Later this year, a group of ultra-conservative Quiverfull Christian planned to meet in Kansas to arrange marriages for their underage daughters, since apparently they do not believe their daughters’ consent is actually necessary.
The patriarch of this backward sect, Vaughn Ohlman, promotes the idea of a “fruitful” marriage. The religious leader has recently announced plans for a “Get Them Married” retreat where submissive brides will be procured for adolescent sons. The weekend retreat will be held in Wichita this coming November and is “designed to bring together like-minded families (and their unmarried young men and women) who are committed to young, fruitful marriage and to help them overcome the barriers which have kept their children unmarried.”
For $1,200.00 per family, Quiverfull parents will network to arrange marriages for their children. Writing on his website LetThemMarry.org, Ohlman explains why youthful marriage is preferable. According to Ohlman, a woman’s ability to bear children is the deciding factor when it comes to the importance of marrying young.
“We know from scientific studies (as well as first-hand knowledge, in many cases) that the fertility of women (and even men, to some extent) goes down steadily after the age of 20, and dips even more sharply after 30 and 40. This is even more the case if a woman has reached such an age without having had any children yet. So, by reason of these facts, it is clear that it is best to marry much earlier than 30 to better fulfill the command to be “fruitful and multiply.”
Ohlman then points out that “consent” is just a way for secular people to ignore God’s law.
“Scripture speaks of the father of the son ‘taking a wife’ for his son, and the father of the bride ‘giving’ her to her husband…
It gives example after example of young women being given to young men, without the young woman even being consulted, and often, in some of the most Godly marriages in Scripture, the young man is not consulted…
Some use the idea of ‘consent’ to deny the very relevance of the action of their authorities to bind them in covenant, as if a covenant was of no effect whatsoever and all that matters is what the person themselves decide. Others consider a covenant to be something substantial but that it is not really binding until the person themselves ‘consents.'”
[Update, 5/6/2016]
The Raw Story is reporting that the Salvation Army (who owns the campground where the retreat was scheduled to be held) has cancelled the event after RS readers “expressed concerns that the event constitutes human trafficking …”
The Raw Story article sparked outrage among readers and many were moved to action, demanding that authorities be notified in order to protect the children who were slated to be married off young for the purpose of procreating lots of babies for Jesus.
Readers discovered that Camp Hiawatha, where the retreat was planned to be held, is owned by the Salvation Army. I contacted a good friend who is a officer at the Salvation Army’s training school in Chicago, and she responded right away to let me know the Wichita corps has already denied access to Ohlman’s group for what would have amounted to a child trafficking “retreat.”
The Salvation Army has denied a request by the Let Them Marry organization to conduct its event at Camp Hiawatha.
— The Salvation Army South Central Kansas (@salvationarmyks) May 5, 2016
The Salvation Army has since released a statement on their decision:
The Salvation Army has denied a request by the Let Them Marry organization to conduct its event at Camp Hiawatha.
Our decision is based upon our long-standing concern for the welfare of children. At The Salvation Army, we work every single day to provide a safe, caring place for children, many of whom have been left vulnerable due to the actions of adults.
We remain steadfastly focused on our mission of advocating for and protecting children.
Featured image: Beth Hall/AP
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