Introduce Yourself

[hellishfairy]

Early 30's female - the oldest (non-returned) prodigal of a Fundie Family of nine - I know, small for Fundie, but after mom has twins and then a singleton 18 months a part, emergency hysto was required while she was knocked out - (and proof that 'buddy siblings' don't work - mom has NO CLUE who we are on a personal level - the sibs come to ME with any REAL problems that they run into) that slowly but surely is getting stranger by the minute (they went from Diet Fundie to 180 Proof Black Label Fundie in 6 months). Husband (non practicing Mormon - long story that) started me on the Duggars by going, 'Hey Mel - you have to see this! It's YOUR FAMILY!' when an episode of 17 & Counting came on. I think he rues the day that he started THAT minor ( :lol: ) obsession.

Current hobbies include, but are not limited to:

Tattooing every square inch of my very small body that I can and gauging my ears (I love all of it - but the fact that my mother CRINGES everytime she sees me - and then makes a comment that my body is a temple - to wich I respond that I hired decorators to overhaul the place ;) - doesn't hurt.). I LIVE for family pictures at this point, and am always interested to see what kind of airbrushing is going to happen to cover up my plethora of ink & piercings. Next time they can corral us all together at once to take a family photo, I'm aiming to see just HOW good the photographer is at covering up blue/purple hair short of getting me a burka.

Dancing when my body allows it - the men MUST be lusting after me at this very moment - Flo Rida is on and I'm dancing in my chair.

Trying to navigate the world of Chronic Illness and Pain (After my mother popped off with 'God will provide' to my husband when he asked why my VERY PAINFUL, VERY REAL GENETIC disorders that I have been living with all my life hadn't been handled when I started showing signs at, well birth, I thought he was gonna pop her.) and rare genetic disorders.

Watching the Duggars and laughing so hard I cry. Not because I don't feel HORRIBLE for these kids (because I really do) but because I know what is going to happen once the FIRST one gets the guts to say, 'Mom, Dad I love you, but for once I'm an adult and I can say YOU'RE NUTS' like I did. Not only are all the OTHER kids going to realize that God isn't going to strike them with lightening, the whole house of cards is gonna come crashing down at that point.

Listening to my siblings call me up and ask me, 'Was it just this weird when we were growing up, or is my head making it worse than it actually was?' Answer: No you aren't hallucinating :angry-banghead: (ask me one of these days about the youngest (no longer living at home) FINALLY asking my mother 'what do you DO all day' and her sputtering to come up with a legitimate answer :lol: - good boy - I taught him to question EVERYTHING.).

Shopping for the ever so ebil wide leg jeans at a reasonable price that actually fit someone who has a 24 inch waist but has a 36 inch inseam (this is actually harder than it may sound - go ahead and try it - I dare you ;) ). Jim Boob must be cringing right now - after all every time a female wears jeans, an angel looses it's wings (snark). I also avoid jean skirts like they are covered in Anthrax.

Using my ebil Bachelor's Degrees (yes I have two) in Culinary Sciences and Business Management to run my household in the most effective manner possible. It's not that I wouldn't love to have a REAL job - I'm just too disabled to do it.

Overall just trying to be myself, encourage my siblings (many of whom are at least 10 years younger than I am and are having a hard time navigating in the real world now) to be the best free thinking humans that they can be, love my husband for putting up with my craziness, and remaining baffled that anyone with any type of higher thought processing skills would think that Quiverfull/Fundie movement is a NORMAL way to treat your children....

Hope this wasn't a post killer - good to meet you all!

[Pleasant-Nightmare]

Well let's see, I've been lurking for a while but I finally decided to make an account. I'm a female from the Midwestern part of the US, I was raised a liberal Catholic, and I

consider myself to be an agnostic theist. Politically, I'm VERY liberal, and I enjoy schooling some of my friends further to the right of me on their hypocrisy :twisted: . I was originally brought to this page after researching fundie families in the Sims 2, and I was quick to start lurking the theads for more snark.

Oh, and I also enjoy ballet and playing the violin. If any of you cared.

[bo0kworm]

Hi all! 34 divorced mom of 3. Born and raised in way north New England. I have a fascination with Fundy-dom. Probably because of hippy liberal upbringing. I've lurked forever and decided to join. I will probably stick to reading and not post much, because I'm learning a ton! Thanks for having me :) :ugeek:

[ilovetchotchkes]

I'm Ilovetchotchkes. Because a friend of mine who thinks my house is too cluttered says i have too many of them. Thing is, I got NOTHIN on my dad. Even friends of mine who LIKE knicknacks and brick a brack say "Good gravy your parents have SHIT LOADS OF TCHOTCHKES" And i love the way it sounds.

Anyways, i'm a stay at home mom to a 2 1/2 year old and soon to be girl newborn. :) I plan on homeschooling after the kids are done with preschool, but i'm going to definitely have to hit up the local community college for a few classes to brush up on a few things as my college years (BA in English though you would not know it from my spelling, THANKS SPELLCHECK THANKS A LOT) are 10 years behind me. Basically, Spanish, science and math. I'm NOT planning on school of the dining room table, more like, we'll have a regular curriculum, and add stuff to it. I love teaching my kid how to do things which is why I'm doing it. LOVE the "aha" moment so much! I hate working an office job, and any retail that I like, would not be worth the money to hire a babysitter. I really really really would love to start a sewing business as I'm pretty good at it, need more practice/time to hone some skills and to find a niche.

We're Jewish, if you couldn't figure it out from the avatar and the name. Hyuck hyuck. Both of us are Reform converts.

I love to garden. Pulling up weeds out of my raised beds is like the most catharthic thing ever, and hell, its cheaper than therapy.

We're also Civil war reenactors, but lately, I've been feeling like I may be contracting "M.E.D." - Multiple Era Disorder, and thinking about branching out into WWII or going back to doing SCA.

I'm currently pretty busy with getting ready for girl Tchotchkes arrival, so haven't been posting as much... but I"ll probably be back once the clusterfeeds start and there's nothing to do while my husband takes care of Toddler Tchotchkes while I sit on the couch and cluster nurse. :)

[Jinderella]

I'm a long time lurker, but only recently signed up. Didn't post anything yet because I don't really trust my use of the English language.

I'm a 32 year old woman from the ebil Netherlands, but we live on top of the Bible Belt, between a lot of hardcore fundies. I'm married, we have 3 kids, a good education and a nice job. I adore everything about Jane Austen and I tend to read every letter that my eyes can catch. Untill last year I would consider myself agnostic, because I didn't thought "humanity currently possed the requisite knowledge to provide sufficient rational grounds to justify the belief that deities either do or do not exist". A year ago my 8 year old got leukemia and after that I became an atheist. Not out of anger, but because I learned I can't dodge every conflict and I became more outspoken in my opinions. I do love to study the people I don't understand though, and I have FJ to thank for a lot of amusement over the Maxwells, PP and the J'Uterus.

I will now go back to my dark corner and be thoroughly ashamed of all my riffles :oops: .

[sippin0nsunshine]

I'm (almost) a 21 year old spoiled-youngest-child. Little bit of a slavophile. I'm fluent in 2 languages (English, Dutch), and currently attempting to study Russian, Armenian, and Lithuanian. I'm perpetually single, because I seem to be attracted to jerks. I'm taking a break from guys to focus on getting my GED this year, then decide on what I want to go to college for. I'm madly in love with my fur children, Cosmo (english spot rabbit) and Dizzy (Orange Tabby boy), and would like to add more to my "quiver" but I live at home with my parents and they'd kill me. I'm an avid reader, and go through a book in about 3 days, which tends to be hard on my budget because I want to buy a new book every day. My gateway fundies were the Duggars, followed by the Bates' and Maxwells. I first discovered FJ through TWOP posters mentioning it, but didn't join until after the 19KAC board was shut down.

[Lady_M]

Been enjoying reading about everyone else!

29 year old female living in the midwest, married to my HS sweetheart, no kids/pets at this time.

I finished my RN a couple of years ago, but also have a BA in English literature (original plan was to become a lawyer). I switched career thinking midway through the BA due to a job as a CNA during breaks, but by that time, would have had to add a couple of years of school to pick up the RN. So, I finished the BA and then went back after a few years and got the RN. At this point, I'm hoping to add a masters' and maybe a PhD at some point.

I got interested in fundie-ism when a friend got into a conversation with a Hyles-Anderson student who was "soul-winning" when I was in college. We found the Hyles-Anderson webpage (which at that point was a lot scarier than it looks now - talking about how students could only bring a "few personal items" from home and were expected never to be alone or unchaperoned with the opposite sex). Then I read Under the Banner of Heaven, got interested in Mormon fundies, read both Susan Ray Schmidt's book His Favorite Wife and Irene Spencer's Shattered Dreams (the two women were actually married to the same man in a mormon fundie cult) and started researching more into various stripes of fundies.

This all coincided with the sudden realization that I didn't believe most of what all my other Christian friends did. I had always believed women should be pastors. I banned the pastor at my wedding from any mention of submission or Ephesians 5, and refused to be "given away". I started examining the default Christian teaching about gays and started supporting gay marriage and relationships. I got really angry and offended when a friend insinuated that my father was going to hell because he practices another religion. Then as people started attacking contraception and such, I realized that I'd gone from being supposedly 'pro-life' to pro-choice because I do believe abortion/contraception/children are very personal decisions and it should be legal to make those choices - including abortion.

I'm a very liberal Methodist spiritually and live in a small, extremly right-wing town. So I started looking for a place where there was a bit more diversity of opinion and voila, here's where I landed.

[freejoytoo]

Sippin0nsunshine, how about the library? It's a godsend to the unemployed avid reader, plus libraries are just cool!

[sippin0nsunshine]

Sippin0nsunshine, how about the library? It's a godsend to the unemployed avid reader, plus libraries are just cool!

Yeah I've been using our local library lately. :) The only problem is that sometimes I "forget" (more like too lazy) to return the books on time. I'm just starting to read the Fallen series, after reading a few pages at Walmart today.

[heinz57]

I'm (almost) a 21 year old spoiled-youngest-child. Little bit of a slavophile. I'm fluent in 2 languages (English, Dutch), and currently attempting to study Russian, Armenian, and Lithuanian. I'm perpetually single, because I seem to be attracted to jerks. I'm taking a break from guys to focus on getting my GED this year, then decide on what I want to go to college for. I'm madly in love with my fur children, Cosmo (english spot rabbit) and Dizzy (Orange Tabby boy), and would like to add more to my "quiver" but I live at home with my parents and they'd kill me. I'm an avid reader, and go through a book in about 3 days, which tends to be hard on my budget because I want to buy a new book every day. My gateway fundies were the Duggars, followed by the Bates' and Maxwells. I first discovered FJ through TWOP posters mentioning it, but didn't join until after the 19KAC board was shut down.

Hey sippin0nsunshine, I'm a bit confused! You say you're a slavofile and that you're studying Russian, Armenian and Lithuanian. But of those three only Russian is a Slavic language! Likely your two statements were not related and I'm overreacting, but coming from Central/Eastern Europe I always get irked when people throw all East-Europeans into a lump. :(

Anyway, if you need help, I speak Polish and Croatian, you can PM me.

[WokChop]

I'm a long time lurker, but only recently signed up. Didn't post anything yet because I don't really trust my use of the English language.

I'm a 32 year old woman from the ebil Netherlands, but we live on top of the Bible Belt, between a lot of hardcore fundies. I'm married, we have 3 kids, a good education and a nice job. I adore everything about Jane Austen and I tend to read every letter that my eyes can catch. Untill last year I would consider myself agnostic, because I didn't thought "humanity currently possed the requisite knowledge to provide sufficient rational grounds to justify the belief that deities either do or do not exist". A year ago my 8 year old got leukemia and after that I became an atheist. Not out of anger, but because I learned I can't dodge every conflict and I became more outspoken in my opinions. I do love to study the people I don't understand though, and I have FJ to thank for a lot of amusement over the Maxwells, PP and the J'Uterus.

I will now go back to my dark corner and be thoroughly ashamed of all my riffles :oops: .

While I know it can be scary to put yourself out there, please don't be afraid to post! I see many horrible abuses of the English language on a daily basis...but not by those who speak it as a second language! Your post was perfectly coherent. I admire those who can master multiple languages; I am certainly not blessed with that ability. :)

[taylor48]

Hello, I'm 50 years old. Mostly a lurker, I have posted a few times and even started a thread or two.

I live in Kentucky. I retired from nursing to take care of my mother who passed away almost a year ago. I have two children who are grown and out on their own.

The religion I grew up in I consider fundie. I've spent many years purging myself of their propaganda.

I would also like to express my thanks to this board/forum for the diverse group of people that post here. And the fact that we can debate different topics in an intelligent manner.

I also love the snark. :)

[notacleverpony]

I'm a long time lurker, but only recently signed up. Didn't post anything yet because I don't really trust my use of the English language.

I'm a 32 year old woman from the ebil Netherlands, but we live on top of the Bible Belt, between a lot of hardcore fundies. I'm married, we have 3 kids, a good education and a nice job. I adore everything about Jane Austen and I tend to read every letter that my eyes can catch. Untill last year I would consider myself agnostic, because I didn't thought "humanity currently possed the requisite knowledge to provide sufficient rational grounds to justify the belief that deities either do or do not exist". A year ago my 8 year old got leukemia and after that I became an atheist. Not out of anger, but because I learned I can't dodge every conflict and I became more outspoken in my opinions. I do love to study the people I don't understand though, and I have FJ to thank for a lot of amusement over the Maxwells, PP and the J'Uterus.

I will now go back to my dark corner and be thoroughly ashamed of all my riffles :oops: .

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. How's your daughter doing now?

And unsolicited opinion, I know, but I think that your grasp of the English language is better than most native speakers I know! (Then again, I live in the US.) Am a little puzzled, though: you said you're from the Netherlands (so cool!), but you live in the Bible Belt. Are you currently living in the US, or does the Netherlands have a Bible Belt of its own?

In either case, welcome! Put up your feet, stay a while, and don't be afraid to chime in, y/y? It's surprisingly cathartic. ^_^

[CelticGoddess]

I'm 43 (but tell everyone I am 21). From Chicago-area but now live in SC (Goddess protect me). I am married (with lesbian leanings) with two kids and two cats. When people ask me what religion i am (and around here, the second question everyone asks is "what church do you go to?" I tell them I am Pagan-Christian, with an emphasis on the pagan. I like to see their heads explode. :) Because I am like that.

I am a socialist, but tell most people I meet that I am liberal because half my family is convinced I am a communist (and they claim to be educated) because I live in freaking SC. :o I actually like it here, it's close enough to the mountains for me. I like mountains.

I have my ADN and will start on my BSN on Sept 1. Yeah! Now I just need to find a better nursing job. :) I have been a nurse for all of 1 year. Prior to that I was a SAHM of the college course taking variety and before that I was an RT (radiography)

And my hobbies include: baking, snarking on idiots and reading.

[clover_leigh]

Havent posted in this thread yet!

Im a 23 year old lesbian Wiccan female located near Atlanta(hoping to move far away pretty soon though.). Im currently a librarian and soon to be local historian and genealogist. My fantasy career is to be a writer and possibly actress,though I have many interests.

Ive been in a relationship for the past 4 months.

Some of my interests are true crime(I really like reading and trying to solve cold cases),silent movies,and classic movies in general,the paranormal,and vintage soap operas.

My favorite musical styles are electronica,industrial metal,melodic goth metal,pretty much any kind of hard electronic other than dubstep. My guilty pleasures are 50's and 60's music,arena rock from the 70s and 80s, and kpop.

I am Russian and Irish on my father's side, and English,with a little French thrown in way back on my maternal side. But mostly Russian and Irish.

I have 2 cats,and I had a dog but she unfortunately died a few weeks ago.

My favorite Duggar is Jana!

Edited to add that my favorite book is Anne of Green Gables. Because that's just something I shouldnt leave out!

[ProfessorAndMaryAnn]

Hi!

I'm an almost 26 year old from Newfoundland, Canada. (You get bonus points if you can find it on a map!)

I've lurked for months, but only recvntly signed up. Man, this site is addicting!

I have a fascination with the Quiverful movement; it's just so strange! But I honestly wonder how many of them genuinely want to be part of it, or are in large families because they feel forced.

My favorite QF families (lol!) are the Duggars, Kellers (and their offspring) and the Staddons.

Wow, I need a life outside FJ...

[Abi]

Hi :)

I'm a 21 year old female, currently single with no kids.

I live in South Wales and have just completed a Religion degree.

Now wondering what the hell to do with my life!

[Jinderella]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. How's your daughter doing now?

And unsolicited opinion, I know, but I think that your grasp of the English language is better than most native speakers I know! (Then again, I live in the US.) Am a little puzzled, though: you said you're from the Netherlands (so cool!), but you live in the Bible Belt. Are you currently living in the US, or does the Netherlands have a Bible Belt of its own?

In either case, welcome! Put up your feet, stay a while, and don't be afraid to chime in, y/y? It's surprisingly cathartic. ^_^

Thank you so much for your kind words! Our son has had a very hard time this past year and the treatment will last at least an other year, but he's doing better. He's getting used to the chemo, if possible, but the dexamethasone is still an ugly medicine. We're managing, we don't have to worry over medical bills over here, thats a big relief.

Yes, even The Netherlands do have a Bible Belt, you can find it on wikipedia: Bible Belt (Netherlands). Homeschooling isn't really allowed over here and children will go to school, but our fundies have their own schools and even in Kindergarten the children will just learn to recite big parts of the Holy Bible. Some of our fundie-neighbors are very nice, some (husbands) are a bit creepy, as is usual I guess. I work for the local government and we do see a lot of child abuse in the larger family's. The rate of children with severe disability's is very high, not because non-fundies abort all the children with health-problems, but because of the limited gene-poole of fundies. In short, we do have our own fundie-problems.

[latraviata]

Thank you so much for your kind words! Our son has had a very hard time this past year and the treatment will last at least an other year, but he's doing better. He's getting used to the chemo, if possible, but the dexamethasone is still an ugly medicine. We're managing, we don't have to worry over medical bills over here, thats a big relief.

Yes, even The Netherlands do have a Bible Belt, you can find it on wikipedia: Bible Belt (Netherlands). Homeschooling isn't really allowed over here and children will go to school, but our fundies have their own schools and even in Kindergarten the children will just learn to recite big parts of the Holy Bible. Some of our fundie-neighbors are very nice, some (husbands) are a bit creepy, as is usual I guess. I work for the local government and we do see a lot of child abuse in the larger family's. The rate of children with severe disability's is very high, not because non-fundies abort all the children with health-problems, but because of the limited gene-poole of fundies. In short, we do have our own fundie-problems.

Hello Dutch ladies!!

Yes, my sister lives in the bible belt as well. But the Dutch christian fundies are in fact a very insignificant minority. Though I am glad I live in the Randstad!

[grateful1230]

I believe I did this intro on the old board, but I'm insanely anxious about real life stuff and FJ calms me. :)

I'm 32, raising my 10 year old son and my 10 and 16 year old nephews. Living with the love of my life on the coast of NC, have been surrounded by Bible belt crazies since I was born. I found FJ years ago during the Emily/Dna days and from TWOP Duggars. Honestly my boys and I began watching the 14 kids and counting show because we were interested.. the hour ended with all three laughing their asses off.. and so the tradition began. Yes, I let my boys watch the Duggar show with me purely for amusement.

For other amusement, I like to laugh at my kids, read FJ for sanity, and all ocean related activities (we live about 10 feet from the shore..)

[Jinderella]

Hello Dutch ladies!!

Yes, my sister lives in the bible belt as well. But the Dutch christian fundies are in fact a very insignificant minority. Though I am glad I live in the Randstad!

True, they are an insignificant minority to The Netherlands, but in my hometown (and in my job) they are a big issue.

It is funny how I always "defend" my town in conversations with other Dutch people. They always wonder if we are very religious when they hear our address and I will tell them our town has 3 large highschools and only 1 of them is extremely religious. And here I am, stating the opposite. It is indeed a small group of people, but they do tend to have a lot of influence over here.

[Hane]

Hi! 59-year-old grandma here, known to get divorced every 20 years like clockwork. Born in New York City, but have lived in the same central-Connecticut blue-collar town since I was two and a half. I'm of Italian heritage (Genoese on mom's side, Abbruzzese on dad's), and grew up liberal Catholic, in large part because dad's side of the family is American Baptist Convention, and, because Dad chose to convert to Catholicism before he married Mom, we were taught to be openminded about people's religious beliefs.

I have one daughter and one grandson. I have a BS and MA in English (minored in Spanish and secondary education). I am an instructional designer/tech writer for a public utilities company--clawed my way up to that after years of doing customer service, project management, and corporate training. I spent many years moonlighting, teaching English as a Second Language to adult-education and college students. I dream of being a Real Writer but dread putting in lots of effort and getting rejected.

For many years, I tried to be a loyal but dissenting Catholic, hoping to effect change from the inside, but threw up my hands and gave up in my 50s when I saw the church becoming ever more sexist, homophobic, and rigid. I am now a happily theistic UU, having made the transition around the time my daughter's family did--virtually coincidentally. I'm also so far left I pretty much fall off the chart.

I see Dominionism at work in the US government, and it scares the crap out of me.

[javafriend]

Hi! I'm a 53 year old woman living in central Illinois. Our oldest child recently graduated college and has a job (hurray!) and our younger child will start her second year of college this fall. We are ELCA Lutherans. I've been lurking a long time - first on the earlier site and now this one. I enjoy coming to freejinger, especically since my daughter has become involved in a conservative Christian campus group. I find many interesting topics to discuss with her and hope I am helping her keep an open mind. You guys are hilarious. And I like cake.

[scarygirl]

I decided to move my introduction here.

I am one of those hated feminists. Probably more feminist light. I have no issues with BC, morning after pill etc.. Not a heavy supporter of abortion, although I don't see the good in harrassing people to death over their choices. As far as I am concerned that is something between them and their god.

I live by myself with two cats. Actually, I have a roommate at the moment, but I own my own place! I have always been very independent minded.

I come from an evangelical christian background. But seeing these people makes my dad's side of the family lool like light weights by comparison.

I attend a very small home based church. We have ten menbers if even that, although my pastor is trying to frorm some other home based cooperatives to spread the "christian love." :D

I have known other girls similar to the SAHD's and agree it very sad. I believe fully the purpose is to keep them dependent and childlike.

Many years ago, I had a friend whose parents were fundamentalists. Though the girl was fully of age, I think maybe 19 at the time, she had never driven a car, held a job, etc. She was treated kind of like the sister in the Glass Menagerie. Was very fragile, immature for her age. Had been home schooled most of her life due to a horrible early public school experience. I can't say that I blame her parents for home schooling, but she was sheltered to the point that it really stunted her growth.

For one reason or another, we had a falling out or rather, her parents banned her from me. I think they thought I was a bad influence. Last I heard from her, she was engaged to some guy that based on the few things she told me sounded horribly controlling and abusive.

I feel so horrible that I cannot remember her name. She was someone that blew in and out of my life and was gone faster than a one hit wonder. I still think of her til this day. I hope she found the strength to break away and be happy.

[Maat Mama]

Hi, I have been lurking here quite a while; finally I have joined and I look forward to posting and interacting with all of you. I am a 42 year old mother of two (obviously, no Quiverful adherent here!) who works full time as a teacher (in a real school, NOT at the dining room table). I was baptized Catholic and I believe in the message and philosophy of Jesus, but I am extremely skeptical of anyone who makes sweeping judgements of others in his name, oppresses others and uses religion as an excuse, and wants to impose his or her views (especially when they regard limiting access to education or to open and honest debate) on others.

My screen name refers to the Egyptian goddess Ma'at, who represented justice, fairness, balance and truth, and an ancient document, The 42 Denunciations of Ma'at, was the direct origin of 8 of the Ten Commandments.