Fundie Woman and Voting

[Future Teacher]

Sorry if this has been discussed before but I'm generally curious. What do fundies think of woman being able to vote? Or what do they think of the women in the early century fighting for our right to vote?

[debrand]

There are some fundie women who don't vote.

By the way, here is a snopes article about the Night of Terror. I'd never heard of it but it makes me very grateful to the suffragists.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/womenvote.asp

Here is an example of a fundie woman who does not vote

http://stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.co ... -vote.html

Zuzu writes:

As a citizen of the US, I have a right to vote. However, I do not exercise this right, because I believe that based on the Bible, it is wrong for women to vote.

[GeoBQn]

On Lina's Facebook, there were a bunch of her friends (I'm assuming some stripe of fundy) saying that they don't vote, and thus do not think feminism is very useful.

[Doomed Harlottt]

Quite a few of the fundie women we read are opposed to women's suffrage, especially the Vision Forum crowd. They justify this by what they call the doctrine of federal headship, which basically means that the men vote in the best interests of their families, including the women under their headship. And of course every woman ought to be on some man's headship! Somehow having a "doctrine" with a big fancy name is supposed to make their position seem more legitimate.

That said, a lot of the fundie women do vote. Since women do have suffrage, they view it as their duty to vote in support of the candidates chosen by their husbands. I recall that Crystal Paine, back in her Biblical Womanhood days, described how she and her husband would study the candidates and the issues together and come to a decision, but he would have the last word. A lot of these ladies scoff at liberal couples who they view as "canceling" out each other's

votes when they disagree.

[dawn9476]

IIRC, when Jimbob took the kids to vote, Michelle didn't go but I forgot the circumstances as to why she didn't go with them.

[Justme]

The Duggar women vote.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

I'm fundie-lightish I think, and I vote. My husband and I happen to be on the same page so we will be voting for the same candidate. I wouldn't have a problem with him voting "for" me I guess, but I really wouldn't want that to be the general rule for all people. I also would not be forced to vote his way if we disagreed. I feel massively yucky, I hope this made sense.

[bananacat]

Well, the Quiverfullers sort of have a problem here. On one hand, most of them aren't really thrilled about women voting. On the other hand, they have so many kids precisely because they want to have a lot of power, especially in voting. Many of them aren't willing to give up that potential power and influence. I know the Duggar women vote, but they are surely expected to vote however their father or husband tells them.

[formerlyfundie]

I didn't vote in the past because the church we went to didn't think women should (politics were not a "concern" of a woman)- not to mention Sarah Palin was with McCain and that was HORRIBLE because she was "more powerful" than her husband blah blah blah- I'm pretty sure NO ONE voted in that case since I know they were not going for Obama. But most of the QF families I know want their children to be soldiers for the Lord in all aspects, especially politically, and influence their children to vote for "God's candidate". (as long as that candidate isn't a woman I suppose)

Since leaving that church and realizing that being a woman isn't the terrible existence I once thought it was, I will definitely be voting this year, right alongside my headship. :D

[finleeport]

Quite a few of the fundie women we read are opposed to women's suffrage, especially the Vision Forum crowd. They justify this by what they call the doctrine of federal headship, which basically means that the men vote in the best interests of their families, including the women under their headship. And of course every woman ought to be on some man's headship! Somehow having a "doctrine" with a big fancy name is supposed to make their position seem more legitimate.

That said, a lot of the fundie women do vote. Since women do have suffrage, they view it as their duty to vote in support of the candidates chosen by their husbands. I recall that Crystal Paine, back in her Biblical Womanhood days, described how she and her husband would study the candidates and the issues together and come to a decision, but he would have the last word. A lot of these ladies scoff at liberal couples who they view as "canceling" out each other's

votes when they disagree.

What do they say about women who are spinsters or widows, or what if a family had only daughters and the husband died?

What does Vision Forum even think of Nuns? besides being evol Catholics.

[Future Teacher]

There are some fundie women who don't vote.

By the way, here is a snopes article about the Night of Terror. I'd never heard of it but it makes me very grateful to the suffragists.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/womenvote.asp

Here is an example of a fundie woman who does not vote

http://stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.co ... -vote.html

Zuzu writes:

Thanks for the articles! They're very interesting!

Uhhh there's a verse in the Bible that says woman cannot vote? Or is that one of those verses fundies twist for their own purposes?

Edit because I clearly don't trust my own spelling :lol:

[Kaylee]

Most of the fundie women I know vote. A few of them discuss candidates with their husbands, and agree on who they will vote for together, but most of the men who really care about politics are against the idea of women not voting, because it cuts the "household" vote in half.

My husband and I have always been a bit outside the norm but, since the first time we voted, when I found out he was picking candidates based on their names alone, I've been the one to look at their stances and pretty much decide who we'll vote for. If I'm not sure, or thing he'd prefer someone other than who I like best, I'll tell him the differences between them and let him choose.

[debrand]

Although my husband and I discuss canidates, we never feel that we are obligated to vote for the same person. Our discussions don't include who we should vote for as a unit. We are just expressing opinions.

I can understand that two people might influence one another or vote for the same person. However, to expect your spouse to vote for the same person as you do seems odd to me.

[skrmom]

Zsuzsu and her husband hate our current president. I'm sure the PP will not vote for his re-election. But the PP forbids Zsuzsu from voting. If he wants to see another man elected, why is he forbiding Christian women to vote for a candidate he favors?

[saraelise]

I read once that some fundie women will only vote the same as their husband because if they vote for a different candidate, their vote "cancels" out their husband's vote. :roll: I think Anna T was in favour of this method.

[snarkbillie]

Although my husband and I discuss canidates, we never feel that we are obligated to vote for the same person. Our discussions don't include who we should vote for as a unit. We are just expressing opinions.

I can understand that two people might influence one another or vote for the same person. However, to expect your spouse to vote for the same person as you do seems odd to me.

My husband and I discuss politics all the time but I never know who/what he votes. I think he has a pretty good guess about who I'm voting for in certain elections due to my political volunteering but as far as most state questions and elections we have no idea what the other is voting. It's not that we purposefully keep it a secret or anything, we just like discussing the theory behind things a lot and one of us inevitably ends up being "devil's advocate" so sometimes we're not really sure what page the other is on. Although in some arguments I get a little disgusted and my husband stops to say "I don't really believe anything I'm arguing right now, don't worry." :lol:

[Future Teacher]

So it sounds like all of this is a control thing once again with woman. Ugh. :doh: I remember finding a blog, maybe you guys remember it, it was By His Grace, Seasoned with Salt (I don't remember the whole title) and I found her so bitter with the whole "feminism" and "woman voting" thing.

[browngrl]

My husband and I discuss politics all the time and one of us often does take the role of devil's advocate. We both vote and we both expect the other person to vote and neither of us expects the other to vote the same way (although if my husband suddenly started to vote for right wing candidates - debates would ensue). We both know who the other voted for and generally we end up voting for the same candidate because our political views are similar.

I can't imagine giving up my right to vote. Too many women have fought too hard for this right for me to toss it aside.

[LucySnowe]

Right now, I vote and my husband does not. This is because I am British and he is not. I consider my vote to be mine and so does he ('I'm happy to discuss things with you but I'm not going to TELL you how to vote, Jesus, that's just wrong on so many levels'). Once he's able to vote, we might well not vote for the same candidate because even though obviously we're not voting Tory, there is usually a pretty big spread of candidates - Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, and SNP.

We still get to vote in national American elections but since neither of us would ever vote for whoever the Republicans put up, that's not an issue either.

[GiGi_41]

The one-way chain of command in the Bible is:

God

Husband

Wife

Children

Can someone tell me where in the bible the term "one-way chain of command is?"

She quotes 1 Timothy repeatedly and who supposedly wrote 1 Timothy? Paul, or Saul..the guy that never met the living Jesus? Thomas Jefferson said that Paul was the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus.

This is my problem with people believing that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, those red lettered words that supposedly Jesus spoke...yea um who knows if he really spoke them. The main Gospels were written years after his death.

As a woman, I vote. Why? Because no man has the right to say what I can and can't do with my body!

[Kitty]

The good thing about fundie women not voting is, that's fewer fundies voting. ;)

My parents aren't even close to conservative Christianity but they'll be voting for different candidates, if they vote at all. My dad hated all of the Republican candidates other than Herman Cain, and my mom seems a bit disillusioned with Obama.

[Future Teacher]

Can someone tell me where in the bible the term "one-way chain of command is?"

She quotes 1 Timothy repeatedly and who supposedly wrote 1 Timothy? Paul, or Saul..the guy that never met the living Jesus? Thomas Jefferson said that Paul was the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus.

This is my problem with people believing that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, those red lettered words that supposedly Jesus spoke...yea um who knows if he really spoke them. The main Gospels were written years after his death.

As a woman, I vote. Why? Because no man has the right to say what I can and can't do with my body![/color]

This. No one has a right to tell me what to do with my body unless it's my choice.

[GiGi_41]

I was so into my first post and the irrationality of it I forgot I wanted to comment on this statement...

Besides that, feminists who are aborting their children do much less to influence the next generation's voting pool than me, who will have contributed three men of voting age in about one more decade, and hope to add many more if God continues to bless us with children (who I hope will likewise do the same).

Um I am a feminist, I have never had an abortion, why? Because to me, part of being a feminist is taking responsibility of your own sexual health.

[shesinsane]

One of the arguments against womens' sufferage was "a woman is just going to vote as her husband tells her to." Since there seems to be a trend among fundie women that the less you think for yourself (instead deferring to God or your headship) the holier you are, voting is a pointless waste of time.

Besides, many polling places are in (other denomination's) churches or public schools, why would a God fearing Christian put herself in those hell holes? She might be defrauded by a motivational poster or a girls' team sports trophy.

[flipflop]

My husband and I often disagree over politics, we regularly cancel each other out when voting but that is our right and we rather enjoy the debate. My Grandmother remembered as a girl women getting the vote and how thrilled she was. It is a personal rule of mine to vote in every election, local, national and European (we get to vote for our European parliament members here in the UK). I take my children with me every time and lecture them on how incredibly lucky they are to live in a truly democratic society and are privileged to have the complete freedom to vote for whoever they choose. People died for this, many countries still do not have a fair and honest system of voting and women are just giving it away. I despair.

Also I thought most fundies were right wing in the US. I assume no president/senator/congress could be elected without women voters so aren't they rather shooting themselves in the foot?