Fundamentalist Church to force adolescent marriage?

while i do believe that we have the freedom of and from religion, we are still a nation of secular laws. this church in kansas, the same church that the duggars' belong to, are trying to set up a place where fathers can meet and arrange for their children to be married off. these kids would have no say in the matter, especially the daughters. funny that these people would scream at the barbarity of say those of the moslem faith, yet fail to see that in some areas, they are almost exactly the same.

The “Get Them Married” retreat is designed for Christian dads that want to meet up and discuss who they want to “give” their teenage daughters to. Here is an excerpt from the statement about it:

“We at Let Them Marry Ministries are excited to finally be able to announce our plans for the Get Them Married Retreat. We’ve set our plans and are accepting applications. Pending sufficient signups and barring unforeseen contingencies, we will be hosting the first Get Them Married Retreat this fall.”

These are the “rules” for this sick event:

The ‘youth’ ready for marriage has breasts. A woman who is to be married is one who has breasts; breasts which signal her readiness for marriage, and breasts who promise enjoyment for her husband. (We believe that ‘breasts’ here stand as a symbol for all forms of full secondary sexual characteristics.)
The ‘youth’ ready for marriage is ready to bear children. Unlike modern society, Scripture sees the woman as a bearer, nurser, and raiser of children. The ‘young woman’ is the woman whose body is physically ready for these things, physically mature enough to handle them without damage.
The ‘youth’ ready for marriage is one who is ready for sexual intercourse sexually and emotionally. Her desire is for her husband, and she is ready to rejoice in him physically.

www.salon.com...

a reply to: blackthorne
I stand corrected, these are sick f#@$s.

Thanks mOjOm.

a reply to: stosh64

So post something that debunks the claim.

a reply to: stosh64

I agree.

letthemmarry.org...

You can go into articles about what they are about and say they endorse with that, but they are aware of the rumors it seems.

I was wrong.

originally posted by: stosh64
a reply to: blackthorne
What a bunch of BS.

You should really get away from SALON.

It took 5 mins of research to see this is crap.

Not worth any more of my time.

This should be in the LoL section. Ludicrous online LIES.

It's not crap. Someone very close to me was raised around these people, she actually brought this to my attention last night. I went and read their website and their material.

While they claim they don't "force" children into arranged marriages, when you are raised around those people you don't know any better or even want to object. Daddy picks your husband, that's just how the world for you works.

a reply to: stosh64

here are some other sources then-
www.kansascity.com...

www.rawstory.com...

www.kansas.com...

www.patheos.com... ent/

so it appears to me that you are in the wrong. especially since two of these are from newspapers in kansas. these people are disgusting.

a reply to: stosh64

Well, it's not BS according to their own website. Just go there and read some of the FAQ's.

letthemmarry.org...

a reply to: ketsuko

Because they would admit it?

Go to their website: letthemmarry.com

They have this hilarious disclaimer:

Note: Contrary to vicious internet rumors we do not support or in any way condone child sexual activity of any sort, child marriage, or any other illegal activity. Nor do we support or condone forced marriages. We believe that parents should NOT seek a spouse for a child where that child has not actively sought for the parents to do so.

As I said, the kids themselves don't know any better or object. Of course the kids actively seek their parents to find them their future husbands/wives, they've been indoctrinated.

These are the same Quiverfull folks of the Josh Duggar fame...

originally posted by: stosh64
a reply to: blackthorne
What a bunch of BS.

You should really get away from SALON.

It took 5 mins of research to see this is crap.

Not worth any more of my time.

This should be in the LoL section. Ludicrous online LIES.

Have you checked out their own website?

letthemmarry.org...

1) The ‘youth’ ready for marriage has breasts. A woman who is to be married is one who has breasts; breasts which signal her readiness for marriage, and breasts who promise enjoyment for her husband. (We believe that ‘breasts’ here stand as a symbol for all forms of full secondary sexual characteristics.)

I've been reading parts of their own website and these people look extremely dodgy and controlling, using scripture to justify their own unhealthy beliefs.

a reply to: Kali74

They don't just admit it. They even explain it in great detail.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: stosh64

Well, it's not BS according to their own website. Just go there and read some of the FAQ's.

letthemmarry.org...

Going there now, Thanks.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Well, that's an easy position to take.

It's like saying that Jehovah's witnesses don't force anyone to turn down some medical procedures, either, but when you are raised by "those people" (note the language certifying "otherness;" they've already been divorced from humanity in your mind), you don't know any better.

When you think like that, it gets that much easier for you to justify jamming your version of morality down their throats to satisfy your totalitarian impulses because they're clearly ignorant and do not know any better. And the more you think like that, the more you extend that brand of thought to the next group of "those people" who come along and don't think or act exactly like you.

While I may or may not agree or disagree with them and their version of the faith, so long as they aren't violating the law, it's their business and none of yours or mine what they do.

And as I said, someone very, very close to me personally was raised in this faith. She escaped when she turned 18.

She didn't show me the Salon article, but rather pointed me directly to the actual website of these people. She's talked to me on and off about these people over the yeas, and the abuse she witnessed. There are things to this day she won't talk to me about, and I'm not going to pry.

So, folks on here can dismiss this stuff and say whatever they want -- I have an actual, living and breathing human being in my life that was knee deep in this lifestyle until age 18 as my source.

What I find odd is that everyone is pretty much unified against the fundamentalist Mormons who've broken away from the main LDS church, but when it comes to these Quiverfull folks -- they get a free pass.

a reply to: ketsuko

So, you'd be OK with Muslims in America arranging marriages for their sons and daughters?

a reply to: stosh64

Here is a passage quoted on a page of their website titled Young Marriage: Historical Commentaries - Let Them Marry

They say about the quotes:

In this page we are attempting to gather all of the quotes we can from historical commentaries in which they promote, assume, or give reasons for young marriage. Emphasis in many cases added. We encourage our readers to go to the original sources.

If she pass the flower of her age; that is, one that is arrived to years of maturity, is ripe for marriage, and is what the Jewish doctors call בגרת; who, according to them, was one of twelve years and a half old (t), at which age virgins were judged fit to marry: hence that saying of theirs (u). “if thy daughter, בגרה, “is ripe”, or come to the flower of her age, make thy servant free and give her to him.”

So...12 year old daughters, also known as servants, should be set free to marry. Sounds fine, totally fine.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: stosh64

Well, it's not BS according to their own website. Just go there and read some of the FAQ's.

letthemmarry.org...

Well call me dumbfounded.....and WRONG!
From their site.

Courtship denies the authority of the father over the marriage of their virgin children. While they often give a veto to the parents of the woman, they specifically deny the authority of the father of the groom or the bride to choose a spouse for their children.

We believe that Scripture teaches quite clearly that the father does have the power to choose a spouse for their virgin child; and we see this in several Scriptural examples.

I thought I was at THEIR site earlier and it was dismissing all the "online lies". But from what I just read I will eat my earlier words. HOW can crap like this be happening......I want off the planet.

Thanks for the link mOjOm.

a reply to: mOjOm

Yeah I clicked on the link from the story unfortunately. I've seen Christian cults everywhere... this is another one. I don't consider it a reflection on Christianity... I think that's what the denial is all about.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

thank you there mystik. these kids DON"T have a choice. they have been raised to know no other way of life. not so different from children from the moslem faith.

notice how defensive they behave when the spotlight is shown on an aspect of their faith that is considered reprehensible in most decent peoples' eyes?