What Brought You to Free Jinger?

[Iamthe20thDuggarKid]

I've watched the Duggars on and off for years, ever since the first special. I'm a relatively conservative, evangelical, Reformed Christian, so I agree with many of their values, but I've always found some things about them to be a bit bizarre. I first found this site a few years back but never registered or posted. Recently I was looking up something about the show and it brought me here.

[Mel314]

I found the website a few years ago, when I was googling for dirt on the Duggars. I didn't watch the show all that much, but the Duggars were always of interest to me because I grew up relatively conservative Christan, and now I am not either ones of those things.

I joined FJ this past summer, when I learned about Jills engagement and marriage. There is just too much about the family that outrages me, I could no longer keep it to myself!

[SarahD]

I just registered after a few days of thoroughly enjoyable lurking. I stumbled upon the site due to my compulsion to connect with people who could perhaps empathize but not "pity" my background, who "get it"but aren't so close to my particular storey that they'll piss me off with their ??? (I still don't know the exact word for it)I'm an Ex? Survivor? Apostate? Escapee? Or maybe just a girl on her own life journey after parting from her parents life journey of fundamentalissim.

I never knew that there were others who could enjoy the "snark" and art of snarking as much as me!!! I'd give just about anything rewind the clock and have found this place during the shit show that was Breaking Amish!

[LadyCrow1313]

Not exactly sure how I found this site; maybe when I was digging into/feeding my fascination/obsession with all things Duggar?

It overall started for me many moons ago, when 14 Children & Pregnant again first aired. That & subsequent Duggar specials have kept me riveted to their show. Even though their lifestyle totally goes against my own, I can't help but be interested in theirs.

Again, I'm thankful that this site exists; very eye-opening for someone that knew (& still knows) little to nothing about the fundie world.

Pax!

[Londish]

I first heard of the Duggars in various news articles. I must have been in middle-high school when they had a regular show, and I remember seeing commercials for the show and reading articles about them from websites. I didn't actually have an interest in watching the show until seeing the commercials for the past season, and thinking that courtship seemed so strange and outdated, but it wasn't until I was bored one night and nothing interesting was on TV that I watched Jill's wedding episode, and then Jessa's engagement. Since then, I have seen some other episodes but get most of my Duggar fix from this website. I was led here when I started researching the courtship rules because I couldn't believe how insane it all seemed.

[felinefundie]

This is my first post. I'm very excited about it. :)

I began following the Duggars when I was a pre-adolescent and their TLC show had just begun. One night I stumbled across something on worldpress that mentioned FJ, I think, but I don't remember what it was. I then checked out the site when it was still on yuku, but, being as young as I was, the format of the website was too complicated and it didn't hold my interest for very long. I continued to harbor a strange interest for both religion and large families that led me to various subreddits and other sites that discussed those things.

I was basically a Duggar leghumper for many years, but then I googled about a rumor I'd seen online and ended up here! I lurked for a veeerrryyy long time until I decided I wanted to use the forum navigation features and registered (this was also when I realized I was old enough to join).

I'm so glad I found FreeJinger, where I don't feel like such a freak about my (admittedly uncommon) passion for fundamentalism!

[Quiverfullofit]

A rabbit hole!

I was on pinterest and saw a post of Cara Loren (beauty blog)

So I decided to google her and when I posted "Cara Loren", "Cara Loren gomi" came up

So I decided to go on gomi (get off my internets)

And there was posts about the Duggars and Sparkles

While reading a post I saw 'freejinger' so I decided to look that up

And since I'm interested in fundementalists and learning new things, I stayed,

AND THEN I lurked for a few months before I decided to make an account!

(And now I'm only posting this story so I can have 75 posts and see the chatterbox thread! 8-) )

[GotCaughtDancing]

Many years ago on Facebook there was a page someone had put up called "Free Jinger". One night early last year I typed Free Jinger into google and voilà whalla. It was like instant crack.

[Grannie2times]

I was fascinated by the Maxwell family for a few years and I searched for Christopher and Anna's wedding video one day. Instead I found freejinger and I have been hooked ever since

[cornetto]

I was looking for more info about the Stanley family and OMG, the ground opened up and swallowed me. In a good way.

[Percy]

I found Free Jinger when looking for information on Duggar family courting. I lurked for a long time before joining. Many of the posts make me smile - something we all need in our day. This is my first post

[blessalessi]

GOMI was where I heard of FJ.

[hugz]

Many year lurker here :)

I watched a Duggar special and that led me to Google where I heard about quiverful - which led me to NLQ (only as a brief stopping point), which led me down another Google rabbit hole that made its way to FJ.

This site has helped me develop my feminist identity - I grew up in a family where feminist = man hater, and I loved the diversity of opinions here that managed to relatively peacefully coexist while exposing the dangers of fundy thinking and MRA attitudes. So thank you, FJ!

[nerds08]

I've been lurking for a long time as well. I've been watching 19KaC for a long time and was always fascinated/horrified by it so one day I set about Googling the Duggars, trying to find a discussion forum about them and their lifestyle. Little did I know that Free Jinger was all that and more :lol: This is my first post also, though I've been reading posts for years. I finally thought it was time to join, now that there's so much excitement going on with the older girls :roll:

[avonleajules1]

I've been a silent reader of some of this for a while. I was a college sociology minor and have always been fascinated by people groups that differ from the norm. I'm interested in cultic type groups like IBLP and why people fall into these. I ended up researching for a fiction book about FLDS after hearing some escape stories. That was how I found No Longer Qivering which I believe led me to find Free Jinger.

[clueliss]

I miss TWOP so I started reading here. The posts made me want to respond and here I am.

[acromantulas]

Definitely when the fan hit the shit on the whole Razing Ruth saga a couple years ago. I was a reader of RR before FJ and I thought she was legit for way too long because Vyckie from NLQ had "vouched" for her :roll: So, I came for that, and stayed for the hilarious Duggar snark.

[Luisainlondon1]

I heard about the Duggars when there was an article about them on a big German online news site (I think it was when Jennifer or Jordyn was born). It was more a side note than a headline, of course. When I read that they had been quite famous in the USA and that they even had they own reality show, I googled them. I watched 14 kids and pregnant again and I remember I couldn't believe it. They were so awkward! I'd never heard of the Quiverfull movement or non-Catholic Christian fundamentalists before, even though I've always been pretty much interested in cults. I mean, I grew up as a Christian, but evolution, premarital sex and gender equality was natural to me and was totally accepted by our church. I had also never heard that people would take the bible literally. Well, I have to say that I've fallen into a rabbit hole since then and there's no end in sight :lol:

Thanks to freejinger I have learned a lot, not just about the Duggars, Andersons, Shupes, Bateses, Arndts, Maxwells and all the other families. But also about US politics and religions in general.

[JBsHairspray]

I found it by just doing a Google search on Duggars.

Loved it for the wit and snarky humour - I thought I was alone in thinking the D's were messed up - so wrong.

I joined because I appreciate the high levels of intelligence, and logical discussion on here as much as I love the snark.

[Snarkaluffagus]

Someone on another forum posted a link to this page. Two weeks of lurking later, here I am with my shiny new account.

Jim Bob Duggar makes me curse. A lot. I like that I can come here and read what happens on the show without actually having to sit through him talking.

[CloakNDagger]

Hypocrisy, frustration, and a realization that precious few wanted to admit that the emperor had no clothes.

[KimmySchmidt]

What brought me here? I began lurking on Yuku as a leghumper.

Now, as a member? I'm a bored housewife with insomnia who likes to obsess and snark over all things fundie. I'm a bit if a mean girl in that regard.

What's going to keep me here? I'm frustratingly competitive and now that I understand the user titles I must acquire status.

[Imrlgoddess]

Just realized I never posted here......

Alecia Pennington brought me here. (so to speak) I found her story, that led me to Cynthia Jeub...which led me to Gothard, Homeschoolers Anonymous, Recovering Grace....and then:::: FJ. I lurked for quite a while before I decided to register. Too many things hit home reading all those blogs and some of the forums here. A lot of questions about my childhood were answered and now I get the behavior of some of the people around me.

I'm quite glad I found this place.

:cracking-up:

[drivingmishcrazy]

I lurk a lot, and I'm the kind of big mouthed person who has to put their two cents in. :lol: I'm morbidly interested in fundies, maybe because I knew a few and know a few ex-fundies, and grew up Conservative Christian. Duggars were my gateway drug into famous fundies though, I'll admit it. Now I'm slowly descending down the rabbit hole. I'll get there eventually. :-D

[beepy13]

Have been watching the Duggars for quite a while now (at least since J&A's wedding), and I've been lurking for maybe a year or so.

I honestly don't remember how I stumbled upon FJ. My guess is that I was probably creepily searching for any info I could find on the Duggars and somehow fell into this trap and never left! :dance: