"Above Rubies" magazine in a hospital!

[princessjo1988]

Went up to my local public hospital for an appointment and guess what I found in the magazine pile?

 

Above Rubies. This particular edition was stressing how excellent large families were, and how to save money (as part of a one worker family - no guesses as to who that worker was!). It was all I could do to hold back laughing!

 

I was very shocked as the urban/rural area in which I live doesn't really have a large fundie population and I have spent a lot of time in hospitals here, and have never seen one there before. Sneaky fundies!

 

I did sneak it into my purse and bring it home to chuck in the bin. But not before having a good snark session with my husband about it!

[emmiedahl]

The older issues are worth money on ebay. Check the date and sell it if it is worth anything.

[Aurora]

You did a valuable public service, Jo. Thank you.

[dawbs]

The older issues are worth money on ebay. Check the date and sell it if it is worth anything.

Who wants 'em?

[GenerationCedarchip]

Who wants 'em?

I seriously know people who hoard the old ones and girls will put these in their hope chests to take with them when they set up house.

[xDreamerx]

I seriously know people who hoard the old ones and girls will put these in their hope chests to take with them when they set up house.

Seriously? That's disturbing.

[princessjo1988]

Err- no I won't be on-selling them. I think there is too much of the patriarchal, quiverfull bs floating around without me contributing to it, even indirectly.

I found it particularly ironic that I found it in a public hospital - a place (at least here in Australia) that is strictly religion free. I wouldn't have been so dismayed if I had found it in a religious private hospital, for example. I wonder what the woman who left it there was thinking - maybe hoping to convert a few sick heathens?

It also made me more than a little angry that it was in a place where everyone was sick and there for a really bad reason - almost an manipulative reason behind it. Call me cynical, but it struck me that they are/were trying to capitalise on people's moments of weakness and illness.

Ugh. And it was a 'bad' appointment for me anyway, so I really wasn't in a good mood by the time I walked out.

[SheWoreLemon]

I found one at my local library about six months ago, so I snagged it and took it home to read and threw it away. (Don't worry, it wasn't library property--someone else just left it there on the magazine table. Actually, I would have stolen it even if it *was* library property.) It had happy stories about the importance of family--pretty innocuous, I thought--and easy to see how someone might be attracted to it and interested in learning more. The only strange bit I picked up on was some "ads" to go to this certain website to read about courtship, and that's because I knew to look for them.

Remember the fundie girl that used to be part of YCLF until she married the guy who was already married or something like that and had a baby with him? I found out she lives only 45 minutes from me (they live in such a small town that people come to my town of 7,000 to shop and see doctors). So maybe it was someone from her "church" that left the magazine there.

[koolmom]

I used to subscribe to "Above Rubies" years ago! I wish I could have kept my subscription, esp. if they were worth something on eBay!

I have some issues of a fundie magazine called "Quit Ye Like Men" that's sort of a family fundie guide to living, though...I did this back in the mid-90's.

[aubrietta]

Subscribing to Above Rubies is free, you can have all sorts of fundie craziness delivered to your door

aboverubies.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=659&Itemid=98

They do solicit donations, but I gleefully send those emails straight to the trash basket. I like costing Nancy Campbell money so that I can heckle her mag with my friends!

I really don't get what the deal is with back issues. There is nothing profound, just lots of stories of people "trusting in God" for various things. Each issue is just a variation on the theme, not a great deal of original content, and lots of ads schlepping the Campbell written books.

[let-them-eat-cake]

Can't you complain to the hospital that the magazine was offensive in some way? Maybe that would put a stop to them showing up there.

[Effie]

I did sneak it into my purse and bring it home to chuck in the bin. But not before having a good snark session with my husband about it! :lol:

:clap: :clap: :clap: Well done! I'm proud of you. ;)

[apple1]

Can't you complain to the hospital that the magazine was offensive in some way? Maybe that would put a stop to them showing up there.

I doubt it.

I live in a large metropolitan area. Our hospital waiting areas get inundated with Jehovah Witness literature.

It's probably fertile ground to get people to read the crap, because anything worth reading "walks off" immediately.

Lesson: Take your own reading material if you expect to be waiting at a hospital.

[Funky Chicken]

Jo are you in SA?! If so, which hospital was it? I'll keep mhusband colleagues/colleagues' eyes peeled! (to strike these abominations from view, not to use them for any positive purpose except perhaps snark or papiér mâché!).

Catherine

(hope things improve)

[princessjo1988]

No, Qld -Rockhampton!

And just looking through this one, I found an article by the "treasures in a shoebox" lady - lol. It struck me re-reading it, how nice they made their way of life sound, and how crappy they made the "worldly" way of life sound. It also struck me how manipulative many of the articles were. One lady claims she was healed through pregnancy. Another claims her marriage improved after she had sciatica and instead of just getting help herself, she became more submissive and asked her husband for permission to get help- including something as basic as going in for a massage!!

And I would complain, but I recognise that the hospital may have had no idea that it was even on their pile! :S

And we are having a very good conversation on facebook about it - two friends of mine cannot really understand why I think no religious literature should be on public display in a public hospital.

[MamaJunebug]

Even better than trashing: write the urls of FJ .& other anti-P/QF websites, or the address & Phone number of a liberal, inclusive congregation of your preferred faith walk all over the margins.

It's a little something I learned while reading exmormon and anti-Scientology sites!!!

[ilovetchotchkes]

Even better than trashing: write the urls of FJ .& other anti-P/QF websites, or the address & Phone number of a liberal, inclusive congregation of your preferred faith walk all over the margins.

It's a little something I learned while reading exmormon and anti-Scientology sites!!!

I love this idea!!!

[SheWoreLemon]

The Above Rubies website mentions ways to get the magazine into the hands of others.

One of their suggestions is visiting new moms in the maternity ward and giving them a magazine wrapped in pink/blue ribbon!

Another is to collect old magazines (this explains why they are worth money on ebay) and put them in a huge binder to give to your daughter when she gets married to remind her of the importance of being a good Christian wife and daughter. *gag*

And don't forget donating/leaving them anywhere and everywhere someone might stop and have time to sit around and look for something to read.