Another turn on the ISB: What's going on with Faith Phillips

[justlurking]

Faith is another one of those "forgotten" middle Phillips' children; though she certainly seems to get a little more attention than poor Liberty and "Send out an Amber alert" Honor.

Anyway, as I was looking at Dougie's latest and greatest posting "Iona (brown sedan) of my heart" I noticed that in the group shot

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Faith appeared to be wearing a hat or scarf of some sort. This was confirmed after I "embiggened" the photo and it made me start to wonder.

In this photo Faith is wearing some weird, and LOUD headscarf:

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In this photo she's wearing another scarf:

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Headscarves don't appear to be fashionable within the group. Other than this silly family here:

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who are wearing the most ridiculous looking matching hats, no one else in the group seems to be into headgear.

That made me think...usually people who wear headscarves the way Faith is wearing hers do so because they've lost their hair due to some medical problem or as a result of medication. Do you think Faith may be sick or something?

[Deleted12]

You can see some hair poking out in the bottom photo, so she hasn't lost her hair.

Maybe the way kids rebel in that subculture is to become MORE fundie, and she's rebelling by headcovering. :P

[MamaJunebug]

I have a mch more optimistic/positive theory based mostly on the yellow scarf outfit: it's Faithy's rebellion, y'all. She can say that she feels convicted to headcover & use "what the lotd's laid on her heart" to show her individuality & I hope, desire for independence.

Apropos of nothing, isn't Honor a Phillips son?

[keeperrox]

Which one is she in the top picture?

[ThisOlGirl]

Does Faith Phillips have white-blond hair? She looks pretty fair-skinned, so maybe she sunburns easily, and mom covers her up for more than modesty reasons. If she has super blond hair and it's thin, it's possible her scalp is prone to sunburn.

And yes, those big white floppy hats look ridiculous. The only way that hat could be redeemed would be to pair it with a bell-bottomed, halter neck jumpsuit, some platform shoes, and giant sunglasses. And maybe not even then.

[hoipolloi]

Re: Honor. He's the 3rd youngest Phillips child (and 2nd to youngest boy). He'd seemed to me to be a favored companion of Dougie's, featured in many a blog post, until Miss Virginia Hope came along. Since Miss VH is terminally cute, and since no boy (especially one who's been preordained to become a manly man) could compete with that level of cuteness, poor Honor has now been relegated to the background...I hope that he's getting more attention than Doug's Blog seems to show him receiving.

Re: Faith & the other girls. I just assumed that Faith had adopted the use of "head coverings." Jubilee has always seemed to be the favored daughter of the older three although Liberty now seems to be featured more prominently, as might befit the oldest daughter. Will any of them -- including Miss VH -- be allowed to attend college like their mother and their aunts?

Re: Non sequitur - What did Iona have to do with the Normandy invasion?

[Wolfie]

It looks like Faith really has her own sense of style. It makes me wonder if she will one to break out of that lifestyle. (it kind of reminds me of some of the hippies around here :D )

[duplessis3]

We need to hook Faith up with some hijab wearing websites or some of the Jewish frum sites that show how to wear a head covering.

[Kitchen Princess]

Aren't the girls in hats above in Italy near the Vatican or something like that? I ask because Matt Lauer and Al Roker were in Italy recently and they were wearing white paper hats with a black band, which are sold on the square to tourists to protect them from the sun. I think those hats are the girl version.

[Annette]

I agree that it looks quite hippie! Hope she breaks the mold.

[tehgoobster]

I agree that it looks quite hippie! Hope she breaks the mold.

Maybe she's the free-spirited Phillips child. :)

[GenerationCedarchip]

Maybe she's the free-spirited Phillips child. :)

That's what I think, too. Since I have an overabundance of fundie relatives, I got one of my aunts to look her up in the Vision Forum catalog. Per my aunt, she has long, medium brown hair that is straight and looks fairly thick, so I'm guessing the scarves are not just for sun protection.

[MamaJunebug]

That's what I think, too. Since I have an overabundance of fundie relatives, I got one of my aunts to look her up in the Vision Forum catalog. Per my aunt, she has long, medium brown hair that is straight and looks fairly thick, so I'm guessing the scarves are not just for sun protection.

Wait, what??

The catalog has photos of the kids? Like, mail-order brides or something???

[duplessis3]

Who do you think modeled for "Brothers! Protect Your Sisters!"?

[zandria]

Longtime lurker here, delurking because of my Faith Phillips fandom.

She's long struck me as having a curious, creative mind, which unfortunately won't make her life easier in that culture.

Of all the information I've seen about her, the most in-depth look at her personality and the repercussions it causes comes from Doug's blog post of June 25, 2003. In it, he quotes "unwittingly whacky comments coming from our youngest daughter" (at the time, Faith).

He goes on to quote Faith trying to make sense of Holy Communion: "“Sheep Mommy says to the Sheep baby: ‘Take this cup, and drink it in remembrance of me.’†Then she added, “God loves everybody in the family, especially the girls, but not lions.†My comment: Interesting that a girl raised by fundies was able to conceive of God as female!

More sadly, Doug relates this story: "About a month ago, Beall spanked Faith (she gets the most of any child I have ever seen) for some atrocity to which she responded: “I’m going to go upstairs and tell God that you spanked me!†Beall told her that it was actually God that had told her that she had to spank little Faith. She responded that then, she’d “go tell Jesus.â€

Of course this little bit of disrespect merited another spanking and a dose of a theological discussion about who tells what to whom, and the glories of the Trinity, but that did not stop us from howling about it later in the night."

So, so funny, Doug. :x Of all the Phillips children, she may be having the hardest time. I like her spunk and creativity -- she's one fundie I'm rooting for.

[MamaJunebug]

Welcome, zandria. I remember reading that Doug's Blog and feeling sad for Faith.

Do you recall how old she would've been at that time, in 2003?

TIA for your research. I'm busy zapping spam, this morning. ;)

[zandria]

Hello MamaJunebug! I don't know the Phillips kids' precise ages, but the quotes from Faith in the blog post of 2003 sound age-appropriate for 3 or 4. If I'm correct, she'd be 11 or 12 now.

[MamaJunebug]

Thanks, zandria, she does look to be about that age now.

I was interested because it seems absolutely counterproductive to lecture a child on the Trinity as part of punishment - especially when said child is 3 or 4. Doug may have been exagerrating or writing for effect. If he wasn't, I'd consider it almost as damaging to a preschooler's faith to rattle on about doctrine, as it would be to simply tell her that there isn't really a god.

[treemom]

Hello MamaJunebug! I don't know the Phillips kids' precise ages, but the quotes from Faith in the blog post of 2003 sound age-appropriate for 3 or 4. If I'm correct, she'd be 11 or 12 now.

wow. My son is her age and he certainly wasn't playing in dirt when we were at the Roman Forum. Morecroft must be boring as hell.

[GenerationCedarchip]

Wait, what??

The catalog has photos of the kids? Like, mail-order brides or something???

The Phillips kids model for all the Vision Forum stuff in the catalog. I don't have one, but I've seen it and there were pictures of the boys playing with swords and stuff while the girls had a tea party with Beall. Per my aunt, there's a picture of Beall and the girls in a section called Beautiful Girlhood and it had a caption with everyone's names.

[JesusFightClub]

She's so cute! I love her headscarf and bright attire. That does look like a form of rebellion and as though she's a creative child. It's f'd up she's going to get it all squashed out of her :evil:

[MamaJunebug]

The bold prints like on her Rome skirt are a huge "modesty don't" among many of the headcoverers I used to cyber-hobnobwith. I hope Aunt Opera Singer is tight w/all the girls, but especially Faith. :)

ETA that bright colors were also frowned upon (the yellow scarf) and I doubt the celebrity-style, oversized shades would've passed muster. They weren't discussed, tho, IIRC.

[JesusFightClub]

MamaJunebug, that is so sad. She looks like such a happy wee girl.

Normally it depresses me to see fundiespring, but she looks like she has a bit of get up and go about her.

[MamaJunebug]

Oo, boy, y'all weren't kidding about the Phillipsines being models in the catalog. it's all on-line and so far my favorite item is this admonishment from Beall Phillips about why you should buy their made-in-China (which fact they kinda denied for quite some time) dollies:

"When a girl plays with a doll, she is preparing to be a mommy someday.

[descriptions of the merchandise and why it's a good purchase] Fill your daughter's childhood with memories to inspire her as she grows up to be a mommy." -- Beall Phillips

Well, that's nice. Beall, ma'am? Where's the part about inspiring my daughters to grow up to be an attorney like you are?

My second-favorite part: The wedding photo of Philip and Katie Bradrick. Philip is the less-scary-looking of the older Bradrick brothers, but God bless me, the fella has ears like Yoda!

Thus I shall affectionately refer to Yoda and his brother, Gargoyle, when I think to. Tch! So kewt..... Oh, and, if somebody wanted to give me a mean nickname based on my appearance? Baked Potato would do. :dance:

ETA a question the answer to which I can't believe I don't know: What's "ISB" ????

[JesusFightClub]

Mamajunebug...it is the Internet Speculation Bus, I think :)