Political Families: A Call For Stories

The homeschooling movement has been one that has been involved in politics from almost the beginning.

Capturing the Minds of Daughters via Reconstructionism, Gary DeMar, The American Vision, and the Homeschool Movement

With the demise of the ministry of Doug Phillips, and now the negative connotations of the word patriarchy, I’ve wondered what would be happening in Reconstructionist/Dominionist circles. It’s been a while since I’ve written about Reconstructionism/Dominionism and how many in the Religious Right have Reconstructionist roots. But this week I read an article and saw a video on the topic, and wanted to highlight a bit from each, showing that Reconstructionism is alive and well.

Life in the Dollhouse: Stay At Home Daughters, by Lea

“As little girls play with dolls in dollhouses, so Christian fundamentalist parents play house with their daughters, teaching them from a young age that women are to be homemakers- any college degree or job outside the house being considered prideful or sinful.”

Ready for Real Life: Part Two, Ready for What?

“Geoffrey Botkin stressed that parents must cultivate correct knowledge about their children. Children are ‘godly seed,’ not pupils or accessories, he argued. The Bible teaches that children are weapons of war, he added, asking listeners if they were truly acting like warriors. Like other fundamentalist voices, Geoffrey Botkin described children as torchbearers for a fundamentalist agenda.”

“My Daughters Are Not Going Off to College”: When Homeschooled Girls Are Trapped

“Some homeschooled adult daughters fare no better than Pakistani young ladies when it comes to education. Nick is right. We expect this kind of thing in Pakistan, but not in the US. Some of these young ladies who have officially graduated from their homeschool high school are not allowed to even choose whether they go to college or not. College is simply not allowed. They are destined to be a ‘stay-at-home-daughter.'”

Teenagers Taking Over the World: Kierstyn King’s Thoughts

“NCFCA and TeenPact were ideologically very similar to me — in some ways, almost extensions of each other. That could be because I was in NCFCA before TeenPact and a lot of the things I learned in NCFCA, TeenPact also tried to teach and hone.”

The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute: NCFCA and Growing Up in a Conservative Bubble — Libby Anne’s Thoughts

“Homeschool debate was founded by Christy Shipe, the daughter of Michael Farris, founder of HSLDA. The goal of homeschool debate was to train up a generation of young people for public speaking and political involvement in an effort to restore America to its Christian foundation. We were those young people.”

TeenPacters Speak Up: Part Six, TeenPact Breakaway

“I remember the exact moment I began to breakaway from the TeenPact message. And what is funny is that the reason it started to crumble had nothing to do with the misogyny, the hypocritical modesty standards or corrupt election rigging. Instead, it was a young person who dared to speak their opinion; an opinion that the powers-that-be did not share.”

TeenPacters Speak Up: Part Five, TeenPact and Women

“We are told, many times, in no uncertain terms that we (women) are supposed to just go along with whatever the men say – even if we disagree with it, and to not speak up if we do. They’re supposed to lead, after all, and we’re supposed to submit.”

TeenPacters Speak Up: Part Four, My Experience And A Lot Of Parantheses

“I have de-friended most of the Interns (or been de-friended) and have since hidden most of my TeenPact pictures and videos. It is a chapter in my life that I do not regret, but do not like to announce. I prefer that no one remember me or pick me out as one of them. I regret being so conservative and blind. I do not regret getting away and changing.”