Razing Ruth's niece adopted by same sex couple

[MamaJunebug]

For some reason I can't post to Razing Ruth's blogspot, but I very much want to say this to her, and to her mother's husband, should he read here:

A reader named "Remnant" closed her post to Ruth & Rachel with this:

"Here, let me pin these wings to your shoulders, as your momma and papa ought to have done. Now, sweet daughters, go fly."

To that, I'd like to add,

Rachel! Ruth! I wish I'd written Remnant's words above, but I'm not shy about simply saying "Amen!" to them!

To the man who begat Ruth and Rachel: We love who we love. Ellie's moms (or dads) care as deeply for each other as you supposedly do for your own wife. They love each other so much that want to meld with the other in mutual ecstasy...just as you naturally wanted to do with your own wife, before your love of self made you into a little, grubby godman, aided and abetted by Gothard's prideful heresies.

When a man and a woman love each other, it's natural not just to want the ecstasy of becoming one, but for many couples, of then making one or several children. It's simply how God wired us. Ellie's moms or dads, loving who they love, can't conceive with each other, but they can adopt.

Your earthgod Gothard wants to prohibit his lackeys from adopting. Why would that be?

And yet your oldest daughters have come out from under your thumb and have worked together to turn what you call evil, into good. Who else did that? Could it be...JESUS?

Of whom is it written, "He came not to be served, but to serve" -- again, Jesus? I'm pretty sure it is. While you continue to expect your wife and your children who remain in the service of the wolf Gothard to serve you and your wishes and demands, your girls have served God and humankind: Rachel carried the baby to term, prayerfully determined which family would receive the baby as its beloved child. Ruth put her own fragile life on hold to support her sister in a time of need that you, sir, can only hypothesize about.

So oen of your sons wrote to his sister Ruth about her highway to Hell. In my part of the Christian world, sir, we believe we are all on that highway -- except for the Ultimate Service of Jesus Christ, Himself. Not saved by our following an endless list of manmade rules, not by threatening our own children when they speak freely about the false messiah they see their parents slavering to (in your case, that's Gothard).

Nah. Your son and his unloving birthday greetings and you yourself both are saved by God's grace, not your own. Your oldest daughters are saved twice: first from Hell, also from the heresy to which you interned them from birth.

The good news is, Mr. Darth Daddy, it is never too late. Reject Gothard, reject your own devilishly overblown ego. Look only to God's Son, Jesus Christ. Learn from Him to humble yourself and to ask forgiveness from Him and from the children and wife you've bullied. God loves you, too.

My apologies to everybody who isn't Darth Daddy ... I just had to get this out to him, however unlikely it is he'll see it.

[Renting with Raggles]

Warning bells going off? It could be that unconsciously Rachel was trying to get a family for Ellie that was the complete opposite of her family AND needle her father one last time too. It's not uncommon for young adults from normal families to swing wildly away from their parents' beliefs. I'd imagine it'd be an even more pronounce swing with families like these.

My initial reaction was the same as Austin's, but this actually the best way to ensure that Rachel and her baby are never forced or coerced back into her own family or the sperm donor's. Isaiah is a rapist, and Gothardite males seem to have a tendency to ( or are encouraged to ) act based on emotive impulses: ie, chucking good jobs to take up work that can't possibly support 19 children. If I were Rachel my main concern would be that one or both families would suddenly be 'convicted' to take the child - possibly in an attempt for Isaiah to humiliate / control his future wife or to get back at Rachel. We've seen how children who are adopted for the wrong reasons into these fundie families are treated.

It's possible they had someone more worldly (maybe the lawyer?) who was able to offer this advice.

[Austin]

Warning bells going off? It could be that unconsciously Rachel was trying to get a family for Ellie that was the complete opposite of her family AND needle her father one last time too. It's not uncommon for young adults from normal families to swing wildly away from their parents' beliefs. I'd imagine it'd be an even more pronounce swing with families like these.

Not warning bells, exactly. . . just something doesn't feel like it squares. I said many topics ago that it would be great if the sister chose a same-sex couple, so I have always supported that; I just have doubts that a girl so steeped in patriarchy for all this time would be in the place to make that sort of decision immediately upon leaving it. Ruth has been out of the patriarchy for more than ten years, but the sister just left.

But whatever the case, I wish them all well.

[polabear]

For me, it makes perfect sense. Rachel wasn't just picking a family for her daughter - she was picking the family she wished she had, and would be completely different from where she came from. She couldn't have picked more different.

[TXDuck]

Not warning bells, exactly. . . just something doesn't feel like it squares. I said many topics ago that it would be great if the sister chose a same-sex couple, so I have always supported that; I just have doubts that a girl so steeped in patriarchy for all this time would be in the place to make that sort of decision immediately upon leaving it. Ruth has been out of the patriarchy for more than ten years, but the sister just left.

But whatever the case, I wish them all well.

I'm not discounting your squares. I think it could go either way now that you mention it. However, I've seen a similar reaction to getting out from repressive environments for the first time. I knew several girls in college that went completely wild without parental authority to squash them/the behavior. It may be picking a gay couple for her baby is Rachel's version of random hook-ups and bad fashion decisions. A sort of "you can't tell me what to do anymore!" thing.

[Alecto]

Not warning bells, exactly. . . just something doesn't feel like it squares. I said many topics ago that it would be great if the sister chose a same-sex couple, so I have always supported that; I just have doubts that a girl so steeped in patriarchy for all this time would be in the place to make that sort of decision immediately upon leaving it. Ruth has been out of the patriarchy for more than ten years, but the sister just left.

But whatever the case, I wish them all well.

QFT

[Burris]

A riveting tale, full of intrigue and fan-pleasing plot twists.

[MamaJunebug]

A riveting tale, full of intrigue and fan-pleasing plot twists.

8-) if you're right, I'm gonna be so embarrassed! :lol:

[emmyfair]

A riveting tale, full of intrigue and fan-pleasing plot twists.

I'm not happy to agree with this, but I do.

[kittypie]

I'm not happy to agree with this, but I do.

Ditto.

[fakepigtails73]

You know what?? I seldom read Ruth's blog, so there are lots of details that I don't know except for what I read about her here on FJ.

I remember thinking after I read her post here mentionning that Rachel chose the couple for the adoption of her baby "I have a feeling that it might be a same-sex couple (in my mind they were lesbians)."

Why did it came to my mind at the time? I think that there was a cryptic part in that post where she (Ruth) said that "the adopting couple will make great parents and their lifestyle is so far removed from what the baby would have lived through had Rachel kept it and married Isaiah to raise her ATI-style."I figured that they were either gays, liberal Jews or hippie agnostics. :whistle:

Not boasting of any "psychic" things on my part, just thought it was interesting.

I hope that it is an open adoption and that everyone is happy about how it turned out. :P

Oh and to the sperm donor and to the bio-grandfather: may you both go to hell. :evil:

[ceg045]

Ditto.

Glad I'm not the only one.

I've been following RR from the beginning, and I really do hope for the sake of all involved that this is true. But something about it sounds off. Mere months after escaping from a religious cult that has instilled in her since birth the idea that GLBT people are not only bad and wrong, but perverts, child molesters, and god knows what else, she turns around and gives her baby to a gay couple? Like I said, if so, that would be an incredible story on many levels. Incredible enough that I'm skeptical.

[Witsec7]

Glad I'm not the only one.

I've been following RR from the beginning, and I really do hope for the sake of all involved that this is true. But something about it sounds off. Mere months after escaping from a religious cult that has instilled in her since birth the idea that GLBT people are not only bad and wrong, but perverts, child molesters, and god knows what else, she turns around and gives her baby to a gay couple? Like I said, if so, that would be an incredible story on many levels. Incredible enough that I'm skeptical.

That kind of a story, with the help of a ghost writer, can be turned into income.

[Visionoyahweh]

lovejoyfeminism is a real person though, right?

[KatPruska]

I dunno...I could see the experience of being so violently rejected by the ATI/Gothard culture when she most needed support as a catalyst for turning her back so completely. I suppose really the only way to satisfy my own limited skepticism (I'm really not super-invested in the story, though I do find it compelling and yes, believable. It's a fucked up world we live in, and people are complicated) is the revelation and confirmation of real-word identities. But, frankly, no one is entitled to that information, so what can you do?

So, I guess I'm just verbally shrugging my shoulders. If it's in any way fiction, then the author is mad talented. I think it takes a pretty careful hand to draw people in by posting so sporadically, using many different voices, posting threatening trolling comments, etc. It's a lot of investment for a fictitious, not-heavily-monetized blog is all I'm saying.

(And I feel a little bit gross, if it is all true, to have made a thought exercise of some other woman's pain).

[fundifugee]

...

But I do think it's hilarious that Issiah is pissed that the baby went to a same sex couple. A baby he supposedly didn't father. A baby that somehow ended up with 50% of his genetic material even though he never had sex with Rachel. A baby he has absolutely no say over because he's a coward with no moral fiber that refuses to own up to his actions. Rachel's not the first girl he's shagged at an ATI conference. He knew just where to go and at what time so they could be alone and not be caught. I wonder how many more girls he put in this same position? How many more of not-his-children are out there because he's too much of a coward to step up and be responsible? And how many rumors are now circulating about him and his cowardice, now that this situation is on Ruth's blog? [i'm sure that if one grew up in ATI circles, one could put it all together and accurately pinpoint who exactly Issiah is. It would certainly be easy to determine, with a quick Google for ATI conference times, the timeline of Rachel's pregnancy and an inside knowledge of prevalent ATI families.] Who would trust one of their daughters with such a man, a man known to shirk his responsibilities and the consequences of his actions?

....

How do you know these things? They are not on the blog, that I can see.

[Maul the Koala]

I'm not discounting your squares. I think it could go either way now that you mention it. However, I've seen a similar reaction to getting out from repressive environments for the first time. I knew several girls in college that went completely wild without parental authority to squash them/the behavior. It may be picking a gay couple for her baby is Rachel's version of random hook-ups and bad fashion decisions. A sort of "you can't tell me what to do anymore!" thing.

Yeah, like a giant FU. It does seem really odd though.

[Serious_News_Junkie]

Glad I'm not the only one.

I've been following RR from the beginning, and I really do hope for the sake of all involved that this is true. But something about it sounds off. Mere months after escaping from a religious cult that has instilled in her since birth the idea that GLBT people are not only bad and wrong, but perverts, child molesters, and god knows what else, she turns around and gives her baby to a gay couple? Like I said, if so, that would be an incredible story on many levels. Incredible enough that I'm skeptical.

I'm a long-time lurker but a first-time poster. I too have grown increasingly suspicious of the Razing Ruth blog during the past few months. I'm not prepared to say that the author is lying; however, I am starting to have my doubts. Real life typically doesn't read like a scripted serial drama. Ruth's story has more cliffhangers and plot twists than a daytime soap opera.

About a month ago, Ruth said that she'd been quoted in an article about Bill Gothard and that she was worried about the unwanted attention it might bring her. When one of the commenters noted that the article to which she'd linked was more than a year old and asked for an explanation, Ruth never replied. Along those same lines, I recently spoke to an ATI survivor who said she reached out to Ruth and never got a reply. I've also been told that Ruth seldom acknowledges donations made through her PayPal link.

This is all far from conclusive, but coupled with the unnatural story arcs that make up Ruth's tale and the perfect timing of some of the plot twists, I'm considering removing the Razing Ruth link from my "The Duggar Cult" information page. Ruth's story is one of the most compelling anti-Gothardism stories on the Internet, but I'd hate for the entire push against Gothardism to fall apart simply because one popular blog is revealed to be a hoax/fraud.

[Guest Anonymous]

Wow, eleventy, well if a first-time poster is considering removing Ruth from her bloglist, then I'll definitely do the same!!!1111!!!! :roll:

[ElphabaGalinda]

Wow, eleventy, well if a first-time poster is considering removing Ruth from her bloglist, then I'll definitely do the same!!!1111!!!! :roll:

Not saying what I do/don't believe, but the first time poster doesn't seem to actually read Ruth's blog all too regularly, since the things she's been told have either been adressed by Ruth or are not actually true.

I've never donated, and doubt I ever will, so to me it's just an engaging story and it's up to other people what they believe. But i'd think she'd do a better job of posting regularly and would be making more of a profit if this were fake.

[Serious_News_Junkie]

Wow, eleventy, well if a first-time poster is considering removing Ruth from her bloglist, then I'll definitely do the same!!!1111!!!! :roll:

Thanks for the intelligent, well-articulated counterpoint, Anniec.

[Guest Anonymous]

First time poster has left their email exposed. There is an interesting slideshow of pictures to be found, via a quick google....

[Kitty]

Honestly, I don't think Rachel's decision to give her baby to a same-sex couple was that much of a swing from her former ATI lifestyle. She's tried to leave before, then got sucked back in, but there's no telling whether or not she bought into the homophobic BS at that point. Ruth mentioned that the criteria for Ellie's adoptive parents were professional, educated, and didn't believe in spanking, and it just so happened that a same-sex couple came first, or Rachel felt they were the best choice.

Maybe it was an unconscious jab at the former life, but I really do think "BOTH professional, educated, didn't believe in spanking" were higher on the priority list and the fact that the parents-to-be were gay was simply icing on the cake.

[theologygeek]

A riveting tale, full of intrigue and fan-pleasing plot twists.

Yeah. My thoughts too.

[hagia sophia]

Yeah. My thoughts too.

I'm only a fifteen time poster (so maybe I'll get a smidge more slack) but this was my first thought too. :(

(Edited because I actually have 15 posts. Go me.)