John "The Hot One" Maxwell Leaving the Country

[Peas n carrots]

The Duggars and Ben Seewald went overseas and I don't see them being less fundie because of it. In Bens case, it probably only made him stronger in that sense.

There is a slight difference though - the Duggar trips seem to be a TLC sponsored dog and pony show. Also, Benessa went to Western Europe, which while is different from America, is still a pretty comfortable choice and they aren't going to miss their creature comforts.

On the other had, John went of his own volition to a developing nation by himself and for seemingly non-missionary related reasons. The Duggars experiences in developing nations were purely missionary related.

I agree that traveling doesn't necessarily change everyone (and how disappointing if it doesn't open your your mind!)but I think John's reasons for going shows that he is more open to new experiences than the Duggars.

[NachosFlandersStyle]

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This makes me think Steve edited whatever John wrote. Daddy is the copy editor.

I'm more inclined to think that it's evidence of how sheltered they are. I grew up in a military family (with parents who were inventive with language, too), and there were lots of phrases that sounded common to me as a child that would later draw blank stares from others. I think most people come to realize that not everyone shares their exact lexicon and you have to adjust for your audience. Today I have a whole mental dictionary of references and definitions related to various experiences in my life but I know better than to toss those out with people who don't have the same background. But if you are never exposed to people outside your insular household, how would you know?

[NachosFlandersStyle]

Additionally: world's biggest eyeroll to the idea that his trip to a country that is presumably not Nepal has given him special insight into the disaster in Nepal, because now he understands what life is like in the developing world. GIRL. You were in a DIFFERENT COUNTRY for TWO WEEKS.

[Palimpsest]

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I'm more inclined to think that it's evidence of how sheltered they are. I grew up in a military family (with parents who were inventive with language, too), and there were lots of phrases that sounded common to me as a child that would later draw blank stares from others. I think most people come to realize that not everyone shares their exact lexicon and you have to adjust for your audience. Today I have a whole mental dictionary of references and definitions related to various experiences in my life but I know better than to toss those out with people who don't have the same background. But if you are never exposed to people outside your insular household, how would you know?

Nachos - you just described Basil Bernstein's theory of restricted and elaborated codes. Fundie-speak, and the Mawell family communicate in an extreme form of that, is a restricted code. The Maxwell restricted code is limited to KJV vocabulary, 1960s military jargon and business gobbledygook circa 1995. They are so insulated that they don't really understand that there is such a thing as elaborated code. That is why they find it hard to communicate with the outside world. We all speak in some form of restricted code, but education and exposure to other social groups increase our ability to predict what outsiders won't understand and use words that are generally more common to other social groups. I didn't phrase that well so more info here. http://newlearningonline.com/new-learni ... ated-codes

BTW, Bernstein was unfairly criticized because his research focused on the British class system, but the linguistic theory can be applied to all societal groups, IMO.

[HereticHick]

Was it? I didn't realize.

news to me as well.

Any chance that John went to court some missionariy maiden? And the family is afraid to mention where because they don't want anyone to figure out who she is?

[IReallyAmHopewell]

news to me as well.

Any chance that John went to court some missionariy maiden? And the family is afraid to mention where because they don't want anyone to figure out who she is?

I was pleased that he recommended following the CDC guidelines on shots, etc. He went to see "friends".... maybe he was shot down in a courtship offer? Maybe the one Daddy picked for him decided life in a 3rd world country beat marrying into Max-hell?

[NachosFlandersStyle]

Okay, I'm having a really slow day at work so I decided to look back at this mystery. I'm 95% sure that the eel in that photo is a Bengal mud eel. Ophisternon bengalense is the scientific name. The IUCN website shows its geographic range as the coastal regions of east India all the way down to Malaysia and Sri lanka, and freshwater systems up into Bangladesh and Nepal. I don't know for sure, but looking through recipes it seems more likely that they would be eating this in Bangladesh or one of the surrounding northeast Indian states.

[Handmaiden of Dog]

Will you go back some day?

I do not know if I will go back. Maybe some day.

I don't know why but this struck me as hilarious. John manages in two short sentences to sound both dull and thoughtless. Why even bother typing out that response? I think this is the true Maxwell gift and their next book should be "How to write boring tripe."

[Maggie Mae]

I don't know why but this struck me as hilarious. John manages in two short sentences to sound both dull and thoughtless. Why even bother typing out that response? I think this is the true Maxwell gift and their next book should be "How to write boring tripe."

It reminds me of a school assignment, where the student is just trying to answer the questions and do the least amount of work. An educated adult would have written out something along the lines of

While I greatly enjoyed my travels to Mystery Country, I believe it will be a once in a lifetime trip. I missed my family & routine too much to want to travel like this often! Hopefully I'll be able to go back there someday, in the distant future. Meanwhile, please pray for the people that I met, because they really need infrastructure built so the village can have running water (or whatever)

[Boogalou]

Damn. They posted my reply but edited it. I posted as Ellen D. (Degeneres, perhaps? Evil heathen...). Stevie posted the first part of my comment but edited out the last part asking what country John went to. So dishonest, lying for Jesus Stevie.

[Palimpsest]

Damn. They posted my reply but edited it. I posted as Ellen D. (Degeneres, perhaps? Evil heathen...). Stevie posted the first part of my comment but edited out the last part asking what country John went to. So dishonest, lying for Jesus Stevie.

Steve is fundamentally dishonest. Let's face it.

And, for the record, I think FJ has accurately narrowed the location down to the Indian subcontinent. However, unless the Maxwells finally cough up his exact location nothing is proven.

So let's not let the (educated but still speculative) theory that John was in Bangladesh morph into fact. :)

[sense and nonsense]

Unless John was in Nepal in one of the areas affected by the earthquake (unlikely, since he didn't mention his friends or their safety when talking about the earthquake), I don't think it is right of him to say 'I know now more than ever how little these people have'.

The Indian subcontinent is very diverse, economically and culturally. You do not develop a deep understanding of all countries in SE Asia by visiting one.

Heck, I live here, and still can't claim to know enough about Nepal to make an assumption that I know how hard it will be for then to recover.

[FoxyMoxie]

I think leaving the Maxwell cult and leaving fundiedom are two different things - as obnoxious and fundie as Benessa are, they're definitely not Maxwell level isolated. I could see this experience making John view the Maxwell cult in a new light, that's not the same as him not being a fundie anymore.

[terranova]

Okay, I'm having a really slow day at work so I decided to look back at this mystery. I'm 95% sure that the eel in that photo is a Bengal mud eel. Ophisternon bengalense is the scientific name. The IUCN website shows its geographic range as the coastal regions of east India all the way down to Malaysia and Sri lanka, and freshwater systems up into Bangladesh and Nepal. I don't know for sure, but looking through recipes it seems more likely that they would be eating this in Bangladesh or one of the surrounding northeast Indian states.

Will you enter into a lesbionic relationship with me because your google-fu is turning me on right now.

Seriously, I love how we know so much shit on this board.

[Melissa1977]

John has his own irrigation business and a couple certificates (online courses). Why has not been a post about it? I mean, that hardworker young man, with a certificate and a bussiness of his own... isn't it super-Maxwellian?

Why aren't they proud of John?

I see John with a better future than his brothers. Irrigation business can be a good business in Kansas (I'm not american, but I suppose there are a lot of farmers in Kansas and they need irrigation because the weather). I mean, irrigation can be a real business, instead of those easy computer jobs that Joseph does or Christopher photography.

What's the real job of Nathan and Chris? Can they really feed a large family? they seem to live well, but I think Steve and Teri are helping in some way.

John seems smart and has choosen a business he can develop without daddy's help. And a business that has nothing in common with Maxwell "ministry".

And I'm sure John went to Asia to learn something about his irrigation business. That area is rich in water supplies and irrigation systems, because the rice fields.

[Brightonbelle]

I suppose once you've got your house debt free you don't need to be massively successful, since the rent/mortgage is not an issue. I have trouble believing they all managed to buy their houses in the first place without any parental assistance.

[formergothardite]

Damn. They posted my reply but edited it. I posted as Ellen D. (Degeneres, perhaps? Evil heathen...). Stevie posted the first part of my comment but edited out the last part asking what country John went to. So dishonest, lying for Jesus Stevie.

Ever since Steve edited one of my comments to say the exact opposite of what I actually said I always wonder how many he does this to. I bet he has way less supporters than his comments make it seem.

[terranova]

John has an irrigation business in name, but have we seen any evidence at all that he has done any actual work? Maybe it's a tax front of some sort.

John-Marie runs an irrigation business out in Idaho and has a pretty active facebook page for the business, but John Maxwell has nothing like that.

[VVV]

I suppose once you've got your house debt free you don't need to be massively successful, since the rent/mortgage is not an issue. I have trouble believing they all managed to buy their houses in the first place without any parental assistance.

Even without a mortgage, there are still quite a few expenses associated with living. We're very closing to paying off our house in full but losing the mortgage payment is not going to change our lives--for one thing, we'll still be paying about half of our current total in real estate tax and homeowner's insurance. I would love to know how the Maxwell math works.

[Maggie Mae]

I suppose once you've got your house debt free you don't need to be massively successful, since the rent/mortgage is not an issue. I have trouble believing they all managed to buy their houses in the first place without any parental assistance.

There's still property tax and maintenance and homeowners insurance and the cost of more maintenance and improvements. And you have to do improvements too, because our consumer culture demands it in order to resell or maintain your investment. Even if you think the trendy kitchen shit is hideous, you still have to put it in at some point if you plan to resell.

[Boogalou]

Ever since Steve edited one of my comments to say the exact opposite of what I actually said I always wonder how many he does this to. I bet he has way less supporters than his comments make it seem.

Ah, to actually know what percentage of comments are legitimate and which are not!

Re: houses and updating. If the Maxwells never intend to sell then they don't have to worry about making their house trendy or appealing to others, they just have to maintain the important and necessary components, not the cosmetic ones. But still, I agree that there are more expenses to housing than just the evil mortgage.

[Brightonbelle]

There's still property tax and maintenance and homeowners insurance and the cost of more maintenance and improvements. And you have to do improvements too, because our consumer culture demands it in order to resell or maintain your investment. Even if you think the trendy kitchen shit is hideous, you still have to put it in at some point if you plan to resell.

no I appreciate that life isn't necessarily cheap, but what I meant was without mortgage/rent, one could survive on a more modest wage as one major expense is gone. Obviously a reasonable income would still be required for all the other expenses. That said, they probably do need a decent income if they're reproducing without limits!