Introduce Yourself - Part 2

[TenderloinTrash]

Joining the "long time lurker finally got an account" group!

I'm a 20 year old college student studying costume design and tech. First found Free Jinger when I had my whole sexuality panic and almost got pulled into the fundie lite world. Thankfully I dodged that bullet.

[Lazuli]

Greetings. I'm a tree-hugging dirt worshiper, who also happens to be an author.

A couple of weeks ago, I'd never heard of the Quiverfull movement or the ATI. And then the Duggar sex abuse scandal dragged it in the spotlight, and my curiosity was peaked. I'm pretty horrified by what I've read. Yes, I'd heard of the Duggars before the story broke, but I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. The story is so insidious, both the molestations and the coverup. I'm a survivor myself, so the whole mess feels pretty personal. I'm actually quite concerned for the girls, and to be honest, nervous about the message they're sending out to other survivors. I really hope they don't get a spinoff show.

A few friends recommended I check out "Free Jinger", and it's been quite interesting reading through old posts. Thanks for adding me to the group.

[TuringMachine]

Hi. I'm 23, Jewish, and still looking for my first post college job.

I've been following the Duggars for a long time now. Initially I just found them interesting but eventually I learned about ATI and IBLP and my curiosity for the Duggar's turned into wishing that more people understood how damaging they're lifestyle is / hoping for one of the kids to break out. At some point I found this forum and after awhile of lurking I decided to create an account.

So yeah, cheers!

[wildlingrose]

Hello. I'm Rose. I'm a 40 yr old female, mom of 3, step mom, licensed therapist. Coming to the conclusion O was religiously abused by my mother and it continues to this day as I am widowed and she has a non stop Agenda to find someone to subdue me.

My biodad has his very own cult. Its a blend of misogyny, Christianity, a Native American beliefs, and paranoia.

The EXcorcism failed I guess. But I found you all and I'm glad.

[ShepherdontheRock]

I just finished my third year of college (I'm a music performance major, I play classical clarinet.) Raised in a non religious household, but extreme Christians fascinate me. Didn't hear about the Duggars until is saw their video supporting Rick Santorum, read more, and they've fascinated me ever since, even though and perhaps because they go against everything I stand for.

In light of recent developments, thought I'd join the discussions here, especially as it seems things have calmed down (for the time being haha). Also I'm very fascinated by the other fundie families discussed here.

Looking forward to learning and some good discussions! :D

[lolo3300]

I am Allison. I work for CPS in Investigations, not in Arkansas. I used to love, love the Duggars even though I knew there had to be more there because people aren't always that damn sweet. I think I had heard about FJ when I was on Facebook then when everything came out with Josh, I learned so much about the fundamental lifestyle in the short time I have been lurking.

[insomnicat]

I started to post this on the "how I found FJ" thread but realized it's probably better off in this one. It's kind of both, though.

Among my "mom friends," we've always been pretty sympathetic towards the Duggars. We all have more than the "perfect" 2 kids, and believe me, once you pass over the need-a-van line, you get sick of all the snide comments and side eyes from total strangers right quick. So seeing a family bigger than ours that seemed to be positively received was kind of a rah-rah moment. (For the record, lest your imagination fill in the details, I have 5 kids, and yes, we're done :dance: )

As far as the Duggars though, I reckoned that as long as they were taking care of all those kids and could provide for them, then it was between them and God. I was never a big fan of the show and I had my misgivings, but again...they clearly had the means to take care of the kids, so it was none of my business. Judge not and so on, amirite?

Then the news of the molestation scandal broke. Once the allegations were confirmed by the Duggars, the topic of the scandal came up in conversation with my friends, and I was absolutely floored by the kool-aid drinking I heard. I couldn't believe it. I still can't even. Frustrated to the point of irate, I went looking online for somewhere the subject was being reasonably discussed without the "persecuuuution!!!11eleventy!" filter, and ended up here on FJ.

I've been horrified by the some of the things I've read here about quiverfull and fundamentalism, because I really think some of that mindset has seeped into the thinking of a lot of Christians I know through the example of the Duggars, and these are Christians who would never identify themselves as fundamentalists. It started out as "they're a big, Christian, homeschooling family! America, apple pie, and Jesus!" and people didn't see or chose to ignore the shadow side, the problems and the twisted-ness of their belief system. Now with the scandal, the problems are harder to overlook or ignore...yet...it's still happening. :pull-hair: There are fans who are perfectly content to normalize the molestation of 5 year old sisters as the natural consequence of a curious young lad without enough supervision at night. :wtf: Just...NOOOO.

Anyway, there is my intro. Thanks for an oasis of sanity on this subject.

[rosethorne]

Hi everyone

I’ve been lurking on and off for a while now, but as an introverted and somewhat voyeuristic personality I didn’t feel the need to create an account and post until the Smugger scandal.

I was born and raised (and am currently living) in Alaska. That fact in and of itself lends a distinct side eye to anything seen on reality TV. With all the terrible (and terribly INACURATE) “Alaska†reality shows, we up here are well aware of how unrealistic reality TV is.

I tend to be a bit of study in contradictions some examples:

I’m a Pagan, bisexual female, completely comfortable with polyamory, and I’m in a monogamous marriage to a Roman Catholic man, from a conservative republican east coast family.

I’m what my father refers to as a “bleeding heart liberal†because of my stances on Medicaid, social equality, civil rights for the LGBTQ communities etc. I’m also (probably as a product of my upbringing) a gun toting, semi-subsistence living, back to the land traditionalist who enjoys (my) traditional gender roles.

What I’m trying to get across is this, I am sometimes of two minds about a single subject, and occasionally the opinion I espouse will sound like a contradiction to one I professed about a similar subject.

Sometimes I’m playing devil’s advocate :stir-pot: , and sometimes I really just have a varied opinion on multifaceted subjects :geek: .

Goodness! Sorry about the novel :embarrassed:

[DawnJosie]

Hello,

I don't do much but lurk.

I'm married, a mom of 1 (currently 5) and 48. We did not "depend on God" for our son. :)

We live in the Twin Cities area of MN. I am originally from Duluth, MN. DH and I are former fundies from the Assemblies of God. We met at the church's youth group. I used to find the Duggars interesting. I was curious how a large family is managed. It didn't take long for me to remember why I left the fundies.

Thanks to everyone for your work here, especially over the last few weeks.

[snarkalicious]

Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking on FJ for a long time and before that, TWOP. Finally joined FJ but never posted until now. I'm intrigued by anything on the fringes of mainstream society (whatever that means) and the Duggars and their ATL friends definitely fit that bill. I've been keeping up with Duggar drama since their first TV special.

I feel very lucky to live in San Francisco, although I know I exist in a bubble because SF is an oasis surrounded by a largely intolerant world. Politically, I identify with various shades on the left side of the spectrum, depending on the issue.

I have an advanced degree and have published in an academic journal. I love irony and clever writing though I fall short of that myself. My pet peeve is improper grammar and misuse of synonyms, though in forums I just cringe in silence. :) And of course after admitting that peeve, I'm sure I'm soon to commit the same sins!

I'm in my 60s though in my mind I stopped aging at 35. I wear fun footwear. That pretty much describes me.

[FullmoonOverDuggardWaters]

Greetings!

I am newly registered. Ive been aware of FJ, stopping by occasionally over the last two years to puzzle at the Bates and Duggar's lifestyle and dirty-laundry, so to speak, after google led me here.

I reside in southern California, and I am Jewish by birthright. However, this huge revelation of my birth-right and its heritage was only brought to my attention as a young adult, upon a dna-test in a thorough family-tree/research project. Beforehand, I grew up in a single-family home amongst middle-class and upper-middle-class caucasian families. My father is hispanic, however; I felt a little out of place amongst my friends; their fathers were white with blue-collar jobs, everything my father wasnt.

I attended a youth-group at a local, large baptist church. Truth be told, I attended for the raging teenage social scene. It was fun being amongst boys during our activities, and my immature, hormone-fueled mind fed the decisions I made, meaning I had to sit through very interesting (in retrospect) lectures on modesty, and our responsibility to not defraud the boys. The boys, I would later learn, had horrible guilt-ridden tortuous punishments and shame put upon them when it came to masturbation.

I never believed or took to any of the spoken words, it never felt right, intuitively. I never understood why my friends would raise their arms in praise during "worship"; our worship-band was a cute group of guitar-playing boys, in a sunday service just for teens. Oh, the stories! Fraudulence abound! I participated in the group, and giant teen retreats/summer camps, for 3/4 years.

Then, I was in a horrible accident at 17. None of my 10-or-so close-friends in this youth-group, or anyone from the group for that matter (that easily numbered 60), including the pastor, came to visit me as I lay on my deathbed (I had a 10% chance at living), or anytime thereafter. And I was there at the hospital for four months. So I never saw them again.

And me? I am great, now. And having beaten the odds, I live a very active life. I am a licensed skydiver, and enjoy the closest thing to human-flight - wingsuit-flying, more than anything in the world.

[Wingnut]

Hello. I have lurked for a while now but decided to registe after the Duggar scandal broke out.

I probably still won't post much for a while. I like to understand the dynamics of a board before jumping in for obvious reasons. :)

Hello FJ!

[Chiara607]

Hi!

I found the board through reading Cynthia Jeub's blog, got sucked in, and here we are. :)

About me: early 30s, married, have a complicated relationship with the Catholic Church, and living in Lincoln, Nebraska. My passion is medieval re-creation, and that's what the husband and I spend most of our weekends doing.

[TheFemaleJoe Duggar]

Hi, my name is Joe, and I AM a woman! :) I have been watching the Duggars since the first special; at first I was intrigued by how they ran a large family like that on a day to day basis. Now, it's more like a car wreck where I can't look away no matter how hard I try.

As an educated woman, wife and mom, I almost want to just adopt all of the daughters from that family and show them that the outside world has so much for them. I almost felt like I was checking on them when I watched the show.

I joined the forum because I have had problems with the fundamental side of Christianity for a while. (I consider myself a "modern Catholic," which basically means I go to church but I'm really liberal.) I would love to have discussions and places to find information about the family, their belief system and other people like them.

[Immafraid]

Hi. Until recently, I knew very little about the Duggars, Maxwells, Fundies, ATIers, etc. After discovering someone I know was part of the Quiverfull movement, I googled the crap out of her (Emma, the adoption dissolver) and landed on the old FJ forum. That led me here for hours of reading about all these people. Initially, I was comforted in finding others who shared my opinions. Soon after, I was sucked into a deep hole of OMG and WTF? Since it's summer and The Walking Dead is on break...it only made sense to join and follow these stories. Their blogs and happenings continue to blow my mind every time I take a peek. And, your dialogues in the forum are all worth the lurk! It would take me years (or a few intense weeks) to catch up to your conversations. Regardless, I'm loving listening in! 8-)

[roxy7]

I guess after lurking for a year plus I should go ahead and do an intro. Especially considering a large part of my day is spent hanging out with yall. I am absolutely fascinated by all these wack a doodle fundies. On most days they make my blood boil with their ignorance and intolerance. Now that I bit the bullet I guess I will join in the discussion.

[imjustasteph]

Having posted a few times, I reckon I'll introduce myself.

I'm Steph. I grew up in a large family, though not by the Duggars' standards. My mom and dad had my older brother and me, then both remarried. My mom had five kids more, and would've continued if not for medical issues. My dad married a woman who already had one kid, and had one more with her -- giving me a total of 8 siblings.

I, in turn, had 3 kids, married a guy who had two, then had two more with him.

Growing up, we were something like fundie-lite with a toggle. For a few months, it would be full blast: birth control is a sin, women shouldn't wear pants, cover your knees, bring me [older brother]'s new tape, my pastor says it sends messages from the devil when you play it backward. Then there'd be months of no church, no fits if I wore cut-offs, singing Dolly Parton in the kitchen, and a more relaxed life. Then something would switch it on again, and the pastor would tell her my stepdad was possessed by satan and there would be Sunday nights sitting in the pews waiting for her to wake up because the whole church had passed out again. (We attended a Pentecostal church.)

When I first heard of the Duggars, I was intrigued. Since, I've been through a variety of emotions. I've defended them (I still think the 'vagina clown car' line is nasty and uncalled for), rolled my eyes at them, been annoyed by them, and finally, when I learned of their anti-evolution posts, and Michelle did her robocall, began to actively dislike them -- though the fascination remained. That's when I started paying attention to the religion a bit more and becoming truly sickened.

Today, I write for inquisitr (I did not write the one about Jill posting photos of a man on a toilet), and researching a story I noticed a link to fj. I saved it, and came by later, when I had time to read. Became interested, and found myself reading a few times a day. After a week or two of lurking, I registered.

And so that pretty much brings us to now, hi.

[centernova]

Hi, everyone! I'm Jen. I've been lurking for the past few weeks now, and finally decided to register.

I've known about the Duggars for years - I have family in NW Arkansas who get the very occasional Duggar sighting - and watched a few episodes of the show, but then the robocalls happened. Then the Joshpocalypse.

Then I started reading, laughed a lot, learned a lot, and registered.

[Kate11]

Hey Guys!

I've been registered for a while but finally decided to write my first post! A little bit about me, I'm in my early 20's and I teach in one of those ebil public elementary schools. I grew up about 2 hours away from the Duggars so I've been familiar with them for a while. I went to a Baptist college and we had a guest speaker come talk to us about how the people in other religions were reproducing faster than us Christians so we needed to have as many kids as possible. Needless to say my face looked like :pink-shock: the whole time she was talking. After this incident, I started researching more about Quiverfull and its beliefs, which is when I stumbled upon Free Jinger.

[heagleca]

Hi! I live in Texas, grew up fundie-lite. Never paid any attention to the Duggars until last year I watched a marathon and I could not look away from the train wreck. Decided to do a little internet digging to see what I could about their religious views and here we are. Like some others, I've been lurking for most of this year and finally made an account a few months ago, but I'm slow to posting. I mostly joined so I could use the search function!

[MichellesCrunchyHair]

Hi everyone! Like many others, it was the recent scandal coming to light that prompted me to make an account here and start posting occasionally. I had lurked on an off for a while (but not since Yuku :) ), and I think it was some of the posts on Defamer (one of Gawker's sub-blogs) referring to FJ as a source that really made me come over here.

I am endlessly fascinated by religious extremism. To echo what another poster said up-thread, the Duggars' beliefs disgust me and directly go against who I am, but I find them so interesting that I can't look away. Coming here to read the thoughtful conversations on such topics (along with the thread drift, of course :D) was an obvious choice. This community seems great and I'm excited to be here!

[Guru03]

I am a motivational/inspirational speaker who is trying to begin their career. I also have had a bitter taste for fundamentalism in Christianity for a long time. I am a Christian but I oppose fundamentalism.

[7thchild]

Newly joined Fj, been lurking for a while. I home schooled my 2 sons, who are now adults, but not for fundie reasons. I did rub elbows with plenty of fundies of varying degree, some pretty mainstream, some who need to be de-programmed. It will be fun to add some fundie encounters when I remember where to share them, middle age brain lapse.

[sawasdee]

Been lurking a while, and have fallen down a few rabbit holes - The Rodriguez, The Schraders, although I originally came here because of a horrified fascination with the Duggars! I live in Asia, and yes, they have been all over TLC here for years! Eventually joined because I wanted to see the full range of smilies......I'm retired, and have far too much time.....

[Leftitinmysnood]

I've been lurking for a couple of years. I was homeschooled and my parents moved us to fundiedom for my teen years, which was kind of like living in a foreign country. I know they agreed with some things, but not others. We still read books, listened to a variety of music, and watched movies (if they were from the right era), but we were dresses only. I had to go to a Bill Gothard video seminar and we attended a home church and lived in the middle of nowhere. My dad liked to argue their points out to ridiculous logical extremes and teased the other men about their gullibility. I left when I went away to college at 18 and my husband and I have been pruning our roots ever since.