You know you are a former fundie when......

[itsnikki05]

Wow... ya know... it amazes me that folks take things SO FAR. I mean, I am a Christian. I don't know that I identify with any particular branch of Christianity though. I had no idea before the Duggars, that folks considered the knees sexual? Or something to be covered? I guess I keep mine covered, but I have fat legs. ROFL! I prefer my hair short, and refuse to let anyone push me around. I stay at home, and I'm not LOVING it... but I get tired VERY easily and I'm trying to see what's up with me health wise before I return to the work force. KWIM?

I enjoy hearing what y'all can enjoy now! It's awesome isn't it? Love me some Harry Potter!!

ETA: The first thing I'm going to do when I lose the weight I have to lose... is wear some short freakin shorts and a tank top! And a 2 piece bathing suit... maybe a tankini because I'm not sure I'll ever have a tight tummy. LOL!

[Jessica]

Raine, I've been loving (and repinning) all your feminist pins on Pinterest. :)

[clarinetpower]

"So, just curious, will you be a Harry Potter character this Halloween? Or your kids? I was Harry Potter a few years ago, actually made a Gryffindor robe!"

No, originally I wanted to be a witch, but the way finances are for us right now, I'll be happy with a Halloween shirt, black / orange Halloween socks and maybe some black lipstick / nailpolish. I will probably have to go with that idea as it's cheaper. Unless we come in to some financial windfall before the 31st. We don't have children yet.

If you wanted to be Tonks from HP (as someone suggested), it can be done cheaply. Just wear regular clothes, spray your hair purple, and a black robe (if you go on Freecycle and ask for a black graduation robe, someone probably would have one). Carry a broom and a wand-shaped stick. Cost? 1 can of hair spray. :)

[ElphabaGalinda]

If you wanted to be Tonks from HP (as someone suggested), it can be done cheaply. Just wear regular clothes, spray your hair purple, and a black robe (if you go on Freecycle and ask for a black graduation robe, someone probably would have one). Carry a broom and a wand-shaped stick. Cost? 1 can of hair spray. :)

Except Tonks' signature hair colour is pink :D Pretty close to what I did...just happened to have regular clothes similar to one outfit she wore in the movie. but I always imagine her with a rocker chick/bad ass style, which is what I attempted before that.

[NjoyingNsanity]

I wish my step-mom would leave the fundie lifestyle and let my dad leave as well, dad was actually kinda normal till he met her, he used to be a big Star Trek, Dr. Who, and X-Files fan, now he won't watch any of it. My step-mom and I have actually argued over my allowing my kids to read Harry Potter books and my love of the show Supernatural. My step-mom actually believes the spells in Harry Potter are real to the point where my son and I once had to demonstrate how crazy her beliefs are by letting him point a stick at me and say Avada Kedavra. Once I had to stay with them for a few weeks while my apartment was being remodeled, she actually burned all my books, cds and dvds, because she was afraid they would attract demons into her home and someone would get possessed.

[MagicalMuggle]

When you buy your first set of tarot cards and realize a lightning bolt won't come out of the sky and fry you.

I also have a crystal ball now that was given to me.

I have recently been studying witchcraft / paganism / wicca because I want to know more about it. All I heard in Christianity was that those things were 'evil, devil worshipers, satanic, heathens doomed to hell fire for all eternity' blah blah blah. So of course I never gave it another thought.

Since studying and reading for myself instead of letting someone else (pastor) do it for me, I can see just how twisted and illogical the thinking of Christians are when it comes to paganism. They have no freaking idea what they are talking about.

I enjoy being able to have an open mind. I used to be so narrow and closed minded. Glad that part of me is gone and I can now make my own choices, thoughts, beliefs.

[MagicalMuggle]

I wish my step-mom would leave the fundie lifestyle and let my dad leave as well, dad was actually kinda normal till he met her, he used to be a big Star Trek, Dr. Who, and X-Files fan, now he won't watch any of it. My step-mom and I have actually argued over my allowing my kids to read Harry Potter books and my love of the show Supernatural. My step-mom actually believes the spells in Harry Potter are real to the point where my son and I once had to demonstrate how crazy her beliefs are by letting him point a stick at me and say Avada Kedavra. Once I had to stay with them for a few weeks while my apartment was being remodeled, she actually burned all my books, cds and dvds, because she was afraid they would attract demons into her home and someone would get possessed.

I am sorry she did that to your stuff. I'd be super pissed if a family member did that to any of my stuff. She had no right touching your things.

When hubby and I were stationed in Germany, we had a friend who's step mom was just like this. He wasn't a die hard Harry Potter fan but he liked it, but he enjoyed Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Anime, Manga, stuff like that and she was always confiscating his room and telling him all that stuff is 'of the devil' and it wasn't allowed in 'her house'.

But at the same time, his sister got away with dressing very provocative, listening to worldly music and got away with murder, while he couldn't do anything (he almost wasn't able to get a part time job because his step mom thought he was too irresponsible).

His dad could have put a stop too all this but he didn't. He turned a blind eye to it all He was a coward. He never taught his son to be a man.

His step mom wasn't even a fundamentalist. She would just read this crap online and base her actions according to someone else opinion.

When I finally came out of the Harry Potter broom closet a few months ago on Facebook, out came the craziest things...

"Demons are real and they are having a hey day with you". "You are possessed by demons and don't even see it". "Harry Potter is evil and satanic and god hates that, so why do you like it?"

I recently came out a week or so ago and said I am celebrating Halloween this year and yes, I am studying paganism...that didn't go over to well and I watched my friend's list dissipate. Oh well. I'd rather be real and honest, than fake. And of course people were sending me links about the evils of Halloween and telling me how wrong it is for me to like pumpkins, haunted houses, graveyards (they were in pictures I liked), among other things.

I have heard about Supernatural. It sounds like something I would really enjoy watching. I love paranormal stuff like that. :) Will have to look in to it.

[Kaylee]

Raine, I've been loving (and repinning) all your feminist pins on Pinterest. :)

Thanks. Considering the high number of fundies following some of my boards, I hope maybe some of them get through to a few people. My mom, OTOH is all "why are you getting all political on there".

[ElphabaGalinda]

Thanks. Considering the high number of fundies following some of my boards, I hope maybe some of them get through to a few people. My mom, OTOH is all "why are you getting all political on there".

Can I follow you on Pinterest? What's your name there? Feel free to PM it to me if you'd like, I love seeing feminist pins, and I'd love to repin some of yours.

[Kaylee]

Can I follow you on Pinterest? What's your name there? Feel free to PM it to me if you'd like, I love seeing feminist pins, and I'd love to repin some of yours.

Sure, the link is http://pinterest.com/rainec/

You might want to follow selectively though - I pin a lot and most of it is clothes (heavy on long skirts, dresses, and shoes), recipes, hair/makeup, etc. The feminist boards are down on the very bottom of the profile/board listing. I get a kick out of it because I have a lot of fundie followers and I hope some of it is getting through to some of them.

[nobleandstrong]

when bringing over a Harry Potter movie just got you kicked out of a friendship...and everyone involved is over 30.

[nobleandstrong]

when you actually know some of the people involved with the Jack Schap situation, but from a BJU funneling school.

[FearLyss]

I wouldn't say my family was ever fundie, but using a tampon was a huge deal for me. Premarital sex felt like freedom :)

College was a huge deal for me also, especially reading the Koran and Bhagavad Gita during my time there. :D

[OohLaLa]

Little late to the party, but sadly I identify with every post here.

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing these...but this is a life changer for me, believe it or not. You know you are a former fundie when you are 47 years old and have just finished reading the first Harry Potter book...previously forbidden fruit. I LOVED Harry! I love Hogwarts...and Hagrid...and how have I managed to get through life without these wonderful people??? And how I know oh so many Dursleys!!!!! Anyway....old news to most of you here, but oodles of fun for me!!! Can't wait to get the next one. Any of you have any of those "you know you are a former fundie" moments????

I felt the exact same way!! I only just read Harry Potter about a year ago and flew through them. I absolutely adore the books and have read them multiple times since, but I also feel they are kind of tinged with sadness for me too. I was the age group that would have grown up right with the main characters and I can't help but feel like I missed out on such a fun piece of childhood, by not being allowed to read them as they came out. If I had been born into a "normal" family I would have definitely been the kid at the midnight bookstore release parties, dressing up as characters for Halloween (not that I got to do that either), etc. One more thing to make me bitter at times!

My first big thing I guess you can say coming out of fundie land was getting my split ends cut off. My hair hadn't seen scissors in over 11 years and the bottom of my hair was so uneven.

One day while walking around the mall I said 'screw it', went in a hair salon and got it done. It was still long, but it looked nice for once. Of course I felt a little bit guilt at first because I was so conditioned to believe it was a grave sin to even cut your split ends. :roll:

I guess I really am going to hell now, since after I decided what I really wanted to do for ME, which was go to cosmetology school and I haven't looked back. I cut lots of people's hair for them every day, didn't think about how I was enabling all that sinning. ;) Now I just obtained my cosmetology educator license and get to teach OTHER hairstylists how to help people sin.

[Scone]

Little late to the party, but sadly I identify with every post here.

I felt the exact same way!! I only just read Harry Potter about a year ago and flew through them. I absolutely adore the books and have read them multiple times since, but I also feel they are kind of tinged with sadness for me too. I was the age group that would have grown up right with the main characters and I can't help but feel like I missed out on such a fun piece of childhood, by not being allowed to read them as they came out. If I had been born into a "normal" family I would have definitely been the kid at the midnight bookstore release parties, dressing up as characters for Halloween (not that I got to do that either), etc. One more thing to make me bitter at times!

All of this. I read the books just around the time Deathly Hallows 1 came out and I truly loved them. I actually think I enjoy Harry Potter more than a lot of friends my age who were allowed to read them but don't think they're that great, just because they feel like freedom.

And I'm celebrating Halloween for the first time this year. That's not so much something I missed out on as a kid, because Halloween isn't a very big deal in New Zealand anyway, but I'm still pretty excited by it.

But my favourite thing is being able to go to university and plan a career and not feel guilty that I don't really care if I get married and have kids or not.

[Guest Anonymous]

Former fundy-light by my own weird, weird choice. My parents were hippies, and I ended up going fundy without knowing what that was. I didn't know what a blow job was until I was 24. I avoided all talk of sex, which made my parents worry because I chose ignorance when they offered education.

[clarinetpower]

At times. :) From the Harry Potter Wiki:

"Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean, Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose..."

—Ron Weasley sarcastically dismisses Ginny's hopes that Bill would break off his engagement with Fleur

Tonks was a pretty young woman who exuded an aura of hipness. Ron Weasley had said that Fleur Delacour was prettier than Tonks, however Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley dismiss Ron, as Tonks is much more likeable than Fleur. Upon first being introduced in 1995, she was described as having dark, twinkling eyes, a pale, heart-shaped face and short spiky hair which, at the time, was purple. But as a Metamorphmagus, she could change her appearance at will. Her natural hair colour was a mousy brown. Her appearances included:

"Violently" violet hair (upon first meeting Harry)

Tonks with her wand.

Bubblegum pink hair (worn many times)

Blonde, curly hair (worn on the morning of Harry's hearing and at Bill and Fleur's wedding)

Tomato-red, waist length hair (worn during a party in honour of Ron and Hermione's inauguration as prefects and to match Ginny).

An old lady in a purple hat shaped like a pork-pie (while escorting the children to the Hogwarts Express)

A tall, tweedy woman with iron grey hair (while escorting the children on the Knight Bus)

I think it's the "violently violet" that stuck in my memory.

*edited because I messed up the html.

[ElphabaGalinda]

At times. :) From the Harry Potter Wiki:

I think it's the "violently violet" that stuck in my memory.

*edited because I messed up the html.

Oh, I knew that...I know far more about Harry Potter than is good for me :D Since that was the only time it was shown being violet and she changed in almost immediately, and has been mentioned frequently with bubblegum pink hair, that's what I chose for my costume :D She does think violet makes her look a bit peaky :lol: Although I'm not british so unsure of what that means, it didn't sound good at the time.

Semi on topic...all the people who say Harry Potter is evil and of the devil and should be forbidden have obviously never read it. There is an obvious Christian allegory throughout, and encouraging devil worship and witchcraft? Not by any stretch of the imagination of anyone who's really read it. Though I guess I shouldn't expect fundies to separate fiction from reality :roll:

[OohLaLa]

Not to mention, I can't wrap my mind around the ones that are hunky dory with Narnia and Lord of the Rings, but denounce Harry Potter. I'm sure families as fundie as the Duggars would exclude all of them, but my parents LOVE Lord of the Rings, while they think Harry Potter is straight from the devil. I was watching LOTR w/ them awhile back and just think wtf the entire time. There is some dark and disturbing shit in LOTR, not to mention, characters both good and evil use magic, cast spells, enlist the aide of the undead, use "seeing stones," come back to life, etc. I haven't read all of The Simarillion, but pretty sure the backstory of middle-earth involves multitudes of gods and ruling powers, plus lesser gods, some of whom became the dark lords. Plus although Tolkien was a Christian he was not a fan of allegorical stories & didn't intend for his to be one at all, Christian or otherwise. /Nerd