion of the topic that doesn’t involve tearing down another sister in Christ. Bring Scriptures to back up your opinion. This post was not a true “review” or critique, just a childish chance to vent some bitterness. And while there’s no “you” in Quivering, it looks like there is no love or grace in No Longer Quivering. Just hateful, mocking gossip. These women have issues and struggles like we all do. If you really want to “help”, then please get over your bitterness and speak the truth with the Word of God in love.

I don’t want to attack anyone; I feel *grieved* for people who have been tricked and badgered and guilted into shutting off entire parts of their God-given brains that control honest evaluation of a situation and mature decision-making. That’s not blast-worthy, it’s heartbreaking. I’m angry…at the teaching that enables women to be entrapped and dis-empowered from being the grown women they were created to be.