Race to the Altar: Unmarried Fundies 3

[Lurky]

@Bethella I'm giggling because some of those C names give no clue as to the gender (Courage??) which in a normal family is kind of cool, but in a fundy family is hilarious! I guess the girls all wear enormous hairbows until their hair hits their shoulders, and the boys are crew-cut-til-15, so one would know if one saw a picture, but still...

[JermajestyDuggar]

They said this new girl Brynn is from their church and only has three brothers. So maybe not quiverfull but probably fundie. They don't have a family blog. 

They also said they don't talk about relationships online until an engagement. So I guess it's possible Chelsy or Allison is courting. But I really doubt they wouldn't drop a hint or two on their blog. 

I have no hope of a triple wedding because I can totally understand this third girl not wanting it. The wedding would be hugely focused on the Bowers and Bontrager families and her family would probably be an afterthought. I would much rather prefer to have my own wedding. Probably a month or two after the double wedding. 

[HereticHick]

I hope momma and daddy Bontrager sit themselves down and serious think about how their are failing their daughters. [I'm going with the supposition that their goal as fundy Christians is to marry their children off fairly early so they can start breeding] Clearly, if 3 of their boys have found mates, and their older sisters have not--something in their system isn't working. They've only got 4 or 5 kids still attending the school of the dining room table, and none are in diapers, so the need for sister moms isn't huge.  They should look at the Bowers, who seem to be practically carbon copies of themselves, and figure out what they did right with their daughters.

[BirdgirlH]

The Bontragers are my pet fundies, so excited I can finally comment (there was something wrong with my account yesterday, so I couldn't post).

I wouldn't be too surprised if there was another engagement coming up! And I'm talking about eldest daughter Chelsy. I've been doing some snooping and on the family's instagram, where they had people guessing for a while who this last Bontrager to get engaged was, someone commented "Chelsy" and that a little bird had told them something ...

*ETA: that comment has now disappeared from instagram - make of that what you will

On 02/06/2017 at 1:12 PM, Bethella said:

10 Bontragers: Chelsy (b. 1991), Mitchell (b. 1992), Allison (b. 1994), Carson (b. 1995), Joshua (b. 1997), Denver (b. 1999), Lincoln (b. 2002), Elizabeth (b. 2003), Hudson (b. 2005) and Rebecca (b. 2007)

 - the second youngest son is actually Taylor, not Lincoln

 

[BirdgirlH]

Also, about those Bible Bee prizes - one of the younger Bontrager boys (Taylor) actually won the big prize last year - $100 000!! Talk about a nest egg ...

Also, about the newest fiancé - it seems her brother is manager at the hotel the Bontragers own, and I'm pretty sure this is his blog: http://willeppert.blogspot.com.au/?m=1

 

[BirdgirlH]

Someone said they didn't think the Bontrager girls were courting/in a relationship because otherwise they would have at least hinted at it in their blog - but I wouldn't say that, they've kept the boys' relationships very very quiet. I'm a regular reader of their blog and there was just ONE hint of one of the brothers forgetting to close a Gate because his heart was elsewhere, no other hints at all (except for the fact that Carson stopped touring with the family band last year and they announced that Mitchell would stop his year).

 

[Triplet3]

@BirdgirlH, I think Taylor's first name is actually Lincoln - he just goes by his middle name for some reason.

if you're right about Chelsy courting, then good for her. I hope she's managed to find a man who will treat her as more of an equal than most fundie men would.

[BirdgirlH]

[mention=24257]BirdgirlH[/mention], I think Taylor's first name is actually Lincoln - he just goes by his middle name for some reason.

Aah! Cheers for clearing that up! I figured there was a reason he was listed as Lincoln, but was confused nonetheless


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BirdgirlH]

4 hours ago, Triplet3 said:

[mention=24257]
if you're right about Chelsy courting, then good for her. I hope she's managed to find a man who will treat her as more of an equal than most fundie men would.

I'm not sure if she is, but if so, I really hope her sister Allison has someone as well, it would suck to be the only one left of the "older" kids ... - maybe they all made a pact to ... race to the altar in the same season of life??

I must say it's a douche move on Mitchell's part to propose a day or two after Joshua. At least there was a bit of a gap with Carson & Carolina. Come on, let the newly engaged be the centre of attention for a bit - it's all they have!


 

[HereticHick]

@BirdgirlH--  thanks for the insider tip! Bontragers also my pet fundies.  However, Chelsy has seemed very discontent on her blog for the last 8-9 months or so--I attributed that to her younger brothers having boyfriends, and nothing going with her.

 

And I agree that it is a total douche move to pop the question so quickly after someone else. Couldn't he wait 1 more freaking week?

I'm also very interested to know how it the courting worked when Carson was home alone-- I guess the Bowers were in charge of chaperoning.  But what was preventing Carson from having a beer blast every night at his house?  [well, other than that some friend or neighbor would probably tattle on him]

[BirdgirlH]

Yes, I noticed that too about Chelsy. Hmmm, it must be either fairly recent, or maybe I'm dead wrong. That comment about the little bird (re Chelsy and potential courtship) was from "the Werner family", and I'm trying to remember if they are known/discussed on freejinger - name sounds familiar!

[mention=24257] I attributed that to her younger brothers having boyfriends, and nothing going with her.

I realise this is a typo, but it amuses me loads as it would horrify them so much

[BirdgirlH]

[mention=24257]
I'm also very interested to know how it the courting worked when Carson was home alone-- I guess the Bowers were in charge of chaperoning.  But what was preventing Carson from having a beer blast every night at his house?  [well, other than that some friend or neighbor would probably tattle on him]

I've been wondering the same thing!! I guess he's so "godly" and responsible that his parents trust him? - there was a promise on the Bontrager blog right after the announcement that they would share their story of getting to know each other within a fortnight, but it was later retracted, saying that Carson&Carolina had decided to not share their story at this point ... I was really disappointed because that was the first courtship/engagement so I was really curious to see what their "rules" would be, how that whole thing came to pass anyway - did the Bowers really decide to move to Iowa because their daughters were keen on the Bontrager boys? (Oops, I know in reality they moved because the "Lord sent them a house there")

[Italiangirl]

Is there a topic dedicate to the Bontrager? I would like to know more about them 

[Bethella]

12 minutes ago, Italiangirl said:

Is there a topic dedicate to the Bontrager? I would like to know more about them 

There have been a ton of topics about the Bontragers. You can also use the search box to look for their name to see where they're mentioned in other threads.

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/6228-sweet-fellowship-bontrager-family-and-the-duggars/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/8114-the-bontrager-family-singersthe-duggars/#comment-249883

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/9749-picture-of-duggar-and-bontrager-girls-at-ati-conference/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/9795-bontrager-family/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/12924-bontragers-christmas-production/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/13137-bontrager-happenings/#comment-453409

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/13380-another-baby-with-jesus/

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/15995-bontrager-bar-mitzvah/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/16615-is-this-the-duggar-bus-at-bontrager-concert/#comment-589749

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/18555-the-bontrager-family-singers/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/25301-bontrager-family-hobnobbing-with-ted-cruz/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/27465-bontragers-and-books/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/28894-bontrager-christmas-play-is-disgustingly-anti-semetic/#top

http://www.freejinger.org/topic/29330-bowers-and-bontragers-engaged/

[BirdgirlH]

4 hours ago, Italiangirl said:

Is there a topic dedicate to the Bontrager? I would like to know more about them 

If you want to read their original blogs, they're Bontragerfamilysingers.com, chelsyrenee.com (oldest daughter), fromAllison.com (second daughter, new blog, very snarkable as someone already mentioned), mitchellbontrager.com (preachy, old blog, not many posts).

[hope those are okay to post like that]

I am fascinated by this family - they're really hard workers and clearly love each other but lots of humble bragging (the post where the Dad laments the fact that other kids don't want to participate in the Bible Bee competition (memorising comp) because the Bontragers always win, and that was the exact opposite of what the competition was trying to entice - it always reminds me of that scene in friends where Phoebe is intimidated by Ross' (abysmal) musical skills and he's all "that's the exact opposite of what my music is trying to accomplish").

anyway, I find them so interesting  because they are quite social and the older girls fairly independent and Chelsy shows some humour and sometimes even the beginnings of critical thinking (but it never goes far). I can't remember what she was talking about that one time but she had a good thought and immediately added "but of course I'm not a feminist", like, of course she's not a satanist ...

it makes me really sad for her because in other circumstances she could lead a very interesting life, successful professionally, probably hooked up with a great guy (she seems very saddened by her singledom), thinking critically etc., but she's stunted and held back by godly parents who've indoctrinated her from birth.

(her sister seems far more militant by the way, really guzzled the kool aid with eyes closed, very preachy. She seems to see herself as an Audrey Hepburn-type idol and mentor for "young Christian maidens", see her blog, hahaha)

 

[Italiangirl]

thank you @BirdgirlH and @Bethella for your answer i will ceck what you suggest 

[BirdgirlH]

21 hours ago, HereticHick said:

 Bontragers also my pet fundies. 

Yay HereticHick! I know that there've been some posts on the Bontragers, but I'm still surprised not more people are interested in them. They're a million times more interesting than the Duggars! They travel a lot (so horizon a bit broadened), are real busy bees and really "share their hearts"  on their blogs. It's so much easier to get a sense of how fundies think though their blogs ... you read along about sibling rubber band wars, sister road trips to Canada, baking cookies, seeing bears when travelling through Alaska with their family, and you think "pretty normal", until - boom - fundiedom comes out! Just such a fascinating character study!

- Btw, what do you think of Chelsy's "life's not peachy" post last August? About something that happened in December that brought her down? I think she said elsewhere someone who disappointed her? Failed courtship? *speculation mode* someone in their church Christmas play?

[HereticHick]

2 hours ago, BirdgirlH said:

Yay HereticHick! I know that there've been some posts on the Bontragers, but I'm still surprised not more people are interested in them. They're a million times more interesting than the Duggars! They travel a lot (so horizon a bit broadened), are real busy bees and really "share their hearts"  on their blogs. It's so much easier to get a sense of how fundies think though their blogs ... you read along about sibling rubber band wars, sister road trips to Canada, baking cookies, seeing bears when travelling through Alaska with their family, and you think "pretty normal", until - boom - fundiedom comes out! Just such a fascinating character study!

- Btw, what do you think of Chelsy's "life's not peachy" post last August? About something that happened in December that brought her down? I think she said elsewhere someone who disappointed her? Failed courtship? *speculation mode* someone in their church Christmas play?

Yes-- I agree that they are fascinating. I also think the Mennonite-turned-Fundy Baptist aspect of the parents is interesting.  Why did they leave the Mennonites?What prompted them to go Baptist? Why not Lutheran or Methodist? 

With Chelsy, I also if wonder if there was a failed courtship. Or--is there disappointment in one of her brother's courting choices?  Does she not like one of the girls?  Did a brother do courting stuff she doesn't approve of?  [front hugging? kissing?]

[BirdgirlH]

Re Chelsy: good thought, but her post from August 2016 was referring to December 2015, and at least the bowers-bontragers-relationships didn't seem to start till September 2016 (and before they were geographically apart).
Yes fascinating about the whole belief system. I don't live in the US so it's all a bit foreign to me anyhow, but I'm learning a lot from the blog. (Also stalked some of the cousins on FB who don't seem that fundie!) was the dad Mennonite as well? Certainly the mum's family is - at least dress-wise - very conservative

[JermajestyDuggar]

You can see the Mennonite roots still bleeding through. They humble brag because they can't outright brag. Pride and being boastful is quite the sin for mennonites. Mennonites also have a culture of hard work like the Amish. So it's no wonder they are hard workers. And the fact that they can make good food is not surprising since mennonites are usually taught to cook/bake from scratch starting you (well the girls are). 

Its funny how different they are from the first and second generation fundies. 

[HereticHick]

I think both mom and dad Bontrager were Mennonite--actually I think they met at a Mennonite youth camp.

[Triplet3]

I'm interested in the Bontragers too - I've followed their blog for years - but I've got to admit, I don't read all their posts (or all of Chelsy's blog posts) because I find the family too obnoxious and self-superior at times. I read most of their general life update posts, but avoid reading some of their other posts, particularly ones that are clearly meant to be 'controversial'.

[anjulibai]

Aren't Mennonites a form of Baptist? That may be why they went to IFB, the theology was similar? 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

32 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

Aren't Mennonites a form of Baptist? That may be why they went to IFB, the theology was similar? 

They're Anabaptist, which is the branch that includes Amish and Hutterites. As the names suggest, Anabaptists and Baptists each hold distinctive beliefs about the sacrament of baptism, but they're not otherwise connected.

[Lurky]

I was down the rabbit hole of Chelsy's blog, and in her talking about how she knows they're a campaigning family she talks about Rebs praying out loud for a husband for Allie, and endorsing various guys they know for the role...  and wow the levels of weird!

• Praying for a sister to marry a man you know...
• ...in front of her sisters!
• Praying out loud in general
• Blogging about it all like it's totes normal!

Co-signing @BirdgirlH that the sisters are fascinating as the blogs seem normal, even a little bit charming and then wham! it's full-on Fundy whackadoodle.  And they're hilariously smug about how great they are - how they're all incredible entrepreneurs and deep thinkers, and they have this great life travelling and exploring the world... and then I remember they live crammed into an RV, doing the whole "literally preaching to the converted" thing the Rodrigueses do (We have dedicated our life to Missionary work!  Who are we missionaries to?  People who already go to our kinds of church!"). 

(as the Rods are my guilty pleasure, I especially am intrigued by the Boners and the pre-crime Willis families, as they're doing what the Rods wish they were doing, which always makes me maybe see them more positively, as very few people come off looking bad when compared to Jill Rod, without having committed crimes!  Maybe the Andersons and the Shraders are the only people who make the Rods look like the better option in comparison...)