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Post by sotypical42483 on Jul 15, 2007 16:24:11 GMT -5
As for Mallory's family being stereotyped as Catholic because they have so many children, growing up in Arizona my first thought was that they were Mormon, not Catholic. There are zillions of Mormons around here and they all have huge families, but I dont' think that religion is too prominent in other areas.
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Post by aln1982 on Jul 15, 2007 17:34:03 GMT -5
^ Never thought of the possibility of Morman and don't think the Pikes are but you're right that they have huge families. I think there are some in the east but I can't see the Pikes as being Mormons. Interesting how our personal experiences influence or perceptions of things with you living in a different part of the US
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Jul 19, 2007 0:26:49 GMT -5
For some reason, I vaguely remember Claudia's parents being Buddhists. I have no reason to justify this, though.
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Post by aln1982 on Jul 19, 2007 16:23:28 GMT -5
I don't remember anything like that and don't think they were. Always got the impression they were non-practicing (or rarely practicing) Christians.
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alula
Sitter-In-Training
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Post by alula on Jul 19, 2007 17:02:42 GMT -5
In "Jessi's Holiday Wish," I'm pretty sure Jessi mentions that she knows the other black families from the Kwanzaa celebration they put together from her church. (Then, of course, they disappear and are never heard from again). I'm a little surprised that none of the ghost writers *cough Peter Legrangis* didn't send the Ramseys to church once or twice so it could get checked off on the Big, Broadly-Drawn, African-American Stereotype checklist I think he had in his office. They'd sing lots of gospel music and clap and yell "Amen" and Aunt Cecilia would wear big fancy hats, and the white baby-sitters would be surprised by how fun and crazy it was compared to their churches that they never go to. (This isn't to say that there's anything at all wrong with gospel services, or hats, or clapping--I just don't like it when people seem to think that African-Americans ONLY belong to that kind of church, and are never Episcopalian or Lutheran or Catholic, or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist for that matter. Just like there's nothing wrong with soul food, but it makes me roll my eyes that the ghostwriter for "BSC in the USA" seems to take it as a given that OF COURSE it's what the Ramseys eat in Oakley, like black folks do. Sigh). And then, for some reason, Becca participates in a Christmas pageant at the Pikes' church. Ah, consistency.
I think a lot of American books, especially children's books, tend to make non-Christian characters more observant just because they are what we snotty English students call "the Other" (and it gets you bonus educational points, which can be a big plus--there's huge demand for kids' books with Muslim and Arab characters right now). Also, I think a lot of writers and editors become wary because there's so much variance in people who identify as Christian. (There's a lot of variance in other religions, too, but I think that more people are aware of differences between, say, Catholics and Southern Baptists than between Reform and Orthodox Judaism). I was raised in the United Church of Christ, which is the most liberal mainline Protestant denomination in the U.S., and I know that a lot of time I hear "Christians do X" or "Christians believe Y" about things that definitely are not true for me, and while that doesn't bother me so much now, it upset me more as a child, so I didn't mind that none of the BSC were more than very occasional churchgoers, at most. Considering how bothered I got by things like the baffling adoption process of Emily Michelle and handling thereof, I have a feeling I'd have ended up squirming at least once.
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Post by dawnomite on Jul 20, 2007 9:03:02 GMT -5
I don't remember anything like that and don't think they were. Always got the impression they were non-practicing (or rarely practicing) Christians. I did too. Especially since Claudia's niece had a Christening, and Claudia is wearing a cross necklace on the cover of Mary Anne's Makeover (But then, that was the early nineties and it was kind of trendy to wear big cross necklaces then anyway right? I remember being bummed that my mom wouldn't let me wear my rosary like a necklace a'la Madonna...)
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Jul 20, 2007 10:38:34 GMT -5
^ Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Oops.
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Post by greer on Jul 21, 2007 5:20:07 GMT -5
I definitely always saw mal's family has just really liking kids. Plus she has english roots, which points towards protestant.
But anyway I have always seen the focus placed on abby's judaism more as a cultural thing rather than religious. Like how the others only were shown celebrating xmas, abby was only depicted as having her bat mitzvah and celebrating hannukah--not rosh hashanah or yom kippur.
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Post by aln1982 on Jul 21, 2007 9:42:28 GMT -5
^ Remember discussing this in depth with you in another thread Agree with your point. Dawnomite, I had forgotten about Lynn being baptized but now I know that is what I was thinking of too. Thanks.
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Katie
New To Stoneybrook
Posts: 153
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Post by Katie on Jul 30, 2007 23:23:04 GMT -5
Being Mormon myself, I would completely write out the possibility of the Pikes being so unless the the writers were completely oblivious to Mormon culture. Yes I am a nitpicker. But if they had been they would have never allowed Mallory to date Ben Hobart at the tender age of 11.
I know a few Mormon families in my area with large amounts of children but I'm also attending a single adult congregration and not a regular one with kids so I tend to only see a few single parents and not large families. I was one of 5 though but I have an aunt who only has one and another who only has 2. We get stereotyped a lot with the large family and lots of kids thing just like Catholics but birth control isn't forbidden. I think some people just like lots of kids especially if they get married young and start early. I'm 26 and single so would be happy just having one or two myself.
The thought of the Pike's being LDS never once crossed my mind as an LDS person myself. There are plenty of Mormons in the east though considering how many temples the church has built there now but I just never saw the Pike's as being members. There are LDS temples in Boston, Washington DC, Palmyra New York, and Manhattan NYC so while not as prominent as on the west coast there are still quite a few members to justify having temples since the church generally won't build one in an area unless there are enough members that would attend. I know a lot of people tend to see it as a Utah/west coast us church but I believe it's been said that there are more members outside the US than in it now. I may be wrong. Some Mormons do have lots of kids but there is a lot more to being members of the church than that and I wasn't seeing it in the Pike home. I just saw them as a kid loving family.
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Post by aln1982 on Jul 30, 2007 23:51:21 GMT -5
^ Totally agree that it never crossed my mind that the Pikes were Morman and also just saw them as a kid loving family. I think that is even mentioned in a few books. I don't think Ann really gave much thought to religion of the members with the exception of Abby but that was to get in the cultural stuff and to give her some characteristic (not to mean a trait but something to distinguish her)
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
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Post by starrynight on Jan 16, 2009 15:44:52 GMT -5
We can guess that the Barretts, Dewitts, or maybe both are Catholic. In "Here Come the Bridesmaids," one of the kids asks why there are cushions on the floor at the church where their parents are getting married. I'm assuming that's because of all the kneeling that goes on during a Catholic service. I guess there's always the possiblity that they just chose to get married in that church because they liked it, but I don't Catholic churches usually allow that.
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bsclover18
Junior Sitter
God loves you!
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Post by bsclover18 on Jan 16, 2009 16:01:31 GMT -5
^The cushions could be for that but a lot of Catholic churches now have benches that are fastened to the pew in front of them. It could be that the pillows are just there for expecting women, older people, or someone who has surgury or something. That's why we have cushions in our church.
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Post by ringdings on Jan 16, 2009 16:06:49 GMT -5
I grew up Lutheran, and we also had those pull down "kneelers", so cushions/kneelers might not just be a Catholic thing. Yeah, I never gave much thought as to what religion they were--I think they were generally just lumped as non-specified Christians.
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Post by otempora541 on Jan 16, 2009 20:47:09 GMT -5
The Pikes came off to me as a family that wants kids rather then following a religion's mandate (if that's the right word to use?)
As a Jewish person (who lived in Israel) I was impressed with the Stevensons's bat mitzvah (and the fact that they got the date and Hebrew right). I'm just surprised that the twins seemed to start learning Hebrew recently- most American Jews I've met take lessons at least a year or two prior to the ceremony.
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