Introduce Yourself - Part 2

[Jupiter]

Hi! I'm from Kentucky, about an hour's drive south of the Creation Museum! Raised protestant, later Catholic, currently neither of the two. I'm 20 years old and I live with my girlfriend and several cats. I work answering phone calls, deflecting emails, and spinning yarn!

I like to be aware of what those wacky fundamentalists are up to, and I am an unfortunately avid follower of some of the more prominent fundie families. I can't tear my eyes away in the same way I'd have a hard time averting my gaze from a train wreck.

I've got a long-term goal of raising goats and chickens and being a teacher, which I'm planning on going back to school for soon!

[Joyleaf]

Hi everybody!

I only discovered FJ a few weeks ago but already decided to join. :mrgreen:

I'm a relaxed Atheist married to a relaxed Christian. I live in Germany and therefore have only "experiences" with the US fundie scene by what the internet provides. Still I find the topic really interesting and look forward to discovering many interesting things on here.

[Gobbles]

Hi!

First of all thanks for activating my account. I decided to make one so that finding new posts is easier and well, maybe write some posts as well.

As you probably notice English is not my native language. I'm from the South of Germany and somehow I became fascinated by the Duggars and because of this forum also in other fundie families. I'm female and I was born in 1991 and I'm openly gay and a huge supporter of gay rights. (Not that it matters, but in a forum with that topics it might be important.) My username comes from a TY Turkey stuffed animal named Gobbles. :)

Like it is customary (or at least in traditional families I guess) I was baptised a couple of weeks after my birth and legally I belong to the Evangelical State Church. I attend church like once a year for Christmas and for other occasions like weddings and baptisms. I consider myself to be an liberal Atheist. Meaning I don't believe in some sort of god or else but I don't care what other people do as long as they leave me alone. I have a kind of fundie great-uncle and I often "fight" with him about that. He is Duggar light I guess. Women shouldn't wear pants and don't become pastors and whatnot. At the same time he was totally depressed when his favourite free sex TV channel was not available for some time. You get what I want to say... :lol:

So, I'm looking forward to be a part of Free Jinger. :dance:

Gobbles

[JaCrispy]

Click here for part 1: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=15238

Continue introductions below, and welcome to all our new members!

Nice to meet everyone, I'm a 36 year old Catholic chick, with an attitude problem. When it comes to people like The Duggars, The Camerons, The Pearls, and Fundie B/S, I want to rip My hair out! These people are a menace to all good society, and should be sterilized! :evil-eye:

[JaCrispy]

Hi all! I've been lurking here for years, so I thought that I'd finally make a commitment and create an account before the new season of 19 Kids starts. Can't wait to be able to join in on the snark!

I've been lurking here for a while too, nice to know you! :)

[hugz]

Many year lurker... 26 year old lady with a husband and a dog. I enjoy reading, long walks on the beach, etc. If I were to describe my ideal date it would be October 15th - crisp autumn air, sweater weather, and all you need is a light pumpkin spice latte!

Figured that since this group has made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions, challenged my thinking, and taken me down too many rabbit holes it was time I de-lurked. Hi!!

[DaRealMVP]

Hello! I'm an almost 24 year old bi-racial, agnostic woman living in Oklahoma, which has gone 0 days without a nationwide embarrassment. I am also a 2014 OkState graduate, and would probably be considered a miracle child. I've lurked here for quite a while, and I'm looking forward to participating in discussions!

[jarona]

Hi All,

I figured since I would be giving my two cents worth, I would like to introduce myself and how my Duggar (and now Bates) fascination began:

Coming from a large Irish/Catholic family, I was intrigued when I first saw the Duggars some years ago. My grandmother came from a family of 18 children (in Ireland, and, like the Duggars, they were put to work. On the farm--not raising children, but helping to raise livestock and grow potatoes). My mother comes from a family of 11 children. All but two had children, the two that didn't were nuns. Basically, I come from a large family. Our family is a virtual melting pot. Inter-faith, inter-race, inter-cultural. I myself have a better half who is a Frenchman.

When I first viewed the Duggars, I was completely fascinated with the matching outfits--Rugby shirts and those long denim skirts..and those pants on the boys. All I could think of was my days in school uniforms. We girls would rebel by rolling our skirts up from the waist so that the skirts would be shorter. We would be reprimanded, but we would still roll those skirts up as high as we could! I just could not understand why these Duggar girls weren't making their skirts shorter? I also found it a bit "odd" that Michelle wore such prim and proper clothing. Why would she dress like a five-year old girl when we all are aware that in order to have that many kids, you need bouncy-bouncy time--and a lot of it!

The more their odd behavior surfaced the more intrigued and fascinated I became. I was appalled at their dietary habits. That "tater tot" casserole disgusted me. Didn't the parents realize that vegetables, be they frozen or canned, are not as expensive as organic and are healthier. Jim Bob, the dad, seemed to take on an eerie and creepy presence. A total control freak who, even though professed to care about his brood of children, really just seemed cold and calculating to me. As though their was an agenda. The children were obedient to a fault. Listen--I grew up with five sibs--we ALL challenged my parents. I remember actually sneaking out of the house to go to a dance, my father driving to pick me up, only to have him run after me in the middle of a beach club. Some of the things we did were very naughty. We were quite normal. The Duggar children just seem---robotic in their behavior and interviews with the TV cameras.

I'm also wary of Michelle's "baby talk" voice. Who talks like that in real life anyway except for Khloe Kardashian--and we all know what a nutcase she is! When Anna came into the picture, all I could think of was "Man, this one is as clingy as a vine". I thought over time, she became more independent, and she does seem like a good mom, but her ideologies are just so bizarre and duggarish.

With the marriages of the older sibs, I'm somewhat saddened. I would think that they would be able to grow intellectually and become more aware and empathetic of what is going on in the world. I.e. Accepting same-sex marriages, universal healthcare, embracing all people in a true Christian way, understanding that your religion isn't the "only" one, not being so self-righteous or judgemental. It never happened. My thoughts are these people have an agenda. I also have questions. Did TLC pay for their huge home? Did TLC pay for all their vacations? Did TLC pay for the girls' engagement rings? Who foots the bill on this stuff? Shouldn't the girls have gotten their wedding attire at a thrift shop? This Ben Sewald--or whatever his name is. My what a closed-minded infant this man/boy be. His blog entry dissing Catholics was absolutely atrocious--he's Christian??..and his wife Jessa. What a smug little b*tch she is. I was watching the episode where she was getting the flowers for her wedding. I wanted to erase that constant smirk across her face with more than an eraser! Just the way she proclaimed to not know any flowers at all was either the most ignorant remark I've ever heard OR it was the most demeaning and smug "Icantbebotheredwithyou" statement. She is more entitled than the people her parents despise! Jill--I'm still trying to process that "starter" home she and Derrick have. I thought Derrick was a decent catch until that "cat" debacle. Ugh. He's just as creepy. ......so that's my thoughts on the Duggars. I'm not a fan, but I AM fascinated.

Now for the family I DO enjoy. The Bates. Yes. I realize they are fundamentalists too. But--their personalities are completely different. Kelly has this sort of easy going way with the kids. She realizes kids are not angels and kids are going to be rambunctious and naughty--and as long as they are not mean or nasty--it's all good. Gil--well, I love the way he is constantly seen carrying the younger sons on his shoulders and he is always within arms reach of the kids--whether at home or on the job. I also am touched when his eyes mist up and he gets all teary-eyed when talking about he kids. He reminds me a lot of my dad and my uncles in that way. I don't agree with all their ideology, but I like the fact they both say that once their kids are out of the house--it's their decision. The girls are stunning! Even though they are very young to be married and preggy (that's just my personal view), they seem very grounded and mature for their ages. They also dress a million times better than the Duggar girls. Michael is a bit "boyfriend" crazy but hey--most families have one sister who is like that and you just eye-roll it! So, in the future, my postings in connection with the Duggars will be more critical than any of my postings with the Bateses. Thank you for allowing me to join you!

[KittenMitten]

Welcome, jarona. I joined FJ early January and find FJ a wonderful place, lots of support, agreement about many subjects and spirited disagreements. You may want to check out the 'Duggar's vs Bate's' threads. And again, welcome.

[MatthewDuggar]

Welcome! You sum up nicely my exact thoughts on the Duggars. I have not followed the Bates as closely, so I cannot comment on them.

[friendofgreen]

wow

you do come from a large family--but that gives you such a different perspective on them (I'd love to hear more)

but I'm with you, I'm mostly just fascinated with the Duggars and how they do things --it's just so "out there" to me

I should really check out the Bates' a bit more. They seem more normal from what I've seen of them

[jarona]

friendofgreen. I think the main difference between my family being extremely large (with cousins, aunts, uncles, etc) and the Duggar family is that we genuinely have a great time with each other and just feel our beliefs are ours and if someone else has different beliefs--so be it!Granted, we were--and still remain very close to our Irish (and for the most part Catholic ideology--but on a very liberal basis) roots. My daughter was a championship Irish Dancer and was lucky enough to compete throughout the US and overseas. But, we didn't eschew anyone who wasn't Irish or Catholic or "just like us". Life is too short. In addition, not one woman in my family, from the families with the largest amount of children down to the ones with smaller families, not one has ever made an older child raise younger ones. THAT was strictly the mom's duty--and let me tell you, my dad was a NYC police officer and my mother put more fear into us than my dad ever did. HE was the softie! I definitely can relate more to the Bates vibe than the Duggar vibe. I'm amazed that the Duggars can behave so hypocritically and get away with it! :pink-shock:

[clueliss]

I'm Liss. Single (by choice), no children (by choice). I live in Mid-Missouri but am a native of NE Kansas.

Unchurched heretical heathen these days but used to be very active in mainstream and later rather conservative churches. Former Sunday School teacher to kids aged 4 through 5th grade - not all at the same time). And I have taught the Bright Lights curriculum to a group of girls with another adult. (although we did not necessarily teach it as it was presented all of the time)

I was raised in a family where my mother divorced my father when I was 10. Remarried when I was 17. One sister. And a load of baggage from the dysfunctionI was raised in.

I also write mystery fiction (unpublished) and follow Cynthia Jeub's blog. There is part of my own twisted fiction writing brain that see such potential with these families.

[physicalscience]

Hello! I'm new to have an account. Looooong long time lurker. Literally since 17 Kids and Counting. :)

[acromantulas]

Hi! I'm a major lurker. I'm from Texas. I was raised cafeteria Catholic, and am currently your average "liberal" Christian, I suppose. My best friend since childhood was part of a homeschooling, purity-ringing, courtshipping, anti-vaxxing, Pentecostal-ish group, so I read things like "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" as a teen and was always kind of peripherally aware of fundie stuff. (She left.) A few of the things I'm obsessively interested in besides fundies: assisted reproductive technology, skincare, kitten fostering, the (human) foster care system, and aquariums. :dance:

[mama4cor]

Hi all! I've had an account for awhile & lurked even longer. I've posted a couple of times but never introduced myself. I'm mid 30's mama of 2. Married for 7 years but with the hubs since age 20. I was raised a JW from age 4 till I left/was asked to leave at 18. I'm still dealing with all of the emotions involved with that. Thanks for letting me join in the snark!!

[nerds08]

I never introduced myself either, but I have been lurking for about two years now and never had the gumption to join until now! I'm a college-student in the northern US. I have always watched 19KaC as a guilty pleasure and now I have hooked my three male roommates to it! They pretend like they're just on the couch doing homework, but we all snark out loud throughout the whole show :lol: My boyfriend kept pestering me to join FreeJinger so that during the show we could read all the play-by-play comments. He's hooked just as much as I am haha. Anyway, nice to meet you all! 8-)

[Chubbi]

Hi! Well, let's see. I'm a student at a college in the Northeast, and 19KaC is a not-so-guilty pleasure. I consider myself a connoisseur of reality TV, and 19KaC is part of that. I found FJ when I googled "will a duggar ever escape."

Personally, I identify loosely as an ex-fundie. My family got really into Herbert Armstrong's teachings for a five/six years. I don't see a lot about Armstrong on here, which is part of why I went from lurking to joining.

ucg.org If you wanna explore that rabbit hole.

My mother still believes a lot of what Armstrong taught, but she doesn't do a lot of their rituals anymore. Basically, they uphold a lot of Old Testament beliefs (they celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but call it different names, and don't eat pork), because of a lot of controversial beliefs about Jesus. They also do the modesty and courting thing. Another interesting thing they believe is that Christmas, Easter, Valentine's, and Halloween are not "of God" and should be avoided as they are "counterfeit" and not cultural, like Memorial Day or Mother's Day. Birthdays are ok to celebrate because it's a way to glorify God. I was also exposed to Catholicism, Calvinism, Southern Baptism, and my parents created a hodge-podge of all of these beliefs that my siblings and I were supposed to believe.

I was never introduced to ATI or VF, or Gothard, as UCG has plenty of their own booklets. :cracking-up:

I don't really know what I believe anymore, except for helping and caring for your fellow person as you would yourself. I believe that if there is a God, God won't care whether you ate that unleavened bread, but God would care if you hurt someone and use God as your justification.

But yeah! There's my intro :)

[Fascinated]

Oh, I didn't even see this until now! I also lurked for a long time, as most of us do I suppose. I was fascinated (hence my name) reading the brilliant posts here. I feel like I could be friends with FJers in real life.

I am, and always have been, an atheist. My husband is a lapsed Catholic who has had trouble admitting he's an atheist, but can do so now, and can snark as well as the next guy. We have three atheist sons. We did not 'train them up' to be - they just are. I believe if children aren't indoctrinated into anything at all, chances are good they may end up as atheists.

We are all nice people and our morals are intact. We just don't believe in a god. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Duggars and other fundies are beyond fascinating. I just don't get it. As someone who believes there is no god, to me everything they do, say and believe is all just a waste of their lives. I want to live for now, not for when I'm dead.

Very happy to be a part of this wonderful forum!

[whateverwhoever]

Hi!

I have been lurking for quite a while, but after having the urge to post twice in a row today, I realized I should probably introduce myself.

I'm 26 and living in sin with my fiance. Currently childless but planning a quiver of two or three, ideally after I finish law school (still have to get in first!)

His mother is a conservative born again pentecostal, as is my grandmother. Both think I shouldn't be going to law school since we should have babies and I should be staying home with them.

Basically though I'm kind of obsessed with the Duggars because I'm not sure how they have gotten away with so much shit, and find it shocking that the mainstream media is totally chill with their level of extremism.

[Julifornia]

I've been a lurker for over a year and promised myself I wouldn't ever register because of the time-suck factor, but here I am. Blame Baby Dilly.

I'm a mother of two (so far, hoping to expand the quiver a bit), and I homeschool, and I take an unnatural fascination with Really Bad Homeschoolers, mainly because they undermine the legitimacy of Good and Earnest Homeschoolers.

[PamplemoussePomme]

Hello everyone, I'm new. I'm in my 30s and from the UK. I have a headship and a cat, but unfortunately our quiver remains empty. ;)

As an avowed ebil atheist, I am fascinated by the antics of the fundies and have been since I stumbled across Biblical Womanhood years ago.

[Snarkaluffagus]

Hi, I am here because I can't watch more than two minutes of the Duggars without cursing at the television. They fascinate and horrify me.

I am married with a quiver of one (and done.) I work full time. I'm Christian, but definitely NOT fundie - the denomination I belong to approves of female ministers and gay marriages. There are a few people in my extended family that I would consider fundie-lite at the very least.

[catkin]

Hi, I have joined because I find the Duggars so interesting. When watching the show I find its not unsimilar to seeing a car accident - you know you shouldn't look but you just can't stop watching. I also find the Duggars to be quite contradictory to the things they say - I am looking forward to having good discussions with all of you!

[honeymilk]

I just got approved, but I've been lurking for awhile. I am a 24 year old lefty, leftists in the PNW. I watch way too much of the Duggars, so after lurking for awhile, I decided to make an account! I am applying to grad school, so most of my friends think it's hilarious how into weird fundies I am.