Print Friendlyby aussiemama Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 My life was empty and miserable and I had no idea why. I knew that I loved my husband, but I could not understand why he was not yet a great spiritual leader, seeing as I had tried so hard to be the woman everyone said I had to be in order for him to want to be a great spiritual leader. I was even told that I shouldn’t take any Bible courses if my husband hadn’t taken them because it was “wrong” to Full post …
NLQ Carnival Grandstand
Old Clothes
Print Friendlyby calulu A couple of days ago I got a good lesson in the distance I’ve traveled since I left the fundamentalist Quiverful church I attended for many years. As I was dressing for the day I pulled out a skirt and blouse I’d worn many times back in those church going days. I’d loved that skirt, soft blue and white corduroy that fell in graceful folds almost to my ankles and the accompanying fuzzy blue sweater. I couldn’t remember why I’d not worn them for ages, at least until I’d donned both garments. Full post …
Christian Dominionism ~ Part 3: Bill Gothard and the Ties that Bind Extremist Politics to Christian Patriarchy
Print Friendlyby km Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 You will never meet a homeschooler in North America who hasn’t heard of Bill Gothard. Gothard has become a rich man from peddling his homeschooling program—Advanced Training Institute of America (ATIA)—and his self help seminars—the Institute in Basic Life Principles, the Advanced Seminar, the Anger Resolution Seminar, the Children’s Institute, and the Total Health Seminar. There is something very surreal about attending any Gothard event for the first time. In return for the $60 price of admission, you get to watch Full post …
The next link in the chain towards Quiverfull
Print Friendlyby Kathryn I’m 27, and grew up in a military household as an only child. My mother was raised Church of Christ, and converted to Assemblies of God in her teens. My father was raised atheist, as near as I can tell, and converted to marry my mother. They married around 20, I guess, and I was born when Mother was 28. She said I was her miracle baby, that she had been diagnosed as infertile, unable to carry a baby to term. It had sent her into a near suicidal depression. I think Full post …
Everybody’s dying to know!
Print Friendlyby Vyckie A friend and I were talking rather excitedly about my upcoming guest appearance on the Joy Behar Show. We were chattering away when she suddenly asked me, “How are you going to respond if Joy asks you what you believe about religion now?” Well, to tell the truth, I was stumped. I mean, I do have an answer to that question, but the minute my friend asked me about it, my brain froze up and I couldn’t think of a thing to say. Oh no, I thought ~ what if I get Full post …
Guardians of the Home
Print Friendlyby Alyzza Martin She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. – Proverbs 31:14-16 Women around the world have historically been called upon to take care of domestic duties such as hauling water, preparing food, and disposing of waste. In areas where women are denied access to political power, “female concerns” like water Full post …
You’re only cool if you’re wearing the right headcovering….
Print Friendlyby Erika When my family moved to Pennsylvania in 1993, it wasn’t long before my father decided that the women in his house had to wear headcoverings. We had started attending Charity Christian Fellowship (where their sign says, “Everyone Welcome,” but which I often wanted to graffiti underneath, “But not everyone accepted”) and it was very clear that if you didn’t have the “right” headcovering, you were “different.” I was never quite accepted with my bold and bright bandanas and my bright purple snood. I was looked at with a sneer by most people, Full post …
Women leaving lifestyles such as these are truly strong, amazing women
Print Friendlyby redheadedskeptic If you haven’t read Vyckie’s story, you should definitely check it out! She and her family participated in the Quiverfull lifestyle for many years before getting out. If you like my story, you’ll definitely like hers. Every time I read a post, I shiver with how so very close I came to falling into this trap. I’ve said before, if the right boy had caught my eye any time from 13-21 (if I hadn’t met and married Bob at 20), I would have succumbed. Even though we weren’t strictly quiverfull, many of Full post …
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
