Introduce Yourself - Part 2

[Sunshine1491]

Hi

I've been a lurking for a couple of months and finally made an account for Joshgate. I really did go to the SOTDRT. So I'm super-critical and suspicious of homeschooling now and the potential for educational neglect. I was raised baptist and that was enough to make me a borderline atheist as an adult. Although I like to tell people I'm a polyatheist just for the lolz.

I like hockey and snark and chocolate cake in a mug. If you can't say anything nice, come and sit by me. :lol:

[nancicles]

Hello! Longtime Lurker, first time poster. As someone who has been a victim of spiritual abuse myself, I'm really hoping to see some of these kids get the hell out.

I've read this forum for ages as I've been morbidly fascinated with the Duggars for a while, but (as many people) I was fairly certain there was something severely OFF with them. I'm way impressed with the sleuthing skills I've seen on the boards here!

[ju_wien]

Hello! Google made me come here ;) I came across a reference to "ATI" in an article about Josh Duggar and wanted to find out, what the acronym meant. And now I am here and trying to catch up with board-specific slang to get what people are writing. I'm from Vienna, Austria, female, 60 years old, working in an office and single.

[Tikobaby]

Hello! Have lurked for a long time. Long-time watcher of the Duggars' show and the earlier "specials"...will admit a strange and horrified fascination with them that I can't explain so I think this is the place for me. Am reading a lot on the site to become more informed before posting so will stay undercover for now.

[MarblesMom]

I have been lurking for years.... thanks for letting me dip a toe in the water first.

Alternative religions/lifestyles have always fascinated me. The Amish, Hutterites, Duggars (since 14 kids), Sister Wives... just so interesting.

Hubby always said the Duggars were too good to be real. Shoulda had a sushi dinner riding on that bet....

I am a former executive from the West Coast, now living on an acreage in the Midwest trying to figure out what I want to do career-wise... adjusting to the entire move and loving 99% of everything :)

This site has provided me with so much information, snark and entertainment over the last few years.... I am glad I am now a member and "out."

Hi.

[EmmyJay]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking and finally decided to join.

I'm not what you would call religious in any sense. I pretty much believe you shouldn't be an asshole. My grandmother destroyed any sense of faith I'd had as a kid.

So hi everyone!

[Rajah061014]

I joined in May, so I guess I should finally get around to introducing myself.

I am a physician living in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Duggars were my gateway fundies. When their show first started, I randomly watched a few episodes. I was blown away by their arrogance, closed-mindedness, and ignorance. I'll never forget the first episode I watched. The family was getting a private tour of a national park, "learning" about how diamonds are made. Except they weren't really learning. They spent most of the TH's mocking the park ranger for believing that the world is more than 6000 years old. As a very scientific person, their absolute refusal to disregard the science of diamonds drove me nuts, combined with their complete disrespect for the park ranger. Ever since then, I read whatever I could about the family online, including reading over their family website. Somehow it took me way too long to find Free Jinger, but I'm glad I did. I came for the Duggars, and I stayed for the Bates, Penningtons, Shupes, etc. So many fundies, so little time.

[ChuckleBeam]

Hello! I've been lurking around for a bit, and finally decided to dip my toe in the water. I'm Erika, not of the Shupe variety, thanks for asking. I do enjoy a good *chuckle* *beam*, though. Hope to not piss anyone off too badly, and if I do, sorry in advance! :nenner:

[Extreme Grifting]

Hi, this is my first post. I'm unsure how to set up an avatar. Any help is gratefully accepted.

[Mothership]

Hello

Love this site--have lurked for quite a while. I'm an old refugee from TWoP. I got tired of that site when the admins seemed to prevent posting opinions that snarked against certain shows (I seem to recall that it was hinted that the site was sponsored by a network?--was that true?)

Question for FJ: What do the symbols next to the thread titles mean? I get that the Lock (thread locked) and the paper clip (attached link?). Please explain everything else to this newbie. Thx

[ShackleForAnOldExLeper]

Hello everyone

Like most im a long time lurker from the UK who found free jinger a couple of years ago when I first started watching what my husband calls "shit tv" I couldnt figure out what freaked me out about the duggars so much so I went searching online for what their deal is and found you lovely people. It soon became very apparent that their messed up deal is the cult they are in! Anyway hi everyone first post done!! :P

[Tablefor5]

Hi everyone!

I'm a long time lurker, I've been following freejinger for well over a year and finally decided to bite the bullet and sign up. I'm almost 30 and a mom of three. In never know what to say in these introduce yourself posts so I'll leave it at this and if anyone has anything they'd like to know they can always ask :)

[Myrtille]

Hello everyone.

I discovered FJ last week. A torn muscle in the back and Google brought me here. I didn't know much about the Duggars until last week - just that it was some American TV (freak) show :)... YouTube decided to enlighten me, and somehow he recommended a Duggars video while I was watching cat videos. I watched a clip, then another, read some comments, did a Google search, and here I am. I've been lurking around quite a bit, as I find the subject rather fascinating.

Other than this, my English is far from perfect (I'm French-speaking), and I'm owned by a fluffy black cat who nowadays goes by the name Monsieur Tartine :).

[CTRLZero]

My first post, so hope I am doing this correctly. We shall see. 8-) I started lurking after the Ashley Madison brouhaha. My mission is to stay until I have read every single interesting post. Great website. I am retired after dwelling in a law office cubicle for over 20 years, and now seem to be falling down rabbit holes (did I get the lingo right?). I am from the Pacific NW. I look forward to participating more as I get familiar with the site. Thanks!

[teddyruxpin]

Greetings, FJ! I'm an on-again/off-again lurker of several years!

I'd been following the Duggars since their early specials, rubbernecking :popcorn2:, but a long while ago it got to where I couldn't really stand them any longer and would come to Free Jinger for updates whenever they were in the news for any reason so I could catch up on the haps and not have to actually watch the show, or read articles with a "spin." I remember reading the rumors about Josh WAY back in the day, repeatedly actually, so the instant I saw him trending on Facebook earlier this year, I flew to FJ -- frankly, a way better source for info than any news article -- and have been camped here ever since. I've fallen down many a rabbit hole thanks to FJ.

Anything vaguely culty fascinates me. I also read regularly about Scientology (and cannot wait for its inevitable downfall). I am really interested in social phenomena like groupthink and echo chambers, the manipulation you find in cults of any ilk, and also the psyches of those who do the manipulating. I'm not remotely educated in any of it, but true crime is one of my primary interests. I find fundie mentality and habits in this Instagram/Pinterest day and age very interesting.

I never thought I would actually make an account here, since I'm not the snarkiest, but I visit so regularly I decided I'd sign up, at least, so I could comment if I ever wanted. So hello!!

[Talitha]

Hello, I've been reading for several years, but have only just got round to registering... I found the board after a friend introduced me to Ladies Against Feminism and through that, to Anna T - she was my gateway. From a comment on her blog I discovered Autumn and her family (I think Autumn is great - she's come so far and isn't afraid to admit it), and also Michelle (CoffeeCatholic etc) who was a proper box of frogs. I am very disappointed that only Anna still posts... These days I don't read many threads, Sparkling Adventures and the hot mess of Sarah Jane/Russell/David have me gripped, and I like anything to do with the scary Seppis. I dip in and out of other threads, but those are the only blogs I read.

I live near Manchester in the UK, and I have always been fascinated by cults and cult like behaviour. I recently discovered a random TV channel showing terrible Christian romance films (among other things) and a couple about leaving polygamy, so that was another rabbit hole...

[AmazonGrace]

Hi

another noob here, fascinated with many world views that are hopelessly dated, anti-science, paranoid, bigoted or idiotic, or all five at once.

Don't get me started about creationism.

[djm73]

Hi, all! Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I'm an atheist, but grew up in an Apostolic Pentecostal family, with ALLLL of the crazy that entails. I'm also a homeschooler (already put two in college/grad school, with two more at home) but not an Erika Shupe sort of homeschooler. Did I mention the atheism?

Anyway, glad to be here.

[SilverBeach]

Hi everyone. I first joined in Jan. 2013, after lurking for a while. I was around for Alectogate, even contributed to her PayPal account (I did get my money back). Board culture was definitely intimidating back then, newbies were pretty much hazed. I expected it, it happened, but when I didn't back down it eventually stopped.

Life got in the way so I stopped visiting FJ very much but my interest in all things Fundy never waned. Since the Duggars are what brought me here initially, I started reading again when the first Joshgate broke after my daughter woke me up to tell me about it. Didn't want to jump into it then, now that things have settled a bit I reactivated. FJ really is awesome and I will see you in the threads.

[KoolAidKid]

Hi - I've been visiting FJ for at least a year - reading but never joining. I'm a lapsed Catholic about to become a grandmother for the first time. Any day now... the anticipation is killing me... but otherwise just a normal everyday person that watched 19 kids and counting because it was fascinating to me - I once told my husband it was like rubber necking at a car wreck - you know you shouldn't look but you just can't help it.

The molestation and adultery scandals have really :popcorn2: been entertaining. I love reading FJ, everyone's take on how :cray-cray: the family is - probably will rarely if ever post, but will continue to enjoy reading everyone's take and witty comments on the world of fundamentalism.

[goldsmithanalog]

Hello all. I grew up in a very similar environment to the Duggars. Some close family friends have threads dedicated to them on this forum. In time I have come to realize how messed up my community was, and how absurd my own life has been.

Currently incredibly depressed and trying to finish college.

[Dharma Burger]

Hullo, All. I've been lurking for several months and finally decided to join. Zsu is my gateway fundie and I discovered her via Dr Amy Tuteur's blog. Extremists are scary but fascinating. (bows)

[TeenWitch]

Hello-

Lurker for about a year or so- whenever the older Duggar girls started courting. Something about the fundie lifestyle is fascinating to me. Maybe because I was home-schooled til 5th grade, but definitely not the same way these folks homeschool (I learned modern science, etc).

Anyway, I'm glad to be here and start posting instead of just reading :)

[Thorns]

Hi everyone!

Been a lurker for a couple of months, but as I can never keep my mouth shut on any given topic I desided to join in on the fun! My gateway to Free Jinger were the Duggars. I got fascinated a few months before Joshgate, and watched quite a lot of youtube episodes in my working summer boredom. Then came google, and then came AM-scandal, and I don't actually remember were this forum came from - it might have been the comment section on radaronline. (embarrassed).

I'm a physician in my late twenties, a very junior doctor who spends her time mostly being shitfaced scared. From one of the scandinavian countries, were fundies are a strange mix of common/uncommon, depending on were you live. Had a lot of the "charismatic" christians with singing, dancing, Jesus parties und so weiter in my high school class, but that is as close as I get to fundies.... and they fascinate me so!

...which is why I'm here, obviously ;)

[housetyrell]

Hi,

This is my first post, so I'm not sure if I'm doing any of this right! I found FreeJinger this past winter, through google. I've had this weird fascination with the Duggars on and off since seeing their 14 Kids and Counting special on TLC. That doesn't mean that I was a fan by any means, I just had to keep watching because I couldn't believe that people actually lived that way. I started to become pretty skeptical of them when I began to do some of my own research, and found out just how scary their beliefs are. I had no idea that there were other families just like them! :o I've started reading up on some of the other families, and now I just can't stop. I finally decided to stop lurking and join in September, because I'm really interested in the fact that this forum is used to discuss anything and everything.

I haven't belonged to a forum since I was a teenager (it was a Harry Potter one :lol: ), so I'm pretty excited to get started!