Fundie Royalty

[Marian the Librarian]

Bingo, MJB. Great analysis. I agree, the big bucks come from guys like the two Jims (Leininger and Zes). Google 'em - it's downright scary.

I see the fundie royals' world as akin to Amway, or any other humongous multi-level-marketing pyramid scheme. The rich, fat-cat few at the top, being fed by the slightly larger layer of folks below them, and so on and so on, right on down to the embarrassing shirttail relatives who promote child beating. Oh, and with a few phony-baloney "scholars" (Botkin, Baucham) thrown in to lend that heady aura of academia.

In another thread, Burris describes the SAH wives and their home-based entrepreneurial ventures as an enclosed micro-economy (I may be slightly misquoting you here, sorry, Burris!) - but when you think about it, the world of fundie royalty is another micro-economy: the preachers preaching to the choir; the movie makers making movies only their friends and acolytes will want to see; the greedy opportunists (yes you, Dougie) pushing tchotchkes and tours and treacle down to the bottom layers of the food chain.

[Black Aliss]

Maybe if you can make a living at being fundie, you're royalty?

[hoipolloi]

I'd say that Dougie is the "Queen" of fundie royalty! :lol:

[FloraDoraDolly]

Maybe if you can make a living at being fundie, you're royalty?

If you have more than eight kids and each one has his or her own real bed to sleep in, you're at least fundie nobility if not royalty. If your kids sleep on shelves or share beds like Laura and Mary on "Little House", then you're amongst the peasants.

[justlurking]

This is fun!

I think the real royalty - the unpublicized powers behind the thrones - are people like the Leiningers and Zeses. People w real money made not in the inbred fundie world.

The throne folks yes include Phillipses, Browns, Bradricks equivalent to the reigning monarchs. But very visible are the others who are presented as so wonderfully polished or accomplished that when you see photos if them in groups, THEY are doing the talking as their acolytes listen w gratitude andamazed respect: Botkins, Servens, Loomises, Thomases, Niednagels, McDonalds.

Absolutely agree that the Maxwells are the Puritan sect. The Pearls are the clown princes/jesters w a rather dark humor, lurking to remind the court of just how ugly they can appear if they don't really keep up appearances.

I see the Smiths & Mortons & Antonions & that house builder in Louisiana (they were featured in "Return of the Daughters" & the one daughter married a Bradrick, I think) and the Torreses as the married-in, exotics from far-flung reaches.

The Tommy Wallers (of Tennessee and Israel) are more slight embarrassments not quite as gauche as the Pearls but getting there. Nancy Campbell recently fell into the embarrassment category along with others who have been deposed formally OTOH are the family who run Franklin Springs Family Media and the families they film are pretty securely installed intheur useful dukedoms.

Bauchams & Morecrafts are the scholarly branches of the royal tree.

I agree with your assessment for the most part. In terms of Vision Forumworld the monarchs would definitely be the Queen Doug, Duke Scott, and Prince Peter families. I see the Botkins, Valentis, Chanceys, McDonalds etc as being "lower" royals--like earls, and ladys and such. R.C. Sproul Jr. is a "disgraced" lower royal.

The Serverns/Loomises, Thomases, Seppis and Niednagels would be the gentry class--they certainly have the prestige and are connected to the royal classes by old associations, but they should never be mistaken for royalty. One way that you can distinguish them from the lower royals is that the "monarchs" don't deem them important enough to attend their significant life events (I'm mostly talking about weddings here). The monarchs MAY invite them to the events they have---because it allows them the opportunity to show off their "wealth", but rarely is the honor of attendance reciprocated.

The Bauchams, Morecrafts, and that "historian" dude that always gives speeches during those 'Faith and Freedom' tours would definitely be the intelligentsia. They are a branch of the gentry class; however,they do not seem to be as interested in currying the favor of the royals and set their own agenda. The royals seem to respect them more than the average gentry class family because they don't grovel at their feet and because they provide the intelligence behind the propaganda the royals need and use to continue subjugating the rest of the kingdom's peasants.

The Torreses would be the stewards--servants who have the potential of one day being included in the royal class. This will most likely happen through inter-marriage with a lower royal.

In Vision Forumworld the Duggars are nothing more than celebrities who travel throughout the land and are occasionally called to the royal court to give performances.

[FloraDoraDolly]

It will be interesting to see what happens to the Duggars in fundie land once the TV show ends. Will they remain celebrities within their own subculture? Or will they be regarded as worldly sell-outs?

[flojo]

I think that the Duggars are like diplomats, along with the Bates' - not actual royalty, but share diplomatic relations with the "foreigners", in ai positive light (duggar fans), therefore making the whole kingdom more appealing.

I agree that the Maxwells are the royalty of their own little island...

[samismad]

Seriously, I want a family royalty tree. Titles and all. It will make me happy. I may even make it my background on my laptop for a week or two.

[MamaJunebug]

Niiiice, Justlurking!

Now I wanna explore The Dominionists: The High School Society Version.

LOL!

Your points about the work of diplomats, intelligentsia, and celebrities are very telling. How many of us have called one or another non-royal family our"gateway"? Doubtless, they literally are gateways for searching families who see the happy, smiling ambassadors and "want that for" their own families' futures. And that prompted them to buy the books and leave the congregation that had youth groups and public-schoolers & the rest is history.

[skankbiscuit]

Maxwells, Duggars, Bates are more like "Fundy Nobility" to me. Slighly less royal than Dougie and Co. and the Botkins.

[emmiedahl]

I think the royalty are the ones setting the pace for the rest. The nobility and celebrities are the ones who are most public in terms of mainstream appeal. The Botkinettes, for example, are instrumental in developing and promoting the SAHD movement; they are showing people how this is done (and in this case, they are showing that SAHD=/=future fundie wives, more like nuns that serve Dad instead of God).

The Maxwells are more like reality show stars. They don't have any talent or mainstream appeal, people watch them because they are circus freaks.

[MamaJunebug]

I think the royalty are the ones setting the pace for the rest. The nobility and celebrities are the ones who are most public in terms of mainstream appeal. The Botkinettes, for example, are instrumental in developing and promoting the SAHD movement; they are showing people how this is done (and in this case, they are showing that SAHD=/=future fundie wives, more like nuns that serve Dad instead of God).

The Maxwells are more like reality show stars. They don't have any talent or mainstream appeal, people watch them because they are circus freaks.

Wow, emmiedahl --- harsh but true! Their talent is making money from very little talent, and there's very little attractive about their life. Mostly we look, go "Ew!" and move on.

[skankbiscuit]

The Maxwells are more like reality show stars. They don't have any talent or mainstream appeal, people watch them because they are circus freaks.

So you are saying the Maxwell's are the Jersey Shore of the fundy world? :lol: I'm laughing cuz it makes sense. thanks for the giggle.

[GenerationCedarchip]

This is fun!

I think the real royalty - the unpublicized powers behind the thrones - are people like the Leiningers and Zeses. People w real money made not in the inbred fundie world.

The throne folks yes include Phillipses, Browns, Bradricks equivalent to the reigning monarchs. But very visible are the others who are presented as so wonderfully polished or accomplished that when you see photos if them in groups, THEY are doing the talking as their acolytes listen w gratitude andamazed respect: Botkins, Servens, Loomises, Thomases, Niednagels, McDonalds.

Absolutely agree that the Maxwells are the Puritan sect. The Pearls are the clown princes/jesters w a rather dark humor, lurking to remind the court of just how ugly they can appear if they don't really keep up appearances.

I see the Smiths & Mortons & Antonions & that house builder in Louisiana (they were featured in "Return of the Daughters" & the one daughter married a Bradrick, I think) and the Torreses as the married-in, exotics from far-flung reaches.

The Tommy Wallers (of Tennessee and Israel) are more slight embarrassments not quite as gauche as the Pearls but getting there. Nancy Campbell recently fell into the embarrassment category along with others who have been deposed formally OTOH are the family who run Franklin Springs Family Media and the families they film are pretty securely installed intheur useful dukedoms.

Bauchams & Morecrafts are the scholarly branches of the royal tree.

What did Nancy Campbell do to fall into disgrace? I knew she published Above Rubies but beyond that, I know little about her.

[Kitty]

I consider fundie-royalty the fundies who are the most well-known and have books, blogs, conferences, etc. and of course followers/fans. And of course, numerous children to marry off and continue their name.

So I'd say:

Duggars

Doug Philips & fam

Scott Brown & fam

Botkins

A lot of the other families I've never heard of. But the fundie court would be:

Bateses (high-enough ranking nobles with plenty of kids to marry off)

Maxwells (court advisors, with all their books and chore packs)

Bill Gothard himself, as an adviser

Smiths

Mortons

And then you have the landed fundy gentry- the other families that frequently come up and have some books and CDs, like the Jeubs and Sanderses. I'd consider the Pearls to be gentry who managed to get their shit published.

[skankbiscuit]

I would consider Peter & Kelly Bradrick fundy nobility - Peter was sort of made by Dougie.

[emmiedahl]

Royalty are so irrelevant in modern times. Maybe we should start referring to them as A list, B list, etc.

[raineymott]

I'd say that Dougie is the "Queen" of fundie royalty! :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: YES.

If you have more than eight kids and each one has his or her own real bed to sleep in, you're at least fundie nobility if not royalty. If your kids sleep on shelves or share beds like Laura and Mary on "Little House", then you're amongst the peasants.

I've got more than 8 siblings and they've all got their own beds (because dad built half of them)...but I would NOT consider them nobility...well, unless my mom is somewhat of a lesser-known duchess or earl-ess...her forum is known in some circles. (C.M.O.M.B.)

[sableduck]

So anyway, I totally missed that your mom ran C.M.O.M.B. I love that forum; it's my go to whenever I need a good dose of nuttiness.

[raineymott]

I've been considering attempting to sign up under a false name...I've always been curious what exactly was said on there and especially now, just who she considers "trolls". lol

[sableduck]

It's a lot of nuttiness. I'm not going to put it on here though because I don't want to out myself, but they've given me some very, very bad advice over the years.

[raineymott]

Feel free to PM me ;)

[Bookworm]

Oh, sableduck, I would be fascinated too... :shhh:

[Kitty]

I googled CMOMB and under the top result were a bunch of links to other pages on the site, one of them advertising discount Viagra.

I'm torn between :shock: and :lol:

[raineymott]

LOL!! I think that one has an error!

(I know this is sort of getting off-track now...but the whole reason I joined FJ in the first place was because my mom thinks all you all talk about all day is her forum. LOL)