Harlotry in the Church

[Jinger Jar]

I spent far too much time last night flipping back and forth between this woman's blogs. Eventually I started reading them as internal dialogue performed by Andy Serkis doing Gollum:

Sees my Jeesussss? Sees my pretty childrens grinding the flour. Pretty childrens, pretty house!

What's that, my Jeesussss? The fires in the church? Oh, the fires, it burns! It burns! Yes, it burns my Jeesusss! Hadassah! Hadassah!

Yes, we wants more babies. More babies and more chickens and more herbses!

But my Jeesusss doesn't wants the whoreses in the churches, does he my Jeesusss? The harlots with their whorish dresses and their makeups! The good womens must stop the whoreses from going to the churches, right my Jeesusss?

Oh, we has cakes, sweet cakes and sweet children - more and more sweet children - and sweet husbandses...

Hadassah! Hadassah! Ack!

[docmom]

I wonder if the hate on the harlotry site is due to the overwhelming awfulness of her own clothes. I am the last person to snark on someone's fashion sense having none myself, but she appears to wear sacks. Maybe there's an element of "if I can't have nice clothes then no-one else can either". The burning church is just horrible and, I agree, really out of step with her other blog which is pretty standard. I do worry about her mental state. Outside of fundidom she'd probably qualify for an involuntary admission.

[itsnikki05]

I'd heard about the "faux jew"-thing, but these people seem to be some kind of "faux amish"?

I do like the simplicity of their house though, the white-washed walls with the wood furniture is so calming and beautiful in my eyes.

I agree... I like a simple home. :) Not that my cluttered house will ever get there, but it looks so nice and clean. Nice and EASY to clean even! LOL!

[Guest]

I was just looking up Hadassah because someone posted in the Upcoming Baby Season thread that she was expecting #8 in 7 years (the idea of which is making me nauseous), and it appears that her real name is Tanya Geraci. In this post aprayerfullife.com/2009/06/23/malachi-or-leah/ , a commenter refers to her as Tanya. Just thought that would clear some things up :)

But for real. 8 children in 7 years. 8 children in 7 years. Eight.

[mostlylurk]

Not only #8 in 7 years, but she mentions that she's had a few miscarriages in there too. When did she have the time?

She seems pretty overwhelmed and taking comfort in the fact that she's in her mid-forties and God will surely close her womb real soon now.

[mlady]

With all these "back to the olden days" religious types there has to be some specific movement, fad, or personalality they are following. The frumper/grindmyownwheat stuff isn't coming from any religious dogma that I know of. Is it just their version of keeping up with (and outdoing) the Joneses? I mean look at that dudes beard....so crazy.

[Drunkenbutterfly]

I was just looking up Hadassah because someone posted in the Upcoming Baby Season thread that she was expecting #8 in 7 years (the idea of which is making me nauseous), and it appears that her real name is Tanya Geraci. In this post aprayerfullife.com/2009/06/23/malachi-or-leah/ , a commenter refers to her as Tanya. Just thought that would clear some things up :)

But for real. 8 children in 7 years. 8 children in 7 years. Eight.

Hold on, it is 7 children. One set of twins. Her oldest daughter is an adult, not living with them.

[Drunkenbutterfly]

Btw, they are moving now back to WA, because of the people...wonder what happened to them? Did someone call them out on their craziness?

[jenny_islander]

With all these "back to the olden days" religious types there has to be some specific movement, fad, or personalality they are following. The frumper/grindmyownwheat stuff isn't coming from any religious dogma that I know of. Is it just their version of keeping up with (and outdoing) the Joneses? I mean look at that dudes beard....so crazy.

If you start from the (utterly mistaken!) premise that people in "the olden days" were more Godly, and you define "the olden days" as the days when most people lived on farms or in small towns and did everything by hand, then it follows that the more laborious you make everyday tasks, the more Godly you must be. Meanwhile, of course, actual 19th-century farmers eagerly bought every labor-saving device they could afford. It was Godly rural folk who made Sears Roebuck and Co. into an economic powerhouse, buying all of those wonderful ready-made goods and having them shipped out West.

As for frumpers, I can't do any better than Sierra's incisive articles. Start here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nolongerqu ... -the-dots/

[DefraudedByPlaid]

I didn't feel like spending much time on the harlotry blog, but the other one has some interesting things. There are aspects of the DIY, nature-loving lifestyle that do look pretty appealing to me, though I don't see myself going down that road in the way that she has. In the pictures, the children look genuinely happy and free to play wildly, even the girls.

I don't know much about Hadassah, and even a couple of minutes on the modesty blog was more than enough. But at least the kids get to be kids. The way she writes about her children seems to be full of real love.

[Savoring Samsara]

Btw, they are moving now back to WA, because of the people...wonder what happened to them? Did someone call them out on their craziness?

aprayerfullife.com/2013/04/09/thoughts/

Hope you don't mind a bit of forum thread necromancy - Hadassah has posted explaining why they moved from Iowa back to Washington. Basically it turns out that people in the Midwest (of which I am one, which is why I find this whole post kind of hilarious) aren't as folksy and old-fashioned as she thought we were, with our quaint little homes and our back-to-the-land ways!

We waited five years for our home to sell in Washington as we had a vision of a better life in the Midwest. The Midwest promised us so much. We saw in our vision that people would be like us, that there would be people who are like minded and we could fellowship with them. To our disappointment, because of our past of divorce and remarriage, we were unable to attend many of these churches.

Also we are all gigantic harlots, even the Mennonites, and you can almost see our hips:

We tried a local Mennonite church and even the Mennonites are not what you would think them to be if you have never been there. One woman in the church had a dress so short and tight that I could almost see her hip. The pastor talked about television commercials and sports as part of his sermon. We were shocked. The Midwest promised an older generation, a bit of a different time – slower, friendly, country. It was more city than Matthew and I had seen in Washington or California. We have never seen women dress so lewd in our lives. My husband is from San Diego and has never seen women dressed anything close to what we saw in Iowa. It was a culture shock to say the least.

So they passed out a bunch of books and hassled the locals:

Though we went through some trials in Iowa regarding the issue of divorce and remarriage, we did have a purpose there by God. My husband felt called to pass out numerous books called, “What Does The Bible Teach About Divorce And Remarriageâ€, by brother Mark Bullen. These books went to many leaders of Mennonite and Anabaptist churches. I’m sure they really didn’t love us too much there. : )

In all seriousness, it has to suck not to be able to find a church when other fundies don't find you fundie enough no matter how extreme you get. I do hope they find a place where they feel they can fit in and be happy. They've apparently closed on a new house in Washington, at least, though Hadassah worries it will seem too ostentatious to...someone, apparently, because it's on a lake. :roll: aprayerfullife.com/2013/04/13/3368/

[rward]

Anyone else spot the fundie logic fail in her post first she says women have followed men into sin because men enjoy seeing immodestly dressed women in church, then she turns around and says men all over are begging women in the church to dress modestly. Also her husband sounds like a real slimball with his "If she's showing then she's selling." comment. Does he really believe that most women are prostitutes based solely on how they dress? Scary to think some people still buy into such knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing going backwards on the evolutionary scale thinking.

No, he's a rapist. Whether he's actually done it or not, that's how rapists think.

[Cannelle]

We have never seen women dress so lewd in our lives. My husband is from San Diego and has never seen women dressed anything close to what we saw in Iowa. It was a culture shock to say the least.

As a midwesterner, I don't believe this for a second, unless they've never seen women in pants and t-shirts. :roll:

[jenny_islander]

If Hadassah "could almost see her hip," then the woman's butt and crotch would have been out in the fresh air. I call shenanigans.

Or does she mean that somebody went to church in a cocktail length sheath dress? Because that's the only one I can think of where you can "almost" see someone's hip in a dress. It's not my style, but it's very feminine and, depending on the cut and fabric, it can be quite demure; it looks its best when the wearer walks and sits in the old-fashioned "ladylike" way. It's a fashion classic; Jackie Kennedy Onassis first made them nationally popular. With gloves, no less. They go wonderfully with a pert little hat and veil and matchy-matchy pocketbook.

And they attract the attention of creepy fundies everywhere. :roll:

[mostlylurk]

The bit about the lake was so strange! I had read the post thinking that she was worried about it as a safety issue (kids drowning), but she was really worried that people would think they were rich. WTF?

[singsingsing]

What on earth led these people to believe that the Midwest was an idyllic fundie paradise...?

[Savoring Samsara]

What on earth led these people to believe that the Midwest was an idyllic fundie paradise...?

Apparently it was their third or fourth choice once they decided to move away from Washington in the hopes of finding an Amish, Mennonite, or Anabaptist community to join. First they tried Kansas, but:

We have gone through much of the Eastern side of Kansas and our hearts are just not here. They have gone back to the beginning, the small farming communities we found a couple of years ago in Southern Kentucky.

Then Kentucky didn't do it for them either, so they decided to try Pennsylvania:

We are now in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. We will be heading towards Amish Country tomorrow to see if it is a place we would like to call home. Kentucky was as fast paced and self centered as Washington State with no Southern hospitality that we could see. Here in Pennsylvania which is a State we have looked at and looked at again and again for over three years, it is the most gorgeous State we have ever seen. And it’s Winter now! The homes in our price range out do Kentucky by miles. You can buy a 5+ bedroom farm home with good acreage and a barn – a gorgeous home, for a good price here. The State is very, very clean compared to Kentucky where they had junk cars and garbage, etc… every few homes it seemed. Matthew and I both feel we could find a home here and settle in quite well. Though the home schooling laws are one of the most extensive on the testing, etc…. we have come to the decision that that does not take precedence over a good place to live anymore. Anyways, I have a friend who lives in Amish Country whom I talked with last night and it sounds like such a good place to live as we share many of the beliefs of the people there… the Anabaptists and the Mennonites though the Mennonites may not accept us because of our past of marriage before, which is sad because we repented and came to the marriage alter pure. A church should focus on where one is today, not where one was yesterday. Jesus accepted ones who murdered but repented and did right all their days thereafter.

But Pennsylvania was too full of porn, so they finally settled on Iowa:

As we crossed over the boundaries of Pennsylvania into Ohio today I cried. It was the most beautiful State that either of us had been in. We had looked at Pennsylvania and considered it for a few years so we were anticipating much. The beauty and splendor even in the Winter months was a wonder to behold. The valleys of beautiful trees and rivers with open fields of farms with white houses and barns down below made our hearts stir. We thought surely this would be a place to settle into as our hearts warmed to the beautiful land in Pennsylvania and quiet looking towns off of the Highway. But soon man’s print of sin started to reveal itself in huge billboards of “adult†clubs with lewd pictures and “adult†stores. Everywhere. Nearly every town and every 3 miles it seemed to be. We never saw these grand billboards in Washington State. And only one of “those†places in 1 town out of many. It was so populous that we could not drive to go look at a home without seeing about 20 to 40 huge pictures or buildings with their huge advertisements. I cried last night as this land was the most beautiful I had seen but I didn’t want to live in a place with such lewdness. I knew I couldn’t when I didn’t have to. Matthew was just as shocked as he had never seen this in California from where he grew up. The presence was too strong and we found that this is how it is along the whole East side of the States. So, we submitted to what we knew was best for our family and children and are heading back to the middle States – flyover country, to Iowa. Hopefully, it will not have the same images and suggestions so bold as we have seen in Pennsylvania and other States. So, I cried today as we crossed the border. I never cried when I left Washington. But our hearts were really taken by Pennsylvania and it’s beautiful appearance of such peace.

I guess that's what happens when you choose where your family will relocate by throwing darts at a map, metaphorically speaking:

I felt foolish the other day too as we started driving upon Lancaster. I had no idea of the size of the city (and surrounding areas). I had not done any research so I did not know. We drove miles and miles through complete traffic and city on the freeway that I wouldn’t have a clue where the Amish were and frankly did not care anymore at that point. The world was so thick and heavy, it would drown out the poor Amish, Anabaptist or Mennonite communities there. We drove South a ways and found ourselves amidst the city chaos still and decided to turn around and head back to our hotel.

Apparently they were just driving around the US for months, having done little to no research about any of the places they thought they might settle, with their whole family and all of their belongings in tow, trying to figure out where their hearts were leading them. Those poor kids. I hope they can stay put in Washington for now and give them some stability in their lives.

All of these quotes are from: aprayerfullife.com/2012/04/05/old-blog-posts-december-29th-2011-march-15-2012/

[yetanothermeg]

You would think a little internet reading would have given them a heads-up about the whole Mennonite/Charity, etc. divorce/remarriage thing.

[Hane]

I don't live in a fancy garden spot of Connecticut by any means, but I drive clear across New Haven County every day to and from work, and have yet to face a barrage of pornographic billboards--or even one.

Around here, "adult stores" are rare, and those that exist face heavy municipal pressure to be discreet. You could drive right up to a V.I.P. store and have no idea what it is from the outside.

Oh, but wait: We're in a godless, liberal blue state where it's EXPENSIVE to live--in large part because we have lots of good public schools.

If the Mennonites are too wild 'n' crazy for this gal, I despair of her ever finding a "suitable" place to live.

[jenny_islander]

What on earth led these people to believe that the Midwest was an idyllic fundie paradise...?

Blurred memories of Little House on the Prairie with a dash of Normal Rockwell?

[Peppercorn]

Normal Rockwell

I don't know if that was a typo or intentional, but funny either way. :lol:

[GodsKnickers]

Why don't they pull a Unibomber and go live in the wilds of Montana? The only porn they'll see in the deep backwoods of that state are the critters giving it to each other.

[debrand]

Moving is expensive especially if you are going from one state to the next. They had a very lovely house. How odd that they would just leave it because of a few billboards advertising adult shops.

When I passed through Montana, there were signs for a topless steak house.

[louisa05]

As a midwesterner, I don't believe this for a second, unless they've never seen women in pants and t-shirts. :roll:

Well, it does get hotter here than in the Pacific Northwest and with the heat out come the shorts and tank tops. I'm sure a lot of people in short shorts and tank tops would be "lewd" in their fundie minds. I know pretty modesty oriented "fundy lite' people who will lower their standards a lot when it gets up around 95-100 degrees.

[Hane]

Blurred memories of Little House on the Prairie with a dash of Normal Rockwell?

Rockwell was from New York and also lived in Massachusetts--too blue-statey for this gal.