Erika Shupe *fake smile* Large Families on Purpose *cringe*

[Koala]

It always shocks me too. I've seen several of the fundie bloggers do it though.

"It's not me you disagree with- it's God!"

"I am not speaking for myself, I am speaking for God!"

"The God of the universe wanted me to say that!"

It's insane. :evil-eye:

[mango_fandango]

Christmas with Erika entails:

1. No Santa.

2. Making a birthday coffee cake for Jesus.

3. A family stocking.

4. A book and CD about Jesus' birth.

5. Saying "Merry Christmas" to people who tell her "Happy Holidays"

6. One main gift per child, with one, larger, family gift.

7. Sponsor child through Childcare Worldwide

8. A Maxwellian-looking chart for purchasing gifts.

9. She does approve of a tree, but it's such a sad, little tree for a big family with lots of young children...

I'm going to go ahead and guess that she's one of those that makes each person open their gifts on at a time and in descending birth order. :shrug:

Not trying to WK, but their house is pretty damn small. That being said, I doubt they'd get a larger tree if they moved to a bigger house. At least they're not totally Maxwellian- the Maxwells just put up a plain cross and use their Nativity scene.

The coffee cake is to help them learn about the real (emphasis mine) meaning of Christmas. Another example of passive aggressiveness... "Yeah, we do all the present-buying a Christmas tree stuff but we're better than you cos we know the REAL meaning of Christmas". Completely forgetting, of course, that scholars doubt Jesus was born in December and that Christians kinda hijacked it because there were already pagan festivals in December anyway (like the Roman "Saturnalia" etc).

Their big family gift one year was a dramatised version of the Bible. Not a simple audio reading, but with different people doing different voices....

(I do also think that the younger kids do also get some smaller gifts. But yeah, only small ones, like there was a picture last year of the twins holding My Little Pony toys).

Koala: I agree. Other fundies do the "It's not me it's God" thing too.

It's not just Erika who's smug: loads of her commenters seem to be too, like when they all chime in going "we don't celebrate Halloween we celebrate Reformation Day!" or "we don't celebrate Halloween at all". Then of course there are the Maxwell chidults who have never even heard of Halloween (which happens to be a user title).

ETA: or maybe her commenters aren't as smug as Erika... they just desperately want to be met with Erika's approval.

[Koala]

Then of course there are the Maxwell chidults who have never even heard of Halloween (which happens to be a user title).

You made me look. :lol: Sure enough:

articles.titus2.com/halloween/

Our younger children didn’t even know the word “Halloween†for many years.

:roll:

[iweartanktops]

You made me look. :lol: Sure enough:

articles.titus2.com/halloween/

:roll:

Readers are to be impressed by this? This implies they are so godly?

[Antimony]

The woman who has her children dress as Saints -- I thought that was a pretty good blend of their religion and participating. I'm irked Erika was such a bitch over it. I mean, this woman found a compromise that seems honestly really cute -- no tracts, cool costumes, some history, balance.

[upkacrane]

It always shocks me too. I've seen several of the fundie bloggers do it though.

"It's not me you disagree with- it's God!"

"I am not speaking for myself, I am speaking for God!"

"The God of the universe wanted me to say that!"

It's insane. :evil-eye:

One of PP's and Zsuzsu's favourite ways of ending an argument: "If you disagree, take it to God, 'cause I don't make the rules, He does." Which is simply another way of saying "If you disagree with me, you disagree with God". OH, THE HUBRIS!!! I just can't...

[iweartanktops]

Isn't this way of thinking (if you disagree with me, you disagree with God) basically making an idol of themselves? Last I checked not worshipping false idols was in the ten commandments...

 

[defraudingjezebel]

Erika sounds more like Satan as far as I'm concerned! Who does she think she is to actually put in writing, "it's not my thoughts; it's God's." Are you kidding me??

ETA- Maybe I'm being a little extreme but I just can't get over her narcissism and condescension towards others! It's truly astounding.

Nah, I think to most outsiders it sounds borderline blasphemous for someone to claim they have perfect knowledge of what God meant in the Bible. I bet that thousands of years' worth of biblical scholars would disagree with Erika's interpretation, too.

[Antimony]

We really should ask Erika what is to celebrate here -- we have...jack-o-lanterns looking very scary and one has murdered the other one. Looks to me like Bob is celebrating fear and death!

[ViolaSebastian]

*snip* Not trying to WK, but their house is pretty damn small. That being said, I doubt they'd get a larger tree if they moved to a bigger house. At least they're not totally Maxwellian- the Maxwells just put up a plain cross and use their Nativity scene.

The coffee cake is to help them learn about the real (emphasis mine) meaning of Christmas. Another example of passive aggressiveness... "Yeah, we do all the present-buying a Christmas tree stuff but we're better than you cos we know the REAL meaning of Christmas". Completely forgetting, of course, that scholars doubt Jesus was born in December and that Christians kinda hijacked it because there were already pagan festivals in December anyway (like the Roman "Saturnalia" etc).

Their big family gift one year was a dramatised version of the Bible. Not a simple audio reading, but with different people doing different voices....

(I do also think that the younger kids do also get some smaller gifts. But yeah, only small ones, like there was a picture last year of the twins holding My Little Pony toys). *snip*

I agree with you, and I was tempted to not snark on the scaled back Christmas, as I'm of the opinion that Christmas has gotten increasingly out of control over the years. I myself don't put up a tree--but I also don't have kids in the house. It just seems sterile and with very little joy, particularly for a house with young children in it. Perhaps I'm projecting Erika's typical coldness onto her Christmas celebration, but couldn't she at least let the kids have their own stocking with some candy in it? Would that kill her to do once a year?

[happy atheist]

Our newest post count title is "If You Disagree With Me You Disagree With God!"

:dance:

[iweartanktops]

Our newest post count title is "If You Disagree With Me You Disagree With God!"

:dance:

YESSSSSS!!!

God told you to do that, right?

[happy atheist]

YESSSSSS!!!

God told you to do that, right?

Of course. We're BFFs.

[iweartanktops]

Of course. We're BFFs.

Well, I'm sure you come AFTER Erika...

[Seven Severn]

Our newest post count title is "If You Disagree With Me You Disagree With God!"

:dance:

Goddamn it, I'm never going to make it to 4300. :angry-banghead:

[iweartanktops]

Goddamn it, I'm never going to make it to 4300. :angry-banghead:

I'm definitely not! I just checked and I finally hit 76.... Now a Speshul Snowflake â„

[Seven Severn]

I'm definitely not! I just checked and I finally hit 76.... Now a Speshul Snowflake â„

And now you're 77! One step at a time. :dance:

[pnwgypsy]

I honestly wonder how much all of this is really about saving money. Bob and Erika have admitted that they have to run a tight ship to get by financially with all of their little blessings. Costumes for eleventy kids (even homemade ones), candy, decorations--they all cost money. I don't doubt that she thinks that Halloween is satanic, but then why not celebrate All Saint's Day or a Fall Festival with her Church? Nope, I think this boils down to cost.

I'm now imagining her giving each trick or treater a single jelly bean.

[DarkAnts]

Who knew Satan was so chubby and fluffy??

(He does look slightly evil though)

That is how he lures you in. Well that and cookies.

[defraudingjezebel]

I just checked her FB page and noticed that she shared Samaritan's announcement that they have more than 50K families signed up... then the only two comments on the picture are two women who have kids that were denied coverage by Samaritan. Very, very sad. I don't know how people can sign up for an organization that claims to be ethically superior to normal health insurance yet engages in the same money-grubbing tactics.

Anyways, now I'm looking forward to October and seeing more and more nonsense come out of Erika's mouth about Halloween.

[princessmahina]

I find it interesting that Bob is posting Halloween-related things. Perhaps this is one of those issues that he didn't have a problem with (like birth control) and Erika eventually wore him down. Her constant nagging (biblical, submissive nagging of course) may have just gotten to him. It probably would me.

Actually, come to think of it, if I were a fundie patriarch, I'd be like, "woman, we're going to celebrate Halloween. It's fun, not Satanic, and if you don't like it, you can go eat jelly beans by yourself."

Good thing I'm not a headship. I'd be terrible at it :lol:

[Antimony]

This one is much more grotesque.

[ViolaSebastian]

Dear Lord, someone posted this on the Large Families on Purpose facebook page:

We are wanting to have our 2 children babtised, my issue is that we are regular attendees of a specific church that don't make much of a big deal out of Babtism. A small 3 minute dedication at the end of service once a month for numerous families. I feel it deserves more attention....feedback from you ladies????

My feedback would be to suggest that she not home school. :?

[iweartanktops]

Dear Lord, someone posted this on the Large Families on Purpose facebook page:

My feedback would be to suggest that she not home school. :?

I'd like to also add that she not baptize young children who have no knowledge of what's going on!

[princessmahina]

I'd like to also add that she not baptize young children who have no knowledge of what's going on!

A lot of people do infant baptism. It's not a big deal.

If she doesn't like how it's done, can't she talk to her preacher/minister about doing a private event for just the family?