Mark Easterday - Polygamist Amish but not really Amish

[missegeno]

I searched but wasn't able to find anything about Mark Easterday. He thinks he's polygamist amish, but he's just a creepy gun nut with ties to Stan Shepp and Kody Brown. If his wife is spending many hours on the internet looking for a sister wife, that would make them Mennonites, not Amish. But they're really stretching the definition regardless. It seems that he's not really a follower of religion so much as someone who hides behind it to obscure their shady lifestyle. What I am really curious about is why Heidi, married him. I can't find any information on her, and the "Everything you need to know" post on politicsrusprinciple isn't actually everything I want to know. The term "Amish" is stretching it again with her background, because she updated Facebook with her engagement in November 2007 and she had a MySpace profile. Why does she seem so brainwashed, and was she brainwashed before or after Mark?

http://politicsrusprinciple.tumblr.com/post/127945828008/the-polygamist-amish-everything-you-need-to-know

http://politicsrusprinciple.tumblr.com/post/139436596762/mark-easterday-with-his-two-wives-marian-and

https://www.facebook.com/blueabc21

https://myspace.com/blueabc21

 

[samira_catlover]

Uhhhh, minority voice over here, and I honestly do not (and cannot) speak for people of faith, when I don't share those beliefs:

But FWIW, here in Southern MD, from what I've seen, our local Amish/Mennonites seem to regard computers with considerable trepidation---as in "useful to print labels", or "like a work horse, to help run your business", or "OK to resource someone who knows how to adapt an electrically-powered commercial mixer to run on hydraulics, or an air pump". 

But chat-ups on social media, on the public internet?-----PHMMMMMPH, 10,000 feet over the head!

[missegeno]

Yeah, their claims that they are Amish are absurd. Their actions aren't in my understanding of Mennonite either. They are just claiming these labels for cred in shrouding their shadiness.

[Cats B4 Quivers]

I clicked the first link and had a moment where I thought perhaps I was having a stroke because I read there are people who celebrate Tim McVeigh. That horrid coward and pile of excrement disguised as a human being who murdered  168 people with an exploding truck.  What ever has this world come to? I get that people were celebrating their second amendment rights but mixing it up with Tim Mcveigh appreciation? Are they on crazy pills? 

[justwatching]

YEGADS!!!

 

Somewhere around here there's a thread on a girl who was married off to a middle-aged guy when she was a teenager.  I can't remember her name, but I'm thinking her family had sort of made up their own religion - claimed they were Jewish, perhaps?  It was a creepy, creepy situation.

Same thing with this guy.

I am what you might call a mainstream Mennonite (MCUSA).  We're normal people, not Plain, We drive cars, have computers, wear normal clothes, etc. There is no freaking way we would condone any of this behavior.  The Older Order Mennonites and Amish are about as far from his spouted beliefs as you can get.

ETA:  I'm not aware of any, but as with any religion I suppose it's possible that there could be some crazy sect somewhere that does practice polygamy, but they would not be recognized by nor included in the denomination.

[NachosFlandersStyle]

I think there are a lot of weird hangers-on to the anabaptist traditions, no? I'm thinking of that beard-cutting sect that was in the news a while back. Or there was a guy who used to stand around on the sidewalks in a town I used to live in carrying wacky "the end is near!" type signs. He dressed plain-- this was an area with a lot of Amish-- but I'm pretty sure he was just doing his own thing.

[missegeno]

I looked into Heidi some more and a Heidi Killian Easterday has a LinkedIn for old jobs at Best Buy and Target, education at Kaplan Uni 2015-2019, with a current title of "mommy frist" yes that's right, frist. Hopefully Kaplan can cover that lesson early on. I kind of wish they'd start blogging, any of them.

[Cleopatra7]

On 3/5/2016 at 10:34 PM, Cats B4 Quivers said:

I clicked the first link and had a moment where I thought perhaps I was having a stroke because I read there are people who celebrate Tim McVeigh. That horrid coward and pile of excrement disguised as a human being who murdered  168 people with an exploding truck.  What ever has this world come to? I get that people were celebrating their second amendment rights but mixing it up with Tim Mcveigh appreciation? Are they on crazy pills? 

It seems like this guy is dressing in his definition of "plain," but is not Amish or Mennonite in any meaningful sense of the word. The Amish and Mennonite churches are the historical "peace churches" along with the Quakers and I can't imagine them being into Second Amendment fetishism or fanboying over Timothy McVeigh. I imagine some Amish who live in more rural areas and still farm having a shotgun for practical purposes, but not hoarding weapons like this guy is doing. I would say Esterday is simply a survivalist/polygamist/crunchy-plain guy who is making up his own religion from a variety of traditions and the debris from the anti-government and open carry movements.

[justwatching]

25 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

It seems like this guy is dressing in his definition of "plain," but is not Amish or Mennonite in any meaningful sense of the word. The Amish and Mennonite churches are the historical "peace churches" along with the Quakers and I can't imagine them being into Second Amendment fetishism or fanboying over Timothy McVeigh. I imagine some Amish who live in more rural areas and still farm having a shotgun for practical purposes, but not hoarding weapons like this guy is doing. I would say Esterday is simply a survivalist/polygamist/crunchy-plain guy who is making up his own religion from a variety of traditions and the debris from the anti-government and open carry movements.

This is what I was trying to convey but you said it much better.

[nelliebelle1197]

1 hour ago, justwatching said:

YEGADS!!!

 

Somewhere around here there's a thread on a girl who was married off to a middle-aged guy when she was a teenager.  I can't remember her name, but I'm thinking her family had sort of made up their own religion - claimed they were Jewish, perhaps?  It was a creepy, creepy situation.

Same thing with this guy.

I am what you might call a mainstream Mennonite (MCUSA).  We're normal people, not Plain, We drive cars, have computers, wear normal clothes, etc. There is no freaking way we would condone any of this behavior.  The Older Order Mennonites and Amish are about as far from his spouted beliefs as you can get.

ETA:  I'm not aware of any, but as with any religion I suppose it's possible that there could be some crazy sect somewhere that does practice polygamy, but they would not be recognized by nor included in the denomination.

Are you talking about Maranatha?

[justwatching]

50 minutes ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

I think there are a lot of weird hangers-on to the anabaptist traditions, no? I'm thinking of that beard-cutting sect that was in the news a while back. Or there was a guy who used to stand around on the sidewalks in a town I used to live in carrying wacky "the end is near!" type signs. He dressed plain-- this was an area with a lot of Amish-- but I'm pretty sure he was just doing his own thing.

I think there certainly are some fringes,  since the Plain lifestyle can be appealing to everyone at some point, especially to those who already have "disestablishment" leanings.  It would be interesting to see some statistics, if any exist, on extremists or radicals in different denominations/religions.  It would be really difficult to categorize them; however, especially with someone such as this guy.  He "claims" he's adopted the Amish Faith, but his theology is pretty much the exact opposite.  So how would he be classified?  I'm actually now kinda interested in investigating this.

We do have several Old Order Mennonites living in our area, more in some communities than in others.  There is also a thriving Amish town near here.  They are peaceful, interact with the community, and are very much respected.  Several other towns where MCUSA are the vast majority of residents.  No wackos, at least that I'm aware of lol.

The only radical situation I'm aware of in my area would be the Nachtigal family, recently in the news for severely abusing their adopted children.  The church they attended identifies as Anabaptist, but is not Mennonite (even though Nachtigal is a traditional Mennonite name). That is a truly horrifying situation and is being dealt with appropriately by the courts.  I do not know what has happened/is happening with their specific church, but I do know that the other Anabaptists in the area are disgusted by their behavior, and it most certainly does NOT reflect Anabaptist beliefs.

Does that make sense, I hope?

(I'm happy to try to answer any questions, but can't promise to be able to lol)

[Cleopatra7]

2 minutes ago, justwatching said:

I think there certainly are some fringes,  since the Plain lifestyle can be appealing to everyone at some point, especially to those who already have "disestablishment" leanings.  It would be interesting to see some statistics, if any exist, on extremists or radicals in different denominations/religions.  It would be really difficult to categorize them; however, especially with someone such as this guy.  He "claims" he's adopted the Amish Faith, but his theology is pretty much the exact opposite.  So how would he be classified?  I'm actually now kinda interested in investigating this.

The Amish seem to have "groupies" of a sort, who admire them for their plain living and self-sufficiency, and try to emulate them to varying degrees. I remember reading a blog about ten years ago of this crunchy-traditionalist-back to the land Catholic couple and their children who moved near a Amish community to learn how to homestead. Suffice to say, it didn't work, as the Catholic couple were simply unsuited for rural life, despite their fantasies of "plain living," and I'm pretty sure they moved back into the city or the suburbs with their tails between their legs. The Amish live in communities, not these bunker-like homesteads, so they aren't really totally self-sufficient in the same way that many potential homesteaders dream of. Farming isn't sustainable for many Amish communities, so they've branched out into construction, various types of crafts, and the abominable puppy mills we discussed several months ago.

[justwatching]

32 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Are you talking about Maranatha?

I hadn't heard of that sect before, so I looked them up.  Very interesting read.  It sounds like they just sort of went off and made their own rules.  There have been many break-off churches over the history of Anabaptists, although I'm pretty sure all denominations have experienced similar.

1 minute ago, Cleopatra7 said:

The Amish seem to have "groupies" of a sort, who admire them for their plain living and self-sufficiency, and try to emulate them to varying degrees. I remember reading a blog about ten years ago of this crunchy-traditionalist-back to the land Catholic couple and their children who moved near a Amish community to learn how to homestead. Suffice to say, it didn't work, as the Catholic couple were simply unsuited for rural life, despite their fantasies of "plain living," and I'm pretty sure they moved back into the city or the suburbs with their tails between their legs. The Amish live in communities, not these bunker-like homesteads, so they aren't really totally self-sufficient in the same way that many potential homesteaders dream of. Farming isn't sustainable for many Amish communities, so they've branched out into construction, various types of crafts, and the abominable puppy mills we discussed several months ago.

Definitely true about the groupies, especially with all of the Amish romantic fiction out there.  It's sort of a fantasy to get away from the world, simplify your life, etc.  I'm sure that has a big draw.

I wasn't aware of puppy mills though - that's awful!!

[salex]

6 hours ago, justwatching said:

YEGADS!!!

 

Somewhere around here there's a thread on a girl who was married off to a middle-aged guy when she was a teenager.  I can't remember her name, but I'm thinking her family had sort of made up their own religion - claimed they were Jewish, perhaps?  It was a creepy, creepy situation.

Same thing with this guy.

I am what you might call a mainstream Mennonite (MCUSA).  We're normal people, not Plain, We drive cars, have computers, wear normal clothes, etc. There is no freaking way we would condone any of this behavior.  The Older Order Mennonites and Amish are about as far from his spouted beliefs as you can get.

ETA:  I'm not aware of any, but as with any religion I suppose it's possible that there could be some crazy sect somewhere that does practice polygamy, but they would not be recognized by nor included in the denomination.

That would be that chick in Oklahoma and the wedding clothes for everyone were odd... and she writes either mysteries or Christian bodice rippers.... can't remember....

 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

Ok, I went back and watched the video and Mark doesn't even purport to be Amish. He is FLDS, originally from Utah. His 2nd wife is former Amish. 

And the Oklahoma story that justwatching is thinking of is Jessiqua Wittman.

[justwatching]

Yes that's her!!!

[nelliebelle1197]

8 hours ago, justwatching said:

YEGADS!!!

 

Somewhere around here there's a thread on a girl who was married off to a middle-aged guy when she was a teenager.  I can't remember her name, but I'm thinking her family had sort of made up their own religion - claimed they were Jewish, perhaps?  It was a creepy, creepy situation.

Same thing with this guy.

I am what you might call a mainstream Mennonite (MCUSA).  We're normal people, not Plain, We drive cars, have computers, wear normal clothes, etc. There is no freaking way we would condone any of this behavior.  The Older Order Mennonites and Amish are about as far from his spouted beliefs as you can get.

ETA:  I'm not aware of any, but as with any religion I suppose it's possible that there could be some crazy sect somewhere that does practice polygamy, but they would not be recognized by nor included in the denomination.

Here's the last  Maranatha thread

 

 

[Peas n carrots]

It seems popular amongst some fundies to co-opt the plain looks of Old Order Amish, conservative Mennonites and invent their own theology to suit themselves. This reminds me of Tabby of the Plain Torah Keeper blog who wore Mennonite dress but tried to be a Messianic Jew in rural Arkansas.

IIRC didn't Tabby pass on recently?

[justwatching]

44 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Here's the last  Maranatha thread

 

 

Bahaha - Maranatha is a person??  I totally misunderstood and thought you were asking about a sect.  Which I looked up, and it really does exist and it really is somewhat on the fringes.  Too funny!

[samurai_sarah]

13 minutes ago, justwatching said:

Bahaha - Maranatha is a person??  I totally misunderstood and thought you were asking about a sect.  Which I looked up, and it really does exist and it really is somewhat on the fringes.  Too funny!

For anyone interested, this is what happened to Maranatha: http://lifeandlibertyministries.com/archives/000151.php

And: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2013/12/the-rest-of-the-maranatha-story.html

[justwatching]

5 minutes ago, samurai_sarah said:

For anyone interested, this is what happened to Maranatha: http://lifeandlibertyministries.com/archives/000151.php

And: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2013/12/the-rest-of-the-maranatha-story.html

YIKES!!!

[samurai_sarah]

4 minutes ago, justwatching said:

YIKES!!!

Indeed.

[DaisyD]

Interesting that the FLDS moving to Texas is the reason they can only marry their children off really young instead of scary young. Silver lining I suppose... The rest is just sad.

[missegeno]

I don't think Texas will put up with them "bleeding the beast" as long as Utah did either. The move and recent lawsuit have been very interesting to follow, though it's so sad how scared members are to even read the eviction warnings on their doors or access any information.

[Shouldabeenacowboy]

Re. Maranatha - I came across her story a while back (yikes) and googled to see what she was up to. Not sure if anybody else has already posted this, but I believe this is her website: http://www.livinglifeloudly.com/me/