Erika from Large Families on Purpose blows a gasket

[ILoveJellybeans]

I hate it when fundies do that. Get control of your own life and own your own decisions. I noticed that about her, every tiny idea she ever had, is something she says God gave her. Erika, that voice in your head that gives you ideas isnt God, its your BRAIN, everyone has one, and it gives you ideas. God is far too busy to tell all of the fundies in the world what to have for breakfast, or what colour frumper to wear today, or how to stack their thousand children in a tiny house.

[Carla Bruni]

I love how she gets all uppity about restricting the types of people her children interact with, because limiting socialization is always a winning parenting strategy. What she's doing is raising people who will be completely incapable of functioning in the real world, unless their entire lives are restricted to social circles that perfectly mirror their home environment.

[Maggie Mae]

So if they wake up before everyone else, they are expected to get immediately out of bed and start their day. How sad. I used to love waking up before everyone and reading or playing quietly. I noticed their weren't a lot of books hangin about either. So sad. :( Living on such regimented schedule, packed into bedrooms like factory farmed produce, and deprived of personal thoughts sounds like hell on earth to me.

[Burris]

Erika openly attacked KL, couching unmerited and incorrect judgments as a friendly 'warning.'

I'm far more surprised by KL's restraint than I am by how Erika's fangirls circled the waggons. Unable to actually craft a rebuttal that would place Erika and her catty lifestyle advice in a better light, other commenters stoop to...well, this:

I think you hide snark behind articulation which is unfair...but reading through the lines I see jealousy. Pure, spiteful jealousy.

Pure comedy gold. Jenn is saying, outright, that she is threatened by the fact KL can (a) string a sentence together and (b) use that awesome talent to form an argument capable of shutting Erika down.

And then of course there appears the old chestnut: "You're just jealous of Erika's cramped, shitty lifestyle as a broodmare.â€

Jealous. Yeah. Me too! I would so love to have more kids than I can feed – so many in fact that my uterus might suffer prolapse, all in service to the delusion my undereducated family – egotistical husband included - will one day rule the world.â€

Yeah.

Actually, I would venture to offer a warning of my own to these upstanding Christian ladies: No amount of *smiles* and *laughs* and "Praise the Lords" can hide what a bunch of mean-spirited, joyless harridans you are.

In fact, I'd venture to guess – and with a far greater degree if accuracy than the guesses Erika made concerning KL – that the majority of Erika's readers have never completed grade 12, married before the age of 25, and make less than 30k a year despite having an average of four children each. How am I doin' so far, eh?

[denimjumper]

Sometimes though her fundie readers give her a lot of flack. I distinctly recall this posting where she got ripped a new one for having short hair. 50 comments! *giggle* *wink* *nod*

www.largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/11/ ... -does.html

[desertvixen]

What is so hard about understanding that two people who came into being at the same time in the same place and spent nine months in the same dark, comforting, tiny little world that is a uterus would find immense psychological and physical comfort in sleeping together? They'll stop sleeping in the same bed when they no longer need to sleep in the same bed. A lot of parents of multiples have said that usually happens once adolescence hits. Until then, give the kids what they need. Heck, she doesn't even have to guess what that might be. By their actions, her daughters are telling her what they need - they need to sleep together!

Not even just multiples, but kids in general. My younger brothers are separated from each other by 25 months, and they slept in the same bed for something like 12 years (they had bunk beds, but it always ended up with 2 of them in one bunk).

Sleeping with other people/creatures is very comforting for most of us. But again, remember they always have to show how much they LOVE their BLESSINGS....

[emmiedahl]

My daughters have a daybed with a trundle (a very nice wooden one, not an Emily-style mattress shoved under the bed). And they regularly end up in each others' beds. For a while, I moved the bedrooms so they would be separated because they argue so much, and even then they usually ended up in each other beds. It's the love half of their love-hate relationship.

I feel bad for the woman who made such a sweet, innocuous statement and then had a butthurt fundie jump her ass. I feel even worse that she defended herself so eloquently only to have other fundies join in the pile-on. Someone is jealous here and it is *not* the working mum.

[KL1]

Oh smackdown! Yes there seems to be some previous history here, and I would love to know the backstory. I think we need to invite thr OP to FJ...she sounds like she would fit right in here!

I heard through the grapevine that you guys where talking about me.

I've heard of FJ but have only visited/skimmed once or twice. Your forum is interesting, though not really my style.

There is no backstory here. Erika and I don't know one another personally. This is just as it seems - a happy heathen and a churchlady having a bit of a row. I'm a NYC girl and not one to let too much pass. Espically where my children/family are concerned.

It's all good though. Erika and I disagree on lifestyle but she's a good women. Savage, Hitchens, Maher, Dawkins & deGrasse Tyson are my peeps. But that doesn't mean I won't read opposing viewpoints.

Rock on heretics, rock on!

[Spider Burps]

I heard through the grapevine that you guys where talking about me.

I've heard of FJ but have only visited/skimmed once or twice. Your forum is interesting, though not really my style.

There is no backstory here. Erika and I don't know one another personally. This is just as it seems - a happy heathen and a churchlady having a bit of a row. I'm a NYC girl and not one to let too much pass. Espically where my children/family are concerned.

It's all good though. Erika and I disagree on lifestyle but she's a good women. Savage, Hitchens, Maher, Dawkins & deGrasse Tyson are my peeps. But that doesn't mean I won't read opposing viewpoints.

Rock on heretics, rock on!

I clicked on your comments and noticed on your blog that you were in my area (my husband works on Madison Ave, but we live a bit south of Newark). Gotta say, I loved your comments. Guess it must be a NY/NJ thing ;) Keep on keepin' on!

[emmiedahl]

I heard through the grapevine that you guys where talking about me.

I've heard of FJ but have only visited/skimmed once or twice. Your forum is interesting, though not really my style.

There is no backstory here. Erika and I don't know one another personally. This is just as it seems - a happy heathen and a churchlady having a bit of a row. I'm a NYC girl and not one to let too much pass. Espically where my children/family are concerned.

It's all good though. Erika and I disagree on lifestyle but she's a good women. Savage, Hitchens, Maher, Dawkins & deGrasse Tyson are my peeps. But that doesn't mean I won't read opposing viewpoints.

Rock on heretics, rock on!

Nice to hear you are not taking them seriously. :D

[Seven Severn]

I heard through the grapevine that you guys where talking about me.

I've heard of FJ but have only visited/skimmed once or twice. Your forum is interesting, though not really my style.

There is no backstory here. Erika and I don't know one another personally. This is just as it seems - a happy heathen and a churchlady having a bit of a row. I'm a NYC girl and not one to let too much pass. Espically where my children/family are concerned.

It's all good though. Erika and I disagree on lifestyle but she's a good women. Savage, Hitchens, Maher, Dawkins & deGrasse Tyson are my peeps. But that doesn't mean I won't read opposing viewpoints.

Rock on heretics, rock on!

Neato! We'd love to have you stick around, but if FJ's not your thing then that's cool too. :)

[August]

This is from the siblings sharing bedrooms post:

Hmm, I *wonder* what kind of consequences they give *laugh*

This makes me fume. (sorry to bump an old thread, but I'm too recently registered to start a new one.)

So they say that hitting children is explicitly mandated by their god, and that it's an essential part of good parenting, right? And yet, they hide doing it - Michelle Duggar says in her book you should wait until they get back to the car to do it if a child misbehaves in a store. They also use euphemisms to both hide the incidence of doing it, and avoid even admitting they do it by using euphemisms. Even the euphemisms of "popping" and related terms show they are ashamed of the violence. So which is it? When speaking in the abstract they say it's good, but their actions show they know it's shameful and wrong. If this particular woman wasn't ashamed of her behaviour she'd say "when my toddler climbed into her twin's bed for a cuddle I grabbed her and slapped her across the legs until she smiled, then put her in her own bed."

I just read the thread on that poor girl who was tortured and murdered by the people who adopted her and I'm a bit ragey. Sorry. But man I want to give people who hit children in this day and age a taste of their own medicine.

(oh, and my three year apart kids slept together last night, it was the greatest fun for them! )

[GiggleOfGirls]

I have also never understood why, if they believe that hitting children is so great, they feel the need to hide it so much. I mean, I understand that there's societal disapproval, but surely if they wanted to effect change and encourage acceptance of something that they deem to be so essential, they would do it proudly and publicly and let their children's resultant angelic behavior speak for itself until everyone (except the most sinful heretic, of course) agreed that hitting children was fine and dandy as long as it was done "Biblically" and "the right way."

[YoshiCat]

HAHAHAHAHAHA :D

Nomatter how much everything seems perfect in fundie families, theres always a bit of instability and a few skeletons in the closet just trying to break out.

They dont seem to understand that homeschooling isnt for everyone. Some people are better off sending their kids to school. A good parent would recognise that they are not fit for homeschooling and give their kids an education at school.....instead of homeschool nomatter how badly it suits the family, even if it means the kids cant read by the age of 10.

I personally dont think I could homeschool, especially if I had as many kids as Erika does, I dont know how people who have more than about two or three manage it, teaching so many different ages at the same time.

Erica knows what's best for everyone!

In response to a post of hers about not working on Sunday, several commenter pointed out that some jobs have to be done every day of the week---cops, doctors, nurses, etc. Someone posted that they're an ICU nurse who works every other Sunday and asks if Erica thinks that ICU patients should be unattended on Sundays.

Her response is priceless and can be summarized as "You don't need to work. You're only working for money to buy things you don't need. Quit your job, do without things and take care of your children."

Amazing how she know the financial situation of an anonymous poster. But this is typical of fundies, they know what's best and right for everyone, which is to do everything their way.

[mango_fandango]

Erica knows what's best for everyone!

In response to a post of hers about not working on Sunday, several commenter pointed out that some jobs have to be done every day of the week---cops, doctors, nurses, etc. Someone posted that they're an ICU nurse who works every other Sunday and asks if Erica thinks that ICU patients should be unattended on Sundays.

Her response is priceless and can be summarized as "You don't need to work. You're only working for money to buy things you don't need. Quit your job, do without things and take care of your children."

Amazing how she know the financial situation of an anonymous poster. But this is typical of fundies, they know what's best and right for everyone, which is to do everything their way.

UGH. This woman is disgusting. She has no right to tell others what to do. This ICU nurse could be working because her husband physically can't. Or her husband could be long-term unemployed. Erika is such a judgmental bitch.

[What the fux say]

Erica knows what's best for everyone!

In response to a post of hers about not working on Sunday, several commenter pointed out that some jobs have to be done every day of the week---cops, doctors, nurses, etc. Someone posted that they're an ICU nurse who works every other Sunday and asks if Erica thinks that ICU patients should be unattended on Sundays.

Her response is priceless and can be summarized as "You don't need to work. You're only working for money to buy things you don't need. Quit your job, do without things and take care of your children."

Amazing how she know the financial situation of an anonymous poster. But this is typical of fundies, they know what's best and right for everyone, which is to do everything their way.

I bolded that bit.

My first take away from that is how does she know that the commenter is a woman? I assume if the nurse was a man, it would be OK for him to work? Or are men not allowed to be nurses because that would be too confusing to everyone with regards to gender roles? (People might think he's a woman!) And if men aren't allowed to be nurses and women aren't allowed to work well then what the fucking fuck? Who the hell is taking care of poor sick grandma?!

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

So is she saying that nurses (male or female) should refrain from working on Sunday? Or that they should only work until children are brought forth from their sacred loins? :angry-banghead:

[What the fux say]

So is she saying that nurses (male or female) should refrain from working on Sunday? Or that they should only work until children are brought forth from their sacred loins? :angry-banghead:

I'm trying to find the exact post so I can read for myself, but I'm inferring that she didn't answer that question at all and instead took a ridiculous swipe at the commenter about working at all. Much easier that way. *chuckle*

[What the fux say]

Fucking hell, FINALLY FOUND IT! My god, sifting through that blog... wow. Anywho, here's the full c&p of the ICU nurse on Sunday question and answer:

i_love_sydneyFebruary 4, 2013 at 4:30 PM

What about essential services? Should I not work as a nurse on Sundays when I am scheduled to do so? Shall I let my patients die because there are no doctors and nurses on duty as it's Sunday?

Should fireman not put out fires on Sunday?

Should midwives not deliver babies on Sunday?

Should policeman not police on Sundays?

I agree we should keep the Sabbath holy but that does not mean we are unable to work that day if we have too.

You are basically saying I am not as 'holy' as you because I work on a Sunday. In fact you even seem to say I am going against the commandment. I keep Sunday holy. But I also work every other Sunday. I have no problem with that. Nor do the ICU patients & their families who I nurse.

If you are ever as unlucky as to have one of your children in ICU I wonder if you will ask the doctors and nurses too not work on Sunday, 'Oh no don't come in. My child can die. Just keep Sunday holy'. I doubt it.

Erika ShupeFebruary 5, 2013 at 4:34 PM

I_love_sydney,

Well my first question is, why are you working at all? Is it absolutely necessary - for most moms it is not, it's a desire to "get out of the house" and have some additional income? Sorry, but that's the strait truth. If you're a single parent then of course you need an income, and like I mentioned above already as a reply to this original question, we don't all have the privilege of not working on Sundays for employment. That's part of being in a "fallen" sinful world. I encourage you to read my reply above, it addresses your questions here.

Of course we take care of necessities - but most people don't like to draw the line appropriately between actual necessities and "likes" or "wants". In scripture Jesus takes care of healing the sick on the sabbath even when the religious leaders of the time question him. He pretty much says, "c'mon, use common sense." And he says, If your oxen was trapped in a hole, wouldn't you fee it? Of course.

I am not comparing anyone to myself along the lines of holiness or "rightness"; the comparison is to scripture alone. I am simply stating what we do and why. You seem to have a problem with what scripture says. I'm just the messenger. It doesn't matter if you have a problem with working on Sundays or not, it only matters what God's Word says.

And I think you could have asked your questions here without sarcasm. We can have a grown up discussion if that's what you're seeking. Unless you're just striving to make accusations, which is what you seem to be doing here; but I could be mistaken, this type of impersonal communication can be misleading. I hope you have a nice day.

[What the fux say]

I hate her.

And... done. Can't believe I wasted my afternoon on her blog! What a rabbit hole.

[Mice]

Erica reminds me of Dolores Umbridge. Right down to the sanctimonious simpering and cheerful torture of children.