on Quiverfulls, apostasy, and maybe learning how to dance.

I’m new to the feminist movement. Consider me something of an ideological refugee: I have spent all twenty-two years of my life immersed in the fundamentalist Christian subculture, and my hasty departure from this movement occurred barely two years ago. Not that I’d really been a model fundamentalist before then. I got expelled from Christian high school for being a “disturbing influence.” I’m still not quite sure what that means, but I like the sound of it. But despite the accumulated trauma of two decades spent in the movement, leaving it was a difficult decision.

Those of you who have experienced life in this or similar subcultures will understand this. It sounds simple, right? Your religion is telling you that your role in life is to be submissive to men, and that you should have no higher ambition than to be a housewife and mother. Combine that with the other deeply hurtful views held by the fundamentalist community and the choice seems obvious. Yet that choice carries with it significant consequences, namely the risk of being rejected by nearly everyone you’ve ever known. 

Clearly I’ve made that choice. And feminism has helped me do it. Sites like this have helped me do it. But as I’ve stated, I’m new to feminism. The vague feelings of unease that plagued my childhood and adolescence have only recently begun to acquire names. I am not submissive, I haven’t been submissive a day in my life. And that’s ok. I like sex, and I have sex. That’s ok too. So’s moderate drinking. Maybe I’ll get really wild and learn how to dance (Baptists don’t dance, if you’re wondering). 

So that’s my background. Imagine my total shock, then, when I read Michelle Duggar described as a good mother in the comments to a recent post. I know the Quiverfull movement. I have witnessed the damage it has inflicted on women. Michelle Duggar is not a good mother. She is a terrible mother, and it is not because she has nineteen children. She is a terrible mother because she expects, as all Quiverfull parents do, that her daughters will be housewives and mothers, and because of this, they do not need secular things like a college education. If you don’t believe me, I invited to google Vision Forum, Visionary Daughters, and their documentary Return of the Daughters. Google the blog “No Longer Quivering” if you want personal accounts of life in that movement. Seriously. Knock yourself out. 

Consider this my humble request to the feminist community to educate itself about fundamentalist Christianity. It goes by a few different names: evangelicalism, conservative Christianity, the Reformed movement. According to Frontier Harvest Ministries, a fundamentalist organization, 11% of the world’s population identifies itself as Bible-believing Christians. That’s code, guys. That means that millions of women across the world are attempting to fit into the sort of paradigm proposed by individuals like Michelle Duggar. This is a feminist issue. It’s a human issue. And it deserves careful attention, not thoughtless comments. 

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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