Tupperware (and Avon, Amway, Pampered Chef, Cutco, Mary Kay, et. al)
It is widely accepted fundamentalist dogma that women with children still living at home should not work outside the home. Exceptions to this rule would be positions as a Christian school teacher, church secretary, or a purveyor of multi-level marketing merchandise.
Whether it’s cutlery, plasticware, or little packages of vitamins, there will inevitably be at least one lady in every fundamentalists church who is hawking it for extra cash. Sign up now and you’ll get a cut from everyone who buys from you too! At least take this catalog home and look it over…
WWPTOWD? (What would the Proverbs Thirty-One Woman Do?)
Posted by Darrell
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We had a church-planting-bound couple selling vacuum cleaners. True story.
Melaluca was the one that was being pushed at my old Fundie church. I came close but never did sign up…I missed out on the cash, gold chains, and big house.
Our church had no less than one Pampered Chef, one Mary Kay seller, at least one (maybe two) Tupperware saleswomen, and a smattering of other such products that have come and gone. A visiting speaker we had once was also hawking glass balls that displayed a scrolling laser banner.
You also should have mentioned stamping parties.
You should also do one on life insurance salesman and financial advice gurus. Every IFB church has one or both. Sometimes they’re the same person. He’s the guy you avoid shaking hands between hymn stanzas. If you finally surrender and let him come over his opening sales pitch will be something like…”Pastor just bought a policy from me last week…let me show you…”
I might have if I had any idea what they are.
Something like this…
http://www.stampparty.com/
or this…
http://www.ehow.com/how_4560713_event-family-member-stamping-party.html
I don’t know, perhaps this is a regional thing, but it’s quite popular where I’m at.
fortunately, my wife doesn’t get invited to many of these anymore – very annoying to have your ‘friends’ asking you to buy product
Ugh. Don’t foget the Southern Living, some fancy candle company whose name escapes me, Arbonne, and Beauty Control parties. And since I mentioned it- what kind of company name is Beauty Control anyway? Ooo….better get that rampant beauty under control…
PartyLite perhaps?
I love partylite candles, I rarely buy anything else. They cost more but are far better quality than the stores. No I don’t sell them–I just buy them.
I look for them on ebay now–I hate going to parties.
come on guys. it’s more than fundies who do this. My cousin does this stuff and she’s an atheist. Although the part about the church secretary and teacher are true observations.
[quote]come on guys. it’s more than fundies who do this. My cousin does this stuff and she’s an atheist. Although the part about the church secretary and teacher are true observations.[/quote]
The blog is not called “Stuff Only Fundies Like.” There’s a reason for that.
AHHH my mistake.
The problem was that this post characterizes all fundamentalists. if this was a site that said “Stuff Reformers Like” would everyone be so quick to state some of the things they did?
Nah, there are normal fundamentalists out there. It’s generally understood that “Fundies” specifically refers to the whackjobs in the movement. What you define as a “whackjob” is up for personal interpretation, which is what makes this site so wonderfully post-modern!
Or you can simplify and say that a fundy is “anyone to my right.” Wait…isn’t that the definition of a legalist, too? I’m confused…
Also, “Stuff Reformers Like” would be a very interesting idea. Dig into the lives of Calvin, Luther, Knox, and Tyndale and see what kind of crazy stuff they did! I’m sure it would be an eye-opener for a lot of Fundies to open up the lives of those who prepared the way for there to even *be* Fundies nowadays.
I really detest these parties and made a hard and fast rule for myself a couple of years ago not to attend anymore no matter who was hosting and what they were hawking! My life has been much nicer (and more affordable) ever since.
The classic line is “You don’t have to buy anything, just come for the fellowship!”
I usually go when invited and perhaps buy something inexpensive (although that’s hard to find!), but I would never sign up to host a party. They always tried to pressure you into hosting your own party, but I think that my position as pastor’s wife makes it WAY too awkward to be asking people to come buy stuff. People are already giving in the offering to pay my husband’s salary; I can’t ask them to spend more money at my party so I can get a hostess’ gift.
“Nah, there are normal fundamentalists out there.”
Whew! *Wiping brow* There’s hope for me after all.