Fundie Divorces

[Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing]

Didn’t she name her daughter Living Hope? Or am I remembering wrong? 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing

[NachosFlandersStyle]

5 hours ago, Howl said:

WTAF?  She's bought a lovely flat in ISTANBUL? Private school for the kids?  It sounds like she has M.O.N.E.Y. 

I have no idea what it costs to live in Istanbul -- is the exchange rate favorable? I think in one caption she mentioned a job that isn't travel blogging but I have no idea what.

2 hours ago, JMO said:

Coming from her toxic background I think she could easily write a memoir that would explode.

Right now she seems to be doing mostly inspirational vagueposting but if she were to spill all the details I would absolutely buy a book.

 

55 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

In looking at her FB page, she seems to have the unqualified & enthusiastic support of her father. He cheers her on in the comments.

SUPER weird, I wonder if he recognizes any culpability for what she's been through.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I have friend who moved from the US to Istanbul. They aren’t rich and never have been. They seem to get by. But this woman probably has money from her ex. 

[Howl]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

This divorce isn’t that shocking to me. She isn’t bogged down with 10 children.

Maranatha's father (Stan Owen) was patriarchal to the max (eleventy!) but I don't recall if that they were mega-quiverfull or into frumpers and excess modesty. The Chapmans have 7 children, but I can't find a list of names. 

This is Zion Hope Chapman.  Is she Lauren's sister or sister in law? 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Howl

[NachosFlandersStyle]

15 minutes ago, Howl said:

I don't recall if they were quiverfull or into frumpers and excess modesty. 

They've got a good number of kids but not sure how many. Matthew's website was pretty well scrubbed after the blogosphere picked up on Lauren's wedding, has anyone seen an archived version?

[Bethella]

1 hour ago, hoipolloi said:

In looking at her FB page, she seems to have the unqualified & enthusiastic support of her father. He cheers her on in the comments.

I'd like to know what happened in this family within the last 10 years to propel them out of fundiedom. Perhaps CrossFit was a catalyst but how did the program -- with its skintight exercise clothing & exposed bodies -- become acceptable to the uber-fundie Chapmans?

Idle Speculation Bus- Part of me wonders if Matthew was ever really a true believer. Maybe he went along with the group (or even convinced himself that he believed) until he got what he wanted- a pliable teenage bride. Once he married Maranatha, he had what he wanted and could leave the religion. 

[Howl]

36 minutes ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

They've got a good number of kids but not sure how many.

Matthew and Maranatha have seven kids and I think are still hard-core Christians. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Howl

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Maranatha's father (Stan Owen) was patriarchal to the max (eleventy!) but I don't recall if that they were mega-quiverfull or into frumpers and excess modesty. The Chapmans have 7 children, but I can't find a list of names. 

This is Zion Hope Chapman.  Is she Lauren's sister or sister in law? 

She looks a lot like Lauren. I would guess it’s her sister. 

[Howl]

2 hours ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

Right now she seems to be doing mostly inspirational vagueposting but if she were to spill all the details I would absolutely buy a book.

Oooh, me too.  She's a writer, so could be she'll pour the tea. 

[pupper]

That photo kind of looks like the woman's face is photoshopped onto the body.

[Alisamer]

13 minutes ago, pupper said:

That photo kind of looks like the woman's face is photoshopped onto the body.

I think it looks like a fanboy running into his favorite adult film actress after delivering lunch to the film shoot location, and asking for a photo.

(I don't mean that in a bad way - it's just the mismatch between her outfit and look and his. She looks like she's going out clubbing and he looks like he just got back from shopping at Home Depot. Somebody needs to tell Jillrod the tale of Maranatha's marriage and then show her this saying "and this is her daughter..." her head would explode.)

[JermajestyDuggar]

29 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I think it looks like a fanboy running into his favorite adult film actress after delivering lunch to the film shoot location, and asking for a photo.

(I don't mean that in a bad way - it's just the mismatch between her outfit and look and his. She looks like she's going out clubbing and he looks like he just got back from shopping at Home Depot. Somebody needs to tell Jillrod the tale of Maranatha's marriage and then show her this saying "and this is her daughter..." her head would explode.)

I notice this basically everywhere. It seems like every prom, homecoming, or wedding will have a couple where the female is much more dressed up than the male. What’s funny is in my relationship, it’s the opposite! My husband will often be more dressed up than me in social events because you can pry my leggings out of my cold dead hands. 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

3 hours ago, Bethella said:

Once he married Maranatha, he had what he wanted and could leave the religion. 

I mean, he treated Lauren the exact same way his wife was treated, and he was heavily involved in promoting patriarchy and child-marriage into the 2010s: 

https://homeschoolersanonymous.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/matthew-chapman-to-headline-the-2014-cheo-convention/

I suspect it was more the pushback he got for publicizing his daughter's marriage, as well as finding another subculture to go all-in on, that drew him out of overt fundamentalism.

[hoipolloi]

4 hours ago, Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing said:

Didn’t she name her daughter Living Hope? Or am I remembering wrong? 

Here's a list, presumably in birth order from oldest to youngest:

[Howl]

1 hour ago, pupper said:

That photo kind of looks like the woman's face is photoshopped onto the body.

yes, it looks a LOT like Melania.  But, it's Zion Hope herself, based on other photos with other women all dressed and posed in a similar way. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I just looked at Zion’s FB and she just had a baby. I think that pic is a post baby pic. Dang girl. I don’t think she’s married since she’s still a Chapman and the baby daddy is names Lexton Wilson.

[JermajestyDuggar]

5 hours ago, Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing said:

Didn’t she name her daughter Living Hope? Or am I remembering wrong? 

Her oldest is “Livi” so I’m guessing that’s short for Living. Her younger daughter is Milo Jose. No idea why she went with more masculine sounding names. 

[fundiefan]

Yes, her daughter's name is Living Hope. I think her son is older - he's Caleb. I vaguely remember reading somewhere (probably here) that she had a 3rd but I don't know that one's name. 

And wow. That cross-fit must be a mighty powerful cult to suck the Champans out of fundie-dom. I wonder if there was a pop like a cork when they all changed their allegiance? 

I suspect Matthew never truly believed the religious aspect, but took great chest thumping joy in the patriarchy part of it all. Not only with his wife, but it obviously went on long enough for him to marry off his teenage daughter to an older man. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by fundiefan

[Bluebirdbluebell]

My memory is that Lauren got married at 16 because Texas changed the laws and wouldn't let a much older man marry a 15 year old.  (16 was the new minimum age.) I remember the Chapmans were sad the daughter couldn't be married at the same age as her mother.

Both Lauren and Marantha have my sympathies as young girls stuck in marriages to much older men. It's abusive as all get out. I hope Lauren continues to free herself from fundies, patriarchies, and cults.

Living Hope is very fundie and Christian name. I try not to judge names unless they're an attempt to show off fundamentalism. 

[Howl]

One can have fundie beliefs out the kazoo and also be seriously into CrossFit. 

Not all hard-core patriarchal Christians are into Quiverfull or crazy modest dress. 

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Dang girl. I don’t think she’s married since she’s still a Chapman and the baby daddy is names Lexton Wilson.

I don't see a wedding ring on him.  Zion Hope has a ton of Wilson facebook friends. 

[smittykins]

On 11/15/2021 at 11:24 AM, Alisamer said:

Basically she was 13 when much older dude told her dad he wanted to marry her, dad made her dress in her wedding dress and sit around waiting to be whisked away to her wedding, and they got married when she was 15 and I think he was 28. She looked younger, he looked older. The whole thing was creepy.

And before the whole “wait around in her wedding dress” thing, there was a “betrothal ceremony” which was actually a civil wedding before a judge.

[meep]

Anxiously awaiting this tea...

[erunerune]

Lauren is no longer promoting a fundie lifestyle (which is great) and I wish her the best. Although my husband can verify that I am now demanding a seaside flat in Istanbul as a result of her recent move. FWIW owning property in Turkey 🇹🇷 is an easy way to gain a second passport which hey you never know could be useful. 
 

Also the Micklers sold the TX house which would maybe explain Turkish real estate purchase I suspect ex is in Istanbul too because remote working.

[Howl]

On 11/15/2021 at 12:23 PM, NachosFlandersStyle said:

I have no idea what it costs to live in Istanbul -- is the exchange rate favorable?

The Turkish lira is currently in freefall, many economists think Erdogan is instituting a monetary policy that will make things worse, but that may mean US dollars go a lot further! 

Where were we?  Oh, right! DIVORCE.  Just came across this woman on twitter, who champions Life-Saving Divorce for Christians.  She's still a devout Christian, met her husband at Wheaton College, did the Christian dating thing, did everything right that should have resulted in the perfect marriage. 

Her blog: What is a Life-Saving Divorce?

Her book: The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships

 

[Antipatriarch]

4 hours ago, Howl said:

DIVORCE.  Just came across this woman on twitter, who champions Life-Saving Divorce for Christians.  She's still a devout Christian, met her husband at Wheaton College, did the Christian dating thing, did everything right that should have resulted in the perfect marriage. 

If you haven't seen Natalie Hoffman's blog/book/Twitter she has a similar ministry; her ex was an abusive narcissist. She was excommunicated by Bethlehem Baptist in Mpls. (Piper's church) for daring to give up on their process (and the marriage) without their permission.

https://www.flyingfreenow.com/

https://twitter.com/flyfreenatalie