Erika Shupe *grim rictus* Large Families on Purpose Part 4

[iweartanktops]

1 hour ago, jerkit said:

I'm a few pages behind, but I LOL'd on her makeup post when women were commenting "my husband prefers no makeup so I respect that." and Erika was all "THEN YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT"

The thing is, in the same post, she says not do things to your face that gawd didn't give you. So? Pretty sure she wasn't born with makeup on! She makes no sense. At the end of the day, she just twists things to fit her preferences! 

[princessmahina]

2 hours ago, iweartanktops6 said:

The thing is, in the same post, she says not do things to your face that gawd didn't give you. So? Pretty sure she wasn't born with makeup on! She makes no sense. At the end of the day, she just twists things to fit her preferences! 

I get what she means- that we shouldn't be contouring- but she goes on to say that she contours her own eyes. It's one thing to enhance (which is the aim), and it's another to "create"- which is exactly what she's doing. She's even hypocritical about makeup!

[ViolaSebastian]

From the comments on her article about being a "freak" for having a large number of children (and yes, Erika, you are a freak, but it has nothing to do with the number of kids you have...)

Quote

We went out to eat at Cracker Barrel the other night for my husbands bday. It's rare we all go out but we were spending a gift card given to our family at Christmas. "How many at your table sir?" My husband replies, "9".....cue the frazzled look of hostess and waitress. Then told us the wait is 50min. Ok then....so we went to play in the kids section with toys. 
It wasn't the wait that bothered me. I happen to know there are lots of big parties that go to eat there. The minute it's a family that needs 9 chairs, it has to turn dramatic. They assume just by the sheer number that my table, it will be unbearable. A burden for their job. Which, is usually the the total opposite of a big family. Usually we feel the tension and try extra hard to keep our "freakishly large brood" in line.  anyway.....just wanted to share one of my irritations with prejudice of big numbers. 

Maybe, just maybe, those large parties called ahead for reservations or even just a heads up, as is the norm when you're part of a large group.  Maybe they look frazzled because you're taking up not one, but two or perhaps three tables pushed together, and thus they must wait for three groups of diners to finish their meal while your kids make themselves at home in your shop.  Then, they have to wait for your brood to finish while they take up three times the space.  Also, speaking as someone who has worked as a server in the past, a party with a large number of children and a small number of adults means more work in the form of cleaning up crackers ground into the carpet and mopping up spilled drinks.  And, of course, all of those kiddie meals cost less, which means less of a tip at the end for all that work.  So it may be prejudice, but those distressed looks don't come from nowhere.

Quote

It's ironic though, isn't it... Will feminist ideology even survive...? We are the ones providing new generations. When they have one a piece....burying their talent in the ground...so to speak. And who can forget Ps. 127:3-5. We are raising warriors for the Lord! May He richly bless you all for your sacrifice and hard work to further His kingdom!

Yes, because no one in the history of ever has been brought up traditionally Christian and then change their minds in adulthood and start to think "well, you know, I do have lady parts, but maybe, just maybe, I'm entitled to be a human being, too."

[elliha]

People can be nasty to big families, I come from a family of 5. My mom got all kinds of comments like: "That is disgusting, why do you have so many kids?" "You shouldn't have so many kids, you can't love them all the same" "We have birth control nowadays" and comments on that she got to have had several men/husbands because she had me 10 years after my youngest brother. Some people do seem to be provoked by big families in general. My parents were not particularily religious (atheist and very relaxed Christian) and my parents did use birth control but they wanted a big family as they both came from big families and liked it. 

[LovelyLuna]

7 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

Erika's picked up on the story about the Norwegian kids taken away from their families because of "Christian indoctrination". Seems like a complex case. Having googled Norway, it appears that the separation of church and state is quite controversial over there. 

It's utterly ridiculous how Erika criticised women with the whole "my husband prefers me without makeup" thing. For all she yaks on about the importance of respecting your husband... this just goes to show that if you don't do things Erika's way, you are a terrible person. 

I looked for more info on this family and couldn’t find much. 

I wouldn’t be Erika's friend if we were the last two people on earth. 

[defraudingjezebel]

1 hour ago, LovelyLuna said:

I looked for more info on this family and couldn’t find much. 

I wouldn’t be Erika's friend if we were the last two people on earth. 

I too looked and couldn't find anything apart from a few super Christian websites reporting the story. I think its ridiculous that they (meaning Erika and her commenters) cannot fathom that maybe - just maybe- this family had their kids taken into state custody because they were genuinely being physically abused. Again, this along with the transgender/bathroom boogieman, is just another part of their victim narrative. 

[lawlifelgbt]

Just now, defraudingjezebel said:

I too looked and couldn't find anything apart from a few super Christian websites reporting the story. I think its ridiculous that they (meaning Erika and her commenters) cannot fathom that maybe - just maybe- this family had their kids taken into state custody because they were genuinely being physically abused. Again, this along with the transgender/bathroom boogieman, is just another part of their victim narrative. 

Or it could be possible that they are pushing the idea of sin and hell to the extent that it's really causing their kids anxiety/depression? I mean, I am a Christian too, but I feel that constantly subjecting small kids to talks about literal fire and brimstone for, if they, for instance, hit their sibling, is probably emotional abuse. And Nordic countries are generally pretty good about recognizing non-physical forms of abuse as well.

[Rubaiyat]

Had to hop over and check this out.  It seems as if the veracity of the story is in question.  All I can find is that the original version of the story may have come out of Romania?  The speculation being that it's an anti-emmigration propaganda look-how-evil-the-west-is-totally-don't-go-there piece.  

But, by all means, Christian persecution!!!  *sigh*  *eye-roll*  Good Heavens, who are these people who take everything they read on fake book (of all places) as gospel?!?  There are people out there who understand that written down =/= true...right?  RIGHT?!?

I have no idea why I continue to be amazed by this.  Sorry.  Shows slow learning on my part.  

[defraudingjezebel]

Erika just posted a photo album containing pictures of her family during their church camping trip in August. Looking at the pictures (some of which are actually really good and cute pictures of the kids), I thought that maybe her church was more progressive than her individual family's beliefs. I saw lots of girls wearing shorts and pants. 

Then I checked the actual church website, and while its not super fundie it is indeed quite conservative (women should work only in the home, divorce pretty much eliminates your leadership eligibility, etc.). I am shocked that such a church is so popular in the PNW, especially in western Washington. As a Seattle transplant from Texas, my experience has been that even the furthest reaches of the Seattle metroplex are still much more liberal that most suburbs in Texas. Apparently not always. 

[iweartanktops]

18 minutes ago, defraudingjezebel said:

Erika just posted a photo album containing pictures of her family during their church camping trip in August. Looking at the pictures (some of which are actually really good and cute pictures of the kids), I thought that maybe her church was more progressive than her individual family's beliefs. I saw lots of girls wearing shorts and pants. 

Then I checked the actual church website, and while its not super fundie it is indeed quite conservative (women should work only in the home, divorce pretty much eliminates your leadership eligibility, etc.). I am shocked that such a church is so popular in the PNW, especially in western Washington. As a Seattle transplant from Texas, my experience has been that even the furthest reaches of the Seattle metroplex are still much more liberal that most suburbs in Texas. Apparently not always. 

Very interesting! Now I want to go check it out! I'm from the NW and I find this surprising. But they're quite a distance from Seattle, no? I can't believe the church website says women shouldn't work outside the home! 

[mango_fandango]

Lol, Erika, you mean August 2015 not 2016. I'm not 21 yet. 

And that photo of the kids is odd- those clothes look more Romanian than Norwegian, although I'm not au fait with Norwegian national dress. The names aren't that Scandinavian either... although, of course, they could be immigrants.

ETA: Is that Karen in pants??? Melanie's knees look very visible in one photo, too. And good grief, Erika even brings a shoe rack on holiday. I know, keeping track of shoes whilst camping can be annoying, but a shoe rack...?

[StepMonsterInLA]

2 hours ago, Rubaiyat said:

But, by all means, Christian persecution!!!  *sigh*  *eye-roll*  Good Heavens, who are these people who take everything they read on fake book (of all places) as gospel?!?  There are people out there who understand that written down =/= true...right?  RIGHT?!?

I have no idea why I continue to be amazed by this.  Sorry.  Shows slow learning on my part.  

My elderly grandmother, who watches Fox News and spends a lot of time surfing the Internet loves to declare, "you know, they say..." Before rattling off garbage that she heard or read somewhere. I think that the 'anyone can write anything but it doesn't make it a fact' is a postmodern ideology based upon thinking and questioning. Fundie folk certainly are not taught to think critically or question everything as I was encouraged to do as an undergrad. 

[StepMonsterInLA]

Oh and today I thought of you guys when I was driving with my kids to my mom's house. They asked if they could have jelly beans, of which my mom has a giant Costco container of like Erika. I said sure. My son asked how many and I absentmindedly answered, "one."  Then I had to check myself and when they were begging for 2 or 3 each I boldly told them that they could each have 4!   And then let them have 5 after all.  I can be smug and one up Erika!   Oh wow.  

[LovelyLuna]

I howled with laughter when I saw the shoe rack picture, “G-d whispered in my ear to bring a shoe rack camping, and so it was done”. so smug, so silly, so Erika.

 

 

Someone compared this photo to the ending of The Sound of Music. If only they could flee the oppressive totalitarian relm that they live in!!!

Can Happy Pee more the twice a day whilst camping? Run Happy, Run, be free to roam and piddle at ease!

[Koala]

That dog looks thirsty.  

[Hisey]

Those are beautiful pictures. But I was startled by the one of Karen combing Brandon's hair. He's 12, or 13! Can't he comb his own hair?

[defraudingjezebel]

1 hour ago, iweartanktops6 said:

Very interesting! Now I want to go check it out! I'm from the NW and I find this surprising. But they're quite a distance from Seattle, no? I can't believe the church website says women shouldn't work outside the home! 

Yeah, they're in Mt. Vernon which is about an hour outside of Seattle proper, but its definitely not too far out. There are no large rural areas between Seattle and Mt. Vernon- its practically suburbs and towns all the way there.

No. 8: Read it and weep (re: women at home)-

http://scbiblechurch.org/about-us/our-beliefs/our-distinctives/

[Queen Of Hearts]

Don't hate me, but I actually think the shoe rack was pretty clever.  With 11 people, the pile of shoes at the tent's entrance would be huge. The shoe rack actually solves that problem.  Erika actually has a lot of really good organizational ideas... it's a shame she doesn't put her talent to some sort of professional use, rather than micromanaging her kids' lives.  She'd be one heck of a personal organizer.  

 

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, Hisey said:

Those are beautiful pictures. But I was startled by the one of Karen combing Brandon's hair. He's 12, or 13! Can't he comb his own hair?

Well, I think she lets them start brushing their own teeth at 12, so maybe they can't comb their hair until 13? Karen and Melanie were raising their siblings at 12, but she seems to really baby the boys.  At this point I'm wondering if their future wives will be expected to brush their teeth, bathe them, and comb their hair.  And the boys won't be taught how to do laundry, nor will they ever see the inside of a grocery store.  So good luck to those four special, godly young ladies! (I think they're gonna need it). 

[Heathen525]

Karen's ears are double-pierced?!

[Koala]

Don't hate me either, but I hope that dog pees in her shoes.   I REALLY don't like the way Erika treats him.

[Heathen525]

The pics of the girls trying to be active in skirts (especially jean skirts) make me sad. Some girls love climbing in skirts and dresses, but fundies don't get much of a choice. Although Karen seemed like she was wearing pants, so I don't know the rules.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Koala said:

Don't hate me either, but I hope that dog pees in her shoes.   I REALLY don't like the way Erika treats him.

Me neither.  And he really does look hot and thirsty in that photo above.  How much do you want to bet she didn't give him extra water on that camping trip?  Erika "logic" would dictate that if she gave him extra, she'd just have to retrain him to drink twice a day all over again once they get home.  So obviously Happy will be happier sticking with his familiar schedule! *chucklefuck*

[Koala]

I didn't like the way that retractable leash was just hanging in some of the pics.  It had to be pulling on his neck.  For that matter, I don't like retractable leashes.  Anyway, I hope she rehomes him soon.  No dog should have to live with that woman.

[iweartanktops]

1 hour ago, defraudingjezebel said:

Yeah, they're in Mt. Vernon which is about an hour outside of Seattle proper, but its definitely not too far out. There are no large rural areas between Seattle and Mt. Vernon- its practically suburbs and towns all the way there.

No. 8: Read it and weep (re: women at home)-

http://scbiblechurch.org/about-us/our-beliefs/our-distinctives/

Wow. That was intense. They have a lot of rules! I'm currently questioning where I stand spiritually, but I really have no issue with the church I grew up in, so I went to their website to compare. I'm not saying my previous church is the only true church or whatever, but I just wanted to see how they would line up. Not surprisingly, their "What We Believe," was clear, concise and scripture based, with no extra bull shit/rules. I tried to find some specifics to cut and paste here, but the other site has so many extra "policies" and such that I got lazy and gave up. I. Anyway, it seems like a great church for Erika.