Maxwell 17: Life After John Left

[FloraDoraDolly]

10 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

As a sports fan that is the thing that pisses me off the most about Coward Steve.  My best childhood memories were playing sports from pick up softball games in the big yard to competing on varsity teams in high school.  Fuck you Steve!  And go Vikings tomorrow!

The sad part is the story about how Steve took each boy out for a milkshake and tearfully explained why they should give up baseball. Of course, he emphasized that the boys agreed with him. But they didn't really have a choice. IIRC, they were eleven and thirteen years old at the time. They can't say no to Steve now, so they wouldn't have been able to do it back then.

[Emilycharlotte]

Yeah, that story breaks my heart.

[terranova]

What does 'dominionist' mean in a fundie context?

[HarleyQuinn]

I didn't know about that story and knowing they were older is even sadder.

[Jana814]

1 hour ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

The sad part is the story about how Steve took each boy out for a milkshake and tearfully explained why they should give up baseball. Of course, he emphasized that the boys agreed with him. But they didn't really have a choice. IIRC, they were eleven and thirteen years old at the time. They can't say no to Steve now, so they wouldn't have been able to do it back then.

I thought they were younger then 11 & 13. 

[PennySycamore]

@terranova, dominionism is a political ideology where Christians rule according to their interpretation of biblical law.  There are a number of varieties of dominionism from Christian reconstructionism/theonomy to the New Apostolic Reformation and so on.  Wikipedia has decent article about it.

Dominion Theology

It's scary stuff whatever it's iteration.

[Markie]

I wonder if Nathan and Melanie will quietly put Drew and baby B (Benjamin?) into baseball? I also wonder if the ABC girls are involved in any extra curricular activities? We will never find out on the Maxhell blog...

[Tangy Bee]

For now I'm assuming there have been no men interested enough in the Maxwell ladies to be willing to kiss Steve's butt. I mean if someone really liked them, then maybe it would be worth it. I'm sure there are plenty of non fundie dads who give suitors a hard time. But this is a very deprived lifestyle the Maxwells live. Seems like some dude would want to rescue them.

[BlessingsVonFundiePants]

will Chelsy be the first Max-wife to operate a blog that isn’t censored by Steve? Have any of the others ever blogged? 

[Odd1Out]

18 hours ago, luv2laugh said:

I’m very upset for Sarah Maxwell. She’s someone’s raised to want to marry and have babies. I feel so sad for her dreams to have been dashed. Why have they never tried to facilitate suitors for her? 

Pure speculation on my part but I don’t think Sarah really minds the not having children part. Maybe somewhat, but not enough to beg Steve to find her a husband. I think she might like to be married, but I’ve never got the feeling from her blogging that she wants to be a mom. She already raised younger siblings. And I get a strong feeling ( just a hunch, I can no way tell you exactly why) that she has some form of depression like Teri. 

She always writes about Anna and Mary babysitting the nieces and nephews, taking them on walks, coming up with crafts etc. it’s never Sarah’s ideas to do these things. She’s always off to the side taking pictures. 

[theologygeek]

On 1/20/2018 at 5:00 AM, luv2laugh said:

I’m very upset for Sarah Maxwell. She’s someone’s raised to want to marry and have babies. I feel so sad for her dreams to have been dashed. Why have they never tried to facilitate suitors for her? 

To me, she doesn't seem that into kids.  Just an impression I get. 

[theologygeek]

20 hours ago, petrushka said:

None of the recently wed Bontrager brothers owns a house yet.  Surely the Maxwell "girls" became aware of that fact while attending the weddings.  But would they be capable of entertaining any doubts about Steve's "wisdom"?

The only reason the Maxwell sons could buy homes debt free is because their father made it possible for them to do so.  They never would have been able to that on their own.  Steve conveniently leaves that part out when he's selling his stuff.  It was the family business that enabled the sons to buy homes.  Sarah would be nothing without her father either.  She would never be able to sell her books to the general public. 

[Jana814]

1 hour ago, theologygeek said:

Sarah would be nothing without her father either.  She would never be able to sell her books to the general public. 

Exactly her father brought in an audience for her to sell to. 

I have a client who wrote a book with her father (he survived the holocaust).  She works for NBC/MSNBC and was able to publish her book because she knows people in publishing.  

 

[Markie]

Which one, if any, Maxwell daughters will marry first? I know Steve has some crazy qualifiers, but if the guy got the okay... I think it might be Anna. Not sure why, except she certainly loves her nieces and nephews and appears to want her own. I do not see any Maxwell woman marrying in the near future. 

My dream would be for Mary and Anna to marry two of the middle Arndt brothers and make balloon animals and paint faces at baseball games. The girls' stellar acting performances would add to the wonderful Vine Valley series. 

 

[FloraKitty35]

Speaking of balloon art and animals. After the infamous speech at Chelsy & John's wedding.  Anna could make phallic balloons filled with confetti for Jesse's wedding as favors.

[LilMissMetaphor]

On 1/20/2018 at 2:06 AM, Dandruff said:

Why can't Sarah read to herself?  Do Anna and Mary actually enjoy being read to at night?  Holy crap.

 

Yes.  It is a time of sweet fellowship with their father's other daughters.    

[PennySycamore]

I've seen two cinematic fathers that remind me a bit of Steve in the past week.  One was Dr Sloper, the controlling father of Catherine in The Heiress who forbade her from marrying a man he found unacceptable and the other was Elizabeth Barrett Browning's father in The Barretts of Wimpole Street who forbade all of his 12 children from marrying at all.  He seemed to have had a lot of guilt about sex of any kind.  Fortunately, Elizabeth did escape to marry the poet Robert Browning.  She did take her beloved cocker spaniel Flush with her as well as her maid Wilson.  Neither of these movie fathers had the best interests and happiness of their children in mind and the same could easily be said about Stevehovah.

[nelliebelle1197]

@NellieBell Name twin! We are both back!

[Howl]

15 hours ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

Way back in the day, Christopher and Nathan were involved in Little League baseball and were apparently quite good players. But Steve objected to the kids having games/practices on Sundays and decided that baseball was taking too much time away from their family Bible readings.

Well, that and the possibility that the kids might make friends with other kids; Stevehovah has zero understanding of the nature of friendship.  Actually, that's wrong.  He clearly understood the nature of friendship among little kids, but even then could only perceive friendship among little boys as a threat to himself.  How horrible, screwed up and crazy is that?  Cult of Patriarch Stevehovah. 

[Jana814]

I think part of the reason they did an "Aunties park" in the backyard was to prevent the younger kids from going to another park where they possibly could meet other kids and learn something Steve dose not approve. 

[sparkles]

2 hours ago, Jana814 said:

Exactly her father brought in an audience for her to sell to. 

I have a client who wrote a book with her father (he survived the holocaust).  She works for NBC/MSNBC and was able to publish her book because she knows people in publishing.  

 

It's not just the ready-made audience, it's the fact that they self-publish (unlike your friend who actually knows people in publishing). Any clown can self-publish; you don't even have to put money up-front if choose to print on demand. I don't think the Maxwells POD, as they keep stock in their basement warehouse and sell at conferences, but they still self-publish, which means that Sarah's books never undergo a true editing/critiquing process like she would if she actually worked with a real publisher. 

I have a friend who was in publishing/editing and works as a real published writer (NY Times and such) and I always want to ask her to review one of Sarah's books but I'm afraid it would destroy our decades old friendship. Maybe one day…

I'm almost certain that Mary and Anna will marry, if only so that Steve saves face. They definitely have more opportunities, since I think it's pretty clear that the Maxwells are nowhere near as isolated as they once were. They've come into contact with plenty of eligible funds in their age group, something that can't be said for Sarah. Most men her age are already married and I doubt she'd married so far down age-wise. Her best bet is probably a widower but honestly, I think at this point, she's pretty resigned to her life as it is now and is most likely comfortable with it. I think she gets to call a lot of the shots, something she probably wouldn't be able to do if she got married. 

Anna, I think would have made a great catch back in the pioneer days. She cooks! She cleans! She builds! And I bet she could birth a cow and plow a field without breaking a sweat. 

[nelliebelle1197]

18 hours ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

#5-- NO SPORTS!!! Even if a suitor appeared who fit all the previously discussed criteria, it will be nearly impossible to find a man who would be willing to give up watching/playing sports. This means no Christian homeschooling leagues, no FamTeams, no Duggars vs. Bateseses type football matches, no attending college games (not even Christian college games). The poor guy won't even be allowed to play catch in the backyard with his own kids because it might give the kids an "appetite" for sports. 

I disagree - there are plenty of men who are not into sports or TV, especially in these circles. And the sporting matches you mention all meet Steve's criteria. This one does not fly.

[nelliebelle1197]

13 hours ago, HarleyQuinn said:

I didn't know about that story and knowing they were older is even sadder.

They really started going off the rails around that time . That's the Sacred Era of the Holy Reversal. Steve also quit his job because of lunching with women (my theory is some woman had the nerve to get a promotion over him) and everything turned inward. That said, I don't think they are as insulated as we think they are. There are friends out there now that the kids are adults, at least for everyone save Nathan and Chris.

[theologygeek]

1 hour ago, PennySycamore said:

I've seen two cinematic fathers that remind me a bit of Steve in the past week.  One was Dr Sloper, the controlling father of Catherine in The Heiress who forbade her from marrying a man he found unacceptable and the other was Elizabeth Barrett Browning's father in The Barretts of Wimpole Street who forbade all of his 12 children from marrying at all.  He seemed to have had a lot of guilt about sex of any kind.  Fortunately, Elizabeth did escape to marry the poet Robert Browning.  She did take her beloved cocker spaniel Flush with her as well as her maid Wilson.  Neither of these movie fathers had the best interests and happiness of their children in mind and the same could easily be said about Stevehovah.

I don't know about anyone else, but I keep thinking of the Maxwells every time I hear, read, or see pictures of the tortured children in California.  Something isn't normal about grown women all dressing alike in little girl clothing.  I always thought something bad was going on in the Maxwell home. 

[nomoxian]

19 minutes ago, theologygeek said:

I don't know about anyone else, but I keep thinking of the Maxwells every time I hear, read, or see pictures of the tortured children in California.  Something isn't normal about grown women all dressing alike in little girl clothing.  I always thought something bad was going on in the Maxwell home. 

They have clearly been brainwashed from a young age!

All I can think of now is one of the 'girls' (I forgot which one it was) who, when gently told at a conference that people would help support her if she wanted to leave the compound, made a heart with her hands and said she loved her daddy. SO creepy.