I watched this movie over the weekend, about the genetic
specialist Donald Cline who committed somewhere over 100
ats of a crime too heinous to have an official name yet -
- like, rape plus destruction of a family -- inseminating
women having fertility issues with his own sperm, when
the women had agreed only to either their own husband's
donation, or that of an anonymous profiled med
students... Kinda takes your breath away, doesn't it? ;-O
And while it needs to be said up front that Donald Cline
never claimed to be a member of the Quiverfull
organization, nor was it ever proven that he was...the
article does a good job of outlining just how parallel
his "rationale" for enacting these horrors is with
Quiverfull's whole intention...
Amidst so many other ways religion is being twisted in a
doomed effort to support the unsupportable, buckle up,
here's just one more...
***
Let's Unpack The Quiverfull Movement Mentioned In
Netflix's 'Our Father'
"Our Father unfurls the case of Donald Cline, a former
fertility doctor who fathered almost 100 of his patients'
children without their consent.
While wondering why Cline did it, his children realize
that his beliefs seem similar to the Quiverfull movement.
So, what is Quiverfull? Here's everything to know:
Netflix's latest true crime documentary Our Father tells
the terrifying story of Donald Cline. Cline, who ran a
fertility clinic in Indiana, secretly fathered dozens of
his patients' children and wasn't caught until decades
later.
One major question that remains unanswered in the film is
why Cline did it. Jacoba Ballard, one of Cline's
children, wonders along with her half-siblings why he
would want so many offspring in the first place.
“What made him, every day, wake up and decide to go into
his work, masturbate, and place it, unknowingly, inside
women without their consent?” Jacoba asks. “He could have
stopped at any point, but he kept doing it over and over
and over.”
In the documentary, one theory begins to emerge. Cline
was a pillar of the local community and very active in
his church. He was a church elder, meaning he helped
govern the church body. He even baptized new members in
his own swimming pool.
Jacoba says that many of the half-siblings suspect Cline
may have had similar goals as the Christian religious
movement called Quiverfull.
To be clear, this is speculation. Cline was not
interviewed in the documentary. And the Quiverfull
connection is a theory put forth by Jacoba and her
siblings. Nothing has directly linked Cline to
Quiverfull, and he has not expressed a connection with
the movement.
So, what is Quiverfull? Here's what to know:
Quiverfull is a Christian religious movement.
The movement has grown among conservative Christians in
recent years, according to NPR. "Quiverfull" is a
reference to Psalm 127: "Like arrows in the hands of a
warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them."
Members believe that God knows how many children are
right for them, and that creating large families will
help spread the word of the Bible. They also don't
believe in birth control.
"The womb is such a powerful weapon; it's a weapon
against the enemy," Quiverfull leader Nancy Campbell told
NPR in 2009. "My greatest impact is through my children.
The more children I have, the more ability I have to
impact the world for God."
The movement has previously been associated with the
Duggar family from the TLC series 19 Kids And Counting,
although the family has said they are not a part of
Quiverfull.
Why is Quiverfull controversial?
The movement began to attract members after the release
of The Way Home: Beyond Feminism, Back to Reality, a book
written by Mary Pride in 1985. Pride wrote about her
experience turning away from feminism and eventually
converting to evangelical Christianity, per Newsweek.
Siblings in the documentary describe the group as "cult-
like."
Some also question whether Quiverfull's beliefs are
racist. The movement doesn't outwardly project teachings
that focus on race. However, Campbell explained to NPR
that part of the reason why Quiverfull emphasizes
starting large families is to prevent Christians from
dying out.
"We look across the Islamic world and we see that they
are outnumbering us in their family size, and they are in
many places and many countries taking over those nations,
without a jihad, just by multiplication," she told the
outlet.
And, Kathryn Joyce, who wrote about the movement in her
book Quiverfull: Inside The Christian Patriarchy
Movement, added that the group has goals beyond raising
children. "They speak about, 'If everyone starts having
eight children or 12 children, imagine in three
generations what we'll be able to do,'" she said. "'We'll
be able to take over both halls of Congress, we'll be
able to reclaim sinful cities like San Francisco for the
faithful, and we'll be able to wage very effective
massive boycotts against companies that are going against
God's will.'"
Our Father suggests that Cline may have held similar
beliefs.
In the documentary, Jacoba and her half-siblings say they
first suspected Dr. Cline might be connected to the
Quiverfull movement after she received an email from
someone with a Quiverfull domain name, per Newsweek.
Throughout the documentary, viewers are also reminded of
Cline's waiting room, which was decorated with many Bible
quotes—including Jeremiah 1:5, which reads, "Before I
formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you." (This
quote also appears on the Quiverfull website.)
In Our Father, Jacoba and her half-siblings do some
research on Quiverfull. They learn that some members were
determined to have numerous white children, due to fears
they would disappear. Jacoba and her half-siblings all
noted how they looked eerily similar, Newsweek reported.
Most of Cline's children were white, and many have blonde
hair and blue eyes. “It’s almost like we’re like this
perfect Aryan clan," Jacoba says in the film. She adds,
“it’s disgusting to sit there and lay in bed at night,
wondering if the person that created you is some racist
bigot."
You can watch the full Our Father documentary on Netflix.
|
|
Oh the daggers that'll come, from throwing some light on
just how repressive and straight from the wet dream of
"religiously justified" male domination this comes... ;)
Bring 'em on, I'll use 'em for practice... ;)
Some excerpts:
"Not only do women need to constantly put their husbands
first, but they need to put the word of God first. And
according to those beliefs, women can't defy their
husband by refusing to perform sexual favors. That means
that there could be times when women who follow the
Quiverfull movement deal with marital rape if they're not
in the mood but their husbands demand it. They get no
choice in the matter."
***
"Childbirth is also unassisted.
Many people hear stories about accidental home births.
Sometimes, kids don't give you enough time to prepare.
But for those in the Quiverfull movement, women are
expected to labor at home without any help. Just imagine
giving birth without a doctor, nurse, or any sort of pain
relief. It may get easier the more it happens, but it's
also scary to know that there aren't any quick methods to
get your baby seen in case there are complications with
birth."
***
(Daddy rules...oh no...)
"Daughters born into the Quiverfull movement are also
expected to have a strong emotional relationship with
their father. He is known as being the one man in their
life, and sometimes that bond can become emotionally
inappropriate or too hard to break away from. For
daughters who have an abusive father, it's even harder.
Young girls are also expected to dress extremely
conservatively, thus blocking any temptation from other
men. This, in itself, is problematic for a host of
reasons."
***
"This insinuates that the only thing that makes women
attractive are their bodies. But in the Quiverfull
movement, that makes sense — they already want to
suppress women from developing a personality outside of
the cult, so they assume that procreation is the most
important part in building their family and their
religious army. Their parents also have a say in who they
wed."
***
"The Quiverfull movement doesn't believe in women
furthering their education.
Their role is to be there for the kids. And with
multiples in many Quiverfull households, it's impossible
timewise to do anything else. Quiverfull women aren't
expected to hold down jobs outside of child care, caring
for the home, and homeschooling. It's almost like
Quiverfull women are expected to be trapped inside their
house all day, dependent on their husbands for money to
survive."
***
And...of course...any female unfortunate enough to be
born into this cult, whose inner instincts do not agree
with these principles, would be seen as officially
spiritually *wayward,* as *errant,* and heaven knows what
she'd go through... ;(
|
|