Spanky Sproul 4: Wicked, Wicked Deeds

[forgetmenow]

8 hours ago, older than allosaurs said:

I've always liked the phrase folie à deux. I associate it with besotted lovers who've lost all touch with objective reality. Wikipedia says "Folie à deux ('madness for two'), also known as shared psychosis or shared delusional disorder (SDD), is a psychiatric syndrome in which symptoms of a delusional belief, and sometimes hallucinations, are transmitted from one individual to another." Is that what's going on here?

Interesting thought!

Weirdly, I was close to two people that I fully believe wound up sharing folie à deux.  It ended two lifelong friendships for me and it was an unsettling and sometimes scary situation at its peak.  I believe that the pair that I knew fit into the subcategory referred to as folie imposée (a dominant personality imposes their delusions on the other, but with separation the delusions disappear from the non-dominant person).    Until just now, I assumed that was the only manifestation of this illness. 

I just saw, though, that there's another type, folie simultanée.*  If Spanky and #2 suffer from it, judging solely from what they've put out for public consumption, I would believe it's this one, as both parties seem to have had serious problems prior to meeting, which have only gotten more public, if not more severe.

It is a weird, horrible thing to witness firsthand.

*two people considered to suffer independently from psychosis influence the content of each other's delusions so they become identical or strikingly similar, or one in which two people "morbidly predisposed" to delusional psychosis mutually trigger symptoms in each other.

Edited September 23, 2020 by forgetmenow
clarification

[Katzchen24]

7 hours ago, Banyan said:

Has RC Sproul Jr gone completely insane?

That's quite the read. What an appalling pair. I'd say they fully deserve each other if it wasn't for the children, particularly any minor children they still have under their roof. 

I must admit, I hadn't fully understood what blanket training is. I've seen it referenced many times on FJ, but if what is outlined in this article is correct, then it's horrific. RC (and anyone else who uses/used this) should be deeply, deeply, ashamed of themselves. I have a VERY strong urge to put him on a blanket with a bottle of finest single malt sitting just out of reach.........

[Banyan]

Really insightful comment in the latest Spinderella article.

Quote

"Lisa had three failed marriages due to infidelities of her husband's." Why is this the first Lisa has ever claimed that all three of her prior husbands cheated on her? She's never said until now even one of them cheated on her. Now suddenly it's all three? She's said #3 was a medical doctor and was convicted over some prescription drug fraud thing. He went to prison and that's what caused the divorce. Never before now anything about infidelity from the doctor or the others. You guys have said here and previously that Sproul gave up his ordination because his denomination wouldn't give their blessing on the marriage because none of Lisa's divorces were for biblical causes. IOW adultery by her husbands. If her husbands had cheated on her why didn't she make that claim back then so Sproul wouldn't have to turn in his ordination? Why wait until now to say it? I find it all really suspicious. Lisa waits until now to tell us she's a 3X victim of cheating husbands while she's also accusing Denise of adultery? I'm not buying any of it. What's probably going on here is called projection. IOW it's probably Lisa who's the cheater. She's projecting her own cheating onto Denise. Disgusting enough as it is. But Sproul goes along with it? Yup, the man has obviously lost his mind. They're both pathological liars too.

I'd missed that until Disgustipate brought it up. But it is true, right? I don't recall Lisa ever mentioning anything prior about any of her ex's cheating on her. It really is strange that she decides to only now make that accusation.

[Howl]

Y'all, thanks so much for delving into the possibly psychopathologies of RC and Lisa.  Looking at Lisa's histrionics about saints rejoicing and subsequently being attacked by demons and Satan, their "God-breathed" marriage, going on and on about being under attack, God, God, God,  the words "grandiose" and "grandiosity" came to mind.  

Also, thanks for the link to the most recent Spinderella Sproul post. 

[Fallgirl30]

She’s got a post on FB about how one of his daughters stope her bank card and also made that review on Amazon. So she claims the review is fake.  I don’t know about the veracity of any of it but yes they have lost their minds.

[Howl]

From the Spinderella Sproul post: 

Quote

Our warnings [about RC] went largely unheeded and we were routinely condemned as being "hateful and bitter," including by ministers like James McDonald (who ordained RC Jr in his Presbyterian denomination after RC Jr had already been defrocked).

I'm terrible at remembering details, but also James McDonald + Stacy have never really been on my fj my radar.  Now I understand the significance of James calling out RC, Jr. 

Someone queried James McD on the facebook thread about whether he  had contacted Spanky personally and James said he had. 

1 hour ago, Fallgirl30 said:

She’s got a post on FB about how one of his daughters stole her bank card and also made that review on Amazon. So she claims the review is fake.  I don’t know about the veracity of any of it but yes they have lost their minds.

Hmmmm, it sure sounded like Lisa.  And the possibility that one of Lisa's daughters would find an obscure book by Denise and then write a bizarrely detailed review denigrating Denise and outing RC as a ghost writer, seems ...farfetched WTAF is going on with these people? And what does any of that have to do with a stolen bank card?  The crazy...

For the people who lost Denise and still mourn her passing, and have lost access to some of their grandchildren and siblings, this is just more pain. 

[hoipolloi]

5 hours ago, Banyan said:

I don't recall Lisa ever mentioning anything prior about any of her ex's cheating on her.

I only remember her talking about the Rx-fraud doctor husband who went to prison. IIRC, that created major financial complications for her, not surprisingly, which took years to untangle. Money & property issues were the focus of her comments, though -- not a word about infidelity.

If she's said anything at all about the other two husbands, I've missed it.

 

[forgetmenow]

3 hours ago, Howl said:

Y'all, thanks so much for delving into the possibly psychopathologies of RC and Lisa.  Looking at Lisa's histrionics about saints rejoicing and subsequently being attacked by demons and Satan, their "God-breathed" marriage, going on and on about being under attack, God, God, God,  the words "grandiose" and "grandiosity" came to mind.  

Also, thanks for the link to the most recent Spinderella Sproul post. 

Yes!  Grandiosity is the perfect word/condition for the following post.  I mean, we talk about JRod and Beansie, but Ol' #2 takes it to a whole 'nother level, lol.

Spoiler

2 hours ago, Fallgirl30 said:

She’s got a post on FB about how one of his daughters stope her bank card and also made that review on Amazon. So she claims the review is fake.  I don’t know about the veracity of any of it but yes they have lost their minds.

Apparently, she forgot that she posted this only a day or two before the review went up ("Her book, his voice"):

Spoiler

23 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

I only remember her talking about the Rx-fraud doctor husband who went to prison. IIRC, that created major financial complications for her, not surprisingly, which took years to untangle. Money & property issues were the focus of her comments, though -- not a word about infidelity.

If she's said anything at all about the other two husbands, I've missed it.

 

This is her (lurid) account of the dissolution of her 3rd marriage.  Make of it what you will, but at one point, she claims, "that was God speaking through me."  Clearly, her husband was into some very bad stuff, things that would be a deal-breaker for me personally, but I sure would be curious to hear his side of things.

https://thepurposedrivenwife.com/hearing-god?blogcategory=Hardship

Apologies if I'm coming across as pedantic with all the links and screenshots, but it's just so tempting because she posts so darn much unbalanced overshare.

[older than allosaurs]

25 minutes ago, forgetmenow said:

 

  Hide contents

 

Apparently, she forgot that she posted this only a day or two before the review went up ("Her book, his voice"):

  Hide contents

 

This is her (lurid) account of the dissolution of her 3rd marriage.  Make of it what you will, but at one point, she claims, "that was God speaking through me."  Clearly, her husband was into some very bad stuff, things that would be a deal-breaker for me personally, but I sure would be curious to hear his side of things.

https://thepurposedrivenwife.com/hearing-god?blogcategory=Hardship

Apologies if I'm coming across as pedantic with all the links and screenshots, but it's just so tempting because she posts so darn much unbalanced overshare.

One of Lisa's children said on Facebook recently that Lisa cheated on all three prior husbands. I believe the post has been made private since -- at least I don't see it -- so I won't elaborate.

[hoipolloi]

1 hour ago, forgetmenow said:

Apologies if I'm coming across as pedantic with all the links and screenshots, but it's just so tempting because she posts so darn much unbalanced overshare.

No worries. Thank you for the details -- went off my imperfect memory because, honestly, I couldn't be arsed to wade through all of their shite online.

ETA: The comments on James' FB are still going, including this latest from Stacy. It's lengthy but this is relevant to our recent discussion:

Quote

As an aside, I also knew your new wife, Lisa, before you did - in a business setting. And she called me several times to get counsel about the problems she was having in her third marriage. She had a LOT of complaints about her husband, but she didn't say a single word about infidelity in all of her ranting. Interesting.

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by hoipolloi

[Howl]

Quote

For the past four years, we have seen a downward spiral on the part of RC. My former friend is showing all the signs of a narcissist. 

Oh, James.  If you'd only only been a bit more discerning and not admitted a defrocked pastor and and raging alcoholic into your church in the first place.  The red flags were there long before he married Lisa. 

Interesting to know that RC was strongly warned away from Lisa before they married. But the heart narcissist wants what the heart narcissist wants. 

There is no amount of damage control that can salvage RC/Lisa at this point. For all the reasons discussed upthread, RC/Lisa can't control themselves on social media; it will only get worse. 

Also, I didn't have this twist on my 2020 Dystopian Hellscape Bingo Card, but it's diversion from the political crazy. 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Howl

[hoipolloi]

12 minutes ago, Howl said:

Oh, James.  If you'd only only been a bit more discerning and not admitted a defrocked pastor and and raging alcoholic into your church in the first place.  The red flags were there long before he married Lisa. 

Well, yes.

James, Doug Phillips & Spanky were all BFFs for a long time -- for decades, as Stacy says in her FB post. Plenty of people saw how terrible DPIART & Spanky were decades ago, and it wasn't just FJ. James and Stacy, though, never seemed to have a problem with any of it, possibly because they were making bank on the VF events, catalogues, and the fundie grifter circuit of homeschooling conferences.

James & Stacy are repudiating Spanky now -- better late than never & some credit is due, I guess -- but they enabled him and other co-grifters like DPIART for many years. I haven't forgotten.

[forgetmenow]

Btw, regarding the Amazon review "hacking", I bookmarked her Amazon public profile when the book review was still up and there were only ever two reviews there - one for Denise's book and one for a journal.  Her nebulous accusation of someone stealing her bank card and leaving two reviews, three months apart, is just bizarre.

[Banyan]

2 hours ago, older than allosaurs said:

One of Lisa's children said on Facebook recently that Lisa cheated on all three prior husbands. I believe the post has been made private since -- at least I don't see it -- so I won't elaborate.

Not surprising. Do you recall which daughter? Is that the same daughter that posted that Spanky took some of her mom's opioids the night of his drunk driving arrest?

[hoipolloi]

James has more to say:

[Katzchen24]

2 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

James has more to say:

It sounds like RC and Lisa are far better at (re)writing their pasts than ghost writing anything.

TBH, the impression I'm getting is that they're desperately trying to twist the realities of their lives to conform with the message of biblical godliness they've preached for so long. If they admit they aren't treading the narrow path dictated by the bible, then they have to genuinely admit that they're the sinners. That would never do for the grand patriarch RC or Queen Lisa. Mix that cognitive dissonance in with whatever effect the alcoholism is having, and you end up with the public shitshow that is RC and Lisa.

[Howl]

16 minutes ago, Katzchen24 said:

If they admit they aren't treading the narrow path dictated by the bible, then they have to genuinely admit that they're the sinners. 

They'd be fine if the didn't air out their crazy out on public media. They can't do that, so now they are exposed as liars who utterly lack compassion and empathy.  I am so, so concerned for those two boys, who are cooped up in the house with them 24-7 and weren't socializing with kids their own age even before the pandemic. 

[Katzchen24]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

They'd be fine if the didn't air out their crazy out on public media. They can't do that, so now they are exposed as liars who utterly lack compassion and empathy.  I am so, so concerned for those two boys, who are cooped up in the house with them 24-7 and weren't socializing with kids their own age even before the pandemic. 

Living in a house with a revisionist history of their parents being played out in front of them would be horrible and confusing and  so damaging for the children. I'm with you on the level of concern. 

[hoipolloi]

3 hours ago, Howl said:

I am so, so concerned for those two boys, who are cooped up in the house with them 24-7 and weren't socializing with kids their own age even before the pandemic. 

ITA. I don't give a rat's ass about Spanky & Lisa. They can go to hell and I hope they do.

The boys, though, need to be removed from that hellhole of a home, like yesterday. Not sure of both boys' ages but one just turned 15, so it may be a while before they could leave as legal adults.

[hoipolloi]

Another day, another version of her marital history - from Lisa on FB:

[Howl]

Oooh, a public AND a private wedding, which I'm reading as "we had sex before our formal wedding ceremony, so to make it OK, we had a 'private ceremony' that made premarital sex godly." These people make me SO CYNICAL.   

One of Michael Pearl's offspring did the "private ceremony" thing as well. 

I'm very curious to know what happened to that dedicated church family.  Maybe they still all go to that church (or did pre-pandemic) but it's nothing they've emphasized.  

Edited September 24, 2020 by Howl

[hoipolloi]

18 minutes ago, Howl said:

One of Michael Pearl's offspring did the "private ceremony" thing as well. 

That would be Shoshanna, who actually married three times -- a "private" marriage, a "covenant" marriage, and a REAL marriage.

[DomWackTroll]

@hoipolloi, and under that post is another about people who have "religious spirits": "A religious spirit develops a harsh, judgmental attitude toward sinners, yet those who ingest this poison typically struggle with sinful habits that they cannot admit to anyone else."

This is an obvious threat to James and Stacy, that Spanky and Lisa are going to "tell" on them about something they know. James and Stacy are obviously not my favorite people, but I still find this abhorrent. 

[older than allosaurs]

If RC's problem was being stuck with "religion over relationships," the solution seems pretty simple: Ditch the religion. Shut down your "ministries." Get a plain old secular job.

Magically, your critics will shut right up. People don't care what you think and say as long as you aren't grifting in the name of God and mistreating any followers you manage to snag along the way.

Apologies to your children would be nice, too.

 

[Katzchen24]

 

"He showed up at my workplace unannounced..." "He snuck behind as I was waited [sic] for the elevator." He stalked me.

"A year later God moved R.C. Sproul Jr. to pursue me..." "This is ME pursuing YOU!" God had the hots for me. Or RC is God and had the hots for me.

There, fixed it for you Lisa.