Another Maxwell fast

[Koala]

I think it's ridiculous to starve yourself when you have access to food, and a slap in the face to those with REAL food insecurity. There are kids who have nothing to eat at all. They literally die of starvation. And then some pompous ass like Steve is going to come along and pretend he's got a hotline to God's ear because he skipped lunch? Just no.

Also, even if you go at it from a Biblical perspective, your fasting and praying is to be done in secret, not advertised on your blog for the whole world to see.

[Koala]

In true opposition to The Maxwell Way of Life, I have encouraged each of my children to make a "summer fun" list of things they'd like to do this summer. Simple things like water balloon wars and watching the fireworks on the 4th of July. They each had to come up with 20 things, and so far we've done 1 thing off of each of their lists.

First we bought Rocket Pops (red, white, and blue ice pops), which they ate on the trampoline. Then we celebrated the unofficial start of summer with breakfast at McDonald's. It's 86 degrees here...I'm calling it summer :P

Both things are ridiculously simple, but I am counting on these memories carrying them through their adult years when they think of their Dad and I. I want them to know that their happiness and the joy they find in small things is and always will be a priority to us. It would crush me if they were mindless robots like the Maxwell adults (who are being treated as children).

[Eternalbluepearl]

In true opposition to The Maxwell Way of Life, I have encouraged each of my children to make a "summer fun" list of things they'd like to do this summer. Simple things like water balloon wars and watching the fireworks on the 4th of July. They each had to come up with 20 things, and so far we've done 1 thing off of each of their lists.

First we bought Rocket Pops (red, white, and blue ice pops), which they ate on the trampoline. Then we celebrated the unofficial start of summer with breakfast at McDonald's. It's 86 degrees here...I'm calling it summer :P

Both things are ridiculously simple, but I am counting on these memories carrying them through their adult years when they think of their Dad and I. I want them to know that their happiness and the joy they find in small things is and always will be a priority to us. It would crush me if they were mindless robots like the Maxwell adults (who are being treated as children).

I bet your children don't even know where the person at McDonald's who served them their food will go when they die. :naughty: YOU are exactly who the Maxwells are praying for. :snooty:

[Koala]

I bet your children don't even know where the person at McDonald's who served them their food will go when they die. :naughty: YOU are exactly who the Maxwells are praying for. :snooty:

:lol:

We didn't even hand them a gospel tract or ask how we could pray for them, so :disgust: Steve.

[nausicaa]

Oh, sure. He was wrong to let Nathan and Christopher play baseball. He was wrong to send the older kids to school when they were younger. He was wrong to get a vasectomy. He was wrong to work outside the home. Lucky thing the Lord points out his mistakes so he can beg his family's forgiveness and isolate them more.

How long did the non-reversal kids go to school? I'm curious as to how much exposure the older Maxwell kids had to the world. Like, if Nathan made it all the way to fifth grade and went to birthday parties, had non-family friends, learned about other cultures and religions, it must have been difficult to adjust to life on the other side of the rabbit hole.

[MamaJunebug]

I think it's ridiculous to starve yourself when you have access to food, and a slap in the face to those with REAL food insecurity. There are kids who have nothing to eat at all. They literally die of starvation. And then some pompous ass like Steve is going to come along and pretend he's got a hotline to God's ear because he skipped lunch? Just no.

Also, even if you go at it from a Biblical perspective, your fasting and praying is to be done in secret, not advertised on your blog for the whole world to see.

Absolutely, the bolded.

But hey, what else has Steve got to offer his followers, these days? The over-rehearsed, bland "conference" packages have run their course. Book sales are either so strong that they don't need to promote, or so weak that they've given up on them -- maybe hoping that everything will seem fresh and new if it's re-rolled out at a later date. Only so many photos they can share of Nursing Home Church, and if Nate and Chrisso's wives have ANY ovaries at all, they've put a limit on the number of times Steve can pimp out cute photos of the grandchildren.

On the other hand, Poor Sarah's droopy skirt* came from Chadwick's, so they're still not reduced to sewing clothes for each other at this point.

*It's not a bad skirt, actually the flounces at the bottom are way more than I ever expected SteveAndTeri would allow. But it's BLAND. Oh, wait, yeah.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Aside from how creeped out I am by Steve's control, another thing that strikes me about the Maxwells is they do absolutely nothing for others besides prayer. Gee thanks. So glad you starved yourself and prayed, but how does that help anyone? It reminds me of Abigail, that catholic blogger Who believes her job is to pray all day. How self-serving.

But you forgot the Christmas baked goods!! And the tea for the neighbor ladies! And the "cheer" they bring the nursing home inmates!!! lol

Here's my take: They are fasting because it is unbelievably expensive to buy groceries on a mystery income. Steve probably is the only American alive who, when the bag says a serving is 8 corn chips, he counts out 8 per person and no more. That's "healthy" and avoiding the sin of gluttony. [How about the sin of parsimony?"] For the girls it is a must to learn to starve yourself so you instantly lose that unsightly baby weight that could cause your future [never to be found] hubby to stumble and ogle some skinnier woman while you waddle around with those extra 7 lbs clinging to all the wrong places. Plus it is cheaper to stay the same size--makes it easier for him when he hits yard sales for things like undies and denim work skirts.............

[Coco]

Hallo everyone, this is my first post.

I can only imagine the fasts are a money saving strategy, food budget seems to be tight these days. The fasts seem to get longer, too.

And Teri with a history of mental illness should not be fasting before contacting a doctor. I suffer from depression myself and regular meals and good nutrition as well as enough night-time sleep are crucial to stay healthy if you have a tendency to mental illness.

Even at the controversial TV Show "the biggest loser" they (the contestants) are told to eat - because otherwise they will feel miserably and get depressed.

Amen about that. Without protein they could face a lot of serious health problems. Lethargy for instance. A missionary in Africa (can't remember specifically who it was) had arrived there struggling with judgement toward the population as "lazy" but he modified his diet to theirs as a way to relate, and after a few months he was exhausted from lack of nutrients. I'm afraid for them if they start fasting more often. They're already in mental chains.

[moodygirl86]

Hallo everyone, this is my first post.

I can only imagine the fasts are a money saving strategy, food budget seems to be tight these days. The fasts seem to get longer, too.

And Teri with a history of mental illness should not be fasting before contacting a doctor. I suffer from depression myself and regular meals and good nutrition as well as enough night-time sleep are crucial to stay healthy if you have a tendency to mental illness.

Even at the controversial TV Show "the biggest loser" they (the contestants) are told to eat - because otherwise they will feel miserably and get depressed.

Thanks for the insightful first post, and welcome! Hope you have a good time with us.

[SassyPants]

Plus, isn't one of the reasons for fasting to be more like Jesus and to bring one closer to the savior? To understand humility and to humble one's self to the sufferings and wonders of what Jesus did for his flock? It seems that announcing a fast, and therefore drawing attention to one's self is sort of counter to the intent.

[Dandruff]

Plus, isn't one of the reasons for fasting to be more like Jesus and to bring one closer to the savior? To understand humility and to humble one's self to the sufferings and wonders of what Jesus did for his flock? It seems that announcing a fast, and therefore drawing attention to one's self is sort of counter to the intent.

Or that is the intent. I believe all those who fast, voluntarily or not, will be thinking of Steve during that day and a half, and he knows it.

What if people work, or have children who need full attention? Will all participants be safe to drive (e.g., for an emergency) during a day plus of fasting and mental gymnastics? Does Steve only want people to fast with them if it's not too risky to do so?

[Handmaiden of Dog]

So I wonder when the grandchildren will be expected to join in. Also is there any provision for nursing moms? Surely he cannot expect them to have some vegetables and water?

[Koala]

I could not fast for that long if I wanted to. My blood sugar would be through the floor and I would faint for sure.

That said, if these idiots want to starve themselves fine. If they are starving their kids I have a BIG issue with it. Like I think they should be reported kind of issue.

[twin2]

Single young women and men are encouraged to join too!

Well yipppie!!

Sarah, didn't say who would be praying for the single folks.....

[Jana814]

So I wonder when the grandchildren will be expected to join in. Also is there any provision for nursing moms? Surely he cannot expect them to have some vegetables and water?

I don't think he would expect the grand kids to be part of the fast.

[PrairieGirl]

I don't think he would expect the grand kids to be part of the fast.

I would hope that Steve would allow that decision to be made by, you know, their PARENTS. Oh wait, I forgot this is Cult Leader Steve Maxwell we are talking about......

[louisa05]

This whole day of fasting and prayer seems rather Catholic to me.

In name only. As I understand it a Maxwell fast means no food. A Catholic fast in the U.S. means one full meal and two small meals, no snacking between. And here in the U.S. fasting days (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) are also abstinence days which means no meat or poultry.

Neither applies to people under 14 or over a certain age (not sure where the cut off is there) or anyone with a health issue that doesn't allow them to fast or abstain.

Basically, we're complete fasting wimps compared to the Maxwells. Not that I feel bad about that.

[sparkles]

Well, isn't it nice that they've given exemptions to some people, at least when it comes from abstaining from food. But good news! You can choose something else.

Obviously for pregnant or nursing moms or those who have health issues who can’t fast, you can choose a different fasting method. Perhaps you’d want to fast from sweets or the computer or whatever.

I know that saying "I'll pray for you" is a big thing but isn't it kind of arrogant (surprise!) for the Maxwells to ask people to send in prayer requests so that Steve and Teri can pray for them? Like, everyone's prayer count but Steve and Teri's count more…

I don't do well fasting. I did a cleanse recently and the last two days consisted of a liquids-only diet. By mid-afternoon, I was crashing baaaad. When I started getting that buzzy I'm gonna faint feeling, I figured it would be a good idea to, you know, eat something. I don't think that god, if I believed in one, would think it was a good idea for one of his children to face-plant on the floor.

[Secular4Me]

I have a question about the Maxwells:

Do the married members of the family have any autonomy as individual family units, or is Steve considered the authority of everyone. I am just wondering because the wives who married into the family must have come from more normal backgrounds.

[divadivine]

In name only. As I understand it a Maxwell fast means no food. A Catholic fast in the U.S. means one full meal and two small meals, no snacking between. And here in the U.S. fasting days (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) are also abstinence days which means no meat or poultry.

Neither applies to people under 14 or over a certain age (not sure where the cut off is there) or anyone with a health issue that doesn't allow them to fast or abstain.

Basically, we're complete fasting wimps compared to the Maxwells. Not that I feel bad about that.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops states fasting applies to Catholics 18 to 59 years old - unless they have medical issues. [Canon 97]

[halcionne]

I have a question about the Maxwells:

Do the married members of the family have any autonomy as individual family units, or is Steve considered the authority of everyone. I am just wondering because the wives who married into the family must have come from more normal backgrounds.

Short answer: They say the marrieds are independent, but come on. They all live within, what, a half-mile radius of Stevehovah? Less? How can anyone who lives that close be independent? :snooty:

[Odd1Out]

Of course. They're choosing to do this out of their own free will. Just like 33 year old Sarah chooses to live at home and chooses to share a room (complete with bunkbed) with her much younger sisters.

Steve isn't the sort to lock them in the basement if they don't comply. He doesn't need to. He incorporated them all into the Borg long ago.

My antiFast will involve my usual Monday activities: dropping off my Blessings to the tender, loving care of the Education Department, buying myself a large cup of coffee and a ridiculously calorific pastry from the posh bakery, and attending the den of Socialistic/Humanistic/Femanistic/Evolutionistic debauchery that is University. And I'll where a short skirt and heels because I can.

It's nothing out of the ordinary (apart from the pastry-I save that for antiFast days) but I'll dedicate it to Steve because I know it will piss him off. Oh, and I'll make a donation to the Zonta Club for the Maxwell 'girls'.

I wonder if by age 40, Anna & Mary will be allowed to have regular beds. I can't imagine climbing up in a bunk bed every night.

[Secular4Me]

Short answer: They say the marrieds are independent, but come on. They all live within, what, a half-mile radius of Stevehovah? Less? How can anyone who lives that close be independent? :snooty:

I hear you. It is just hard for me to wrap my head around the married in wives going along with it.

[sparkles]

I hear you. It is just hard for me to wrap my head around the married in wives going along with it.

I think NRAnna came from a very conservative fundie family so life in Maxhell probably isn't such a shock. And Melanie, whose family seems conservative but not full-on fundie, came on the scene fairly early when the Maxwells still attended a real church so for her it's probably been a gradual trip down down the rabbit hole.

[Coco]

I hear you. It is just hard for me to wrap my head around the married in wives going along with it.

They come from fully vetted families, dip-dyed in the same beige kool-aid as the Maxwells, esp. Anna.

ETA i think Elissa might really suffer if her kids can't do 4-H or have outside friends like she did, just a few years ago.