Peter Bradrick files for Divorce

[fundiefan]

They very well could have filed together, but records need a petitioner & a respondent.

The only part of my divorce that was done together was the initial filing; we filed as joint petitioners. But, they need one of each for all proceedings, so they assign them and it doesn't mean anything.

In my case, I was petitioner because my name was on the first line of the joint filing documents. (I filled them out; he just showed up at the court house the day I told him I was going and said  he could come & file jointly but if he didn't show I was still filing).

Anyway, it may not mean a thing that Peter is petitioner. It may mean everything, but it could really just as easily mean nothing.

[nokidsmom]

18 minutes ago, WonderingInWA said:

I think it was probably Kelly that finally just got sick of his pompous ass-hattery, but that she left it up to her headship to file for divorce as almost a humiliating last move for him.  She probably just got tired of being the only parent and wanted out of the marriage but wanted him to do the "business" side of filing since she's too busy homeskooling and mothering her SIX children.  What a mess.  

While I am damned curious to know what happened to the former VF Royal Couple, I can think of so many scenarios here.    As far as filing, they could have done joint but as @fundiefan says, courts usually assign a petitioner / respondent so Peter being the petitioner here may not mean anything.  Initially on hearing that he filed surprised me at first but on further thought, realized his name just might be first on the filing documents.

[Mrs. Bean]

An author of  no longer updated blog called Diary of an Autodidact http://fiddlrts.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-john-thompson-story.html?m=1 credits John Thompson as a co-creator of "the most extreme version of courtship/betrothal" model. He describes how he almost got "betrothed" to one of the daughters  by accident. 

[MamaJunebug]

33 minutes ago, WonderingInWA said:

I think it was probably Kelly that finally just got sick of his pompous ass-hattery, but that she left it up to her headship to file for divorce as almost a humiliating last move for him.  She probably just got tired of being the only parent and wanted out of the marriage but wanted him to do the "business" side of filing since she's too busy homeskooling and mothering her SIX children.  What a mess.  

Hmm

I remember when he waxed poetic about Kelly  getting up early to put large pots of water on the stove to heat it for baths and cooking in the morning. Because: no water heater in the house.

Yep, I've known guys like that: "Oh honey, I just love to hear you worrrrrking away in the kitchen while I wake up slowly in our comfy bed..."

16 minutes ago, Mrs. Bean said:

An author of  no longer updated blog called Diary of an Autodidact http://fiddlrts.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-john-thompson-story.html?m=1 credits John Thompson as a co-creator of "the most extreme version of courtship/betrothal" model. He describes how he almost got "betrothed" to one of the daughters  by accident. 

I heart you, @Mrs. Bean! Heading down the trail....

[Marian the Librarian]

A Google search combining "John Thompson" (a common name, so the quotes help) and NCFIC yields quite the network of rabbit trails. I am flu-addled and feverish, and thus not up to posting links - but trust me, patriarchal asshatterish history and riches are out there!!

[Palimpsest]

21 minutes ago, MamaJunebug said:

I remember when he waxed poetic about Kelly  getting up early to put large pots of water on the stove to heat it for baths and cooking in the morning. Because: no water heater in the house.

Wasn't it also Peter who decided that Kelly was worthy of him because she rolled under a fence (long skirts and all).  Lesser women (long skirts and all) might have needed help.

40 minutes ago, Mrs. Bean said:

An author of  no longer updated blog called Diary of an Autodidact http://fiddlrts.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-john-thompson-story.html?m=1 credits John Thompson as a co-creator of "the most extreme version of courtship/betrothal" model. He describes how he almost got "betrothed" to one of the daughters  by accident. 

Good find.  I was aware of that blog but never noticed that entry.  Thanks.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Sometimes it takes a moment for all the threads of the patriarchy stories to weave together.

I've known for a while that Voddie B is a very vocal advocate of "To Beat Up A Child" beginning when the child is a few weeks old.

I've heard the clips of him waxing rhapsodic about beating your child 5 times before breakfast, that your child desperately wants ( and needs) to be beaten, and that you need to have an all-day session where you "wear out" the kid so he/she will become obedient.

But when I saw ROTD I realized that beautiful young (then) girl Jasmine had been beaten by that vile, disgusting, odious, abuser from the time she was a few weeks old until ...? Who knows?  Who knows how long the beatings went on? Who knows if he literally beat out of her the desire to be a screenwriter and attend college.

I wish that at least once one of the abused children would rip the rod /switch/ belt/ plumbing line out of The Patriarch's hand and apply some discipline to the patriarch.

A friend of mine in high school did just that to his fundie 'beat the kids into obedience' father.  When "Bob" turned 15 he was about his father's size.  Dad went after him one day for something (I think it was a muttered under breath remark and hesitating a few seconds before obeying). Off came the belt and Mr X began beating "Bob" with the buckle end (that had begun when my friend was 10 or so)

Bob wrestled the belt away and turned it on Mr X  -- using the buckle end. I gather he laid into him good. Then Mr X began a fist fight with Bob.  Bob -- being younger, stronger, and perhaps madder -- knocked Mr X down, gave him a black eye, loosened a tooth and then told him if Mr X ever raised a hand to Bob or his siblings ever again Bob would kill him.

I heard this story from Bob and then eavesdropped on my mother and Mrs X when she told my mother the story. Mrs X was glad Bob had stood up to his father, but wished it hadn't come to a physical fight.  My mother told Mrs. X she should just be glad Bob hadn't killed his father. 

Mr X stopped physically beating his children, but kept up the verbal abuse.  When he died not one of them came to his funeral.

Oh ... did I mention that Mr X was a godly Christian man, revered in his church, an elder and a deacon. a pillar of the community.

 

[hoipolloi]

11 minutes ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

But when I saw ROTD I realized that beautiful young (then) girl Jasmine had been beaten by that vile, disgusting, odious, abuser from the time she was a few weeks old until ...? Who knows?  Who knows how long the beatings went on? Who knows if he literally beat out of her the desire to be a screenwriter and attend college.

IIRC, Jasmine and her oldest sibling, Voddie 3 also called Trey, were not born into this cult. Voddie Jr & Brigid became fundie fuckwads sometime after their births, possibly even when Jasmine & Trey were close to adolescence. Don't have my copy of her book to hand so will have to check on this... 

The younger siblings, all adopted IIRC, are the ones who've come into this filth from the start. That Voddie Jr & Brigid get to keep adopting kids with such a well-publicized promotion of child abuse is disgusting. 

[Othello]

Also came out of lurkage to comment—heard that this was happening some weeks ago, but didn't know many specifics. Bradrick! spent many years of his life being an unmitigated asshole to a lot of people, including myself and a lot of other young men who came through his church. Completely crushed my sense of self (what little I had of it as a homeschooled, cloistered teen) and set me back years in the process of finding myself and developing any sort of confidence and identity. Calling out Doug and his open apology for the aforementioned assholery notwithstanding, it's not hard to feel a bit of schadenfreude. Fuck him, at least the Peter I knew, and his ilk. That said, I feel a lot of sympathy for Kelly. From what I understand, it's most likely that they filed together, as she has more reason to leave than he does; rumor has it there was some serious fuckery going on, which I won't disclose, especially as I have a very vague picture of what was going on. Best of luck to Kelly and the kids, and I hope they find their feet quickly; maybe there's a way outsiders can help out somehow. Perhaps Bradrick can find a way to redeem himself down the road, who knows. 

 

[ETA the apology I mention above was the open letter he posted to facebook acknowledging that he'd been arrogant and mean, not an apology to me or anyone specific that I'm aware of]

[MamaJunebug]

47 minutes ago, Othello said:

Also came out of lurkage to comment—heard that this was happening some weeks ago, but didn't know many specifics. Bradrick! spent many years of his life being an unmitigated asshole to a lot of people, including myself and a lot of other young men who came through his church. Completely crushed my sense of self (what little I had of it as a homeschooled, cloistered teen) and set me back years in the process of finding myself and developing any sort of confidence and identity. Calling out Doug and his open apology for the aforementioned assholery notwithstanding, it's not hard to feel a bit of schadenfreude. Fuck him, at least the Peter I knew, and his ilk. That said, I feel a lot of sympathy for Kelly. From what I understand, it's most likely that they filed together, as she has more reason to leave than he does; rumor has it there was some serious fuckery going on, which I won't disclose, especially as I have a very vague picture of what was going on. Best of luck to Kelly and the kids, and I hope they find their feet quickly; maybe there's a way outsiders can help out somehow. Perhaps Bradrick can find a way to redeem himself down the road, who knows. 

@Othello, I don't doubt your story, having heard how he acted all Scientological on Jen Epstein's derrière at a VF event in San Antonio. 

Still and all, I have to agree with @Palimpsest: "I have compassion for both of them.  The way they were raised is truly fucked up."

The fact of the divorce, at this point, tells me one or both are rebelling at last against the BS they were fed from cradle on. Good luck to 'em both. 

[Fun Undies]

On 1/20/2017 at 11:09 AM, hoipolloi said:

This is very sad news. I'm sorry for them & had hoped the move to WA several years ago was a major positive step for them. I also hope that Peter's real estate career is successful enough to provide sufficient child support & alimony for Kelly & the kids to live by themselves, and not be dependent on either set of grandparents for food, housing & other basics.

Although she was propped up to a ridiculous extent by DPIAT & VF, Kelly did actually research, write & publish a book before her marriage to Bradrick! Maybe -- with the help of time, distance & reflection -- she can find her own voice now and write her own memoir on how & why she got to this point in her life. 

Part of me is like, "Don't become dependent on the parents and inlaws", too.  But the other part of me is like, "Well they're the ones who created this situation by raising a fully capable woman to become nothing more than a broodmare, and never gave her (much less encouraged her later on) the education she rightly deserved.  If anything, it's poetic justice if the parents at least paid for a few things, while she got on her feet.

 

17 hours ago, Mrs. Bean said:

This finally lured me out of  the lurk-dome! I watched ROTD when it first came out and Peter, Kelly, and the gang have been my "gateway" into the fundie watching. I followed Bradricks for all this years and was quite proud of them for standing up to the loathsome Doug Phillips the Tool. Their current situation greaves me more than I realized. Kelly, if you read here, please take care, don't go back to your parents, get state assistance if you must, it's there for a reason, and strongly consider  going to school and getting  an education ( if nursing appeals to you, it's a great field and it pays well, I'm an RN) and change the trajectory of yours  and your children's lives. Don't be  a victim of someone else's agenda again. You can do it, and God speed. 

Kelly was my first fundie watching experience, too! (outside the Duggars, of course).  I was like, "Wait, there's others who do this quiverfull thing, too?  Willingly??"

8 minutes ago, MamaJunebug said:

@Othello, I don't doubt your story, having heard how he acted all Scientological on Jen Epstein's derrière at a VF event in San Antonio. 

Still and all, I have to agree with @Palimpsest: "I have compassion for both of them.  The way they were raised is truly fucked up."

The fact of the divorce, at this point, tells me one or both are rebelling at last against the BS they were fed from cradle on. Good luck to 'em both. 

Please excuse my ignorance, because really I'm not familiar with VF "theology" at all.  But for a lot of Christians, adultery, and abuse can be considered valid reasons for a divorce.  I don't mean to speculate or insinuate that those are the reasons for the divorce.  I'm just wondering if they believe this as well, because if so, I don't know if it's rebelling against their beliefs - as much as following Biblical "guidelines to divorce" (please note my own sarcasm, as I 100% fully understand that divorce is far more complicated and myriad than any Bible quotes can contain).

[divadivine]

20 hours ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

@divadivine, the worst part about Jennie's BS about "women who have college degrees and can't boil water" is Jennie went to college. Plus, there is no doubt she has made money using her education. Yet, she won't  give her daughters the same opportunities and looks down at other women who are college educated or pursuing an education. 

I want to ask these fools, are fundie females so feeble minded they can't learn academia and household arts?  The rest of us heathens  manage to just fine, for the most part. You are right about the Duggar girls.  From what I have seen they may have well have gone to public school and college, because being a sheltered homeschooled SAHD didn't do shit for them. Jessa apparently, can't cook, clean or take  the plastic wrapped guide out of her oven before she turns it on to heat. 

 

 

Where did Jennie go to college? I know I've read it somewhere before, but I'm too lazy to go find it. She was all appalled when people in her orientation group gasped when she said she wanted to be a wife and mother. What did she expect? Not that other women in the group didn't also want those things in life... But they also wanted to earn a degree and work toward a career. You can do both. Lots of women do it every day. 

I worked with someone who attended Bob Jones for a year. Her parents insisted. She had to go there for a year. If at the end of the year, she was unhappy, she could transfer. She said most of the women in her education classes made it clear they were there to find a husband. The degree was an afterthought. They said they might use their degree if their missionary husband moved them to a country where the children couldn't go to a Christian school, so they could homeschool. Otherwise their time at BJU was just a way to find a husband, the degree was an added bonus. 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, Othello said:

Also came out of lurkage to comment—heard that this was happening some weeks ago, but didn't know many specifics. Bradrick! spent many years of his life being an unmitigated asshole to a lot of people, including myself and a lot of other young men who came through his church. Completely crushed my sense of self (what little I had of it as a homeschooled, cloistered teen) and set me back years in the process of finding myself and developing any sort of confidence and identity. Calling out Doug and his open apology for the aforementioned assholery notwithstanding, it's not hard to feel a bit of schadenfreude. Fuck him, at least the Peter I knew, and his ilk. That said, I feel a lot of sympathy for Kelly. From what I understand, it's most likely that they filed together, as she has more reason to leave than he does; rumor has it there was some serious fuckery going on, which I won't disclose, especially as I have a very vague picture of what was going on. Best of luck to Kelly and the kids, and I hope they find their feet quickly; maybe there's a way outsiders can help out somehow. Perhaps Bradrick can find a way to redeem himself down the road, who knows. 

 

[ETA the apology I mention above was the open letter he posted to facebook acknowledging that he'd been arrogant and mean, not an apology to me or anyone specific that I'm aware of]

I think every word of this is true, well said, and said with careful and judicious thought.  Thanks.

I will also say again, both Kelly and Peter Bradrick (consummate asshole as he is and confirmed by several sources) are victims of their upbringings and a very sick culture.  I have compassion.

My thoughts are with them all, but especially with the kids and Kelly.

 

 

[Lurky]

26 minutes ago, Fun Undies said:

Please excuse my ignorance, because really I'm not familiar with VF "theology" at all.  But for a lot of Christians, adultery, and abuse can be considered valid reasons for a divorce.  I don't mean to speculate or insinuate that those are the reasons for the divorce.  I'm just wondering if they believe this as well, because if so, I don't know if it's rebelling against their beliefs - as much as following Biblical "guidelines to divorce" (please note my own sarcasm, as I 100% fully understand that divorce is far more complicated and myriad than any Bible quotes can contain).

Even covenant marriages, like the ones Jill Duggar had (IIRC) allow for divorce on grounds of adultery, felonies, abuse, a spouse's substance abuse - and most interesting to me, just on the basis they couple has been living apart for one or two years (see the wiki about them).

I often wonder re VF theology, if one spouse left the church, or wanted to eg limit the family size, or send the kids to public school, and the other spouse wanted full-on quiverfull/home-schooling etc, would divorce be the obvious option?  Of course I imagine them doing the Christian counselling, family pressure, threats to excommunicate and cast out the non-VF spouse...

And I've often wondered how the patriarchs think it should work, if eg the wife has to submit to her husband, and follow his lead, and he decides to leave the VF ways?  Feels like the woman can't win, in this scenario (I guess the answer would be to follow his lead, but to pray he changes his ways - but that must be so, so hard for a brainwashed daughter to deal with, when it's simultaneously sin to disobey her husband, and to eg limit the family size/send kids to school/get a job etc etc)

[Palimpsest]

2 minutes ago, Lurky said:

Even covenant marriages, like the ones Jill Duggar had (IIRC) allow for divorce on grounds of adultery, felonies, abuse, a spouse's substance abuse - and most interesting to me, just on the basis they couple has been living apart for one or two years (see the wiki about them).

Of course they can divorce legally in the secular world.  What the Fundie reception is of the divorce will differ widely.  Usually it is Biblical divorce all the way.

That wiki is what the (three) states that recognize "covenant" marriage say about divorce.  It is secular and has nothing to do with Fundie beliefs about allowable Biblical divorce.   I can't remember where the Bradricks married but pretty much all Fundie marriages claim to be superspecial covenant even in states that don't recognize it.  If they live in one of those states they have to get the right horrid secular licences and all that.

Women should follow their husbands.  No exception.  Submission to the Patriarchy trumps religious conviction if you are female.  You can but suffer and pray.  Everything is all your fault - including if your husband fails.  Yeah, that was sarcasm but it is also very close to the truth in Patriarchal thinking.

 

[ChunkyBarbie]

1 hour ago, divadivine said:

Where did Jennie go to college? I know I've read it somewhere before, but I'm too lazy to go find it. She was all appalled when people in her orientation group gasped when she said she wanted to be a wife and mother. What did she expect? Not that other women in the group didn't also want those things in life... But they also wanted to earn a degree and work toward a career. You can do both. Lots of women do it every day. 

I worked with someone who attended Bob Jones for a year. Her parents insisted. She had to go there for a year. If at the end of the year, she was unhappy, she could transfer. She said most of the women in her education classes made it clear they were there to find a husband. The degree was an afterthought. They said they might use their degree if their missionary husband moved them to a country where the children couldn't go to a Christian school, so they could homeschool. Otherwise their time at BJU was just a way to find a husband, the degree was an added bonus. 

King College, where she earned a BA in English. I am not familiar with King College, but I will guess it is a Christian college. ETA of course, attending college is evil for other young ladies, but I guess Jennie was an extra speshul pure snowflake and so it was okay for her.  Unless she was like Anna T., who was very resentful that she was attending college when she could have been home folding towels, crocheting doilies and making lentil soup. Smh. 

[divadivine]

3 minutes ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

King College, where she earned a BA in English. I am not familiar with King College, but I will guess it is a Christian college. 

I checked the website.  The school is affiliated with the Presbyterian church. However, it looks far from Fundie. It's accredited. It's a NCAA Division II school with 90 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees, etc. 

I went to a college affiliated with the Baptist church. However.... You only knew that if you read the info. We had chapel each week- not mandatory and it was usually a convocation that wasn't religious based. It was a very free, forward thinking place. We had condom machines in the bathrooms.... In the 90's. Baptist in name only. 

[ChunkyBarbie]

14 minutes ago, divadivine said:

I checked the website.  The school is affiliated with the Presbyterian church. However, it looks far from Fundie. It's accredited. It's a NCAA Division II school with 90 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees, etc. 

I went to a college affiliated with the Baptist church. However.... You only knew that if you read the info. We had chapel each week- not mandatory and it was usually a convocation that wasn't religious based. It was a very free, forward thinking place. We had condom machines in the bathrooms.... In the 90's. Baptist in name only. 

I read years ago about Jennie attending college and meeting Matt.  On her old website, I believe. It has been scrubbed I am sure. 

[hoipolloi]

37 minutes ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

I read years ago about Jennie attending college and meeting Matt.  On her old website, I believe. It has been scrubbed I am sure. 

She met Matt after college while she was -- gasp!!  -- a working woman. 

[ChunkyBarbie]

39 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

She met Matt after college while she was -- gasp!!  -- a working woman. 

Didn't she work for Doug Phillips is a Tool?  It has been years since I read about it. My memory is all fuzzy.  

[Grimalkin]

      I'm trying to keep up here, I watched the Spinster Sister's video last night from my hotel room where I was taking my eldest daughter on a college visit. 

Maybe there is a kind and merciful God looking out for those Botkin  girls because they seem completely oblivious to what they missed out on. I am truly excited and happy for my daughter. There are so many opportunities out there and she is aware of it. She can create her own major- the world is her oyster! Exciting times......that video seemed extra depressing given the circumstances.

      I may or may not make any sense. The drive home was long and stressful, and I think it turned some of my hair gray. My first gray hairs! Is that possible to get gray hair in a day? I need sleep. Good night FJ. 

[hoipolloi]

27 minutes ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

Didn't she work for Doug Phillips is a Tool?  It has been years since I read about it. My memory is all fuzzy.  

She was working at the HSLDA.

Doug Phillips Is a Tool also worked there before he & Be-all ripped off HSLDA's mailing list, moved to San Antone, and got Jim Leininger to bankroll VFI/VFM.  Don't know if they overlapped at HSLDA.

[Anonymousguest]

Oh Baucham is far, far, worse than the Pearls! Voddie himself bashes the Pearls for falling short in their discipline. Where the Pearls believe in the sin nature, Baucham believes in the reformed theology of total depravity. He believes children are evil and must be controlled and punished. The Pearls believe kid misbehave because they haven't been trained to behave properly. Voddie believes they misbehave because they are inherently evil. Search "vipers in diapers" to get a taste of his child rearing theology. Honestly, when he first adopted I was amazed that they passed the home study. I can't believe so many people have given him children. Shows the desperation of the need for African American adoptive families maybe.

[Jezzable]

Yes, she was working at HSLDA - one of the very few places where women oops girls could get a free pass to work oops serve more men.

Changing subjects, Voddie Baucham also does not believe in divorce for any reason, even abuse or infidelity.

[Anonymousguest]

2 hours ago, divadivine said:

I checked the website.  The school is affiliated with the Presbyterian church. However, it looks far from Fundie. It's accredited. It's a NCAA Division II school with 90 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees, etc. 

I went to a college affiliated with the Baptist church. However.... You only knew that if you read the info. We had chapel each week- not mandatory and it was usually a convocation that wasn't religious based. It was a very free, forward thinking place. We had condom machines in the bathrooms.... In the 90's. Baptist in name only. 

I'm familiar with King College, a long time dear friend of mine went there. Yes, is affiliated with the Presbyterian church, but not at all conservative, similar to the one you described.