Post by lodrelhai on Apr 8, 2010 5:49:03 GMT -5
Okay, I thought I'd posted this when I first joined. My bad.
I'm 30-something, single, and living in SoCal. I was raised first in the Catholic church, then in a non-denominational church that was both evangelical and fundamentalist. While the Quiverfull movement was not pushed, patriarchy certainly was, and for a good chunk of my teens/early 20s I bought into it. Since my own parents were progressive people who believed women were just as capable as men in accomplishing their goals, I believed any man God provided for me would likewise seek to encourage me in my pursuits, just as I would him in his. If I should somehow end up with a man who didn't, or who became abusive to me or our children, of course I'd have the freedom to protect myself and/or leave, and of course the church would support me in that.
Then it turned out one of the ladies in our church was being abused, and finally left her husband because he was starting to threaten their pre-teen daughter. And our pastor counseled her to go back to her husband. I'd already been having issues with people being 'concerned' because of the way I voted, but that one was the breaking point for me.
10 years later and I'm still working through where I stand and what I believe. I found NLQ through the Dark Christianity community on LJ, and it's actually a bit unnerving how much of what is said here is familiar to me. Dobson was read more than the Perls, but homeschooling was strongly encouraged, and of course the submission/obedience teachings were the foundation of every family. I can't imagine going through the full depths of the Quiverfull movement, and I cannot begin to express how much I admire each of you who have gone through it and found the strength and courage to escape.
Thank you for sharing your stories, and I hope they inspire more women to find their strength and appreciate their own worth!
I'm 30-something, single, and living in SoCal. I was raised first in the Catholic church, then in a non-denominational church that was both evangelical and fundamentalist. While the Quiverfull movement was not pushed, patriarchy certainly was, and for a good chunk of my teens/early 20s I bought into it. Since my own parents were progressive people who believed women were just as capable as men in accomplishing their goals, I believed any man God provided for me would likewise seek to encourage me in my pursuits, just as I would him in his. If I should somehow end up with a man who didn't, or who became abusive to me or our children, of course I'd have the freedom to protect myself and/or leave, and of course the church would support me in that.
Then it turned out one of the ladies in our church was being abused, and finally left her husband because he was starting to threaten their pre-teen daughter. And our pastor counseled her to go back to her husband. I'd already been having issues with people being 'concerned' because of the way I voted, but that one was the breaking point for me.
10 years later and I'm still working through where I stand and what I believe. I found NLQ through the Dark Christianity community on LJ, and it's actually a bit unnerving how much of what is said here is familiar to me. Dobson was read more than the Perls, but homeschooling was strongly encouraged, and of course the submission/obedience teachings were the foundation of every family. I can't imagine going through the full depths of the Quiverfull movement, and I cannot begin to express how much I admire each of you who have gone through it and found the strength and courage to escape.
Thank you for sharing your stories, and I hope they inspire more women to find their strength and appreciate their own worth!
