ONTD Original: Great Scandals of The Evangelical Church
May's sermon is extra long, since it's covering a long, long, LONG list of absolute bullshit in regard to the subject matter. As a matter of fact, it will be in two parts. Be warned: THERE IS STILL A LOT OF FUCKING READING. (I didn't plan Roe v. Wade blowing the fuck up on the day I posted. There's so much in this that is a reflection of what these ultra-fundies want the world to look like and I am not here for it)
Also:
CW: mentions of medical symptoms of multiple pregnancies, physical abuse, controlling behaviors Take care of yourselves bbs. If you can't bring yourself to read it all, that's OK.
Welcome to the
Buckle up sistren, there's fuckery to uncover
The basis of this series are my own experiences with living in a Fundamental Christian/Born-Again household until I was in my 30s (when I escaped--I'm not even lying about that), I pulled many of these off the top of my head and then filled in memory with research that sent me down a path of recollections I would much rather forget, BELIEVE ME. Remember, you are not forced to read....but I do hope you learn.
Chapter 3 - Part 1: Quiverfull/The Duggars/19 and Counting
Denomination: Multiple Quiverfull disciples are scattered throughout many Protestant denominations, but mostly Baptist, Pentecostal and many non-denominational churches.
The Background: The Quiverfull Movement is based on verses in the Book of Psalms, Chapter 127, verses 3-5:
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court
(New International Version [NIV])
Translation: God wants you to have as many children as possible. He wants you to create an army for Him on Earth. He wants your (male) quiver full of arrows (children) in His service. Especially to outstrip those dirty, filthy Muslims and kill them all along with owning the libs by creating a conservative Christian political force to overtake Washington to run the nasty Democrats out of power.
No. Seriously.
In order to fulfill this edict, Quiverfull believers reject all manner of contraception, even using calendars to track ovulation. The more children, the more blessed a woman is considered and God will never give you more children then that family can bear. Allegedly. If one child was a blessing, then each subsequent child borne was an even bigger blessing to the family and that the command from Genesis to be fruitful and multiply was never rescinded after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.
One of the first people to codify the Quiverfull theological position was Nancy Campbell in her magazine Above Rubies, first published in 1977, expanded on in The Way Home: Beyond Feminism, Back to Reality by Mary Pride, released in 1985 and finally became a fully realized doctrine with the publication of Rick and Jan Hess’s 1989 book, A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ.
They laid out the role of what was required of married Christian women: to bear and raise children, working only in the home, under the authority of their husband. Price's book especially was seen as a rejection of 2nd wave feminism, stating that women wanting equality and reproductive control of their own bodies and rebelling against their God-ordained positions as child bearers and home-makers is the reason society has grown so evil. The Hess’ book specifically stated that God, as the "Great Physician" and sole "Birth Controller", opens and closes the womb on a case-by-case basis. Women's attempts to control their own bodies - the Lord's temple - are a seizure of divine power.
(Never mind that most of the Biblical texts they took this from were the Letters of Paul, who was a known and avid misogynist; the early Church was filled with strong feminine leadership, including Mary Magdalene, many of whom were direct disciples of Jesus. Paul, who was in the first post-Christ gen of disciples hated that. A lot. Also none of that is in the actual book. NONE OF IT.)
Women who are infertile (called empty quivers) are expected to simply accept their lot, as clearly God did not plan for them to bear children and the idea of receiving fertility treatments or using surrogacy is against the will of God. Adoption, however, is considered a viable option as stealing Latinx, Black, Asian and Slavic children from their cultures adopting orphans is seen as showing the love of God to the less fortunate.
Quiverfull proponents are fond of homeschooling their children and holding services in the home as well, to better indoctrinate teach their offspring the way of the Lord and 'protect' them from the influences of popular culture. It also keeps them away from pesky school administrators and teachers who might notice underfed or signs of physical abuse on their precious arrows.
Quiverfull families customarily insist on modesty wear, only allowing 'family friendly' media in the home, long hair for the girls and short-haired, clean-shaven looks for the boys, and chaperoned courtship: a boy looking to date a Quiverfull daughter must first ask their own father, who then approaches the girl's father in order to see if it is a good match and have their children begin a courtship. The couple is continuously chaperoned during this 'courtship period' and may not have any physical contact until marriage. Meaning no hand holding and your first kiss is when you are declared husband and wife. (Jim-Bob calls this 'dating with a purpose'. I call it 'how to ensure your children never know how to interact in a romantic relationship EVER'.)
Note there is zero mention of same-sex relationships at all. Of course not: homosexuality is a terrible sin and cannot produce children!! Quiverfull practitioners are very cis, VERY white and VERY VERY bigoted. Less than 1% of all Quiverfull are any sort of POC.
The Duggars & TLC:
In 2002, the New York Times posted a photo of former Arkansas House Rep and real estate broker James Robert Duggar, his wife Michelle and their (at the time) 13 children, all of whose names started with the letter 'J', heading to the polls for Jim Bob to cast a vote for himself as he was running for the U.S. Senate. Interviews with Ladies' Home Journal and Parents Magazine followed. Jim Bob lost the election, but curiosity about the family grew.
Jim Bob and Michelle married in 1984 after meeting at the Independent Baptist church they attended; in the early days of their marriage, Michelle did use birth control as the couple wanted to wait to have children. Their eldest child, Joshua, was born in 1988. Michelle went back to using the pill, but got pregnant regardless and lost their second child, a boy they named Caleb. After consulting with their doctor, the Duggars decided that they would forgo any birth control and accept whatever children God deemed they should have.
The Learning Channel was starting to move away from its more educational offerings into shows about unique family situations. The Duggars were featured in an hour-long special called 14 Children and Pregnant Again! in 2004, aired on the Discovery Health Channel, which followed the family getting ready for the birth of Duggar #15, Jackson. In 2006, DHC aired Raising 16 Children which followed the Duggars as they navigated their 17-person family in a three-bedroom home while awaiting the birth of Duggar #16, Johannah.
Three more specials followed on Discovery/TLC channels: 16 Children and Moving In, documenting the completion and moving into their new 7000 sq ft home (built with help from Discovery Inc, the parent company of TLC); On the Road with 16 Children, following the family on a cross-country trip and 17 Kids and Counting, covering the birth of Duggar #17, Jennifer.
In 2008, 17 Kids and Counting became a full 10-episode series. The first season of the show watched the family travel to New York City, prepare for the wedding of eldest son Josh, and the announcement that Michelle was expecting child #18
The Duggar children are:
Joshua - 1988
Jana & John-David "John" - 1990
Jill - 1991
Jessa - 1992
Jinger - 1993
Joseph "Joe" - 1995
Josiah - 1996
Joy-Anna "Joy" - 1997
Jedidiah & Jeremiah - 1998
Jason - 2000
James - 2001
Justin - 2002
Jackson* - 2004
Johannah* - 2005
Jennifer* - 2007
Jordyn-Grace "Jordyn"* - 2008
Josie* - 2009
(*born during the run of specials and the show)
Michelle fell pregnant again in 2011, but miscarried. The Duggars also now have custody of Michelle's great-nephew, Tyler.
There are many studies about the toll pregnancy takes on the body, especially closely spaced pregnancies. Research suggests that beginning a pregnancy within six months of a live birth is associated with an increased risk of premature birth, the placenta partially or completely peeling away from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery, low birth weight, congenital disorders, schizophrenia and maternal anemia.
Michelle was pregnant 21 times in TWENTY-THREE YEARS.
Twenty.
One.
Times.
In.
Twenty.
THREE.
Years.
Some Scandals:The elder Duggars have frequently disputed claims that they are Quiverfull, but follow many of the tenets of the movement plus those common as Independent Baptists, as well as being prominently featured in Quiverfull focused media.
Jim Bob has been exposed as being extremely controlling of the activities of his wife and children, including once the kids became legal adults. He routinely tracks their cell phones and even had extra surveillance on daughter Jinger to keep her from 'developing feelings' for her female best friend and would not let Jill, who was in midwife training, assist a single mother giving birth because the girl had pre-marital sex and was having a child 'out of wedlock'.
Jim Bob and Michelle were also criticized for using blanket training, where a baby is placed on a blanket with several toys just out of reach; when the baby goes to reach for or crawls towards the toy--they are smacked with a flexible ruler or switch. This is done as a means of teaching the baby self control.
.....yeaaaaahhh.
They've also been accused of staging food giveaways, where TLC producers were claimed to have coached the families who were to be 'recipients' to show great gratitude to the family, but then the boxes of food were loaded back into the producers' cars and returned to the Duggars.
Joy-Anna's husband Austin Forsyth's family has owned a camp for a long time. In 2018, that camp ran two retreats that featured Michael and Debi Pearl, the authors of the book To Train Up a Child, who encourage parents to spank their children and allow them to touch a hot stove to make sure they learn not to touch it. In addition, they have suggested even pulling the hair of a nursing baby if the little one bites his mother.
Jill and Derrick have been criticized for raising money, allegedly for future missionary trips to Central America, even though they weren’t affiliated with any organized church and there was no record of where that money was actually going.
But the biggest scandals revolves around human snotrag Joshua James Duggar, the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle. He was featured much more during the specials and the first season of 19 Kids and Counting...for reasons.
TO BE CONTINUED IN 2 WEEKS!!!
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
disclaimer: I do believe in a higher power out there in the cosmos (I choose to call it 'God', you good sistren can call it whatever it is you want to). Be a good person. Treat others how you want to be treated. DO NOT LET SOME FLASHY ASS GUY ON THE RADIO/TV TELL YOU WHAT TO BELIEVE. Or one who stands in front of you in a pulpit on Sundays either. The best lesson I got out of my years of Christian captivity (oop, education) was the one that my mother really didn't want me to have: QUESTION EVERYTHING. The Bible is a book, claiming to be the Word of God but written by FALLIBLE HUMAN MEN. It has been messed with multiple times and fashioned to fit what a small group of people (white men) WANTED it to say. You're allowed to challenge it. As a matter of fact, it's your duty to.
tl;dr: Matthew 7: 3-5
Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye...
Also:
CW: mentions of medical symptoms of multiple pregnancies, physical abuse, controlling behaviors Take care of yourselves bbs. If you can't bring yourself to read it all, that's OK.
Welcome to the
Buckle up sistren, there's fuckery to uncover
The basis of this series are my own experiences with living in a Fundamental Christian/Born-Again household until I was in my 30s (when I escaped--I'm not even lying about that), I pulled many of these off the top of my head and then filled in memory with research that sent me down a path of recollections I would much rather forget, BELIEVE ME. Remember, you are not forced to read....but I do hope you learn.
Chapter 3 - Part 1: Quiverfull/The Duggars/19 and Counting
Denomination: Multiple Quiverfull disciples are scattered throughout many Protestant denominations, but mostly Baptist, Pentecostal and many non-denominational churches.
The Background: The Quiverfull Movement is based on verses in the Book of Psalms, Chapter 127, verses 3-5:
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court
(New International Version [NIV])
Translation: God wants you to have as many children as possible. He wants you to create an army for Him on Earth. He wants your (male) quiver full of arrows (children) in His service. Especially to outstrip those dirty, filthy Muslims and kill them all along with owning the libs by creating a conservative Christian political force to overtake Washington to run the nasty Democrats out of power.
No. Seriously.
In order to fulfill this edict, Quiverfull believers reject all manner of contraception, even using calendars to track ovulation. The more children, the more blessed a woman is considered and God will never give you more children then that family can bear. Allegedly. If one child was a blessing, then each subsequent child borne was an even bigger blessing to the family and that the command from Genesis to be fruitful and multiply was never rescinded after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.
One of the first people to codify the Quiverfull theological position was Nancy Campbell in her magazine Above Rubies, first published in 1977, expanded on in The Way Home: Beyond Feminism, Back to Reality by Mary Pride, released in 1985 and finally became a fully realized doctrine with the publication of Rick and Jan Hess’s 1989 book, A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ.
They laid out the role of what was required of married Christian women: to bear and raise children, working only in the home, under the authority of their husband. Price's book especially was seen as a rejection of 2nd wave feminism, stating that women wanting equality and reproductive control of their own bodies and rebelling against their God-ordained positions as child bearers and home-makers is the reason society has grown so evil. The Hess’ book specifically stated that God, as the "Great Physician" and sole "Birth Controller", opens and closes the womb on a case-by-case basis. Women's attempts to control their own bodies - the Lord's temple - are a seizure of divine power.
(Never mind that most of the Biblical texts they took this from were the Letters of Paul, who was a known and avid misogynist; the early Church was filled with strong feminine leadership, including Mary Magdalene, many of whom were direct disciples of Jesus. Paul, who was in the first post-Christ gen of disciples hated that. A lot. Also none of that is in the actual book. NONE OF IT.)
Women who are infertile (called empty quivers) are expected to simply accept their lot, as clearly God did not plan for them to bear children and the idea of receiving fertility treatments or using surrogacy is against the will of God. Adoption, however, is considered a viable option as stealing Latinx, Black, Asian and Slavic children from their cultures adopting orphans is seen as showing the love of God to the less fortunate.
Quiverfull proponents are fond of homeschooling their children and holding services in the home as well, to better indoctrinate teach their offspring the way of the Lord and 'protect' them from the influences of popular culture. It also keeps them away from pesky school administrators and teachers who might notice underfed or signs of physical abuse on their precious arrows.
Quiverfull families customarily insist on modesty wear, only allowing 'family friendly' media in the home, long hair for the girls and short-haired, clean-shaven looks for the boys, and chaperoned courtship: a boy looking to date a Quiverfull daughter must first ask their own father, who then approaches the girl's father in order to see if it is a good match and have their children begin a courtship. The couple is continuously chaperoned during this 'courtship period' and may not have any physical contact until marriage. Meaning no hand holding and your first kiss is when you are declared husband and wife. (Jim-Bob calls this 'dating with a purpose'. I call it 'how to ensure your children never know how to interact in a romantic relationship EVER'.)
Note there is zero mention of same-sex relationships at all. Of course not: homosexuality is a terrible sin and cannot produce children!! Quiverfull practitioners are very cis, VERY white and VERY VERY bigoted. Less than 1% of all Quiverfull are any sort of POC.
The Duggars & TLC:
In 2002, the New York Times posted a photo of former Arkansas House Rep and real estate broker James Robert Duggar, his wife Michelle and their (at the time) 13 children, all of whose names started with the letter 'J', heading to the polls for Jim Bob to cast a vote for himself as he was running for the U.S. Senate. Interviews with Ladies' Home Journal and Parents Magazine followed. Jim Bob lost the election, but curiosity about the family grew.
Jim Bob and Michelle married in 1984 after meeting at the Independent Baptist church they attended; in the early days of their marriage, Michelle did use birth control as the couple wanted to wait to have children. Their eldest child, Joshua, was born in 1988. Michelle went back to using the pill, but got pregnant regardless and lost their second child, a boy they named Caleb. After consulting with their doctor, the Duggars decided that they would forgo any birth control and accept whatever children God deemed they should have.
The Learning Channel was starting to move away from its more educational offerings into shows about unique family situations. The Duggars were featured in an hour-long special called 14 Children and Pregnant Again! in 2004, aired on the Discovery Health Channel, which followed the family getting ready for the birth of Duggar #15, Jackson. In 2006, DHC aired Raising 16 Children which followed the Duggars as they navigated their 17-person family in a three-bedroom home while awaiting the birth of Duggar #16, Johannah.
Three more specials followed on Discovery/TLC channels: 16 Children and Moving In, documenting the completion and moving into their new 7000 sq ft home (built with help from Discovery Inc, the parent company of TLC); On the Road with 16 Children, following the family on a cross-country trip and 17 Kids and Counting, covering the birth of Duggar #17, Jennifer.
In 2008, 17 Kids and Counting became a full 10-episode series. The first season of the show watched the family travel to New York City, prepare for the wedding of eldest son Josh, and the announcement that Michelle was expecting child #18
The Duggar children are:
Joshua - 1988
Jana & John-David "John" - 1990
Jill - 1991
Jessa - 1992
Jinger - 1993
Joseph "Joe" - 1995
Josiah - 1996
Joy-Anna "Joy" - 1997
Jedidiah & Jeremiah - 1998
Jason - 2000
James - 2001
Justin - 2002
Jackson* - 2004
Johannah* - 2005
Jennifer* - 2007
Jordyn-Grace "Jordyn"* - 2008
Josie* - 2009
(*born during the run of specials and the show)
Michelle fell pregnant again in 2011, but miscarried. The Duggars also now have custody of Michelle's great-nephew, Tyler.
There are many studies about the toll pregnancy takes on the body, especially closely spaced pregnancies. Research suggests that beginning a pregnancy within six months of a live birth is associated with an increased risk of premature birth, the placenta partially or completely peeling away from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery, low birth weight, congenital disorders, schizophrenia and maternal anemia.
Michelle was pregnant 21 times in TWENTY-THREE YEARS.
Twenty.
One.
Times.
In.
Twenty.
THREE.
Years.
Some Scandals:The elder Duggars have frequently disputed claims that they are Quiverfull, but follow many of the tenets of the movement plus those common as Independent Baptists, as well as being prominently featured in Quiverfull focused media.
Jim Bob has been exposed as being extremely controlling of the activities of his wife and children, including once the kids became legal adults. He routinely tracks their cell phones and even had extra surveillance on daughter Jinger to keep her from 'developing feelings' for her female best friend and would not let Jill, who was in midwife training, assist a single mother giving birth because the girl had pre-marital sex and was having a child 'out of wedlock'.
Jim Bob and Michelle were also criticized for using blanket training, where a baby is placed on a blanket with several toys just out of reach; when the baby goes to reach for or crawls towards the toy--they are smacked with a flexible ruler or switch. This is done as a means of teaching the baby self control.
.....yeaaaaahhh.
They've also been accused of staging food giveaways, where TLC producers were claimed to have coached the families who were to be 'recipients' to show great gratitude to the family, but then the boxes of food were loaded back into the producers' cars and returned to the Duggars.
Joy-Anna's husband Austin Forsyth's family has owned a camp for a long time. In 2018, that camp ran two retreats that featured Michael and Debi Pearl, the authors of the book To Train Up a Child, who encourage parents to spank their children and allow them to touch a hot stove to make sure they learn not to touch it. In addition, they have suggested even pulling the hair of a nursing baby if the little one bites his mother.
Jill and Derrick have been criticized for raising money, allegedly for future missionary trips to Central America, even though they weren’t affiliated with any organized church and there was no record of where that money was actually going.
But the biggest scandals revolves around human snotrag Joshua James Duggar, the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle. He was featured much more during the specials and the first season of 19 Kids and Counting...for reasons.
TO BE CONTINUED IN 2 WEEKS!!!
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
disclaimer: I do believe in a higher power out there in the cosmos (I choose to call it 'God', you good sistren can call it whatever it is you want to). Be a good person. Treat others how you want to be treated. DO NOT LET SOME FLASHY ASS GUY ON THE RADIO/TV TELL YOU WHAT TO BELIEVE. Or one who stands in front of you in a pulpit on Sundays either. The best lesson I got out of my years of Christian captivity (oop, education) was the one that my mother really didn't want me to have: QUESTION EVERYTHING. The Bible is a book, claiming to be the Word of God but written by FALLIBLE HUMAN MEN. It has been messed with multiple times and fashioned to fit what a small group of people (white men) WANTED it to say. You're allowed to challenge it. As a matter of fact, it's your duty to.
tl;dr: Matthew 7: 3-5
Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye...