Data Lounge on Lydia Sherman

I was recently reading a thread on Data Lounge. They of course had very nice things to say about Lady Lydia Sherman which I wanted to share:

Comments: "What a bunch of douchebags!"

"Apparently, equality is an unknown concept to this judgemental bunch of loons."

"Have you even read any of the articles at that site?! Mrs. Jennie Chancey and Lady Lydia and all the rest are Dominionists, who spew hatred and bigotry at every turn."

"Most of the shit at this site is just scary, but some of the domestic related stuff cracks me the hell up, like Lady Lydia Speaks: Laundry With Love. It's, as she puts it, a "dissertation on laundry."
I guess the fact that at 32, I still wash my laundry "college student style," everything together on cold, is yet another outgrowth of being a feminist, and not just because I'm too lazy to be bothered."

"Sounds delicious mon cheries !!
We LADIES need to get out more often, and pick wildflowers, and run through fields of grass, and wade fully clothed into ponds, and... shit.
by: Miss Emily Howard, a LADY!"

"Can we just go back to barefoot and pregnant. Those we the good old days, when women were women." by Arch .H.Bald

"Blech. Someone tell them that pairing a 4 dollar men's tee-shirt with a shapeless tea length calico skirt and some white socks and Keds isn't "dressing decently" by:Tinabina

"Many years ago in San Francisco, there was a satirical group that called itself "Ladies Against Women". They parodied right-wing social politics, and were a sort of precursor to Mrs. Betty Bowers. And now, the real-life version has come into being."

Scorching notes at LAF - Part III

Ladies Against Feminism pretends to have a semblance of democracy by publishing the negative feedback they have received under one category called scorching rhetoric. If you read through these notes you will find that most of the arguments presented are quite valid. LAF of course doesn't believe in publishing the critic's name or location in case the letter turned out to be from Rev Billy Graham himself or some other well-known Christian! How embarrassing!

Even Christians seem to find it hard to reconcile themselves with the vituperic nonsense these women pour out.

Some of the Christian criticis of LAF say:

I am a young Christian woman, and I do NOT agree with everything you have posted on your site. What is so wrong with wanting something different from being a mother? I personally do not want children. Perhaps that will change one day, but not in the foreseeable future. I enjoy spending time with young men, albeit in platonic relationships, and don't mind their occasional loud behavior. I enjoy sports. I have taken lessons in one sport, and watch another on a regular basis. There are a number of others that I would love to try my hand at. The comments you have posted on your website that pretty well says that women should be kept in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant, are disgusting to me. How dare you suggest that I can't get a job outside of my home? While we're at it, how dare you suggest a lot of the things you suggest... I am a strong, confident, intelligent young woman, and I will not stand for you bashing people like me. While I respect your decision to stay at home to be a mother, that is not for me. Is it so hard for you to accept that a woman can go out, have a job and have good, clean fun and still be a good Christian lady? Or are you just THAT narrow-minded? A little advice from a true lady: I think YOU ladies need a reality check, and soon. ~ Jean

_________________________________________________

As women having equal rights, you are certainly allowed to have your opinion and broadcast that opinion however you choose. I also noticed you made a point of mentioning how the Bible encourages women to teach wisdom and kindness. That is fine. However, I hope you are aware that although the Bible may encourage this, women were denied the right to even so much as do that for centuries. If it weren't for the fight for equality by people such as Susan B. Anthony or Alice Paul, you would not have the freedom and luxury of being able to "teach wisdom." I am not for hardcore feminism but there's nothing wrong with women being able to accomplish the same goals as men and live their lives however they see fit. Not every woman wants to stand barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, cooking dinner for her master (husband?) while chasing around 7 other brats (children?). As a married young woman, I choose to raise my children equally with my husband. I am allowed to pursue an education and he supports me so that I may prepare myself for any career I choose. He works full time yet we share in household chores and the raising of our children. If I feel like cooking him and the kids dinner, I do. If I don't then he will cook or the kids may just have some cereal. That's how life should be if someone wants it to be that way! ~ Ang

Lady Lydia on why she styles herself as a "Lady"

This article is one of those rare articles, in which Lady Lydia has permitted rude comments. Many a time this article gets deleted, but still if you search you might get it. Meanwhile, the current link to this article is here

Christian Feminist says:

It's Christian feminist again. I decided to write one last time because I was absolutely appaled by your post on boys not whistling after women anymore, which you regret so. Dear "lady" Lydia ( by the way, did you know that only the daughters of British earls, marquesses and dukes are entitled to use the title Lady before their name? 

something tells me you're no aristocrat, so why call yourself that? a craving for titles? how pathethic..

by the way, I'm a real aristocrat, with family tree dating back to the XIV century, and with ancestors who held high positions at princely courts since the XVIIth century, but I don't brag about that and I never use my title. In a democracy, titles are ridiculous ) 

A woman who desires to be whistled at is no lady. In my mind she is more likely a harlot. HOW DARE YOU criticize women who choose to dress according to modern fashion and don't wear the long, baggy, loose and shapeles things you call " feminine dress"? How dare you suggest that women invite assault and rape by the way they dress, and at the same time you regret men don't whistle after women anymore? If any woman invites rape, it's you with your twisted, perverse way of thinking. In my country, women are still whistled after. Everytime this happened to me I felt nothing but contempt for those pathethic men who used that way of gaining my attention. At the same time, I felt extremely unconfortable, like a piece of meat drooled after by hungry dogs. If you enjoy being whistled at, you enjoy tempting men to sin, you enjoy their lust. What a hypocrite you are, whit your rantings about modesty and femininity!

Lady Lydia Speaks:

Dear Romanian Lady,

Before Jennie Chancey and I formed the site "Ladies Against Feminism" (LAF), we and a number of other women belonged to an online group called "Victorian and Edwardian Ladies Society," where one of the practices was to prefix your name with the word "lady". 

We had Lady Jennie, Lady Susan, Lady Lydia, and lady this or that--everyone addressed themselves as lady, to indicate a more mannerly and genteel way of life that we were trying to import. This trend spread, and now I still see it on many of their blogs, where they sign their names with the word "lady." 

It just means lady -like and doesn't imply a title at all. There is no rule or law that says you must be royalty in order to have that word in front of your name. 

In past centuries, almost all women were addressed as ladies, and it didn't mean royalty. However,as many of us are Bible believers, we know that when we follow the teachings of Christ, we are daughters of the King, and can be princesses or ladies if we like. 

Perhaps you would rather I call myself "Princess" instead of "lady." It began as a tongue-in-cheek kind of joke, but the name stuck, and it goes so much better with Lydia.

You dont have to have official papers in order to use the word lady in front of your name. In the Victorian and Edwardian Ladies Society, we always used the word lady if we were members of that group. 

When we formed the site LAF Jennie wanted me to have a column there dealing with some subjects I had sometimes posted on the Victorian and Edwardian Ladies Society, and so she called it "Lady Lydia Speaks" and the name stuck.

Scorching notes at LAF - Part II

Ladies Against Feminism pretends to have a semblance of democracy by publishing the negative feedback they have received under one category called scorching rhetoric. If you read through these notes you will find that most of the arguments presented are quite valid.LAF of course doesn't believe in publishing the critic's name or location in case the letter turned out to be from Rev Billy Graham himself or some other well-known Christian! How embarrassing!

This person's comments made a lot of sense:

While at first I thought the website a "gag" site...after reading through it, I was actually in shock... While I know there are ladies out there who are not on the feminism bandwagon, this was just one the the strangest things I've ever seen. 

You should thank the "feminists" who went before you, for without them, you'd not even have the voice to put up this website. Feminisim is not just for a few, it's for all of us. 

Do you ladies vote at all??? 

Makes me wonder, for without them you'd still be under the heavy hand of the hubby. 

I'm glad, no EXUBERANT for the trials & tribulations of the women who worked hard, spoke up & made a difference for not only me, but my fellow women. 

While I agree with some of what you have on your site, I think some is a bit BACKWARD. Granted, this is just an opinion....but I for one wouldn't want to go back to the Victorian era where women were hardly seen, if not never heard. 

Quiet women never make history, and well behaved gals dont make the history books. You should take a class in Women's Studies... might learn that for without the fallen females of yesteryear, you'd not have the luxuries you like so much now. Or maybe you want to be submissive, demure and quiet, that is your choice. Thank the GODS I dont have to live like that.

~A Misbehaved & LOUD chick who can't WAIT to make the history books. ~ Irish

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your site is degrading to women everywhere. I know that you can't force your opinions on others just for having a website, but your site really does make me sick to my stomach. 

Now, I'm not writing this comment to rant about your site without giving it a good read first. After reading several articles on your site, I have come to the conclusion that your site, is, at the very least, anti-feminist. 

How can you feel good about yourself while slaving over a hot oven all day, cleaning up what is most likely the mess that your adoring husband has left behind for you, not being caught dead in a pair of pants, and now... you won't get a job because you shouldn't compete with men in thier "god-given roles"? 

Are men (and the Bible) controling your life? 

Have you ever thought for yourself? (and when I say "think for yourself" I don't mean "what kind of dinner should I cook for my husband?" or "what color dress will match with my apron?" Those don't count) 

Is it so hard for men to get on thier knees and scrub the floors? 

for them to cook dinner for you? 

for them to clean up after themselves? 

I mean, since they are "so strong" are they too strong to do thier own laundry? 

Think about it. 

I'm not asking you to change, I can't make you change, and I could care less if you do change, it's your own choice, but I can say how I feel about this website and about everyone and anyone who supports it, and that is to accept that feminism is here to stay, like it or not, and that you are a part of it everyday, and don't respond to me with that "we have myths about feminism in our FAQs" because I have read all of them; you have definitely proven how uneducated you are, but then again, if it weren't for people like you, feminism would not exist and I would not have anything to stand up for or protest, so enjoy being a stay-at-home slave.

Love, Bambi

Scorching notes at LAF - Part I

Ladies Against Feminism pretends to have a semblance of democracy by publishing the negative feedback they have received under one category called scorching rhetoric. If you read through these notes you will find that most of the arguments presented are quite valid.

LAF warns us: These are the negative feedback notes that have been sent to LAF in the past year or so. The only ones we've ommitted are those that contain nothing but expletives and therefore do not even constitute writing. [Warning: These notes really are inflammatory, often hateful, and sometimes slanderous. They are not for the faint of heart. They have not been edited or altered in any way, except to remove expletives. You can judge for yourself whether or not the writers have taken the time to actually read the articles on this site before sending feedback.]

 I totally agreed with many of the view points presented. LAF of course doesn't believe in publishing the critic's name or location in case the letter turned out to be from Rev Billy Graham himself or some other well-known Christian! How embarrassing!

This person's comments made a lot of sense:

I am placing my comments under "Scorching Rhetoric", not because I am some "ranting feminist" as you might like to believe, but because I wish to fully support your critics. 

I sympathize with their intense revulsion. I regret that their comments reflect a bristling, yet justifiable anger that you probably find amusing. (It really is not funny). By contrast, I strive to "keep my cool." I have studied people like you for years, and have become adept at keep cool. 

Yes, that includes studying everyone on the Religious Right from Reverend Fred Phelps (wife beater, child abuser), to Dr. Peter Ruckman, to Dr. Ian Paisley, to Reverend Charles Gleason who believes not only in spanking children, but wives as well. Gleason views such domestic discipline as a reflection of how your Jesus disciplines his church.

I have encountered vicious street preachers, all of whom share your views. 

That includes the unemployed, woman-hating Rev. Michael Woroniecki, who browbeat Andrea Yates until the mentally fragile, submissive housewife snapped and drowned her 5 children in a tub. 

It includes vicious preachers who scream WHORE at women in slacks on their way to work. 

It includes self-appointed Fundamentalists who publish tons of literature and websites urging men to "put women in their place." That means rescind our vote. 

It includes rabid anti-abortion preachers who block clinics, using their submissive wives in their long dresses, pale faces, bulging bellies; screaming broods of 9 or 10 kids who regularly get whippings with the belt. 

That includes GROWN ADULT daughters not yet married to a man of their father's choosing, who are forced to forego education/career, and remain under their religious father's roof. Yes, it includes preachers who praised Rev. Paul Hill as their brave Christian hero, just like the saint Phinehas in the Old Testament. (Rev. Hill was recently executed for shooting a doctor in the back). 

Yes, ladies...... by now I am thoroughly familiar with you people! 

You no longer shock me. 

But you will always sadden me. 

Why? Because you are not inherently stupid. 

But you BEHAVE stupidly and are appallingly ungrateful for all that feminists have done for you. 

By "feminist" I do not mean radical feminists. One needn't agree with everything in modern feminism. Understandably, many object to Lesbian marriages, abortion on demand, etc. Still, Feminism should NOT be hated by you people, but appreciated!! I mean that !! Were it not for feminism, not one of us could vote, attend college, hold a decent job if we are forced to work to support ourselves. Feminists were jailed and some tortured, to get you your rights. Concerning work/careers, remember that work can be more than a necessity. With many woman nowadays, work is a JOY. It is a means by which we can use advanced education, brains, creativity, etc. Plus get respect from men as being intellectually and professional equal, if not superior. 

Plus no longer be at the mercy of some ARROGANT "man" who thinks women are only good for lying naked in bed to do their wifely duty. And push out babies like a ***** whelping her litters (let the children starve, as long as your "god" gets his human litters). Just look at Afghanistan, with its super religious Taliban. Women were imprisoned in their homes under the guise of "chastity", "Muslim virtue", etc. They were flogged, frequently beaten by religious husbands, sometimes even killed (often by the husband "accidentally" pushing the wife into a wood stove). Yet when Taliban fell, did you see TV footage of those brave, veiled women lining up to take the entrance exam to get into college? And doing so in sub-freezing weather!!! In ramshackle classrooms with no heat or running water. Desperate to get an education, to become doctors. They knew that in spite of the importance of homemaking, women DESPERATELY need more. They (we) need education and civil rights to survive in this mean-spiried world we live in.

Amen! I couldn't have said it better!

VegWeb.com on Ladies Against Feminism

KissMeKate starts off the dicussion at VegWeb.com with:

I stumbled across this:

http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/

I thought you all might be interested, seeing as how we rock discussions of gender and gender roles here on the V-dubs.  I'm really intrigued and confused by this.  I don't understand why a woman would want to deny her own rights and status of equality in this way.  This is all quite foreign to me.

yabbitgirl says: Yes, there are some out there! Some who want to tie it in to their personal religious beliefs (most of whom have an attitude of wanting to feel "superior" to other women). Some who feel they've missed out on some kind of "romantic traditional" feminine role. (I've talk to some of this type who also mourn the passing of the corset and decolleté; item, they have never actually had to wear one.)  Some will say, half-jokingly, "Well if a man wants to keep me, I'm going to let him!"

Wotever.

KissMeKate says: OK, so I get the idea that some women like the more traditional way of life that existed for women before feminism arose.  Like, they find fulfillment in keeping house, raising a family, and assuming other traditionally female responsibilities.  Which is fine and great!  But isn't feminism about women being free to choose how they live their lives?  Heck, I love corsets, and I love even more that I am not forced to wear one!  It's not ANTI feminist to want to be a stay at home mother!  I feel like these women missed the boat on what feminism is about.  

The religious parts are a little more nebulous to me.  But the whole thing seems so narrow--it's like, "God made men and God made women and they are different in x, y, and z ways, and they should act accordingly, and that's the only way it should go." 

hanashi says: Basically, from my understanding, this movement came about in retaliation to the "militant"/"chauvinistic" feminism.....you know the kinds who want to socially/emotionally/literally castrate the masculine/male entities that should cross their path. One extreme deserves another!!!  

yabbitgirl says :True, it's all about the "pendulum effect." When I first came to Europe about 25 yrs ago I ran across my first ultra-extreme feminists...the sort that made you feel they didn't so much want to be equal with men as to replace them. As in, get rid of all the men.

hiimkelsi says: there are a couple different waves of feminism.  now i dont know which is which, but most of them, i believe, follows the choice route in different ways, but i think theres one wave of feminism that is less about choice and more about... power maybe?  this is something that i learned about in college when talking to one of my friends.  so i might not have it correctly, but i would think someone else on here could elaborate on the waves of feminism.

KissMeKate says: OK, I could see that. The man-hating part of feminism.   

Baypuppy says: yeah, but i don't think post parts of feminism today has anything to do with these "ultra extreames", esp now that "gender inequality" is a "won" battle.  

humboldt_honey says: We had a discussion about feminism a while back, and a lot of people here were quick to bash it.

Capture says: *Eerg* that is really awful! I'm not a "get on your soap box, bra burning feminist" or anything--but dang! hve respect for yourself and your gender! It's all about global equality! I would get one of those shirts and put a big circle w/ a slash through it! *yikes*

Baypuppy says: huh, the only reason i know what fecundity is is because i have a background in family demography. who the hell else really uses that word?

surprisingly, these "anti feminist" shirts and the whatnot are, arguably, made possible by feminism. if you can make the CHOICE to stay home, damn, isn't that a basic principle of feminism?

what are the big branches of militant/femanazis working today? the closest movement i can think of is maybe lesbian feminism, but that isn't really where feminism is today. i think the "nostalgia" of the militant/lesbian feminist/separatists  movements really tainted later waves of feminism (second, third waves, eco, post/forth, humanism) so that feminist is an inaccurate blanket term used in pop culture that has lost a lot of its "supposed" meaning (i can't say original meaning, since that was like suffrage and (surprisingly) some AR stuffs). don't get me started about issues between GLBT and feminism. boy howdy that was an issue!

but it might explains how the "say feminist perspective on the first day of class and they will drop like mad" theory i use in my large enrollment courses works   i really don't think most people have good grasp of what contemporary feminism is about.

Crackpot website of the day: Ladies Against Feminism

At a recent discussion at Democratic Underground.com I saw the following comments.

Its always nice to know what the sane, secular world has to say about Ladies Against Feminism.

The dicussion was headed off as "Crackpot Website of the Day: 

"At first I thought this was a parody. Sadly, it isn't.

For a look inside the mind of today's Stepford Wife:

http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/"

The comments that followed: 

Montauk6 says: What I resent is their use of works of my favorite painter, Bouguereau!

BrklynLiberal says: Immediately after the Lobotomy, you sign onto this website.Details included with the post-op instructions.

Lubernaut says: This one amused me...

"What could Christian homeschooling moms concerned with modesty have to do with an evil communist dictator from South America?"

funflower says: If you liked that one, try this....

http://www.titus2women.org /

Maestro says:  She's effin nuts!She is so proud of being Christian I wonder if someone should tell her it is considered a proper noun and therefore needs to be capitalized.

madrchsod says: that`s what i thought also! i do see some mothers and their daughters dress like this..oh well to each his/her own.

neebob says:  It looks like Free Republic!I fully expect that if I clicked on something, I'd get an error and have to restart IE. That's what always happens to me on FR.

MuseRider says: Enough to give me nightmares.I read a little and I can't imagine ever being like that. I would make a lousy fundie wife.

Sandpiper says: I'm surprised they don't have a section with Wife Beating Tips. For the menfolk. Just in case the little wifey gets all "uppity."

Momgonepostal says: Whoa! Loved the fashion tips!

Also, did you see the article about mixing bowls? It basically talked about the virtues of bowls and wooden spoons over appliances like blenders and hand mixers. Good grief. Why do some people like life to be more difficult than it needs to be? It's like, let's keep those women busy in the kitchen with few appliances and making their own Little House of the Prarie dresses and homeschooling a big brood so they don't have time to think about what else might be out there that might interest them. Sad.

Sandpiper says:  Forget taking women back to the 1950's!These ladies are aiming for the 1850s. But the problem with this is the same as it's always been: "How you gonna keep 'em on the farm after they've seen Par-ee?"

Unless you were raised a fundie, a life of servitude and second class citizenship just doesn't sound that appealing.

Go figure.

Mongo says: Next month - toilet paper. Is it overated?

and the health benefits of corn cob hygeine

EFerrari says: Ladies against Feminism? What, they have a collective death wish?

Do I laugh or whaaaaaaaaaaa?

Nikia says: They either are masochists or assume all men are great!

Sure it is great if they want to be virgins until they marry the Christian man of their dreams, keep their house spotless, and raise children while staying home and letting their husband be the leader. What happens if the man of her dreams doesn't turn out to be such a nice guy though? What happens when he loses his job? What happens when he becomes sick or injured? 

Even if things work out just as they wanted, do they really think that this will work perfectly for all women.

1620rock says: A full quiver?? These people are nuts! And apparently they multiply like minks!

Now this is scary because they home school their spawn so as to insure their future ignorance.

mongo says: God will provide you with a good husband if you are rightous. Otherwise - it's your own damn fault. Besides the only thing worse than a "bad" husband is BEING SINGLE

From the "especially for the unmarried" page:

The Desires of Your Heart

Our Holy God will give us our heart's desires and bring our ways to pass, if we but delight, trust in, and commit ourselves to Him! Ah, but what a big "if" that is. Our foolish, sinful, fallen natures so want to have their own way that it is hard for us to even trust our lives to the loving hands of our heavenly Father.

Thoughts on Singleness

"Singleness." Just the word can bring shudders and dread to a person’s heart--especially if she is unmarried.

Being Your Father's Daughter

Just as a bride looks forward to being with her groom and delights to please him, the Bride of Christ (all Christians) should await the coming of Her Groom, which is Christ. While we are single, how can we best prepare ourselves to demonstrate to a skeptical world the beauty of marriage? By turning towards our father, giving him our heart, striving to please him and delighting in his company.

The Call to the High Places

“Lord! Why are all the girls my age falling in love and getting married (or so it feels), and I have no one? How can I survive this painful thing called singleness, especially when so many friends are getting married?” Every girl cries these words at some point; most of us must face them again…and again…and again. How do I best live this unasked-for life of singleness

A Merry Future Homemaker

People often ask me what I am doing now that I am finished with my formal academics. I happily reply, “Training to be the best wife, mother and homemaker I can be.” And what better way to be trained and prepared than to continue practicing those household skills that my mother has so carefully taught me—right here at home?

EFerrari says: Brought to you by Stepford Productions.

Have a nice day!

The Talk of Purity by the Bumpfries

Hi, Remember Lady Lydia has a jobless son-in-law, whom she has to support and finance while he fails his college studies? This guy apart from staying in Lady Lydia's 120-sq-foot garage with his family of six, also writes articles for Ladies Against Feminism (LAF) site in his spare time.

One of his scandalous articles to the site was Skandalon.

Mr Aiden Bumpfries says:

May 31, 2003

1. Buy chastity belts! Buy one get one free for your friend! Last evening we talked with a group of young folks about purity. We talked about how they can honor God before marriage by guarding their own purity and the purity of those they care about. As you know, the world has a totally opposite approach to purity.
2. Satan prefers to catch them young! He doesn't like oldies so much! Satan is particularly after the young because they represent a powerful potential for the Lord. If they ever attempt to live the Christian challenge, it will shake up society, so he aims at youth, to cripple them, for he knows their energy and strength can be great for the Lord.
   
3. Similarities between the media, food, fashion industry and Satan? They all want them young! Look at the media--how they aim for the young. Look at the food industry and clothing and car industry: corrupt the young and cripple them so they can't quite ever have victory over sin in their lives. The messages of music and movies distract the young from the plan God has for them.
4. God created parents to mointor and select the potential mate for their offspring to ensure the non-extinction of the good, old family name! God has a brilliant plan of protection and heroism for the youth. He has provided a place for them-- the home-- and He set over them parents and the church to compass about them and provide the guidance they need to succeed in purity and in trusting in God for a mate. Satan wants them to get out of that place and into another place. He has an easier time forming a young girl into a skandalon outside of the home than in it.
5. What if a guy flirts with your daughter or attempts to seduce her? Tie a millstone around his neck and push him off the pier! After that Hell will be a holiday! Jesus knew that the world was full of triggers and traps, but He said, "Woe to the person through whom they come;" if you wanted to show that person mercy, you'd tie a millstone around his neck and push him off the pier; because what he or she faces in judgment would make that trip to the bottom seem like a holiday. 
6. When natural attraction or flirtation between young boys and girls, becomes a stalking game - predators vs prey. But from an early age, young men and women begin practicing the art of enticing each other to sin. They become a living skandalon; they dress to entice, they talk to entice, they walk to entice. 

The Battle of God Vs the Evil World as narrated by Aiden Bumpfries:

1. God's word tells a man to treat the younger women as sisters, in all purity; but the world trains him to use her. 
2. God's word shows a woman how to adorn herself with godliness; but the world dresses her up to be a hook and a lure. 

In which we find Aiden Bumpfries comparing the normal teenager to Female vampires:

It tells her she won't find happiness and she won't be loved unless she can get someone to take her bait. She sees girls on all sides of her, in the movies, in magazines, on TV, and they're all morphing into skandalons and snaring as they please; in her heart she wants to hold onto what is right in God's sight, but in her mind, she's confused. 

Why is dating a crime?

• because I didn't date. I got the parents of an 18-yr-old to agree to my marrying her, before she got to see other men
• But Satan explicitly tells your son to date girls for pleasure and to switch from one to the other. 
  

Why dating leads to divorces? Expert reasoning by dumb ass leader Mr Bumpfries:

While they're young, Satan wants your sons and daughters to get used to going from partner to partner: date till passion fades, then dump. That way, when they're older, all the training will be in place so that they treat marriage the same way; a gold ring on the ring finger won't break the pattern. A guy turns 40, and he gets to trade in his car and his marriage for a newer model. Isn't that what the pre-nuptual agreement is all about? It was created by and for people who had lots of practice dating, flaking and dumping and who can't conceive of a covenant love which can't be broken by a team of lawyers. As with so many of Satan's ways, what seems okay and cute and fun now is sad and pathetic later on in life. 

This is guy in his eagerness gets it terrible wrong. He says God will fulfill your needs and Satan is the one tempting girls with men - making it sound so yucky! Divine sex! Ugh!

God wants your children to love Him with their whole heart, mind, soul and body, because they have needs that only He can fulfill; He wants your daughters to look for their ultimate security and happiness in Him; He knows that only He can totally fulfill them. Satan wants your daughters to look for happiness in the arms of a man. 

Sage advice from the father of four Bumpfries:

If your son is too cool and aloof to come to you with problems; he's got problems; if your daughter is unconcerned, superior, and superhumanly stoical at 16, it is an act; just think of it as a free matinee. 

Satan's allies are dogs, according to the Bumpfries:

Satan doesn't have to spend a lot of time pursuing the kids He's already snatched and aborted; So who does he pursue? Where can he do the most damage? Doesn't he send out the dogs after the ones who aren't his yet, but who are within his reach? These are young men and women with all the potential in the world, but parts of their lives are sort of up for grabs right now.

Satan can also work life a sniffer-dog

Satan has the scent of their souls in his nostrils; and fence-sitters are easy prey; they've got corruptive influences in their lives; maybe they are out from under the protection of your authority; maybe their friends have less than the best motives; maybe its something that they are just experimenting with; maybe they think they are just playing with sin, and that when they let go of it; it will let go of them. 

Satan the venerable grand-daddy, child-catcher from the local pound:

Whatever it is, they are exposed and vulnerable to a formidable enemy; he is more clever than they are; he is thousands of years older than they are; and over the years he has developed an extreme talent for catching kids. 

Satan; The Excorsist

He rips them off of their God-given gifts, and then, after he uses them, he aborts their souls in one of a million different ways. 

Satan: The International Playboy

And he doesn't just hang out in New York City or LA. He gets around! And he doesn't mind the country. 

I spotted a UFO in Oregon! Now I spotted Satan pussy-footing around our garage! He's also branded our neighbours with 666!

Satan gets around; I've got reason to believe that he's been in Oregon recently. There are lives he's ravaged that bear his signature misery. 

In the world that Aiden Bumpfries lives in, parents tell kids to matter-of-factly accept the truth about date rapes and continue going on dates:

The world says that young men are going to use and that young women are going to get used, but date rape isn't any easier on a girl just because it was a guy she had been seeing all summer, or because he apologized afterward and asked her if she was alright. The world tells us to accept as fact that these things are just going to happen to our sons and daughters, and that if we don't like it too bad, because that's just the way kids are these days. 

There is a whole new generation of noble-hearted young men who love their sisters in Christ with all purity and respect. (I wonder how these men eventually get married given that they are gelded in Christ and have no carnal desires)

The To-Do list from Jobless Bumpfries:

And Fathers, give the gift of an unforgettable love story to your daughters; train them and encourage them to trust in the Lord for a husband (by obeying your commandments), and not to try to make it come true with the tricks of the world (like dating). 

When you go home, make a commitment to yourself that you will do what ever it takes to guard the purity of the children God gave you. (Even if it means buying them chastity belts & chaining them up in the basement)

Make a commitment to be the man in your daughter's lives; protect them from unqulified men. (So that your son-in-law has no role to play in her life or even get a job)

Fathers, make it clear to the world what your standards are; hey, put it up on the bulletin board at home; tell your friends, tell your co-workers; let the whole community understand the kind of standards your family has; let them in on it. (Put up flyers saying: Beware of patriarchs on your gates)

God can play Cupid, Eros and Pan for the mortals:

For anyone who is interested, before I go back to Florence I want to show you stories of young people who trusted in the LORD for their future husband or wife, and they have love stories that would make you want to laugh and cry at the same time; stories that are better than any romance novel you could hope to read. (I wonder if those who were interested got to see a porn movie or read Mills & Boon)

God is the author of romance; If you want to savor the seasons of the heart, let God write your love story; one chapter into it, and you won't be able to put it down. Don't let the world write your love story. (I wonder if God would skip the sex parts?)

Be men; open the door for them, pull out their chair, escort them to their car. (But never humour their fancies for equal pay or a hike)

When they make room for you to practice leadership, thank them. (Thank you for making space for my manhood?)

When they're humble and gentle, encourage them. (If not try beating them over the head with a paddle till they oblige you)

If a man's biggest temptation is to be passive, a woman's biggest temptation is to take control. The man isn't setting a course, so the woman grabs the steering wheel. (She should have just let both of them crash into a tree?)

You can encourage the men to be men by refusing to do the work of leading for them. (Please let me be a doormat)

Conception of Ladies Against Feminism by Lady Lydia

Ambit Gambit has a post on Ladies Against Feminism, which is hilariously funny.

It says things like "Armed with a Bible, an Edwardian Apron Pattern and the booklet of Christian Modesty, the LAF are fighting for, or at least demurely crafting, a version of femaleness that probably only existed in pre-twentieth century romantic fiction."

Excerpts from this real-fun article:

"LAF's website, which was no doubt embroidered one day when columnist Mrs. Stanley Sherman's husband was calling on parishioners and her bairns were playing impetuous, but Godly, games, is adorned with the kind of treacly images that suggests it could be a parody.

A modest perusal of How to Get Back Home and Responsible Manhood reveals, however, that these ladies aren't taking the piss.

Unsurprisingly, there are no pictures from olden times of over-worked females in factories, servants cleaning day and night for a pittance or destitute wives surrounded by hungry and grubby kids.

Like much of the retrogressive advice aimed at women, LAF is pure bourgeois fantasy and could be used as evidence that watching too many BBC costume dramas addles the brain.

It's also unadulterated hogwash; imagine a site called Negroes Opposed to the Civil Rights Movement (NOCRM), with sections devoted to appropriate slave wear and tips on how to behave around your owner.

NOCRM recommends silver chains and a permanently bowed head so he knows who's boss."

I just love the line: "LAF is proof that too many BBC costume dramas addles the brain."

Do read the original post - Discriminating Ladies at Ambit Gambit.

Submission as a revolutionary calling?

I Blame the Patriarchy tells us what is wrong with women thinking submission is the pathway to heaven.

She says:

"It’s called, as reported by AlterNet, The Patriarchy Movement. Like all patriarchy movements, it mixes godbaggery and misogyny, and apparently blames feminism for the “wimpy theology” that has turned modern god-fearin’ women into basket cases “whose hearts are broken over the gender confusion and the spiritual and emotional and relational carnage of our day.” Fans of submission in the weaker sex are calling for a return to “biblical womanhood,” which I guess means spending the day washing their husbands flowing robes on rocks. AlterNet warns us not to laugh too hard at the so-called True Women, because their numbers (6000 Christian submissives convened in Chicago last year to discuss how great things were for women in the 1950s) are too big to ignore, but Jesus in a jetpack!"

Read the full post at I Blame the Patriarchy blog.

On Matt Chancey's candidature

Matt Chancey thankfully lost the elections, but remember the amount of nonsense they spouted in the run-up to the elections? Water Words that Work, has a great article, on what exactly was wrong with Matt Chancey and the issues he represented. So if you hadn't liked Matt Chancey you might: "Post comments on Chancey’s YouTube video accusing him of being a shill for corporations that want to build dangerous and polluting nuclear power plants that threaten the health and safety of Alabama families (assuming you sincerely believe that to be the case, of course). Point out that the corporations Chancey is shilling for are accountable to anonymous shareholders rather than local citizens. Do point out that the responsible way for the state to help residents save money is by investing in conservation and clean, renewable energy, not by giving handouts to wealthy corporations."

Do read the full article at the blog - Water Words that Work.

Matt Chancey, epitome of Manliness? Ugh!

Feministing.com has an interesting, thought-provoking article on Matt Chancey being crowned the epitome of manliness by Old Spice-sponsored contest.

Feministing.com says:

Matthew Chancey won $2,000 and some Old Spice products. Is that a big deal? Not really. But the fact that this person was approved as a finalist by Old Spice and voted winner by nearly 10,000 people as an icon of manliness to follow, is what is disturbing here. If this isn't a sign we need to seriously reevaluate notions of masculinity in this country, I don't know what is. 

Chancey was chosen with nine other finalists that the contest claims "epitomize the manliness that used to exist before the arrival of metrosexual pretty boys." But apparently this "manliness that used to exist" regresses all the way back to when women didn't have the vote. A member of the Christian Reconstructionist movement, a homophobic, anti-choice, anti-contraception group. 

Do read the full article at the blog - Feministing.com

Sarah Palin issue provokes Goodbye to Ladies Against Feminism

Ms Mary Catherine at The Knitting Muse has written on why she de-linked Ladies Against Feminism from her side-bar after their unfair, strident attacks on Sarah Palin.

In an article, in her blog, she tells why she differs from LAF on the Sarah Palin issue:

"Ladies Against Feminism, I'm disappointed in you. So disappointed. Among all the Sarah-Palin-should-stay-at-home-and-raise-her-kids posts you've posted, has anybody thought to talk about how a Palin-McCain administration would, you know, be GOOD for the unborn babies, and maybe GOOD for other moms who want to stay at home by making that decision more financially viable, and maybe GOOD for families who want to decide where to send their own kids to school?

That is, McCain is pro-life and pro-cutting taxes and pro-school vouchers, but Sarah Palin is what he needs to get elected. You'd think you'd be happy that she's there getting everybody energized.

And much more importantly, what about that Christian idea of throwing the first stone? What, the idea is that we're NOT supposed to throw the first stone? You ladies could have fooled me. As far as I can tell, Sarah Palin is not beating her kids or turning them into slaves or selling her daughters off as young brides to 40 year old polygamist fellows. These are the sorts of things a Christian expects to see condemned, but a loving mom who tries to raise her family well and balances a job too, and maybe feels called by God to serve her country? Condemn the trend of mothers who abandon their families to their careers, sure, and there definitely are mothers who abandon their children to their career, but please don't presume that you can judge the individual circumstances of someone if they're not being immoral but just doing something you wouldn't do yourself."

Please read the entire article at her blog.

LAF says plastic pollution gets women infected with feminism

I am glad someone came down on the really dumb article by Mrs Elliot titled: "Could environmental factors contribute to feminism?" at the LAF site.

The F Word, Contemporary UK Feminism, in an article, titled "Feminism caused by environmental factors" lambasts the stupidity of LAF.

Excerpts:

Mrs Elliott seems to truly believe that “hormones from the pill and hormones from our insatiable appetite for synthetic goods” are leading to the rise in women asking for equality. How? Well apparently because:

Some years ago now, a widely publicised study carried out on genetic gender “mistakes” leading to a rise in reproductive disorders (among other problems) within the polar bear population alerted society to the dangers we’re storing up for ourselves from nearly half a century of the pill and synthetics. (The concentration of hormone levels in Arctic waters is greatest there due to ocean current patterns.) Plastics have also been shown to effect gender in developing unborn mammals. A web report deals with alarming changes in rodents exposed to very low levels of plastic-related hormones whilst developing.

From (I kid you not) Ladies Against Feminism

I do love the idea of plastics “effecting” gender in unborn mammals, as if gender wouldn’t happen without it! Plus the sheer misinformation conflating biological sex and cultural here is staggering. I suspect Mrs Elliott means “affecting” gender which deals with the first, if not the last criticism. However this isn’t an exercise in pedantry - althought Mrs Elliott goes on to misuse (perhaps abuse would be nearer) the concepts of post-modernism, Marxism and Communism too. Mrs Elliott, of course, ignores the fact that the women’s movement, calling for equality, predates the manufacturing discovery of plastics. It’s a fact to be conveniently forgotten, apparently, that suffragists were not exposed to similar environmental factors which were a result of scientific advances some forty years later. 

Do read the full article at this link.

Heartless Doll on Ladies Against Feminism

Heartless doll has written a sharp article against Ladies Against Feminism.

Excepts from the article, point out where LAF gets its reasoning wrong:

"at Ladies against Feminism, we are inundated with articles and images that shove one view of "womanhood" down our throats. What's that view? Well for one thing it involves women referring to themselves as Mrs. Sherman or Mrs. Chancey instead of by first names. They post pictures of themselves doing housework in "feminine dress" and deliver such thoughtful missives to single women as: "Singleness...just the word can bring shudders and dread to a person's heart - especially if she is unmarried."

It's way groovy with me if women get a sense of pride from keeping a nice home and providing their husbands with warm meals. And while I applaud LAF for speaking out against the sexualization of young girls in media, their insistence that we whittle down a woman's identity to only that of a "keeper at home" is freakishly reactionary and really frustrating."

Do read the entire article here.

The real problem with Ladies Against Feminism

Rockmother says the real problem with Ladies Against Feminism:

"It's not the way of life. It's not the subjugation to the king (i.e. the husband). It's not even the homeschooling.

It goes way deeper than that. It's the suicide of the will. It's taking the easy way. It's having a ready-made set of mores and a ready-made "community" of like-minded (frighteningly like-minded) people. It's never questioning. It's never doubting."

Read this Christian's thought-provoking article here.

Queen of Net on Lydia, Mr Bumpfries & LAF

The Queen of Net has a great article on Ladies Against Feminism.

The article gets off to a rip-roaring start with teasing the LAF motto:

"We are for maidenhood,

All praise to the holy hymen, amen.

modesty, virtue,

A woman in each kitchen, six children in each nursery. Unless you’re in Utah, I guess.

intelligence,

i.e. the ability to say, “I do” and then “Yes, sir”.

womanly arts and femininity. Join the new revolution!

But do it quietly, after you’ve finished cooking for the menfolk and asked their permission to join. If they say no, retire smiling to your bedchamber and have another baby. That is, after all, the true essence of women, and is lovingly detailed in the article."

-----------------------------------------------------

Coming closer to home what they had to say about Lady Lydia's son-in-law is more interesting.

Mr Aiden Humphrey's frightfully, stupid article at LAF called Skandalon, comes under criticism.

The article says:

You have to feel sorry for these people. I guess if I was saddled with a moniker like that, I’d be crabby and miserable too.

These are young men and women with all the potential in the world, but parts of their lives are sort of up for grabs right now; their private lives are exposed and vulnerable to sin; here and there they sit on the fence between the call of Jesus Christ and the call of the world; they're blessed by God in many ways; but Satan has the scent of their souls in his nostrils; and fence-sitters are easy prey; they've got corruptive influences in their lives; maybe they are out from under the protection of your authority; maybe their friends have less than the best motives; maybe its something that they are just experimenting with; maybe they think they are just playing with sin, and that when they let go of it; it will let go of them.

Dear Mr Humphrey-Bungum,

Even if you think a period (.) is something shameful and womanly, please attempt to use one more often.

And he doesn't just hang out in New York City or LA… Satan gets around; I've got reason to believe that he's been in Oregon recently.

The cloven footprints all over Portland, the smell of sulfur… it could have just been a cow-herd migration. But Aiden Humphrey-Bungum knew better. Follow the adventures of this intrepid Christian sleuth as he tracks the Devil Himself to… Utah!

There are lives he's ravaged that bear his signature misery...

Satan’s signature is “misery”? Does Stephen King know?

I want to show you stories of young people who trusted in the LORD for their future husband or wife, and they have love stories that would make you want to laugh and cry at the same time; stories that are better than any romance novel you could hope to read.

Oddly enough, they don’t seem to sell as well.

God is the author of romance;

Though He writes under the name Genevieve Olivetta Delafontaine.

If you want to savor the seasons of the heart, let God write your love story; one chapter into it, and you won't be able to put it down…

Because this author doesn’t take criticism very well?

But ladies, the Lord has said that if… you are going to keep dressing in such a way as to entice men to commit fornication or adultery with you, then it would be better for a millstone to be tied around your neck and for you to be cast into the sea.

Except such a woman would most likely be a witch, so she’d float, and then she’d have to be burned. And this would still be a far, far better thing than destroying

The Purity of Men

Yes, it’s by Mr. Humphrey-Bungum again. Bungum one for me, Aiden!

Our God is a wonderful Father, He is the Daddy every boy dreams of.

Ah, those must be the kind of dreams that leave embarassing stains afterwards.

It is a man's foremost and sweetest privilege to be one with his Daddy, his Abba, his Father in heaven.

Men, do not attempt to achieve this blissful oneness with your Daddy or Father on earth. Save it for the only One who cares.

How natural it is to turn to Him for every little thing. But how unnatural to turn to the Holy One with the flame of lust.

When the Holy One wants you in His arms, trembling with passion and need, the Holy One will let you know! Until then, please don’t bother Him.

Not surprisingly, then, one of the world's commonest ways of putting a wedge between a child of God and his Father is to encourage women to dress immodestly. Even after we shut our eyes in prayer, Dear Father, the lurid images linger on.

As we all know, men have no imagination, so if women only dressed modestly, men would think of them as, well, other men. But if women don’t take this excellent advice, something very bad may happen, as coyly implied in Brian Sullivan’s article

And then unveiling our Master Writer: Lady Lydia.

The Queen of Nets says on the Lady Lydia Speaks column:

"is peppered with pictures of Victorian women, so we all know what God wants us to wear."

Here are some things that are not feminine: Clothing with holes in it revealing parts of the skin.

This includes those very large holes through which women show off their heads.

Which is better: to cause an accident because a woman was so scantily dressed that someone was distracted and stumbled or drove his car into a post, or to cause a man to think of heaven because she was so carefully and finely clothed?

Man : A woman in a Victorian dress! With a hat! She reminds me of the Lamb of God already! Bleat for me, darling!

I’ll leave you with one final piece of wisdom from Lady Lydia :

The Bible says that the ant gets food ready in the summer to store in the winter. It does this without a ruler or a boss or an overseer.

Hmm, Ladies Against Feminism obviously forgot to plug the “intelligence” module into this drone, though she’s got the modesty and christianity programs functioning overtime.

In summary, hell would be far preferable to being forced into the distorted, grinning anachronism that is apparently considered to be the apex of femininity by these “ladies”.

Their ideal woman would be a corseted doll with her hands on the bible and her feet in the birthing stirrups, assuring you over and over again that, “It’s a good life.” Thanks, but I’ve already read The Handmaid’s Tale. Now there’s the kind of romance novel the Christian God might write.

Read the full article here.

Ladies Against Feminism?

Feme Fatal: A Feminist Blog has a great article on Ladies Against Feminism.

The article reads:

The dictionary defines Feminism as 1) Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes & 2) The movement organized around this belief.

When I saw the banner for this site I was, quite rightly appalled and not really surprised when I found out it was a site full of Christian women. However when I read the section marked ‘start here‘, or at least as much as I could without falling asleep (there was quite a lot of it), I began to wonder… Why the hell do they call themselves ‘Ladies Against Feminism’? By some of the stuff Chancey put you would not say they were against feminism, more like the opposite.

LAF says: Godly husbands do not treat their wives like children, browbeat them, or abuse them in any way. We’ve heard about websites whose authors claim it is a good thing to keep women in line by treating them as lesser beings. Scripture is clear: as you do to others, you are asking it to be done to you. Real men treat women like queens and co-heirs–not as chattel or children. LAF has nothing to do with anyone who promotes belittling or abusing women in any way. End of story.

So you’re against feminism yet you believe this? They are basically saying they are against domestic violence, good for them, so are all the feminists of the world.

Women in the work force are not the objects of our debate on this site. We are not here to sit in judgment over individual circumstances. All women are welcome here. We know that not everyone working a job outside the home is a feminist. And those who do embrace feminism are still individuals and not a vast faceless entity."

Read the full article at Feme Fatale: A Feminist blog