The death of Hanna Williams has brought an ever increasing amount of attention to Michael Pearl and his child training methods. Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article on Michael Pearl called “Preaching Virtue of Spanking Even as Deaths Fuel Debate.” It was on the front page, so I just thought I’d draw everyone’s [...]
Today, Lewis of Commandments of Men wrote a post explaining why he calls the Christian homeschool movement a “cult.” Lewis has two reasons for giving the movement this label: 1. Children are indoctrinated rather than educated. 2. Children who step out of line risk being ostracized. Here’s a quote where Lewis explains this: I have [...]
I’m in the mood for a little levity. Therefore, in the spirit of that feeling, I offer you Vision Forum Quick Takes part two! (Note: This is not meant to be serious commentary on serious issues.) Because we all know communism didn’t end when the Soviet Union fell two decades ago! It’s goal today is [...]
When I had my daughter, I didn’t have the sort of jitters most new parents have – the fears about not knowing what to do, about breaking the baby, about embarking on a whole new unfamiliar journey. Why? Because I’d already raised more children than the vast majority of parents ever will. When I was [...]
I just came upon a post today in which a skeptic Christian blogger responds to a letter a woman raised in the purity culture. In her letter, she discusses her frustrations and sexual dysfunction. No matter how many times it happens, somehow I’m always surprised to find my own experiences mirrored by other writers. Dear [...]
When I was a Christian, Halloween always terrified me. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved dressing up in costumes for our church’s Harvest Fest, where we played games and got candy. What terrified me was Halloween itself, which I was taught to associate with witches and demons. I grew up believing that there were [...]
I’ve been thinking recently about my feelings toward my parents. Several readers have interpreted my criticism of Christian Patriarchy/Quiverfull and fundamentalist religion in general as anger or bitterness toward my parents, and have said this in their comments or on their blogs. This bothers me not so much because it’s inaccurate as because if that’s [...]
Have you ever noticed the way conversion narratives are created? If you’ve ever been a fundamentalist or an evangelical, you know the pressure there to “tell your testimony.” Yet weirdly, these testimonies all seem to conform to the same pattern. It’s like someone handed in an outline and they just filled in the details. What [...]
I was reading No Longer Quivering this morning, and the latest entry was especially poignant and thought provoking. I spent hours trying to decide on a purity ring. I wanted one with meaning, and I wanted it to be pretty. Besides, the more time I spent there, the more likely I was to convince my parents that [...]
When I first left home for college, I wasn’t afraid to stick out. I still shared my parents’ beliefs, and there was something satisfying about the shock on a person’s face when she learned that I had twelve siblings. I don’t think anyone could have known me for five minutes without knowing that I was [...]
The Quiverfull system pushes daughters into marriage before ever giving them a chance to figure out who they are. Given the admonition against having “teenagers” and the interpretation of any difference in thought or practice as “rebellion,” Quiverfull daughters have no chance to grow up or mature. Then they marry. Then what happens? A growing [...]
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