Fundies that allow their children to go to public school?

[MerryHappy]

Our local fundie population doth groweth. Their numbers seem to be increasing at a somewhat astounding rate.

Strange thing is, they allow their children to attend public school. The girls have to wear skirts and do not cut their hair. As usual, the boys are dressed like everyone else. They do not attend school on Halloween.

The women have oddly coiffed hair. Like someone took a broom and swept it all up into a peak thing on the top of their heads. Almost like it's been teased underneath and then covered up with the top part of their hair. I dunno if I can describe it. No head coverings.

They wear somewhat modern clothing. Knee high boots with heels etc. But their skirts generally hit mid-knee or longer. They always have long sleeves on and clothing up to their necks.

Annndd...they all look pissy as hell. Experience tells me that this is their 'holy face.'

Anyhoo, I can't peg the make or model of these fundies. They stray a bit from the Gothardism I was raised in.

Anyone want to play "name that fundie?"

[skankbiscuit]

Hmmm, interesting. It's refreshing to see fundies who don't constantly bash our public school system. I know Courtney from Women Living Well attended public school, because Christians could be a "light" to all the heathens.

Perhaps it is too complicated/illegal/too many standards to homeschool in your state?

[Chrystal-J]

I was friends with a fundy gal when I was in public school. I always knew when she "back slid" cuz she'd come to school in jeans and make-up. I always wondered why she would even bother to buy make up since she'd only wear it for 3 days here and there (during "back sliding"). We stayed friends for years (until I went away to college). I'm glad homeschooling wasn't a big fad then cuz I never would of been able to have my friend around all those years.

[Austin]

Hmmm, interesting. It's refreshing to see fundies who don't constantly bash our public school system. I know Courtney from Women Living Well attended public school, because Christians could be a "light" to all the heathens.

Perhaps it is too complicated/illegal/too many standards to homeschool in your state?

My kids have gone to school with quite a few "missionary kids" over the years. We have a big fundie-lite megachurch in our town and while many of those kid go to the school at the church, quite a few go to public high school, particularly if they're musical or want to be involved a very awesome marching band. Anyhoo, many will straight up say that they consider public high school their very own "mission field" and want to spread the good news of the gospel, no matter if other students want to hear it or not.

They were also the first ones to bitch and moan when the school attempted to have a moment of silence for a young man that killed himself who also happened to be gay. They also get their panties in a twist if there is no prayer before the football game or at graduation, or if said prayer is said by the wrong type of clergy. They resist anti-bullying programs because of teh gay aspect (you know, teaching kids they shouldn't harass or assault other kids who are gay or because they happen to have two moms/dads). Of course, they have a big, collective cow if anything other than abstinence is mentioned in school. They disrupt the learning of other students by vigorously arguing their mythical creation beliefs in biology or other classes where science is discussed. They report of these infractions to their very vocal parents who then in turn make school board meetings a real treat.

I am so glad I will have no more kids in school after this year, because I am SO tired of hearing about all this crap in my community.

[skankbiscuit]

We live in a suburb of Colorado Springs (New Life Church/Focus on the Family anyone?). Most of the mega fundies in our neighborhood tend to go to ECA (Evangelical Christian Academy) or Colorado Springs Christian School. Thank goodness, don't really want those types at our very cool public school.

[Evie Teale]

What you describe, as far as the was they dress, do their hair, and have that pissy facial expression, sounds an awful lot like the "holiness" style pentacostals in the town where I grew up. They all went to public school, they even wore their dresses in gym class. Now they have started their own school. I'm not sure they were members of any large group, though, maybe some loose association like the IFB churches.

[Extricated]

What you describe, as far as the was they dress, do their hair, and have that pissy facial expression, sounds an awful lot like the "holiness" style pentacostals in the town where I grew up.

That is the first thing that came to my mind too.

[maybeizfundie]

When I was in ninth grade someone introduced me to a Seventh Day Adventist gal, because we both wore skirts all the time, lol. :D

If not SDA, I'd guess pentecostals/holiness types, cause they do the long hair and dresses, but I'm not aware that homeschooling is big in those groups.

[Kaylee]

I would bet Apostolic or maybe old-school holiness Pentecostals.

Both tend to be OK with public school and modern modest clothes but insist on long (below the knee or mid calf or longer) skirts and long, uncut hair. Both are also known for piled-up elaborate hair.

We used to call it a PHD (Pentecostal HairDo), but there are whole videos and playlists on YouTube for "Apostolic hairdo" and variants of that term.

[cerealsara]

I work at cracker barrel and we have a bunch of Pentecostals that come in and eat regularly, usually in a group of 8 or more. The women all dress and wear their hair the way you describe and the men all dress normal. I would say they are Pentecostals.

[lilwriter85]

On Jessica's blog, she mentioned that her beloved Chad attended public school for several years and that is how she met him, because her family wasn't really fundie. Jessica never mentioned why the Chad attended public school in middle school and high school.

At the public schools I attended there were a few fundie lite kids who attendedl. They also didn't attend school on Halloween and they didn't participate in certain activities such as dances, drama clubs and a few other things.

[NurseNell]

I grew up in Western New York. We had a lot of old order Amish in our community. The kids went to school with us through the 8th grade. I was the only Catholic in my class through 12 years of public school. When we first moved there from New Jersey only the Amish kids would play with us. The Baptists and Free Methodists thought the Catholic Church was the whore of Babylon so their parents didn't want them playing with us.

Nell

[Kitty]

The kids at Westboro Baptist all go to public schools, to be a "light to all the heathens" or some shit like that. They dress mostly normal, though. I am glad I do not go to those public schools. I went to public school in coastal NC, were there either aren't any fundies or they're just not visible.

[DamnPrecious]

I would bet Apostolic or maybe old-school holiness Pentecostals.

Both tend to be OK with public school and modern modest clothes but insist on long (below the knee or mid calf or longer) skirts and long, uncut hair. Both are also known for piled-up elaborate hair.

We used to call it a PHD (Pentecostal HairDo), but there are whole videos and playlists on YouTube for "Apostolic hairdo" and variants of that term.

That what I was thinking. The ones around here are a bunch of meddling assholes.

[GenerationCedarchip]

The fundies pretty much took over the school board in my hometown for a good 10-15 year stretch and during that time, we had plenty of fundie and fundie-lite kids in school. The school board is more moderate now and while there are still some fundie-lites from the local megachurches there, my cousins tell me that most of the fundie kids are either homeschooled or go to a Christian school.

[DomWackTroll]

Tim Bayly-- some of them, not all. I know several of his sons went to a public high school, but daughter Heather attended a Christian private school, and then Tim and his wife set up a Christian school themselves. Though a few of his own children homeschool, anyone who reads his lovely blog knows that Tim is not a big fan of it. Tim thinks that it can be emasculating for a teenage boy to sit under his mother's tutelage, and that mothers have way too much power in the homeschooling culture.

I remember listening to a Q&A session with Tim and his buddy Doug Wilson, and when they were asked if they homeschooled, it was like, "Cha! Yeah, no, neither of us." Awkward silence ensued in the fundie audience.

[JesusFightClub]

Tim Bayly-- some of them, not all. I know several of his sons went to a public high school, but daughter Heather attended a Christian private school, and then Tim and his wife set up a Christian school themselves. Though a few of his own children homeschool, anyone who reads his lovely blog knows that Tim is not a big fan of it. Tim thinks that it can be emasculating for a teenage boy to sit under his mother's tutelage, and that mothers have way too much power in the homeschooling culture.

I remember listening to a Q&A session with Tim and his buddy Doug Wilson, and when they were asked if they homeschooled, it was like, "Cha! Yeah, no, neither of us." Awkward silence ensued in the fundie audience.

Gah! Women can do nothing right for these fuckers. Pretty much everything about them seems to be corrupting to fundies. :roll:

[margiebargie]

It would be handy to have a fundie field guide.

We don't have many fundies in our godless little town, and I'm so glad. It would be awful if they took over the school board or something. We've got enough problems as is. We do have a few protest at the stop light sometimes. It's usually unclear what they're going on about and I don't stop to ask. A few weeks ago there was a group of 3-4 teen boys in red t-shirts with some kind of bible verse.

That little tidbit about Tim Bayly and Doug Wilson - interesting. Now the poor fundie masses have to scrape together cash for private fundie school. Fundie-ism sure can get expensive. It seems you've got to maintain a large family in upper middle class style on one income. Good luck with that, fundies.

[ChunkyBarbie]

It would be handy to have a fundie field guide.

We don't have many fundies in our godless little town, and I'm so glad. It would be awful if they took over the school board or something. We've got enough problems as is. We do have a few protest at the stop light sometimes. It's usually unclear what they're going on about and I don't stop to ask. A few weeks ago there was a group of 3-4 teen boys in red t-shirts with some kind of bible verse.

That little tidbit about Tim Bayly and Doug Wilson - interesting. Now the poor fundie masses have to scrape together cash for private fundie school. Fundie-ism sure can get expensive. It seems you've got to maintain a large family in upper middle class style on one income. Good luck with that, fundies.

With a SOTDRT edyukayshun!

[margiebargie]

With a SOTDRT edyukayshun!

Sometimes I wonder if Doug Phillips just laughs and laughs, wondering how people can believe the bullshit he peddles.

[Guest Anonymous]

Sometimes I wonder if Doug Phillips just laughs and laughs, wondering how people can believe the bullshit he peddles.

It doesn't stop him from counting the gelt.

[1004srs]

My town is full of fundies. I mean full.

I grew up with the girls that would wear jean skirts and canvas tennis shoes to school. They had Pencostal Hair (or at least that is what we called it). I used to feel sorry for them.

The Westboro cult doesn't wear traditional Fundie garb, btw. You wouldn't recognize most of them if you saw them at Walmart. Other than their hate, they look like pretty regualr people in their town.

[liltwinstar]

Those apostolic hairdo videos are something else. I find it interesting that women aren't allowed to wear makeup, but apparently spending huge amounts of time and product on the perfect updo is ok. Hm. One of the comments on one of the youtube videos was something like "we don't cut our hair because we believe it is our glory and our crown" which makes sense - except that St. Paul specifically said something against elaborate hairdos (well, depending on your interpretation, of course).

I find the different interpretations of "modest" endlessly fascinating :)

[Kitty]

The Westboro cult doesn't wear traditional Fundie garb, btw. You wouldn't recognize most of them if you saw them at Walmart. Other than their hate, they look like pretty regualr people in their town.

I was actually a bit surprised that they didn't dress more like the Duggars, since I guess I assumed they did before I saw Louis Theroux's documentary on them. The only time they dress differently is in church- the women do cover their heads, but that's it.

[1004srs]

But, no one is allowed to go to Westboro CHurch except members - most of whom are Phelps Family.

A few people went to TOpeka to try to attend services and amazingly enough the service times were moved.