Maxwells on (what some might call) a VACATION!

[Markie]

Most people would think swimming an essential life skill, but perhaps we are all wrong and cleaning out cupboards is a better life skill.

[jesusfreak]

If you're a good Christian God will save you from drowning.

So why would knowing how to swim be necessary?

[WonderingInWA]

Even if they did know how to swim, swimming in a frumper well enough to save someone else's life would result in two drownings, not just one. So, yeah, they would have to hope God was on their side.

[QueenMother]

I remember reading an old Dad's Corner about the evils of the TV. They hadn't gotten rid of it yet and turned it on to see a news story about something, and Steve freaked out because an underwear commercial came on and everyone saw it. It just cracks me up - I keep imagining Steve diving in front of the TV to shield everyone's eyes.

I recall in one of their conference travel posts they stopped at the Creation Museum, and sat to watch one of the videos, where at one point during the video Steve instructed everyone to cover their eyes. Mind you Christopher was probably 28+, and Sarah not far behind, yet dad is instructing them to shield their eyes from the scenes. That has always struck me as odd that adult children are being told they cannot watch something at the Creation Museum!

[twin2]

Two things:

1)

We are all excited–the Lord opened up doors for what some would term a “vacation,â€

I don't understand what this means? Could someone explain to me what the Maxwells consider a vacation or do vacations not exist?

2)

I don't understand how people can think it all just happened. It didn't

Congratulations Sarah, I know it is only Monday, but I give you the award for the stupidest statement on a fundie blog for the week of August 15. When you are in Colorado, pick up a god damn geology book and it will explain to you how it all happened. Normally, I really like Sarah, but sometimes she says the stupidest things that just get under my skin. I know its not really her fault, but ugh, the self-imposed ignorance of the fundies just makes my head hurt.

[WonderingInWA]

Two things:

2)

Congratulations Sarah, I know it is only Monday, but I give you the award for the stupidest statement on a fundie blog for the week of August 15. When you are in Colorado, pick up a god damn geology book and it will explain to you how it all happened. Normally, I really like Sarah, but sometimes she says the stupidest things that just get under my skin. I know its not really her fault, but ugh, the self-imposed ignorance of the fundies just makes my head hurt.

OMG, that just made me pee my pants a little! I guess Geology is not covered in the homeschool curriculum they follow. Sigh.

[Justme]

They could have just sat in their car & watched the air show. :roll:

So it's not a "vacation", what exactly is it??? Years ago, they used to post about loving to spend time in a cabin in CO. Nate & Melanie spent their honeymoon there.

[ladypuglover]

Two things:

1)

I don't understand what this means? Could someone explain to me what the Maxwells consider a vacation or do vacations not exist?

2)

Congratulations Sarah, I know it is only Monday, but I give you the award for the stupidest statement on a fundie blog for the week of August 15. When you are in Colorado, pick up a god damn geology book and it will explain to you how it all happened. Normally, I really like Sarah, but sometimes she says the stupidest things that just get under my skin. I know its not really her fault, but ugh, the self-imposed ignorance of the fundies just makes my head hurt.

Well there are geology books to be found at every truck stop, grocery store and tourist trap in Colorado. Huge book shelves devoted to the subject but somehow I bet they will miss that. I can't even go to 7-11 without seeing a book or two and they will miss they shabang as God made the earth 5,000 years ago. :doh:

I really wish they would quit using my God to be stupid. :snooty:

[twin2]

Well there are geology books to be found at every truck stop, grocery store and tourist trap in Colorado. Huge book shelves devoted to the subject but somehow I bet they will miss that. I can't even go to 7-11 without seeing a book or two and they will miss they shabang as God made the earth 5,000 years ago. :doh:

I really wish they would quit using my God to be stupid. :snooty:

If I had to render a guess, I assume that only Papa Maxwell is allowed 3 feet past Uriah on "vacations." That way he can protect his brood from evil-liberal-secular-humanistic-evolutonary-blahblahblah books that describe the evils of tectonic plates and glaciers.

[HoneyBunny]

No, they can not come to my state, no. Our state is already filled to the brim with fundies and they will push us over the edge. Nope, not allowed.

I can't agree more. I have been boycotting Colorado Springs for years.

[lilwriter85]

I would love to boycott Colorado Springs but I have family there and they loathe fundies. A fundie pastor used to live next to my aunt and he spent several years trying to the win the soul of my Catholic aunt. I haven't been there in a few years but there is a big chance I will be going there next year for a wedding.

[fundiefan]

Can you even begin to imagine what this trip that is not a vacation is going to be like? I love road trips, but the main reason I love road trips is all the different people and places you come across while driving around and making random stops and engaging other people; learning about the locations you visit/see, by reading about them and by talking with others about them. There is a world of amazement out there and road trips are one of the best ways to get a real taste of people & places. Only, you know the Maxwell's won't get any of that experience and will go out of their way to avoid people and information they don't want to hear and things where Stevie will tell his adult children to cover their eyes.

I tried to envision what it will be like - how they can possibly experience. I can't.

[lilwriter85]

Can you even begin to imagine what this trip that is not a vacation is going to be like? I love road trips, but the main reason I love road trips is all the different people and places you come across while driving around and making random stops and engaging other people; learning about the locations you visit/see, by reading about them and by talking with others about them. There is a world of amazement out there and road trips are one of the best ways to get a real taste of people & places. Only, you know the Maxwell's won't get any of that experience and will go out of their way to avoid people and information they don't want to hear and things where Stevie will tell his adult children to cover their eyes.

I tried to envision what it will be like - how they can possibly experience. I can't.

I agree it will be a vacation in which they avoid certain things.

[ElphabaGalinda]

How on earth can they go on vacation without being constantly defrauded? Or forced to have *gasp* fun! I hope Sarah can keep this illusion of not actually a vacation it's for serving the Lord thing up. I don't want Steve to realize it's fun and take it away from them. They've had what people might call fun twice in a month, this, for them, is progress.

[darkplumaged]

I recall in one of their conference travel posts they stopped at the Creation Museum, and sat to watch one of the videos, where at one point during the video Steve instructed everyone to cover their eyes. Mind you Christopher was probably 28+, and Sarah not far behind, yet dad is instructing them to shield their eyes from the scenes. That has always struck me as odd that adult children are being told they cannot watch something at the Creation Museum!

I'm at a loss for words. There is something very, very wrong with Steve.

[kpmom]

I recall in one of their conference travel posts they stopped at the Creation Museum, and sat to watch one of the videos, where at one point during the video Steve instructed everyone to cover their eyes. Mind you Christopher was probably 28+, and Sarah not far behind, yet dad is instructing them to shield their eyes from the scenes. That has always struck me as odd that adult children are being told they cannot watch something at the Creation Museum!

I remember that too. But what was it Steve wanted them to shield their eyes from? I can't recall.

[VodouDoll]

From their blog: titus2.com/blog/index.php/2007/10/04/men-of-vision-creation-science-museum/

For those families who are as conservative as we are, I have a few additional comments. The Planetarium was fantastic. We did not go to the Men in White or the Dragon video. We did go to the Second Adam video at the end. In this video, Jesus is clearly presented as the Perfect Sacrifice, but it was too graphic for us, and so we just closed our eyes for a little while.

I tried to find a copy of this "Second Adam" video online to see what was so graphic about it, but googling it brought up some WBC pages so I quit. It looks like, four years later, it's still playing at the museum in a dedicated theater: creationmuseum.org/whats-here/theater-presentations/. Change up your programming, people! Anyway, though from the poster it looks like this movie deals with the crucifixion, I can't imagine Ken Ham, homeskool hero, is showing anything as traumatic or realistic as The Passion of the Christ to a bunch of kids.

And Steve's reply to a comment to this entry:

My understanding was that the Men in White was a take-off of some popular movie. That was not consistent with our heart’s direction for the family. We didn’t even check into the Dragon video as we were out of time and and wanted to spend some time in their book store. There also was a graffiti section in the museum that we walked through without stopping. It was higlighting the consequences in our society of rejecting God. We needed no reminding of the sin as we are sadly aware of that.

Here's an example of the kind of thing on the graffiti sin wall that Steve wouldn't let his family stop to read: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scalzi/196 ... 091357751/. Worldy stuff, to be sure. I'm scandalized.

I wonder if the Maxwell kids had even the slightest inkling what this one meant: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scalzi/196 ... 3091357751.

Further down the Maxwells' page, a commenter says this about the depraved graffiti linked above:

As for the graffiti section, I think it is a very powerful place in the museum, especially for unbelievers/skeptics/nominal christians. It addresses many of the ills of society–drugs, broken homes, abortion etc. and points out all that has occurred in society since God/the bible have been minimized/removed. It may not be appropriate for small children. I think it would provide a great deal to discuss with older children.

ETA: Oh, yikes! Look like "Adam" is is a kind of gory video after all! rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/09/17/creation-museum-the-last-adam/. Yuck. It seems like the video would've been right up Steve's alley, though.

If the museum is trying to show the greatness of the Christian religion, they’re failing. What they do with this video, however, is portray the death cult mentality that this religion so vehemently embraces. It’s a very high production value synopsis of Christianity: create a problem and then offer a solution, but make sure there’s lots of blood, suffering, and death.

ETA 2: Found a copy of the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82TNnFJOnLw. If you feel like losing 15 minutes of your life to it, let us know how it is. I didn't watch it, so I don't know whether this is an excerpt or the whole thing.

[Guest Anonymous]

It's not a vacation, it's "what some would term a 'vacation.' " That makes me wonder what others would term it, if not a vacation. Just like the post about the restaurant the other day that had "an almost festive atmosphere." Almost, but not quite. Sarah knows what's up. If she puts on the record that she thinks these things are fun and festive, Steve will declare them idols and she won't be allowed to go anymore. As long as they're almost festive, and what some would term a vacation (though not the Maxwells! No sir!) , she's safe.

Sarah has obviously concluded that weasel words are her friends.

[HoneyBunny]

The pre-(what some might call a) vacation post is up. It appears that EVERYONE is going along (including the Nathan and Christopher Maxwell families). They're spending tomorrow night in Colorado Springs..should feel right at home there (unless they encounter Ted Haggard, in which case their heads might explode).

 

The Maxwells will be enjoying their time with the Lord less than an hour from me tomorrow night!! Much excitement!

[Austin]

The pre-(what some might call a) vacation post is up. It appears that EVERYONE is going along (including the Nathan and Christopher Maxwell families). They're spending tomorrow night in Colorado Springs..should feel right at home there (unless they encounter Ted Haggard, in which case their heads might explode).

The Maxwells will be enjoying their time with the Lord less than an hour from me tomorrow night!! Much excitement!

I must say, I'd pay good money to see that!

[fundiefan]

They've (of course) asked for prayers for the non-vacation; what do they need time with the lord for when they ask everyone else to talk to him on their behalf?

This is non-reversal Anna's first trip with the whole clan. I wonder what she's thinking right about now?

[Markie]

I like Abby's haircut. Bethany is cute, too. When I first looked at the photo of the pickup, I thought they had a couple of cases of beer in the back. It was water. Papa Maxwell would have the annoint with holy water (Maxwell version) any vehicles that came in contact with alcohol.

If I were non-reversal Anna, I'd be wanting to vacation in the opposite direction. Wonder how many ways there are to suck the fun out of a trip? Wonder if they have checklists and chorepacks for fun-sucking vacations?

[clibbyjo]

Christopher drives a pickup? How manly! Of course it IS a small pickup and only room for 2,so at least they get to be alone on the drive...

I personally wanted a full extended cap, black pick up myself until I realized how much gas would be... I guess a married woman like me should stick with my minivan.As if a woman is driving at all, she certainly doesn't need a manly truck!

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Are they travelling in Uriah? If so, they should have plenty of places to store cheap water, stored in normal large water containers made for the purpose, I'd think. Separately from whatever water stores are in Uriah's plumbing, even.

Where we go, there's no potable water source, usually, and we're just camping randomly on public land, so we carry our own city/purified water, but in huge containers (they have spigots).

Any little bottles we have are ALL about beer :)

I have to admit I'm a bit envious though, where they are going is quite nice scenery.

[ladypuglover]

Hmmmm. Maybe I should gather up my friends and their teen daughters to hold signs along Hwy 24 on Sunday. Why? Because that is the route they will be going to get to Buena Vista. Now, how should we dress and what should the signs say? Remember folks, we're old moms and Christian so no bikinis or Satan Rules signs.