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Bateses start a church


ophelia

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Fact is Gil has been calling his family's music a ministry for years, no different than Steve Maxwell or Jimboob or the other that think that every time they open their mouths about the patriarchy it's a ministry.

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Gil Bates and Jim Bob Duggar only parrot Bill Gothard anyhow. He's like their pope. I should start my own religion so that I can be one too. :think:

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Awww, y'all are like the mean sorority sisters I never had!! : )

Look, I get that slapping down the newbies is a rite of passage in this forum. And I get that every newbie is viewed with great suspicion, for good reason. All in fun. Some of us do bite back, though. I made some mistakes, and I apologize for them. NONE of the articles I posted were posted in their entirety (I work in the shadow of the US Copyright Office, and I am aware of the law), but I made a mistake in not making my snips obvious enough. I don't view NexisLexis as "magical" and I wasn't aware that everyone else had read those articles, because I hadn't. Although I am an alum, I don't have access to commercial databases at home, and I wasn't aware that everyone else did. (Guess I am naive?). In my job, I am required to always cite my sources, so it was just due diligence on my part. I didn't mean to come off as snotty, and as a mixed-race person from rural Appalachia it REALLY burns me when folks mock me with anti-intellectual comments (such as "OMGacademia"). Makes me feel like I've stumbled into a nest of biblethumping Baptists.

I'm sorry that I didn't put any commentary on my last post, because I was in a hurry, and I guess my prefaces to earlier article excerpts didn't meet your standards. For that, I also apologize.

And here's a thought on my part (yes, I do have them): I was shocked to read that 2001 article describing Gil Bates as doing odd jobs, with no mention of a tree service. Did he truly leave his corporate Nabisco job for no guaranteed income? What kind of feckless loser with a passel of kids and a stay at home wife would do that? If he was laid off or fired, I'll give him a pass. I always assume that he had the tree service ready to go when he left his salaried job. I'm sick of these fundies being hailed as "great fathers" and "great mothers" simply for spawning a bunch of kids.

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From the Nexis database, here is the earliest article I could find on the Bates family. It's from before they moved to Lake City--and apparently before they started the Bates Tree Service business:

News Sentinel (Knoxville, Tennessee)

June 24, 2001 Sunday

Togetherness is no stranger to Corryton family of 11

BYLINE: Harold Julian

Gil and Kelly Bates have 11 children and are praying for more.

"We hope to have as many as the Lord will give us," said Kelly, who gave birth to nine at home (with a midwife) and two in a hospital...

The children are schooled at home by the parents, both Carson-Newman College gradu-ates. Gil Bates and Kelly Callaham married in 1987 while they were in college, where he served as a youth minister. She was born in Spartanburg, S.C., and he in the small town of Honea Path, S.C.

They have lived in Knox County 13 years, including on Rollen Lane in South Knox and on Barbara Drive in Fountain City. For about nine months, they have lived on Stair Road, Corryton. The house has two-and-a-half baths and five bedrooms, including several bunk beds. It's a rental house, but the couple has a rent-purchase agreement.

They have a 15-passenger van, but "we might need a bus next," Kelly laughed.

As the children began to show an interest in music, some were given piano lessons by Glenda Burnett. All are singers, except for the youngest, and she is listening and paying attention.

The children are healthy and, so far, not one tooth cavity. "Eating out" is a treat. At a Cracker Barrel, for example, "sometimes for as little as $35 for the family."

Breakfast at home might include a pound and a half of bacon, 18 eggs and one-and-a-half loaves of bread. Potato soup for the family requires a 10-pound bag of spuds.

Gil Bates washes windows, cleans floors, mows lawns and does other odd jobs. They are members of Halls Baptist Church but are often invited to sing at other churches and such places as retirement homes. The father does religious "chalk talks" and the children sing. Except for the baby, the children enter the room, each with a hand on the shoulder of the child in front, like a drill team.

The family's income is limited. Although qualified for food stamps and other government assistance, they refuse such help. "The Lord will provide," said Gil.

The Bateses' home has electricity and a telephone but no TV.

What? No cartoons? They do have a video player and monitor. Films which are considered beneficial to children and which promote character development are shown, said the parents...

There is no spring break and little summer vacation for the homeschooled children. The curriculum of the Family Christian Academy is followed and achievement tests are given. No decision has been made about high school.

The Bateses have heard some criticism concerning overpopulation and even about depriving their children of TV, but people who have met this unusual family might think "they're doing the right thing." I have never met such good-looking, bright, friendly, well-behaved children. Did I say happy?

They seem to be.

No no no! That's my hometown!

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