25 VOLUME 6 |ISSUE 2 |2015
on the older children in particular. With families of six, 10,
12 children, the older ones, especially daughters, frequently
are called on to fill in for their harried mothers in taking care
of younger siblings—so much so that many of those older
children are deprived of a normal, healthy childhood. For
instance, she writes,
Somehow I learned at an early age that love wouldn’t
come easily. That love is a relationship reward, not
a relationship default, and I had to earn it, to work
hard for it. While Quiverfull teaching exalts children
as supreme blessings, it doesn’t reveal its grim
underside… I am only a blessing when I’m useful,
helpful, obedient, cheerful, kind, unselfish, submissive,
compliant, and responsible. And only these kinds of
blessings deserve love...3
The book opens with a reprint of an article originally published
in the Christian Research Journal, Vol. 26/No. 01–2003 under
the title “Christian Families on the Edge: Authoritarianism and
Isolationism Among Us.” In this book, the article bears the
title “Christian Families on the Edge: Authoritarianism and
Isolationism.” In an introductory paragraph, author Rachel D.
Ramer writes,
In response to antifamily trends in recent decades,
there has been a resurgence within Christianity
to restore family integrity and values. … Some
Christian groups, who see culture as adversarial to
Christianity, believe the role of family is to protect
its members from culture. Family certainly is to be a
place of security however, the principles of authority
and isolation these groups often recommend
are problematic… These groups often promote
principles of parental authority based on shame. …
Authoritarianism and isolationism provide a false
sense of security from moral and spiritual evils, and
merely result in a subculture that fails to interact with
and transform culture in a redeeming way.4
McFarland puts to use her evocative writing skills to describe
both pleasant times and those that are much less so. For
example,
Our little farm house, propped on creaky and tired
wooden beams, is unbelievably cold in winter.
Sometimes my sisters and I can etch our names in ice
inside our bedroom windows.
But it’s August now, and I stand at the stove alternately
flipping tortillas and rolling them by hand. I long for
coolness but it’s a luxury we can’t afford. My mud-
streaked legs drip as farm-grime slides down my skin
with sweat heat affects me badly. But what did they
do back in the prairie days? I’m just supposed to be
thankful I don’t have to wear petticoats under layers of
skirts.…
…Later, I try to get ready for a wedding. I love this dress.
It touches the floor and is black and white and beautiful.
Mom bought it for me from Sears with money Nana
sent her for her birthday.
I’m starting to feel overwhelmed, as I stand at the
mirror and brush my hair, because my legs keep sliding
together—the sweat makes them slippery. My beautiful
dress sticks to me as I raise my arms, comb in hand. It’s
hard to move like this, and hard to breathe—I’m baking!
The sweat is dripping! And there’s nothing I can do. No
matter what, even when I try to look elegant for an
evening wedding, I—now my face is getting red. I just
want to cry. But even more I want to find something and
stab, stab, stab my stupid fat legs and the sweat that
makes them slide around. My hair is hot, and it frizzes,
and I can’t do anything with it.
But I hear the reply: God calls us to live like this. We must
bring conviction to people. To make people think. To
be different—a peculiar people. To do without. I don’t
need comfort. I need to learn sacrifice, to embrace the
hard way because it separates us from the world. (italics
in original)5
The last paragraph above illustrates Lifton’s second
characteristic of thought reform, mystical manipulation.
Among the neopatriarchal families, there is much evidence
of this characteristic, especially in the form of misuse of Bible
passages, and especially by taking them out of context to
misapply them to the 20th and 21st centuries. Passages like
this are scattered through the first half or so of the book, often
as vignettes provided by other women who have grown up
under similar conditions (the author uses pseudonyms to
protect the privacy of these others).
As a case in point, McFarland uses that term peculiar people
several times in the book. Clearly, neopatriarchists use the term
to describe and even justify their lifestyle.6 It is as if in answer
to those who would look at them quizzically or comment on
their lifestyle, they would say, “Of course we’re ‘peculiar’ or
‘odd.’ But that’s what the Bible tells us to be.” However, the
phrase peculiar people occurs in the KJV of the Bible four times:
twice in the Old Testament and twice in the New. In the Old
Testament, the word peculiar is the translation of the Hebrew
word that could be transliterated as segullah, which means
“special” or “treasured.” It most definitely does not mean “odd”
or “strange.” The same is true of the two Greek words employed
in the New Testament instances where the phrase occurs. The
Greek words, although different, share the meaning of “special
treasure” or “treasured possession.”
Other characteristics of thought reform are revealed as the
author proceeds to relate her story. Demand for purity is
prominent within patriarchal families, since the whole purpose
and chief goal of the patriarchal lifestyle is to live according to
the dictum of James 1:27—“Pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows
Among the neopatriarchal
families, there is much
evidence of this characteristic,
especially in the form of
misuse of Bible passages...
on the older children in particular. With families of six, 10,
12 children, the older ones, especially daughters, frequently
are called on to fill in for their harried mothers in taking care
of younger siblings—so much so that many of those older
children are deprived of a normal, healthy childhood. For
instance, she writes,
Somehow I learned at an early age that love wouldn’t
come easily. That love is a relationship reward, not
a relationship default, and I had to earn it, to work
hard for it. While Quiverfull teaching exalts children
as supreme blessings, it doesn’t reveal its grim
underside… I am only a blessing when I’m useful,
helpful, obedient, cheerful, kind, unselfish, submissive,
compliant, and responsible. And only these kinds of
blessings deserve love...3
The book opens with a reprint of an article originally published
in the Christian Research Journal, Vol. 26/No. 01–2003 under
the title “Christian Families on the Edge: Authoritarianism and
Isolationism Among Us.” In this book, the article bears the
title “Christian Families on the Edge: Authoritarianism and
Isolationism.” In an introductory paragraph, author Rachel D.
Ramer writes,
In response to antifamily trends in recent decades,
there has been a resurgence within Christianity
to restore family integrity and values. … Some
Christian groups, who see culture as adversarial to
Christianity, believe the role of family is to protect
its members from culture. Family certainly is to be a
place of security however, the principles of authority
and isolation these groups often recommend
are problematic… These groups often promote
principles of parental authority based on shame. …
Authoritarianism and isolationism provide a false
sense of security from moral and spiritual evils, and
merely result in a subculture that fails to interact with
and transform culture in a redeeming way.4
McFarland puts to use her evocative writing skills to describe
both pleasant times and those that are much less so. For
example,
Our little farm house, propped on creaky and tired
wooden beams, is unbelievably cold in winter.
Sometimes my sisters and I can etch our names in ice
inside our bedroom windows.
But it’s August now, and I stand at the stove alternately
flipping tortillas and rolling them by hand. I long for
coolness but it’s a luxury we can’t afford. My mud-
streaked legs drip as farm-grime slides down my skin
with sweat heat affects me badly. But what did they
do back in the prairie days? I’m just supposed to be
thankful I don’t have to wear petticoats under layers of
skirts.…
…Later, I try to get ready for a wedding. I love this dress.
It touches the floor and is black and white and beautiful.
Mom bought it for me from Sears with money Nana
sent her for her birthday.
I’m starting to feel overwhelmed, as I stand at the
mirror and brush my hair, because my legs keep sliding
together—the sweat makes them slippery. My beautiful
dress sticks to me as I raise my arms, comb in hand. It’s
hard to move like this, and hard to breathe—I’m baking!
The sweat is dripping! And there’s nothing I can do. No
matter what, even when I try to look elegant for an
evening wedding, I—now my face is getting red. I just
want to cry. But even more I want to find something and
stab, stab, stab my stupid fat legs and the sweat that
makes them slide around. My hair is hot, and it frizzes,
and I can’t do anything with it.
But I hear the reply: God calls us to live like this. We must
bring conviction to people. To make people think. To
be different—a peculiar people. To do without. I don’t
need comfort. I need to learn sacrifice, to embrace the
hard way because it separates us from the world. (italics
in original)5
The last paragraph above illustrates Lifton’s second
characteristic of thought reform, mystical manipulation.
Among the neopatriarchal families, there is much evidence
of this characteristic, especially in the form of misuse of Bible
passages, and especially by taking them out of context to
misapply them to the 20th and 21st centuries. Passages like
this are scattered through the first half or so of the book, often
as vignettes provided by other women who have grown up
under similar conditions (the author uses pseudonyms to
protect the privacy of these others).
As a case in point, McFarland uses that term peculiar people
several times in the book. Clearly, neopatriarchists use the term
to describe and even justify their lifestyle.6 It is as if in answer
to those who would look at them quizzically or comment on
their lifestyle, they would say, “Of course we’re ‘peculiar’ or
‘odd.’ But that’s what the Bible tells us to be.” However, the
phrase peculiar people occurs in the KJV of the Bible four times:
twice in the Old Testament and twice in the New. In the Old
Testament, the word peculiar is the translation of the Hebrew
word that could be transliterated as segullah, which means
“special” or “treasured.” It most definitely does not mean “odd”
or “strange.” The same is true of the two Greek words employed
in the New Testament instances where the phrase occurs. The
Greek words, although different, share the meaning of “special
treasure” or “treasured possession.”
Other characteristics of thought reform are revealed as the
author proceeds to relate her story. Demand for purity is
prominent within patriarchal families, since the whole purpose
and chief goal of the patriarchal lifestyle is to live according to
the dictum of James 1:27—“Pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows
Among the neopatriarchal
families, there is much
evidence of this characteristic,
especially in the form of
misuse of Bible passages...
