The Quiverfull Movement

[Myra]

So the thread about people who spank babies made me think about this one. I was only introduced to these folks in the past year or so after seeing the TV specials about the Duggar family on TLC. The Duggars are a family who live in Arkansas, and are currently at 16 kids, with Mom pregnant with #17. (Info on this family can be found here and here as well.)

The Quiverfulls believe in NO birth control whatsoever. The parents I guess just "do their thing" and if they get pregnant, fantastic. They state they are "leaving it to God." (Info on these folks, right here.)

I've stumbled across a mom's site for these folks, and the majority of them are responsible, Christian folks who can provide just fine for their kids emotionally as well as physically. Their kids are clothed, fed, and taken care of. But as with anybody else, there's the sect of them who really should've stopped after like two or three. People who live on welfare, are in abusive relationships, that sort. Since the Quiverfulls are generally fundamentalist Christians, the women believe in being "obidient wives" which means, the men dominate and the women do as they are told. So if the man is abusive, the woman just takes it because "she's the woman" or something.

What bugs is this...the Duggar family teaches their children that TV is immoral, and the only TV in the house is only allowed on when their father is on TV for one of his campains (he's run for Arkansas Senate several times) or when President Bush is making a speech. (Heh. No comment.) However, Ma and Pa Duggar have NO issue with whoring out their brood to mainstream cable television in the name of free stuff. The huge house they live in now was finished by construction crews hired by TLC. They recently had a special where they took the family RV across the country and went to Disneyland. I'm sure they didn't pay for all of THAT trip. Not to mention the money they no doubt get every time the specials are aired on TLC, even in reruns. There are something like 3 or 4 of them now.

My question is this...how much is too much? Michelle Duggar has basically been pregnant for YEARS now. She only nurses the babies for 6 months, then the child is passed on to a "buddy" to raise, so she can work on getting knocked up again. I've got no issue with siblings helping out around the house, I sure did my share. But expecting a 14 or 15-year-old to completely care for an infant or young child so you can free yourself up for "other things" just irks me.

I don't know, just wondering if anyone's heard of this family and if anyone has any thoughts.

[Rapscallion]

Hmm - if they can support the children, financially and emotionally, then I can't see a problem with it. However, you can't always rely on a film crew to pay your way.

Rapscallion

[AFPheonix]

Does anyone else think it's hilarious that the dad's name is Jim Bob?

There must be a banjo picker following him around

That poor woman is going to have a vaginal prolapse or at least a fistula if she hasn't already. We weren't meant to have that many kids.
Meh...I'm the youngest of 6 kids. Mom had that many not because she was against birth control, she did try to take it, but at the time the pills that were on the market gave her horrid migraines. They took good care of us, and we took good care of each other, too.
However, the huge family thing has not repeated with me or my siblings. So far, the only one who's had any kids has been my eldest sister, and she only had 2, both whoopsies. My husband and I are still debating whether we want kids or not.

[Rubystars]

Those super fundamentalists need to read the part about a man loving his wife as God loves the church. If they love their wives that much they won't be abusive and they will listen to her.

Here's a good article:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...35/ai_n6006434

"Mike explains that he was weary by then and had become more introspective. He had begun to search the scriptures for solutions to his marital problems A passage from the fifth chapter of Ephesians, which instructs men to love their wives as Christ loved the church, stood out. "Most people don't read verse 21: 'Submit yourselves one to the other in the fear of God,' " he says. "They read verse 22: 'Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.' I did not know that I was to submit to her, too. in my mind, she needed to listen, and everything would be okay. God revealed to me that I had a problem listening. And so I shut up. I began to hear her."

[rahmota]

Hmm I have heard about the Duggars in passing before but they didnt strike high or hard enough in my radar to stay in my memory.

As for their actions and behavior and beliefs. As long as they are consenting adults and capable of supporting themselves and their children and they arn't breakign any laws and not trying to force anyone else to partake of their actions and beliefs then fine, have at it. (And apparently they do....)

I will agree that the quiverfull movement does seem to demean and degrade women. The problem is if they are willingly allowing it to happen to themselves is it right to try and force them to not do so. This is where wars and schisms have come about, the different ideaologies trying to force each other as if one has to be right over the other.

One of my problems with them is that with a world population of 6 billion+ already if the movemtn takes off then that could speed up the population problems. I mean 1 family of 16 kids, assuming thet all 16 stay in the movement and have a buncha kids and so on and son one family in and of themselves can after a few generations fill wrigley stadium.

Another problem is that these people grow up to become voters and that could skew things just a bit if they all stay in the movement and stay christian fundies.

Though that depends quite a bit on the kids staying with their parents beliefs. I know many kids dont follow in their parents footsteps for one reason or another. I wonder if the daughters of these people are going to be willing to spend a better part of their adult years popping out kids.

Rubystars: Interesting scripture there. Regardless of cause if a husband and wife communicate, mutually respect and care about each other then their marriage should work out. Its the people in a marriage that make it special.

[tendomentis]

I have wanted to submit "over-breeders" to the "things I hate thread" on here, but haven't gotten to it yet.

But now I feel sick and have to comment on this.

Our planet can't sustain the amount of people on it NOW....why on Earth would two people decide to make more than one other person? I mean, if you have one child you're not contributing to the overpopulation and are in fact aiding in reducing the overpopulation problem (not as much as if you didn't have any children, but I'm a pragmatist). If you have two, you're just keeping the status quo (which is, there are too many frigging people!!!).

But three or more? Do you hate our planet that much? Are you so selfish and needy that you MUST bow to your animalistic predispositions and continue the overpopulation problem? I have begun to regard the people with large families in the same way that I regard people who double park, clean out a buffet, demand free things from companies for non-existant hassles, drive alone in huge trucks and SUV's to their sedentary jobs, or light their fireplaces with wads of twenty dollar bills. IT'S JUST SO WASTEFUL.

I'm not perfect, but I'm trying. If everyone tried, maybe these problems wouldn't be such problems.

....this really is quite a sturdy soap box <steps down>.
Who's next?

[April]

I would like to say "as long as they can afford it, etc etc" but my biggest problem with the Duggars is just the whole set up. They have thier house set up like a dorm, no child has thier own room. Boys have one large room and girls have a large room. There is ZERO chance for privacy. At least if you share a room with one or two other children there is a good chance that you will at least have a FEW minutes alone.

My other issue is that the children are expected to be little adults. They are expected to do everything from the housework, cooking, to pretty much raising the younger children. I'm all for chores, and even my three year old has chores but I can't imagine leaving the children in charge of the overseeing of the entire house. And I greatly dislike that the younger children are passed on to the older children. These older children are responsable for these younger ones. It is like they have thier own children already! Parents decided to have the kids, THEY should be raising them.

And honestly it skeeves me out that these children are SO insular (just commenting on the Duggars, I can't comment for all) No TV, no school, no friends, just staying home, cleaning and raising thier siblings. They don't even shop, really. The kids make thier own clothes.