Bates Updates

[HereticHick]

We've had long discussions about Michael's name. And Kelly has discussed it indepth on the Bates website.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Does anyone know what's up with the "a" in Michael(a)? It seems like in earlier episodes she's been called Michaela (and the pop-up has labeled her as such), but now she goes by Michael? Obviously it's not a huge difference, I'm just curious. Have the Bates mentioned anything about it?

There's a post on the blog about it somewhere. If I remember correctly her name was Michal at birth, names for a female character in the bible. But no one ever spelled it right or thought she was a boy. They changed it on her birth certificate to be Michael in hopes of solving at least part of the problem. But you can only change the name once without a few or court date or something like that. They went through a bunch of unofficial variations of spelling and I think even called her by her middle name for a while before she ultimately decided to just be Michael.

[Georgiana]

Does anyone know what's up with the "a" in Michael(a)? It seems like in earlier episodes she's been called Michaela (and the pop-up has labeled her as such), but now she goes by Michael? Obviously it's not a huge difference, I'm just curious. Have the Bates mentioned anything about it?

It's been discussed before, so here's my summary:

The Bates were new Christians when they had M, so they wanted a Biblical name. They chose David's wife Michal.

Later, they realized that Michal wasn't the sort of character they wanted their daughter to emulate, so they wanted to change her name.

They could change her name by one letter either for free or for a pittance. But to change the name by 2 or more letters would be an expense they could not afford.

Legally, they changed it to Michael since that was a Christian name within 1 letter of Michal.

She goes by Michael or Michaela (the earlier episodes label her as Michaela, though she seems to prefer Michael recently as that's how Kelly refers to her in her blog). Her family calls her Mikey anyway, so it doesn't matter to much on a daily basis.

[LogansMama]

Thanks for the heads-up on Michael! I was curious and had a feeling you all would have the answers.

Obviously I'm a noob and I'll try and avoid topics that have already been discussed. :embarrassed:

[Kira]

Those mountainside photos resemble Match.com profile pics!

Yes, for all the fundies talk about courtship for one's children, Kelly is the only one who seems to have gotten the whole thing down. I am actually surprised she hasn't given any talks on it yet. Maybe they're waiting for the kids to be married for awhile longer to give her some more cred.

She could go on a speaking tour with Jeanine Morton and Mrs.Grady(can't remember her first name). They're very good at marrying off their kids. I'm sure there are others. Kelly any Gil aren't the only parents who've mastered courtship and marriage.

[FrancineFishpaw]

New post on Chad's blog.

[Georgiana]

That post is cute in that Chad is clearly head over heels in love with Erin.

And also weird because he is trying to sell her CD's at the same time.

I don't know whether to feel all warm and fuzzy or weirded out.

[Dandruff]

That post is cute in that Chad is clearly head over heels in love with Erin.

And also weird because he is trying to sell her CD's at the same time.

I don't know whether to feel all warm and fuzzy or weirded out.

I agree that Chad is head over heels. My guess (pure speculation here) is that he's trying to cheer Erin up, encourage her, reiterate his love to whoever is reading the blog...and why not try to sell some CDs while he's at it?

He really does seem like a great guy.

[FJismyheadship]

I doubt they all look at eachother as siblings. There was an episode where all the Duggars and all the Bates were together, and while Michelle was babbling about something in a voice over, Jana was very clearly flirting with one of those boys. I dont know which one, but it was very obvious. I'll see if I can find the episode.

[socalrules]

I agree that Chad is head over heels. My guess (pure speculation here) is that he's trying to cheer Erin up, encourage her, reiterate his love to whoever is reading the blog...and why not try to sell some CDs while he's at it?

He really does seem like a great guy.

What I find interesting about Chad's post is that you rarely hear fundy men brag about their wives or daughters' accomplishments that don't include babies, cleaning and being submissive. They are never praised for having an independent interest, usually because they are not allowed to. So, although they may really need the money from CD sales and thought the post might help out, it is nice to see a woman in fundie land lauded for a talent that is not related to babymaking.

[marmalade]

It's been discussed before, so here's my summary:

The Bates were new Christians when they had M, so they wanted a Biblical name. They chose David's wife Michal.

Later, they realized that Michal wasn't the sort of character they wanted their daughter to emulate, so they wanted to change her name.

They could change her name by one letter either for free or for a pittance. But to change the name by 2 or more letters would be an expense they could not afford.

Legally, they changed it to Michael since that was a Christian name within 1 letter of Michal.

She goes by Michael or Michaela (the earlier episodes label her as Michaela, though she seems to prefer Michael recently as that's how Kelly refers to her in her blog). Her family calls her Mikey anyway, so it doesn't matter to much on a daily basis.

Sorry to nitpick the bolded, but no they weren't. They met at BIBLE college and Kelly's father is a preacher. So no, not new Christians, which makes the story of not knowing about Michal (who is awesome) even more bizarre. IIRC, the courts only allowed them to change/add one letter without an extra charge, so they added the "e" to go with traditional Michael. The rest, as they say, is history.

[Toothfairy]

I doubt they all look at eachother as siblings. There was an episode where all the Duggars and all the Bates were together, and while Michelle was babbling about something in a voice over, Jana was very clearly flirting with one of those boys. I dont know which one, but it was very obvious. I'll see if I can find the episode.

Wasn't it chad?

[HereticHick]

Sorry to nitpick the bolded, but no they weren't. They met at BIBLE college and Kelly's father is a preacher. So no, not new Christians, which makes the story of not knowing about Michal (who is awesome) even more bizarre. IIRC, the courts only allowed them to change/add one letter without an extra charge, so they added the "e" to go with traditional Michael. The rest, as they say, is history.

Sorry to nitpick again, but I grew up one county over from their alma mater--Carson-Newman-- and I don't consider it to be a "bible" college. Its simply a Southern Baptist-affiliated college. I don't consider it to be any more a "bible college" than Wake Forest or Baylor. Not everyone Southern Baptist is a fundy (former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton come to mind). Certainly my high school classmates who went to Carson-Newman weren't any holier, or modestly dressed, than anyone else.

PS My high school classmates (and relatives) who were preacher's kids weren't any holier either! :D

[marmalade]

Interesting. I don't have time to read the Bateses' bios now, but I was sure that Kelly identified either Carson Newman or Anderson as Bible College(s). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I never got the impression that Kelly was the rebellious preacher's kid. :D

[FJismyheadship]

Wasn't it chad?

No, it was an older episode, before Chad came along. I tried to find the episode last night, but going through all those Bates/Duggar episodes gave me a huge headache. It was either Zach or Lawson, but I dont know which one.

[Finduilas]

No, it was an older episode, before Chad came along. I tried to find the episode last night, but going through all those Bates/Duggar episodes gave me a huge headache. It was either Zach or Lawson, but I dont know which one.

If it's Lawson well there is still hope ... Run Jana?

[MissBitters]

Sorry to nitpick again, but I grew up one county over from their alma mater--Carson-Newman-- and I don't consider it to be a "bible" college. Its simply a Southern Baptist-affiliated college. I don't consider it to be any more a "bible college" than Wake Forest or Baylor. Not everyone Southern Baptist is a fundy (former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton come to mind). Certainly my high school classmates who went to Carson-Newman weren't any holier, or modestly dressed, than anyone else.

PS My high school classmates (and relatives) who were preacher's kids weren't any holier either! :D

I second HereticHick on this. I grew in the same county that Carson-Newman is located and Southern Baptist-affiliate college is a better description for it. Johnson Bible College (it may be called a university now) is located in another county, though, so maybe Kelly went there too?

[marmalade]

Dang, Kelly removed their education information from their bios. However, the bios say that Gil was raised in the church, but was saved by a sermon from his high school football coach. Kelly says she was indeed the preacher's daughter, but was officially "saved" in the 9th grade.

That's at least 8 years for her to had the opportunity to study the story of King David and his wife Michal. That bible college name rings a bell. If it just recently became accredited, it would be where they transferred to after moving from South Carolina (Anderson area).

[HereticHick]

The Bates blog is searchable if you use Google Advanced Search. Here's a relevant quote from February, when Alyssa got engaged--

" Dear Kelly,

...There’s been so much asked about your childrens’ weddings, I was wondering about your wedding to your husband. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Were you married in TN? Did your father officiate? Did you have a big wedding?...

Kelly February 8, 2014 at 5:41 am

Dear Sandy B,

We met at Anderson College in Anderson, SC. We transferred to Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, TN and continued dating. We married at a beautiful white church down the street from the college where we met, in Anderson, SC. The man that led Gil to the Lord, Pastor Ashley, did our wedding ceremony on Dec 19, 1987. We had an evening candlelight service with about 200-250 people attending. Our colors were teal and mauve, but I forgot about Christmas decorations, so it all clashed horribly…lol! Our wedding party was mostly college friends and siblings. It’s fun to re-watch the video and look at old pics! Gil even had a small mustache…lol!..."

I can't recall if I know anyone who went to Anderson (now Anderson U.) I also wouldn't call it a "bible college," just Southern Baptist-run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_U ... arolina%29

[Justme]

Dang, Kelly removed their education information from their bios. However, the bios say that Gil was raised in the church, but was saved by a sermon from his high school football coach. Kelly says she was indeed the preacher's daughter, but was officially "saved" in the 9th grade.

That's at least 8 years for her to had the opportunity to study the story of King David and his wife Michal. That bible college name rings a bell. If it just recently became accredited, it would be where they transferred to after moving from South Carolina (Anderson area).

And that, my friend, is why we have the waybackmachine.com :D

[PennySycamore]

I'm familiar with a couple of names on the list of alums. Kerry Howard is an interior designer originally from nearby Easley and was a contestant on Top Design on Bravo. (He was one of my favorites and he is probably gay.) I do like The Secret Life of Bees written by alum Sue Monk Kidd. Ms. Kidd always struck me as someone who the religion thing didn't stick to that much. Thomas Alexander I knew from high school and the founder of Chik-Fil-A went there too. I did have a friend that went there some years ago and unfortunately, she did not believe in evolution. Anderson has probably become more conservative in the last 40 years and since they had to assume the mantel of the SC Baptist Convention's 4 year college. Oddly enough, neither of the Bateses are on the notable alums list!

I can't believe that Kelly planned a Christmas wedding and didn't take into account that the church would maybe already be decorated. I definitely took that into account.

[Coconut Flan]

Not a lot of emphasis can be put on when they claim they were "saved" either. It doesn't mean that they hadn't been churched from birth. It's just the date or occasion that they have selected when they prayed the "sinner's prayer" and use that story for their testimony.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Not a lot of emphasis can be put on when they claim they were "saved" either. It doesn't mean that they hadn't been churched from birth. It's just the date or occasion that they have selected when they prayed the "sinner's prayer" and use that story for their testimony.

There are also churches that don't allow baptisms of babies. They save their baptism for when there at least in elementary school (though middle school and later is most common -- about the same time that those baptized at birth receive confirmation).

[bettertomarry]

I do like The Secret Life of Bees written by alum Sue Monk Kidd. Ms. Kidd always struck me as someone who the religion thing didn't stick to that much.

Sue Monk Kidd had a prolific career writing about her religion and religious struggles before her fiction took off. She writes about specifically moving from a conservative/fundie lite church to becoming Episcopal to finding her feminist spirituality. When the Heart Waits and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter are my favorites.

[EmiGirl]

There are also churches that don't allow baptisms of babies. They save their baptism for when there at least in elementary school (though middle school and later is most common -- about the same time that those baptized at birth receive confirmation).

My church doesn't allow baptism until one has been saved no matter the age. Infant baptism is highly frowned upon.