Maxwell's lastest post

[Jana814]

Well geez, how very charitable of them..... :roll:

I was thinking the same thing.

[nausicaa]

Beats the hell out of me (ha ha, no pun intended). :confusion-shrug:

I'm reading a book called "The Upside Down Kingdom", about how Jesus completely flipped the religious, social and military expectations of the Messiah into something that managed to offend pretty much everyone. He stirred things up. He hung out with people who were unclean nine ways to Sunday according to the Pharisees. He called them names and made jokes at their expense in public. He healed people who were hurting and forgave people who were unforgivable in that society.

How sitting at home, polishing kitchen cabinets, and writing books that tell everyone to live just like you do is following Jesus is just.....seriously, WTH? I would love to pick their brains on that but I know they'd never answer.

This.

And this depiction of a maverick Jesus extends across all denominational lines. The KJV/NKJV/Douay Rheims/New World translations all clearly represent him this way in the Gospels. It's not as if these representations occur in some debated apocrypha or there's one translation where Jesus is just super duper at keeping sweet and not talking to anyone outside his family.

[danvillebelle]

Just thought of something - I'm surprised Stevehovah hasn't had the whole family read Dante's Inferno, even though it was penned by an ebil Catholic. Seems like they'd LOVE all those graphic descriptions of sinners suffering for all eternity.

[Black Aliss]

According to one of Steve's 'Corners' they stick to hymns and spiritual songs where ever possible, but the basic instruction books all have some secular content so such heathen stuff can't be entirely avoided. In order to prevent the reversal children from being contaminated (by a "Row, row, row your boat" earworm), he and Teri white out the words.

It's hard to imagine a belief system so fragile that it could be undermined by the words, "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream."

[gardenvarietycitizen]

I'm reading a book called "The Upside Down Kingdom", about how Jesus completely flipped the religious, social and military expectations of the Messiah into something that managed to offend pretty much everyone. He stirred things up. He hung out with people who were unclean nine ways to Sunday according to the Pharisees. He called them names and made jokes at their expense in public. He healed people who were hurting and forgave people who were unforgivable in that society.

How sitting at home, polishing kitchen cabinets, and writing books that tell everyone to live just like you do is following Jesus is just.....seriously, WTH? I would love to pick their brains on that but I know they'd never answer.

Werd. Christian or not, there are important attitudes one can learn from the story of Jesus.

Meanwhile what boggles my mind is that the Maxwell kids give TESTIMONIES. What on earth can they possibly have to talk about? Most good testimonies (whether religious or otherwise) are supposed to be encouraging, because the speaker says "hey, I sympathize with you in your bad place, I was there once myself and THIS IS WHAT HELPED ME. I can show you how to do it!"

But the Maxwell kids have been explicitly sheltered and protected from all bad influences from before they were old enough to really get into any problem situations.

I can understand how Steve-O can preach to other people about "see this is how I made sure my kids never rebel" or whatever (though I'd find that horrifying, myself) but the actual kid testimonies, how can they have any content?

The one thing that possibly comes closest is Sarah in her chapter of "Hearts" where she mentions that she felt uncomfortable at a sleepover (why, she doesn't say) at maybe EIGHT YEARS OLD and so forever after is grateful that her parents forbid her having friends after that incident, but it's a bit stale by now, and she can't possibly talk about things she's never experienced. Oh, surely she talks about "I'm so happy I never had peer pressure" or whatever but she can't know what it's like, to even know, y'know? :think:

[gardenvarietycitizen]

It's hard to imagine a belief system so fragile that it could be undermined by the words, "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream."

The problem is that it takes up space that COULD be used for a hymn or Bible verse instead. Because our brains are of finite size and can only hold so much, don'tcha know. Plus, if you're running flat out at 60MPH constantly trying to rack up points in the great Game Against Death, every little bit of religiosity helps, so if you can earn points toward heaven for having even your earworms count as worship, so much the better.

...yes, it's horrifying.

[anjulibai]

I really think the Maxwells are trolling us - today's post was about cabinet cleaning they did last month.

[twin2]

I really think the Maxwells are trolling us - today's post was about cabinet cleaning they did last month.

Wow, that is one of the most depressing "what we did during Christmas" things I have ever read.

They are happy that cleaning the cabinets gave them time to talk to each other? The all live together every second of every day! Do they only talk during "special occasions" like cabinet cleaning time?

[danvillebelle]

They like to polish things. A lot. They must have the shiniest cabinets in America.

I was not raised with...um...quite that stringent of a cleaning ethic. I clean the cabinets when I see visible dirt on them. Otherwise, they're good. We live in an apt. and they're painted, anyway.

Even when I lived in a house with lovely cherry finish cabinets that I chose myself, I didn't polish them monthly (weekly? daily?). I wiped the fingerprints off. They looked fine.

[sparkles]

Holy crap. Their lives are so boring it's not even snark-worthy anymore. It's just depressing, pathetic and sad. Why ANYone thinks theirs is a lifestyle worth emulating is truly a mystery.

[kpmom]

Why is Sarah so surprised it took only 35 minutes to polish the cabinets when all 8 Maxwells pitched in? It's really not that shocking, Sarah.

I wonder why Melanie got her house cleaned and not NR-Anna? An indictment of Melanie's housekeeping?

Also, I've noticed they seem to post more pictures of the nieces than of Joshua. I wonder if they spend more time with their nieces, or just happen to post more pictures of them?

[freejugar]

I should know better, but I didn't expect 3466345 pics of people cleaning cabinets

[Jana814]

I wonder why Melanie got her house cleaned and not NR-Anna? An indictment of Melanie's housekeeping?

Also, I've noticed they seem to post more pictures of the nieces than of Joshua. I wonder if they spend more time with their nieces, or just happen to post more pictures of them?

Interesting on both accounts. Could Melanie be pregnant again need to be on bedrest.

[twin2]

Interesting on both accounts. Could Melanie be pregnant again need to be on bedrest.

Or maybe Steve-O is not pleased on her progress in training her daughters and thus send the Aunts over to get them on the right path....

[Justme]

It is nice to see the "boys" polishing cabinets, Stevie too. ;)

No why on earth did they go clean Mel's house? She's not knocked up (that we know). I could understand helping Anna or Gigi out, but Mel??? I'd be rather insulted if my MIL and SIL's showed up to clean my house.

P.S. those little girls know far to much about cleaning.... :(

[WonderingInWA]

It is nice to see the "boys" polishing cabinets, Stevie too. ;)

No why on earth did they go clean Mel's house? She's not knocked up (that we know). I could understand helping Anna or Gigi out, but Mel??? I'd be rather insulted if my MIL and SIL's showed up to clean my house.

P.S. those little girls know far to much about cleaning.... :(

I wonder if they cleaned Melanie's house as a gift? Or maybe she's sick?

And maybe NR-Anna doesn't want someone else to clean her house, for privacy purposes? We rarely see photos of the inside of hers and Christopher's house and maybe she's just a more private person?

It is a little sad that we don't see more photos of Joshua -- he's a cutie pie.

[SPHASH]

Just got done reading the post and looking at their pics. Why do they have toilet paper in Joseph's bathroom when no one is living there to take a dump?

[albanuadh_1]

Who is Gigi?

[Justme]

Who is Gigi?

Teri's Mother.

[FloraDoraDolly]

Who is Gigi?

Gigi is Teri's mother. She and Teri's father live very close (either next door or across the street; I forget which). Teri's father is in poor health, so Gigi has her hands full taking care of him. Teri also has a sister who lives in the area, but the Maxwells seldom write about her or her family.

[Coconut Flan]

Aren't they using Joseph's house as kind of an office for writing books? What that merely speculation here or did they say that? Plus they may need to use the bathroom while there working on the house. It doesn't seem strange to me.

[Savoring Samsara]

Steve would probably strongly object to the words "life is but a dream." Hmmm, what could he change it to?

There were some amazing parodies along those lines in an earlier Maxwell thread. My favorite one, written by a poster whose name I have forgotten, was something like:

Dust, dust, dust the fans

Scrub them til they gleam

Cleaning them, cleaning them, cleaning them, cleaning them

Why is Dad so mean?

[Savoring Samsara]

Just thought of something - I'm surprised Stevehovah hasn't had the whole family read Dante's Inferno, even though it was penned by an ebil Catholic. Seems like they'd LOVE all those graphic descriptions of sinners suffering for all eternity.

I'm not. The theology in the Inferno is really, obviously, overtly Catholic. Also it's full of a lot of farting.

[twin2]

Aren't they using Joseph's house as kind of an office for writing books? What that merely speculation here or did they say that? Plus they may need to use the bathroom while there working on the house. It doesn't seem strange to me.

They made some comment on it a while back. Apparently it has become quite place where Mom and Dad can go to "work." It is such a blessing!!

[Arete]

I'm not. The theology in the Inferno is really, obviously, overtly Catholic. Also it's full of a lot of farting.

Not to mention the description of Ugolino eating his children might might be a little too close to home for Maxbots .....