Maxwell 43: Divesting from the First Church of Stevehovah Reversalist

[MamaJunebug]

7 hours ago, sparkles said:

? Oh yeah, not much of my very limited Jewish education stuck with me (I walked out of Hebrew school class when I was 12 and never went back) but I do know deep down that there's more to it than just dressing up. But to be fair, I have quite a few synagogues as freelance design clients (you get one and boy, do they network!) and even they emphasize the more secular Halloween-ish aspects of Purim. Costumes, candy, games, the whole um…Megillah (groan…so, so sorry ?)

Oh, NO apologies needed!!!!  There's one of the things I love about the Jewish community, the networking.  My Karen-friend was just really feeling her oats about her job as tour guide, I think. 

Did I ever mention the time I visited a medical professional who was quizzing me about my symptoms and without thinking, I said, "yes, the whole megillah" and he was so startled that I was startled! But all worked out very well  - he was a great pro and we had a wonderful doctor-patient relationship. 

[Joe Pukepail]

On 10/14/2020 at 1:57 PM, Black Aliss said:

It's not just you. Catching the oldest sister as she scratches the back of her head? That's borderline catty. Surely there were better photos, or a person experienced with Photoshop could have merged photos into one where everyone looked good.

If Christopher's Photoshop skills are equal to his photography skills, we would likely end up with something like this:

 

[Joe Pukepail]

On 10/19/2020 at 7:59 AM, Tangy Bee said:

Wait...Bible time is after supper? I would get so sleepy trying to read and concentrate. There are pastors, nuns, and priests that actually have things fun they do outside of church.

Medieval style self-flagellation is probably too much f*n for this crew.

[Bethy]

On 10/29/2020 at 6:45 PM, kpmom said:

And don't forget they also sold her earlier books when they were still doing their dog and pony shows around the country.

A few FJers who attended their shows said people were buying their books (Sarah's, Teri's and Steve's) by the armful.

Apparently they're also sold in Christian bookstores, and of course through the Titus2 web site.

I have a hunch, no proof just a hunch, that Sarah has made some pretty good money off these books. 

Yes, she built a significant fan base in the dog and pony days, big families where if the oldest were Moody-reader age (y'know, birth to 27) in the early 2000s when she was writing them, then the younger sibs grew up with them too and are going to want the Finding Whatever series even if the original readers don't. And think about it...if you have fourteen kids, there's a good chance you're literally going to wear certain books out because you've read them so many times, or wreck them because the resident baby has spit up, or somebody chucked it in the toilet, or whatever, and you've got to have a replacement because these are the ONLY books your kids are allowed to read, so where do you go? Back to the Maxwells to get more. I'm sure she's sold multiples of the same books to some families.

[Joe Pukepail]

3 hours ago, Bethy said:

Yes, she built a significant fan base in the dog and pony days, big families where if the oldest were Moody-reader age (y'know, birth to 27) in the early 2000s when she was writing them, then the younger sibs grew up with them too and are going to want the Finding Whatever series even if the original readers don't. And think about it...if you have fourteen kids, there's a good chance you're literally going to wear certain books out because you've read them so many times, or wreck them because the resident baby has spit up, or somebody chucked it in the toilet, or whatever, and you've got to have a replacement because these are the ONLY books your kids are allowed to read, so where do you go? Back to the Maxwells to get more. I'm sure she's sold multiples of the same books to some families.

I don't want children, but there are books I remember very fondly from my childhood, and if I had a kid, I would absolutely buy new copies to share the love. If the average first generation Moody reading family had five kids, and each of those kids has five kids, that's a lot of potential book sales, considering the low overhead involved.

[fundiefan]

Anna's birthday post. New age, same post. Only this time they completely left out anything about her that isn't all about god. No cooking - with spices, y'all! - and no project/cleaning/organization planning. Didn't even mention her "IT" work this time. 

I guess her world is getting smaller and smaller. Shocker.

[SPHASH]

1 hour ago, fundiefan said:

Anna's birthday post. New age, same post. Only this time they completely left out anything about her that isn't all about god. No cooking - with spices, y'all! - and no project/cleaning/organization planning. Didn't even mention her "IT" work this time. 

I guess her world is getting smaller and smaller. Shocker.

And no mention on how she likes her coffee.

[anjulibai]

It's interesting that they've stopped listing Anna and Mary's ages in their birthday posts. They didn't stop doing that with Sarah until she'd turned 30. I think it's saying something that they want to hide Anna and Mary's ages. 

[LurkerOverThePond]

29 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

And no mention on how she likes her coffee.

Or her heart for the unborn. Never, ever forget her acting masterpiece as a fetus!

[Jana814]

36 minutes ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

Or her heart for the unborn. Never, ever forget her acting masterpiece as a fetus!

That was just creepy!  

[sparkles]

Anna always struck me as someone who probably would have made a great pioneer wife. She doesn’t seem to mind getting into the nitty gritty of things and I think she’s the one who gets involved with more “manly man” stuff. I picture her in the Conchetta Ferrell role in “Heartland” (which, if you haven’t seen it, is an underrated gem.)

Happy Birthday, Anna. I hope you’re truly happy with your life because I’d hate to think you aren’t but don’t believe you have any way to escape without losing your family.

[NancyDrewFan1989]

5 hours ago, fundiefan said:

Anna's birthday post. New age, same post. Only this time they completely left out anything about her that isn't all about god. No cooking - with spices, y'all! - and no project/cleaning/organization planning. Didn't even mention her "IT" work this time. 

I guess her world is getting smaller and smaller. Shocker.

I'm now starting to doubt Anna will marry at this point. She is at fundie spinster age and there seems to be no man in site. The past couple years when Anna and Mary went on their mission trip I had hoped that this meant one or both of them had met a man whom they were planning to marry. But, now I doubt it for Anna. Mary maybe. I guess Steve and Teri depend on Anna's birthday being the perfect distraction to Halloween for everyone in the compound.

[Bluebirdbluebell]

For a long time, I didn't believe all the Maxwell girls were truly stuck. Just because Sarah was single didn't mean none of them would get married. I thought FJ and other snark sites were overly cynical, because they assumed all the girls would be single forever. People were speculating this from the beginning. Sarah is ten, almost eleven years older than Anna and fifteen and a half years old than Mary, and it used to bother me that people assumed they wouldn't be able to get married, especially as they were still very young.

It's been at least 5 years since I first heard of the Maxwells and there's a good chance I may be wrong. 

Steve's sons are probably the most successful fundie boys. Most of them owe their homes,  are able to provide for their families, Swift Otter is booming, good fundie wives and beautiful children.  (Swift Otter hired 2 new people, since I last checked.)

Steve's girls are maybe the least succesful from the fundie perspective. Not one of them is married.  The non-fundie perspective is the girls lack autonomy. 

[CyborgKin]

They sure are good at recycling posts!

On 10/25/2020 at 11:17 AM, browngrl said:

Is this weird? I always do this. I only use the password because facial recognition doesn't work because of things like low light. Is this yet another way I'm just like Teri? Oh dear...

It's weird that Teri's doing something so normal and embracing technology that's far more arcane than a word processor or a spreadsheet.  I think part of me expected the Maxwells would find the idea of teaching a computer to recognise their faces to be a bit too spooky  

So it's only weird because it's normal and she's not being weird, when normally she's weird.  Not being weird just isn't normal.  So that's weird.  Well, not really weird, just mildly notable.

[Nothing if not critical]

16 hours ago, Joe Pukepail said:

I don't want children, but there are books I remember very fondly from my childhood, and if I had a kid, I would absolutely buy new copies to share the love. If the average first generation Moody reading family had five kids, and each of those kids has five kids, that's a lot of potential book sales, considering the low overhead involved.

I completely understand the sentiment, but my experience with my kids has been that, sadly, a lot of children's books don't age well. About the only books my kids enjoyed as much as I did were the various Astrid Lindgren stories, and maybe Anne of Green Gables. All the others turned out to be either too stuffy or too racist/sexist/whatever.

On the bright side, I discovered a whole new world of stories together with my kids by reading the newer stuff to them. It also didn't hurt that I was already a huge Harry Potter fan by the time I had them - instant bonding potential. Nowadays both the kids and I are mostly into fan fiction and we swap recommendations. They have great taste! 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

1 hour ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

For a long time, I didn't believe all the Maxwell girls were truly stuck. Just because Sarah was single didn't mean none of them would get married. I thought FJ and other snark sites were overly cynical, because they assumed all the girls would be single forever. People were speculating this from the beginning. Sarah is ten, almost eleven years older than Anna and fifteen and a half years old than Mary, and it used to bother me that people assumed they wouldn't be able to get married, especially as they were still very young.

It's been at least 5 years since I first heard of the Maxwells and there's a good chance I may be wrong. 

Steve's sons are probably the most successful fundie boys. Most of them owe their homes,  are able to provide for their families, Swift Otter is booming, good fundie wives and beautiful children.  (Swift Otter hired 2 new people, since I last checked.)

Steve's girls are maybe the least succesful from the fundie perspective. Not one of them is married.  The non-fundie perspective is the girls lack autonomy. 

This makes me sad. What is worse is that they've been raised to believe their only purpose is to be a wife and mother. They let Sarah get a dog as a consolation prize for not being a wife and mother. Then her only chance to experience having children of her own was ruined due to Steve and Sarah's own ignorance. I have a feeling that very soon Anna and Mary will have their own dogs, but they will be more successful with having puppies since they may have learned a thing or two from the pyometra fiasco with Ellie. Please don't think I am saying that single woman having a dog is a sad thing. But, in the case of Sarah Maxwell (and probably Anna and Mary) it is as their dad insists on keeping them locked in a little bubble of his own that will never be popped by a man because of his tight gripped views.

[fundiefan]

The girls, and Sarah, have no chance of ever marrying. Any man with any interest has to get through Steve first. And everyone knows that ain't gonna' happen. 

Rules & restrictions are the whole of his suiter questionnaire. There is no way even the most fundie of fundies could ever get through. 

[kpmom]

2 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

For a long time, I didn't believe all the Maxwell girls were truly stuck. Just because Sarah was single didn't mean none of them would get married. I thought FJ and other snark sites were overly cynical, because they assumed all the girls would be single forever. People were speculating this from the beginning. Sarah is ten, almost eleven years older than Anna and fifteen and a half years old than Mary, and it used to bother me that people assumed they wouldn't be able to get married, especially as they were still very young.

It's been at least 5 years since I first heard of the Maxwells and there's a good chance I may be wrong. 

Steve's sons are probably the most successful fundie boys. Most of them owe their homes,  are able to provide for their families, Swift Otter is booming, good fundie wives and beautiful children.  (Swift Otter hired 2 new people, since I last checked.)

Steve's girls are maybe the least succesful from the fundie perspective. Not one of them is married.  The non-fundie perspective is the girls lack autonomy. 

I don't know whether they'll marry or not, but I've always thought they were stuck due to the fact that marriage or living at home were their only options.  Steve made it a family rule early on that all the children would live at home until they married. 

  And the only way they will get married is if an eligible man first approaches Steve, and if he gets passed him (no small feat) only then can he start the courting process.

To me, it's not the fact that they're single that makes them stuck, it's that it's one of only two options open to them.  And one of those options (marriage) is not even something they can go out an pursue.

 

 

 

 

[sparkles]

I think Anna and Mary will be married off, but we won’t know about it until it happens. Ever since Elizabeth dumped Joe, there haven’t been any courtship announcements and if not for FJers uncovering some interesting info regarding housing or registries or the families of the betrothed spilling the beans, Steve has kept things locked down tight. We really have no idea what going on in Maxwell other than what they show us in their very carefully curated, dead boring blog posts. So I’m pretty sure we’ll wake up one day to news of a surprise wedding if only because three marriageable but unmarried daughters is very, very bad for the brand. And I’m equally sure that their courtship story, if we ever get one, will reveal nothing of substance. I will say though that I don’t think Steve would marry one of them off to someone who wasn’t going to be a good provider, so they’d either have a decent career or their own thriving business. I don’t see a husband with yet another Christ-honoring lawn or tree service in Anna or Mary’s future. (ETA: Not that those can’t be good businesses, but in fundie world, if you throw a rock, you’ll hit a hundred of them.)

Edited October 31, 2020 by sparkles

[Bluebirdbluebell]

11 minutes ago, kpmom said:

I don't know whether they'll marry or not, but I've always thought they were stuck due to the fact that marriage or living at home were their only options.  Steve made it a family rule early on that all the children would live at home until they married. 

  And the only way they will get married is if an eligible man first approaches Steve, and if he gets passed him (no small feat) only then can he start the courting process.

To me, it's not the fact that they're single that makes them stuck, it's that it's one of only two options open to them.  And one of those options (marriage) is not even something they can go out an pursue.

I agree with you. I was trying to say this is my post. I haven't ruled out marriage for any of them, but it's looks more doubtful as time goes on. 

I also agree about their limited options. This is from my earlier post:

3 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

Steve's girls are maybe the least succesful from the fundie perspective. Not one of them is married.  The non-fundie perspective is the girls lack autonomy. 

 

[kpmom]

11 minutes ago, sparkles said:

 I will say though that I don’t think Steve would marry one of them off to someone who wasn’t going to be a good provider, so they’d either have a decent career or their own thriving business. I don’t see a husband with yet another Christ-honoring lawn or tree service in Anna or Mary’s future. (ETA: Not that those can’t be good businesses, but in fundie world, if you throw a rock, you’ll hit a hundred of them.)

Agree.

It would be almost impossible for Steve to go on and on about sons owning their own homes (or having enough money to do so), and then turn around and allow one of his daughters to marry a man who does not (or is not capable of) owning his own home.

And who knows what other "rules" he has for future husbands.  It whittles down an already pretty small field.

[Melissa1977]

20 hours ago, sparkles said:

Anna always struck me as someone who probably would have made a great pioneer wife. She doesn’t seem to mind getting into the nitty gritty of things and I think she’s the one who gets involved with more “manly man” stuff. I picture her in the Conchetta Ferrell role in “Heartland” (which, if you haven’t seen it, is an underrated gem.)

Happy Birthday, Anna. I hope you’re truly happy with your life because I’d hate to think you aren’t but don’t believe you have any way to escape without losing your family.

Well, she was the brightest Maxwell child and even thought about college, but was brainwashed to forget about it. Today, she could be a chemist like mom, or an ingenieer like dad or a real IT like her brothers pretend to be. But she babysits nephews and cleans cabinets and cooks leftovers, and while all of these is fine, it's sad she couldn't choose another path. 

[SassyPants]

I agree with the notion that if females are stuck in the house and in some cases like the Duggars, have to have a buddy or their parent in order to travel or attend certain, age appropriate events, how are they ever supposed to meet someone if they aren't married off by 25?

While Sarah and Jana Duggar might be of the thought that single and not having to deal with anyone else’s problems/messes might sound like a decent life, but really, that will never be their realities if they continue to live at home. 
So unless these ladies move out, I think the chances of those 2 ever meeting anyone and marrying is pretty low.

How old is Anna? She is close to being in the same boat. Where are these ladies supposed to meet eligible men? Most fundies of those ages are married. I suppose there are many males Bates and Duggars, but I’m thinking those families, especially the Duggars, would be a hard no for Steve; far too worldly and far too close to Josh Duggar. Also, the Duggars lack apparent skills and worth ethic.
 

I don’t know why I think this, but Mary doesn’t really present as the motherly type. I don’t think she’s unhappy with her lot. Anna, OTOH, seems a natural. 

Edited November 1, 2020 by SassyPants

[Hane]

@sparkles, “Heartland” is one of my all-time favorite movies! I’m sad that it’s so little known. It’s also one of those rare cases in which the movie was infinitely better than the book it was based on, a journal that dripped of early-1900s sentimentality despite the very real courage and gumption of its author.

Letters of a Woman Homesteader

[Bluebirdbluebell]

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

I agree with the notion that if females are stuck in the house and in some cases like the Duggars, have to have a buddy or their parent in order to travel or attend certain, age appropriate events, how are they ever supposed to meet someone if they aren't married off by 25?

While Sarah and Jana Duggar might be of the thought that single and not having to deal with anyone else’s problems/messes might sound like a decent life, but really, that will never be their realities if they continue to live at home. 
So unless these ladies move out, I think the chances of those 2 ever meeting anyone and marrying is pretty low.

How old is Anna? She is close to being in the same boat. Where are these ladies supposed to meet eligible men? Most fundies of those ages are married. I suppose there are many males Bates and Duggars, but I’m thinking those families, especially the Duggars, would be a hard no for Steve; far too worldly and far too close to Josh Duggar. Also, the Duggars lack apparent skills and worth ethic.
 

I don’t know why I think this, but Mary doesn’t really present as the motherly type. I don’t think she’s unhappy with her lot. Anna, OTOH, seems a natural. 

I doubt Jana Duggar is as isolated as the Maxwell ladies. She seems to travel or at least she did before the pandemic.  Her family always seems to have friends over and they seem to meet people more. Plus JB seems a little more flexible in his requirements for a suitor. At this point he'd probably let Jana marry any conservative Christian just so she'd be married. 

The Maxwell girls don't seem to meet people that often. They go to church, but work with kids. They do some mission work. Occasionally Steve and Teri have friends over (maybe friends with bedbugs?). Their world seems more insular. Their chances of meeeting people seem to be 

1. church, where Steve doesn't necessarily think people are Christian enough
2. Chelsy's family camp assuming they can go. 
3. Swift Otter, where Joseph hires non-family to work there. 
4. Maybe those mission trips, but that seems unlikely.