The new Isaac and Heidi Botkin blog

[nickelodeon]

The Botkins' and Swanson's complete lack of reading comprehension skills boggle my mind. Subtext, context, AND text go right out the window in service of their paranoid "all art is out to get us" thesis.

They might be on to something in this case, though. I joked about this elsewhere on the forum, but The Witch hits hard for those to whom the rhetoric of the total depravity of infants, patriarchs who isolate their families over doctrinal disagreements with their churches, and the treatment of young girls' bodies as sexual threats to their brothers and fathers are not 17th century eccentricities but lived realities.

[Granwych]

On 11/22/2015 at 4:34 PM, hoipolloi said:

Leaving aside the SOTDRT subject-verb confusion & generally poor writing, note that Jordan exhorts his fellow Christianists not to confuse government with church when actually he & they believe we should all be under a government that is a dominionist theocracy.

 

Jordan appears to be confoosed about quite a bit here.  

[MissBitters]

15 hours ago, Marian the Librarian said:

Bumping to report that Isaac's posted a link to his interview with Kevin Swanson, about the film "The Witch." Satanism, feminism and child sacrifice, oh my!! 

http://isaacbotkin.com/2016/02/puritans-witches-and-pr/

Highlights: it's all the fault of Harry Potter (he had a homosexual mentor, y'know), and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Isaac calls The Scarlet Letter "light, fluffy fiction." Swanson says Hester Prynne is the prototype feminist - never humble, submissive, or repentant, she wears that scarlet "A" proudly. Feminist rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, the liberal arts are turning our children into liberals, and everyone needs to read the Puritans before this country goes to hell in a handbasket. (Fair warning: Swanson always sounds like he's snorted a fistful of cocaine.)

 

 

 

 

What the hell?!?!? How is self-flagellation, revenge, public humiliation, hypocrisy, and ostracizing a single mother and her young daughter considered "light, fluffy fiction"? They are insufferable.

[NachosFlandersStyle]

1 hour ago, MissBitters said:

What the hell?!?!? How is self-flagellation, revenge, public humiliation, hypocrisy, and ostracizing a single mother and her young daughter considered "light, fluffy fiction"? They are insufferable.

He reads books so serious and hard-hitting that lesser mortals couldn't even comprehend them. While the rest of us are cavorting about filling our little heads with frivolous, feminine nonsense like "classic literature," Isaac stands statue-like and somber, thinking of serious things like creationism, shooting at bad guys, and historical dress-up parties.

[Marian the Librarian]

Bumping to report - new post is up. Isaac designed Heidi's engagement ring, and the engagement was 6 weeks long. 

Quote

all that thought and effort and metallurgical research made a foundation and set a direction for the wedding ring, in the same way that our earlier relationship built a foundation and set the direction for our marriage.

So...earnest. So serious. 

[DomWackTroll]

Only the Botkins could "set a direction" for a freakin' ring. You know, an inanimate object? No brain, no soul, but that's okay. It still needs to be "directed." 

[Sobeknofret]

4 hours ago, Marian the Librarian said:

Bumping to report - new post is up. Isaac designed Heidi's engagement ring, and the engagement was 6 weeks long. 

So...earnest. So serious. 

This is kind of timely for me, because I asked for a new wedding ring for our 20th anniversary in June (mine is a band that can't be resized and my fingers are too fat to fit it anymore). Although I have a few requirements (no diamonds!), this whole epistemological analysis is over the top. It's sweet that he got help designing a ring that she'd like, and he designed it himself, the over-analysis is tedious and silly.

Also, why did I think a Botkin boy married one of Kevin Swanson's daughters? I could have sworn Isaac Botkin was the one.

[DomWackTroll]

1 hour ago, Sobeknofret said:

This is kind of timely for me, because I asked for a new wedding ring for our 20th anniversary in June (mine is a band that can't be resized and my fingers are too fat to fit it anymore). Although I have a few requirements (no diamonds!), this whole epistemological analysis is over the top. It's sweet that he got help designing a ring that she'd like, and he designed it himself, the over-analysis is tedious and silly.

Also, why did I think a Botkin boy married one of Kevin Swanson's daughters? I could have sworn Isaac Botkin was the one.

Oh dear God, the thought of those two families combining their DNA is just beyond frightening. But rest assured it'll never happen; Kevin is far too common and crass, with his spittle-spewing rants on talk radio, for Geoff's refined tastes. 

[hoipolloi]

49 minutes ago, DomWackTroll said:

Oh dear God, the thought of those two families combining their DNA is just beyond frightening. But rest assured it'll never happen; Kevin is far too common and crass, with his spittle-spewing rants on talk radio, for Geoff's refined tastes. 

It's one thing a for a Botkin to deign to speak at one of Swanson's "conferences" or on his radio show, but to MARRY a Swanson --- heavens to Murgatroyd, NO!

And speaking of Kevin Swanson, what the fuck does the bolded part mean in the following excerpt from his bio?

Quote

Since graduating from his homeschool and then serving as student body president of a large west coast university, he has gone on to other leadership positions in corporate management, church, and other non-profits.

 

[Sobeknofret]

1 hour ago, DomWackTroll said:

Oh dear God, the thought of those two families combining their DNA is just beyond frightening. But rest assured it'll never happen; Kevin is far too common and crass, with his spittle-spewing rants on talk radio, for Geoff's refined tastes. 

The Botkin family is pretentious and silly, but Swanson has an air of not-so-subtle malice and downright evil that scares me a little. Of all that crowd, Swanson is the one who strikes me as being capable of real violence, probably not directly, but encouraging and cheering others on to do it. Such a malignant little toad.

[DomWackTroll]

1 hour ago, hoipolloi said:

It's one thing a for a Botkin to deign to speak at one of Swanson's "conferences" or on his radio show, but to MARRY a Swanson --- heavens to Murgatroyd, NO!

And speaking of Kevin Swanson, what the fuck does the bolded part mean in the following excerpt from his bio?

 

"serving as student body president of a large west coast university"

Translation: I tried to reform the system from the inside, but it's impossible so homeschool your kids until they're at least 35. 

[Avalondaughter]

I had an interesting encounter with the Botkin blog recently.  I was reading through a year's worth of posts on my own blog and found a post about the Duggar scandal and I went into a lengthy rant about the whole patriarchal homeschooling fundie movement in general.  I brought up many of the fundies we follow here. 

I brought up the Botkins of course.  I pointed out in particular that sad post AS made when she turned 25 and found herself still single.  She was caught up in a web of self blame and rationalization.  I used that post to make the point that living this lifestyle does not guarantee the happy lives these young women are promised in exchange for submission.

I clicked the link to read the post again, just to see if my critique of it had still held up.  Well wouldn't you know it?  The post had been removed!  It seems AS realized that maybe she shouldn't be advertising her unhappiness.  Maybe she shouldn't act dissatisfied with her perpetual childhood.  Maybe she should let the world know that the patriarchal life is no guarantee of marital bliss.  In my blog I said outright that I felt sorry for her.  I wanted to cry when I saw how much pain and emotional torment she was going through.  I guess she didn't want any of our pity.

[CyborgKin]

@Avalondaughter you know they've moved their whole blog to botkinsisters.com ? Search for the title there, it might still be up.

They do have a bit of stuff on that topic still up http://botkinsisters.com/page/3?s=single

[nickelodeon]

I think I'm going to check what the Botkin girls have said on their blog recently!

Quote

Like [Duchess of Cambridge] Kate, however, we also don’t belong to ourselves. We were bought with a price and represent the One Who bought us.

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnevermind, bye Botkins!

[Grimalkin]

      Wow, another fundie thinker of great thought!

      That is some powerfully smug shit there. 

*Cue the sound of bongo drums

    Regarding his ring, I saw some symbolism. The band is heavy and overpowers the diamond. The prongs that keep it in are quite thick. The band and setting are shackles that keep the diamond from truly sparkling.

     I exit th stage in my black turtleneck.

[Marian the Librarian]

6 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

      Wow, another fundie thinker of great thought!

      That is some powerfully smug shit there. 

*Cue the sound of bongo drums

    Regarding his ring, I saw some symbolism. The band is heavy and overpowers the diamond. The prongs that keep it in are quite thick. The band and setting are shackles that keep the diamond from truly sparkling.

     I exit th stage in my black turtleneck.

[Jasmar]

5 hours ago, Sobeknofret said:

The Botkin family is pretentious and silly, but Swanson has an air of not-so-subtle malice and downright evil that scares me a little. Of all that crowd, Swanson is the one who strikes me as being capable of real violence, probably not directly, but encouraging and cheering others on to do it. Such a malignant little toad.

I'd add Doug Wilson to that. I know he's only sort of, peripherally connected with this group, but I think he fits. 

I used to to think these guys were all talk, but I'm starting to wonder when the first shoe will drop: either domestic violence, or police standoff ala Malheur Refuge.

[Marian the Librarian]

A-S's "I just turned 25" article is still on the Botkinettes' blog (which hasn't been updated since August 2015):

http://botkinsisters.com/article/greater-expectations

 

[Sister Mozz]

23 hours ago, Sobeknofret said:

This is kind of timely for me, because I asked for a new wedding ring for our 20th anniversary in June (mine is a band that can't be resized and my fingers are too fat to fit it anymore). Although I have a few requirements (no diamonds!), this whole epistemological analysis is over the top. It's sweet that he got help designing a ring that she'd like, and he designed it himself, the over-analysis is tedious and silly.

Also, why did I think a Botkin boy married one of Kevin Swanson's daughters? I could have sworn Isaac Botkin was the one.

If I am remembering correctly, Swanson was the officiating minister at their wedding because Heidi had been a member of his church. The wedding might even have been at his church. I can see why it would be easy to be confused!

[ladyamylynn]

"Strong and practical." Oooh where's my fainting sofa I think I might swoon from the romance. Seriously though that ring is ugly.

[DomWackTroll]

26 minutes ago, ladyamylynn said:

"Strong and practical." Oooh where's my fainting sofa I think I might swoon from the romance. Seriously though that ring is ugly.

Reminds me of BRADRICK!'s "sturdy Puritan" or whatever the eff it was. 

[Grimalkin]

34 minutes ago, ladyamylynn said:

"Strong and practical." Oooh where's my fainting sofa I think I might swoon from the romance. Seriously though that ring is ugly.

I think part of the problem is the way they edited the photo. The filter makes it look pewter. I am certain I would think the stone and setting ugly either way but I bet the band itself is pretty especially when polished. I only skimmed the post and didn't catch if it was white gold or platinum he used. Or even silver.

 

ETA: I agree there is nothing romantic about the description. 

[Palimpsest]

The ring is clunky.  I was intrigued though.  

Being a Botkin, he did all that "metallurgical research" (AKA choosing between nickel, copper, silver, gold, platinum) and ended up casting the prototype in silver.  Well, fair enough for a prototype.

He then recast the engagement and the wedding ring in palladium.  I had to look up palladium.  How very exotic and frugal.  Apparently palladium  is brittle when used on its own so I hope he held on to the silver setting.

These people make everything so complicated.  Why not just pick up a CZ in rhodium plated silver from Amazon, make up a fancy story of why you picked it for its symbolic meaning and call it a day?

 

 

[ladyamylynn]

9 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

The ring is clunky.  I was intrigued though.  

Being a Botkin, he did all that "metallurgical research" (AKA choosing between nickel, copper, silver, gold, platinum) and ended up casting the prototype in silver.  Well, fair enough for a prototype.

He then recast the engagement and the wedding ring in palladium.  I had to look up palladium.  How very exotic and frugal.  Apparently palladium  is brittle when used on its own so I hope he held on to the silver setting.

These people make everything so complicated.  Why not just pick up a CZ in rhodium plated silver from Amazon, make up a fancy story of why you picked it for its symbolic meaning and call it a day?

 

 

Ah yes the twin attributes of the fundie male, cheap and long-winded.

[withaj]

18 hours ago, nickelodeon said:

I think I'm going to check what the Botkin girls have said on their blog recently!

"Like [Duchess of Cambridge] Kate, however, we also don’t belong to ourselves. We were bought with a price and represent the One Who bought us."

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnevermind, bye Botkins!

Jesus. That is one fucked up comparison.