Introduce Yourself - Part 2

[Sam]

Hi! My name is Sam, in case my creative screen name didn't give it away. I'm a SAHM to one amazing, special, gorgeous 3 yr old boy. I have been with my husband for 13 years, married for 6, and we are very happy in our boring middle american life. I am hoping to be a social worker when my son is in school full time, until then I am just here with him, handing out and doing normal mom stuff.

My path to FJ is kind of long, I joined my first forum when I was pregnant, it was a babycenter birth club. There I met 2 women I will call Crazy Catholic 1 and Crazy Catholic 2 (CC1 & CC2). I have never really known any religious people, or fundie types, or anything about the different levels of crazy outside of catching an episode of The Duggars a few times. CC1 & 2 attacked several people in a thread on porn and husbands, explaining our husbands were going to beat us, get us pregnant and then leave us. Then when CC1 found out my son was conceived with a little scientific help, she told me he was an abomination and God would give me a child if he wanted me to have one. Taken aback doesn't really begin to describe my reaction. CC1 eventually became a Group Owner and started deleting posts and threads that were against her morals, with CC2 supporting her like some kind of weird groupie. I got curious and followed them to a Babycenter board for *true* catholic families and wow...yeah. From there I followed a link to a blog, then another blog, then Razing Ruth. While reading the comments on a post on Razing Ruth I found my way to Emily at Under 1000 per month. Reading her comments led me to FJ where I have been happily lurking for over a year now! ( That sounds creepy...) I finally decided to actually join and dive right in when I realized there is a whole world of crazy fundie fun out there to explore and discuss!

[artdecades]

Hello all,

I have been lurking here forever and joined some time ago but am only now posting. I started watching the duggars early on and I didn't know much about their lifestyle. I thought they were a happy, nice family so I didn't want to judge their lifestyle. It was only when i started looking into the quiverfull movement that I realized how messed up their doctrine is. Thats also about the time I found FJ and started lurking.

I am a masters student and will probably be on here to aid in my procrastination. What else? I am culturally/ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish, but I don't practice. Mid-twenties. LA area.

[fullmetalheart]

Hi! I'm a Conservative Republican, but far far from from fundie. And I'm fairly liberal on some things. I'm all for equality and things like that. I'll graduate with my BA in Special Needs Ministry in December 2014. I'm 26, no kids, and I have a cat.

[Hilda]

Hello, everybody!

[coexist]

Hi everybody! I figured I'd introduce myself since I de-lurked earlier to make my first post. I'm a former Air Force brat currently stuck, I mean, living in AL. (:

My background is a bit different in that I was raised Seventh-day Adventist- a fundamentalist religion, but oh so very diffent from the ones listed here. And there is a whole spectrum of Adventism, from what I guess would be sorta mild to full blown crazy as fuck. My family was usually fairly mild I guess, but with my dad being both an ordained SDA pastor AND chaplain in the USAF, we were expected to be shining examples of perfect Christianity/Adventism, so life was pretty strict and sheltered. They never went full blown crazy, but some periods of time we were more fundie than others.

I'm currently quietly agnostic, having shared that only with my siblings and closest friends (and now FJ). Just not ready for the backlash yet. Not raising my kids in accordance with any particular religious belief system, just want them to be honest, trustworthy, considerate, compassionate (etc.), and productive members of society.

Can't remember how I stumbled onto this site exactly, I just know I was digging into the Duggars and loved the name so I clicked the link (previous site). I've not been able to walk away since! Love it here!

ETA: two words missing from a sentence

[Seren Ann]

Hello all,

I am a 21 year old girl, I live in Europe. I'm a vet student, and had to move to a different country from my family and boyfriend to pursue my studies, so it can get lonely.

I am interested in all sorts of things (animals, dogs in particular, I'm also an avid reader), but what brings me here is my weird fascination with large families (I come from a family with 4 children, and where I'm from anything over 3 children is considered a large family, so it feels like I got a tiny glimpse into what it might be like). Family is very important to me, and I do plan to have several children.

The extreme religious views also hold a morbid fascination. I was raised a christian, but many things bothered me, a lot of things just didn't sit right with my values and gut feeling. At the age of 15 I stopped going to church and my parents had to accept that I just wasn't a christian anymore. Thankfully they are mature enough to respect my views, even if they disagree. Now a few years later I am an agnostic, a feminist, and a decidedly free thinker, my studies in biology and now veterinary medicine have given me a deep respect for science and evolution.

I tend to lurk on forums, because I don't dare post, or I think my opinion is not interesting enough. I'm not sure whether I will post much, we'll have to see :)

[upkacrane]

Hi, everyone. I've been lurking for quite a while but that was basically because I couldn't believe I had found a forum like this and have spent the past months avidly reading as many posts as I could. It is so exciting to be able to read the opinions of fellow anti-fundies! You see, I'm European and where I live NOBODY knows the Duggars, Doug Phillips, Bill Gothard and the like, nor the Quiverfull movement for that matter. I'm a researcher in gender and cultural studies at a European university and I began researching Protestant fundamentalism some 6 years ago as part of a research project on the representation of gender in the mass media. What can I say, I was gobsmacked at what I saw. I'm planning on writing many more articles on the subject of the Christian patriarchy movement, but I must confess I've reached a point where it's become more of a hobby. I am so so grateful there's a place where I can happily snark at my favourite fundies! :dance:

[thewizardess]

Hello all! I'm a serial lurker who finally broke down and decided to register an account. Been lurking on and off since right before the Yuku rapture, found the board through TWOP. I grew up in a liberal Catholic home, but my husband grew up fundy-lite, but he got better. :D I find religious fundamentalism fascinating, in an omg-wtf-insane kind of way. I am 28, married, one kid & 2 cats, from Iowa.

[technopaganus]

Hiya! Lurker that broke down and registered, because there are too many funny threads that I'd love to comment in.

Not a big fan of the Duggars, or religion in general, but the anthropologist in me is fascinated by the culture of religious fundamentalism. I wouldn't say I really follow any of the "big names" in fundyism, but the train is certainly fun to watch as it hurtles along.

I'm a married mother to 3 little ones (and that's all there will be), and my husband and I own a small specialty retail business in the Midwest. I've worked with a couple of QF types in my previous career as an IT person (before I lost my mind and decided to give up a steady paycheck for the freedom of working with my husband).

Anyway... TL;DR - happy to be here, and hope to be a contributing member to this virtual society.

[technopaganus]

Hello all! I'm a serial lurker who finally broke down and decided to register an account. Been lurking on and off since right before the Yuku rapture, found the board through TWOP. I grew up in a liberal Catholic home, but my husband grew up fundy-lite, but he got better. :D I find religious fundamentalism fascinating, in an omg-wtf-insane kind of way. I am 28, married, one kid & 2 cats, from Iowa.

thewizardess - I'm in Iowa, too! Happy to hear a fellow Hawkeye-stater finds the crazy as fascinated as I do.

[Alachantal]

Hi all!

I've been lurking here for quite a while and finally decided that I wanted to register an account so I could participate. I've always found the Duggars fascinating in a creepy way, and through looking up information on them I found this forum quite a while ago.

I'm Canadian, I love history, literature, being outdoors & travelling. I've got a cat, a dog and a boyfriend to take care of (lol).

[Jane_Goth]

Hi,

I was lured into Free Jinger after coming across the news that Doug Philips who is a tool had resigned. Many hours for trawling through the archives I joined. I'm married, with two small children, currently a full time at home mum and part time student, I live in Norfolk, I was raised Catholic am now an atheist.

[Zuzus Petals]

Hello! You can see by my user name that I was lured here from Zsu's blog, which I was lured to by GOMI. I continue to be amazed at a world of fundies I never really knew existed. I was raised a catholic and spent some time as a charismatic, then back to catholicism, and now I'm not following any faith. I've spent the last several weeks reading through old and new threads so I can familiarize myself with the place. I am a middle-aged married woman with three kids and a dog. I work full time for my local police department and I live in the midwest.

Glad I found this place!

[NotAGangsta]

Hi, all! Introducting myself - I'm a refugee from TWOP (I've been posting there since 2005, and have been in the Duggar thread probably for almost as long, so I recognize a few of you), and have heard of FJ for years, but I never made my way over here. No idea why because I've been completely suckered in by the threads here and have been reading the Yuku boards as well (and thoroughly enjoying myself!). I love snark. Freaking LOVE it, so I feel like I've found my people. :cracking-up:

Anyway, I'm married with a 7 year old son (want more, but have had issues with infertility) and work in fundraising as a software consultant for a major non-profit. I'm a fairly liberal Christian (albeit, a bad Christian who should go to church more), I read, quilt, crochet, and watch way too much freaking TV. I also have a potty mouth that I'm trying to curb (see: "Bad Christian").

And I love Skymall. I decided to register because I was dying to post a response to the Skymall thread.

[geergirl]

Hi! I've been lurking here for ages and finally created a profile which I promptly forgot about. After figuring out what my log-in info was months later, here I am! Not sure how I found Free Jinger originally, but it was on a trip down a rabbit hole online while watching the Duggars I'll bet.

I'm married with two daughters who are almost two. We're Canadian and in a province with a bit of a fundy streak. I grew up in the 306 and my only exposure to especially religious people was the local Hutterites. So I find this all quite fascinating if something of a headscratcher sometimes.

[Evil Feminist]

Not sure I how I originally found free jinger, probably through NLQ or Love, Joy Feminism. I found them when I googled Michael Pearl no spank child training'. Oops! Did not find what I was looking for, but what I actually really needed to know. Since then I've been on a journey out of fundie land. I grew up Mormon, then after I was 12 as some kind of fundie christian in no particular church. My family only tried 22 different churches in 18 years. Homeschooled my whole life, then CollegePlus for college. Still very closely connected to CollegePlus. That's where I really got exposed to the craziness of fundi-stan. Dominionism, militant fecundity, multi generational faithfulness, reformed theology, covenant marriage, and stay at home daughters. Hated DP for several years. Even got myself kicked out of a skype group for saying he hurt children. Now, its all I can do not to tell the idiot that kicked out me "I told you so!!!!" :nenner: I've visited free jinger a couple times, but when I saw that DP/VF was being discussed, I got hooked and joined.

[nana sew dear]

Yay, I'm so happy to be here! I hope I didn't make the admins. crazy with all my requests.

I live in the less populated NE corner of Oregon. Five of my six kids are married and all are out of the house. I have 6 grandkids and I love to sew, crochet, do genealogy, and talk trash about fundies.

I came to FJ from DWOP where I have been posting occasionally for about a year. The trouble is, there is not much going on over there unless there are current episodes being broadcast. I watched most of what is on Netflix but experienced overload and haven't watched the Asia trip yet.

Hope to be snarking with you all soon! :wink-kitty:

[Jolly Aussie]

G'day! I've been lurking on here for quite some time, finally decided to sign up. I don't remember how I found FJ, but it was something to do with the Duggars. I'm young, happy and free. I'm probably what most of you would call fundie-lite. I've had a far bit to do with every brand of Protestant Christianity, although I would call myself Presbyterian.

[Firiel]

Hi! I've been reading for quite a while now. I don't recall how exactly I found this site. I think I found a post-Quiverfull blog somewhere that prompted me to do more reading on the topic which led me here. I just got fascinated by this sub-culture, and I've been keeping up with it through this site ever since. I talked to my friend in Knoxville the other day and informed him he just HAD to go to a snake handling church or to the Bates' church. He isn't going to. :( I flipped out when I realized that one of the less important fundies discussed here lives probably less than 30 minutes away.

I was raised what may be considered fundie-lite here, though I'd describe it more as conservative Evangelical. I'd probably be defined as a progressive Christian now. But I work at a Christian non-profit, so there are all sorts of folks here, including some kids of volunteers who are homeschooled and probably pretty close to fundie (though they do wear pants... frumper pants!).

So that's me!

:)

[I_Love_Frumpers]

Hi there! I am an ex-fundie who has discovered that my religion is -- JESUS and HIS LOVE. Not Calvinism or Arminianism, ati/iblp, nor am I a holy roller evangelist lol.. Anyways, I went to a home church for almost two years with someone you guys have posted about on here before, I hope to write an expose on her to reveal what she is REALLY like behind closed doors. The crazy get crazier I tell you! Fundamentalism is just wrong and weird in almost every way. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" So any other form of Christianity is completely man-made! Anyways, I am a snarky person even being a Christian.. so hoping to have some fun :lol:

[VixenToast]

Hello. I've been lured to FJ from DWOP. I'm in love with the ability of free speech. I find the Duggars fascinating and horrifying, like a train wreck... I can't look away. My mom doesn't understand why I complain about them when I obsessively watch the show.

Anywho, I'm 24 and from nebraska. I've got a little boy only a couple months older than Michael Dugger. His name is William. I'm single and have state assistance. So the duggars would probably pray for me.

[Gothard4DQsJuggers]

Hello,

Thank you for letting me become a member. I stumbled across this site whilst Duggar stalking. I use to be fascinated and somewhat jealous of this family. They all seemed so quaint and loving toward each other. I couldn't fathom so many siblings being so nice and respectful to each other when my 4 sisters and myself could never make it through one day without a brawl.

Then I found out about the "evil which lurks beneath". Now I watch the show to hopefully, someday, witness the demise. I feel for those children and wish them nothing but a way out and eventual peace.

Until I started lurking here, I had no clue how many fundie families were around and actually had their own internet following. (Even though I watched the shows for years.) I guess I assumed the Duggars were an anomaly. If not, why would TLC even bother making a show about them?

I'm looking forward to being able to join in the discussions now, and hopefully make a few friends. :D

[Nobodysdoormat]

I found fj from researching Doug Phillips after his shenanigans became public. I homeschool my daughter and so used to get the vision forum catalog and found it fascinating/horrorfying. I'm a friendly atheist and because of the homeschooling find myself often surrounded by the hyper religious. Not sure why I love to follow the fundies and their antics but I just can't stop. Fj is definitely my soul mate forum!

[Primadonna]

Hello! I have been lurking on FJ for months. I found FJ when I was lurking on ONTD and I have been hooked ever since! I'm from Mexico, but right now I'm living in the United States, English is not my first language, if you see I have any "riffles" please correct me. I'm learning a lot of English just reading hope I learn more snarking on fundies! :dance:

[lilith]

Hello! I have been lurking on FJ for months. I found FJ when I was lurking on ONTD and I have been hooked ever since! I'm from Mexico, but right now I'm living in the United States, English is not my first language, if you see I have any "riffles" please correct me. I'm learning a lot of English just reading hope I learn more snarking on fundies! :dance:

Good god, don't learn your English skills from fundies.