Lady Lydia does not believe in following what she says.
So, when people like Jennie Chancy, Stacy McDonald, Lydia Sherman, and of course, Doug Phillips stand up to lead a church, to write books, to start public blogs, then they ought to expect not only criticism but scrutiny. Not only should we be looking at what they preach but also at how they live it. It is the old adage, “they can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk?” Could we go too far in investigating their private lives? Of course. Everyone deserves privacy. However, when a person preaches a particular way of living, it is only fair that they are held to their own standards. Should we go dig up dirt about these men and women from their past? No. But neither should we let their theology, comments, or actions go by without any accountability.
Here are some little known facts about the family:
Debt & Finance:
The private circumstances of any individual is no concern of others you might say. But when Lady Lydia preaches that women going to work only causes more expenses and the way to frugal living is through housewifery; then we feel bound to shatter some of the myths she has created around herself.
- Lady Lydia and her husband are in huge debt. They have no savings and they still haven't cleared their debts (So how dare she talk about frugal living?)
- Lady Lydia or her family does not own any house or land. The property that they are so fond of photographing and putting up on their blog is a rental, property of the Church of Lancaster (So how dare she writes article after article on how responsible Christian parents must leave an inheritance - house/land/money - for their children?)
- Lady Lydia does not have any insurance; not even health insurance. The reason her daughter had all four babies at home was because they didn't have health insurance, couldn't afford to go the hospital and had to have a mid-wife. (So how dare she says the state health care system is bad, when its obivous she can't afford it?)
- Lady Lydia's husband does MLM, but is quite unsuccesful at it. Lady Lydia assists him in his MLM activities, including visiting clients.
Lollybeth & Living on charity:
- Lady Lydia's daughter Lollybeth and her husband stay with them, because they couldn't afford a place of their own after the son-in-law lost his job (So how dare she writes articles criticising other men, whose wives work?)
- The son-in-law still hasn't got himself a job. So he does MLM marketing part-time and preaches occasionally. (What right has she to preach her one-income lifestyle is better, when her family affairs are in such shambles? And when her own son-in-law is in college though he can't afford it, why is it bad and unaffordable for girls to be in college?)
- The Bumpfries cousins on The Unpleasant Times are actually the Merman family themselves. Lollybeth says: "the Bumpfries live below poverty level." (And yet look at the snobbery and racism....My, My)
- Lollybeth and her husband are in huge debt and live on the charity of close relatives and friends. (Very manly, isn't it? The head of the house supported by charity?)
- Lollybeth's husband (father of 4) is studying a full-time course in Architecture, financed by his parents. He does not hold any full-time job. He has also taken student loans, which he has not repaid. (Nice, not only does someone take care of his family, someone also foots his college expenses and takes care of those loans. How manly is that?)
- Lollybeth lives on the charity of near and dear ones. The expenses to run her family of six is meted out by her parents and in-laws.
- Lollybeth and her family of six stay in the garage of her parents' rented house (for which they don't pay the rent, but the parish does.)
- Lady Lydia's two sons are indepedant and live away from her; contrary to her principles of adult children staying with the family
- Lady Lydia herself at the age of 18, chose to stay a single women in America when her entire family left for Australia. She chose to attend Bible classes and marry someone, totally unknown to her parents. So what right does she have to say "women shouldn't go to college," "women should stay at home" or "courtship/betrothal is better than dating?"
Lady Lydia's business activities:
- Lady Lydia is a woman of merchandise. Though she does not want other women to engage in the sordid world of commerce, she holds jobs and earns money. She also acts as PA fo her husband's MLM activities.
- If you thought all the pretty pictures at LAF and Homeliving are for decoration, you are wrong! Lady Lydia, Lollybeth and Jennie Chancey have consistently promoted Victorian art, because they have signed up with online art dealers. They have posted more than 2,000 pictures all in all...so look at the amount of money they make with each click.
- Lady Lydia and Lollybeth have had to support their husbands through their sewing business, affiliation through Allposters.com, online shop at CafePress and as speakers for SAHM-patriocentric conferences.
- Lady Lydia likes to pride herself as an author, but not more than a dozen books have been sold and of the three reviews the book received at Lulu.com, two were planted.
- Lady Lydia has no savings, only debt, but lives a hedonistic, consumerist lifestyle. There are four cars in their garage, four computers, TVs, even a swimming pool...just about everything - and all of it is still unpaid for. Lady Lydia is a firm believer in installments, so they just keep buying more stuff and pay the lowest installment on it.
- Lady Lydia has made many racist remarks about black slaves in America, snobbish remarks about the state of undress of the victims of Katrina, on KOOPs - other people's kids and has labelled the women at White Washed Feminists, TrueWomanhood as "silly women." When there was controversy about her posts, she immediately deleted them but evidence of them can be found in other sites.
