Real Life Fundie Encountersâ„¢ Part 2

[HarryPotterFan]

I don't have kids yet, but I know that I would have reacted the same way. That's like stranger danger. Even though she didn't know what you all as a family just went to leaving a church, it had to have hit harder.

I find it odd that people feel like they can push their beliefs on people so "rightfully" in their eyes. Can you imagine if we would hand out pamphlets to people about becoming an atheist? Can you imagine the reactions they would give to us?

One time when my family went to the beach several years ago (I forget how old I was, maybe when I was a young teen?) I was left alone sitting on a towel while my family frolicked in the ocean/went for a walk. Some random dude came over and sat next to me and started talking about Jesus. I had no idea how to get rid of him, but luckily my mom came over and rescued me. She basically chased him away and told him we weren't interested.

Do these people think that crap ever works?

[Imrlgoddess]

Cabela's!! Family full of nice button downs, flowered skirts & Buns! Too many long shelves for 90 degree weather.

[solacetea]

Cabela's!! Family full of nice button downs, flowered skirts & Buns! Too many long shelves for 90 degree weather.

Cabela's in Pennsylvania? The only Cabela's I know is almost in what we call Pennsyltucky. I know those kinds of families. They all look too much like each other.

[HCB]

Spotted a family in the commissary in Biloxi. Do fundies join the military? This family definitely fit the bill. Mom and girls were in long skirts. They had what appeared to be 5 under 5 and mom was pregnant again. She was pushing the double stroller and dealing with the other children while trying to read a list and pull things off the shelves. Husband just wandered around in front of them with the cart.

[Walking Cat Bed]

Spotted a family in the commissary in Biloxi. Do fundies join the military? This family definitely fit the bill. Mom and girls were in long skirts. They had what appeared to be 5 under 5 and mom was pregnant again. She was pushing the double stroller and dealing with the other children while trying to read a list and pull things off the shelves. Husband just wandered around in front of them with the cart.

The Air Force tends toward the conservative. The most of all the branches; the least combat time = the most time to focus on divisions (religion, married/single, officer/enlisted). I knew a LOT of fundies during my enlistment.

[HCB]

The Air Force tends toward the conservative. The most of all the branches; the least combat time = the most time to focus on divisions (religion, married/single, officer/enlisted). I knew a LOT of fundies during my enlistment.

That makes sense! Thanks. And actually it was an Air Force base we were on. My husband has known many a Mormon in the Coast Guard but we've not come across any Fundies, surprisingly.

[Hane]

I had to leave for work, but more lyrics occurred to me as I was driving, and now I am home again. So here is the complete "Frum Police" parody:

Every film you rent

Every movie, gent,

Every rule you dent,

Every penny spent,

I'll be watching you!

Every film you lease,

You will get no peace,

I will never cease,

I’m the frum police!

I'll be watching you.

It is my place

To be in your face!

My alarm bells ring, and spur my meddling.

Every song you sing,

Every little thing,

I know this may sting

But it’s happening --

I'll be watching you!

Since you must know today is tisha b’av,

Then you must know that I say this, shkotz,* with love,

If you transgress, it’s my job to give a shove

I feel I must, I’ve been sent from G-d above!

I keep kvetching,** schmendrick,*** gonif,**** please!

Think you can futz

With the rules, you putz?*****

I have got you beat, and I won’t let you cheat.

Since this day is sad,

You must not be glad,

Don’t rent Breaking Bad.

Go and daven, ****** lad,

I'll be watching you!

[bBvideo 560,340:3hd76e4g]

[/bBvideo]

* naughty boy

** whining, nagging

*** fool, idiot

**** thief, cheat

***** literally - penis. Figuratively - what is usually meant by calling a person a penis! :D

****** say prayers

I heart you, you genius you.

[thoughtful]

I heart you, you genius you.

Hane, you are very bad for my self-humbling project. I guess I can never be a submissive fundie wife.

Darn.

:D

[Elegant Mess]

I don't have kids yet, but I know that I would have reacted the same way. That's like stranger danger. Even though she didn't know what you all as a family just went to leaving a church, it had to have hit harder.

I find it odd that people feel like they can push their beliefs on people so "rightfully" in their eyes. Can you imagine if we would hand out pamphlets to people about becoming an atheist? Can you imagine the reactions they would give to us?

Reminds me of this classic scene from Airplane!

[bBvideo 560,340:3ejqqk8q]

[/bBvideo]

[sockinshoe]

So this isn't super recent, but I've recently been reflecting on something that happened in my first year of university. I was sitting on a sofa with my boyfriend on Easter (which wasn't super relevant to me because I'm Jewish), and the super weird guy if my building turned up and engaged us in a conversation about Easter in a kind of proselytizing way. He mentioned something about "we are all complicit in Jesus Christ's death" (is that even Catholic doctrine?) And I requested he leave me out of this discussion because I'm Jewish (aka go away and let my boyfriend and me kiss). The guy then gets really wide-eyed and goes "THEN YOU'RE EXTRA COMPLICIT" and I got up and left, feeling confused and super insulted. My bf and I joke about it now, but at the time I was rattled.

[Kiv]

I found this today and it made me giggle. I hope it's in the right place as it's not really a fundy encounter. I do wonder if they're being purposely cheeky or is my brain just ultra programmed to detect possible fundy speak?

Background: Purity Factories is an iconic company in Newfoundland who happens to be hosting a booth at the St. John's Regatta today.

https://twitter.com/PurityFactories/status/628878996076302336/photo/1

[Mary C Doates]

I was at the 5th Avenue (NYC) Barnes and Noble this afternoon, where I discovered Candace Careon Bure was doing a book signing. There were actually people in line (or paid by her publicist to be in line?) to meet her--at least 25 when I was there. I heard someone ask her if she was a Scientologist--were some FJers there, perhaps?--but couldn't actually see her as the area was cordoned off.

I did debate buying her book and having her autograph it for Jinger Freeh, but couldn't stomach the idea of giving her money. Sorely tempted, though.

[Geechee Girl]

I was at the 5th Avenue (NYC) Barnes and Noble this afternoon, where I discovered Candace Careon Bure was doing a book signing. There were actually people in line (or paid by her publicist to be in line?) to meet her--at least 25 when I was there. I heard someone ask her if she was a Scientologist--were some FJers there, perhaps?--but couldn't actually see her as the area was cordoned off.

I did debate buying her book and having her autograph it for Jinger Freeh, but couldn't stomach the idea of giving her money. Sorely tempted, though.

:banana-gotpics:

[morri]

she starring in fuller house as a main role LOL....the premise is soooo original NOT yes it is a sequel but pardon Dx..

[tankgirl]

Not long ago, I found it odd to see a women dressed, in the cotton style dresses you see the Amish wear, with full head cover, eating noodles at the Shipol airport in Amsterdam. I admit was a little surprised by that one.

I think there should be a special hell for people who bug kids and and college students about religion. I stopped riding the bus in my old area, as I could not take one more rant that started, "have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?". Not even the same people or church, just the standard opening line in that area.

[Wenny]

I met our neighbor's in-laws one of the son's name is Titus

[Leftitinmysnood]

This was years ago, but my mom was appalled by a fundie mom we knew who had to line up all seven of her children because she couldn't remember which one had the only blue eyes in the family. :?

[solacetea]

Another long-ago encounter, but here goes: Our neighborhood is mostly retired people and people far older than us. When we moved here there were no other young families. When we started having kids, there were no other kids in the neighborhood. After a while, a family moved in a couple of streets away, and they had some boys the same age (about 8-10 or so) as ours. Yay! My kids are not shy, so they biked over to say hi and see if the other kids wanted to play. It did not go well. Right off teh bat, he other kids asked mine what religion they were, and if they were saved. At that time we were Eastern Orthodox and my kids were in Catholic School (long story!). When my kids told them this, the other kids said "You're going to Hell, and we can't play with you." and marched into their house. My kids came home very upset about being told they were going to Hell, which they though was real at the time. This was at the beginning of our long unraveling from religion, but it totally galled me that little kids were brainwashed to think this way and treat others so badly.

The family moved out after a while, I knew the dad from a part-time job I had. He was working three jobs to support the family because the mother (obviously) could never work outside the home, and this is an expensive area to live in.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Solacetea, did you ever confront the parents about their kids saying yours were going to hell??

[Florita]

I have had numerous fundie encounters but one in particular stands out.

It was Tuesday, November 6, 2012 – election day. I realized I needed some food to pack lunches the next day so I tore myself away from watching election returns and ran to Aldi just before closing time. Also shopping in Aldi that night was a girl/woman in a denim skirt, heavy tights, clunky no-brand sneakers, scarf covering her head, wearing a coat that was too big, and a long, long (to her butt) blond braid. We were practically the only people shopping and our paths kept crossing. I was only buying a few things but her cart was heaping with toilet paper and canned goods. I tried to see her face but she was very careful to keep her back to me and not make eye contact. I could tell she was thin and shorter than me (I’m only 5’2â€) and from her size I thought she seemed like a young girl, but it was late and she was shopping alone. Didn’t make sense. My interest was piqued.

Out in the parking lot is where it got weird. She pushed her cart over to an old, rusty VW Rabbit POS that was parked by my car. In the driver’s seat of the Rabbit was a rough looking bearded man and in the passenger seat was a young man in his late-teens maybe early twenties. The backseat and hatch of the Rabbit were PACKED TO THE ROOF with stuff. I don’t know where she found room to fit more in it. She unloaded and returned the cart, the males did not get out to help, then she crawled in the backseat and they drove away. That’s when I noticed that they had out of state plates.

The encounter gave me a creepy feeling. Elizabeth Smart came to mind. Maybe they were doomsday preppers? I don’t recall the Rabbit being parked near my car when I got to Aldi (I had sat in my car for a minute or two listening to election returns on the radio). The men must have dropped her off and returned to pick her up.

A few months later I saw her at Target. She was alone and wearing the same outfit and was heading to checkout just as I was coming in. This time I saw her face and I would guess she was about 13 or 14, but she carried herself as if she was much older - walking briskly, looking straight ahead, and stick-straight posture. If I didn’t have my kids with me I would have followed her out to see if the Rabbit was waiting in the parking lot again.

[formerlyfundie]

I live in TN so fundamentalists aren't all that strange here, but they are a little more rare for my area of town.

Anyway I was at Aldi and saw a family of four, Dad had on a suit (it's like 90 degrees here today) and the Mom had on a green long sleeve button down and a long brown skirt to her ankles with boots on. Little boy had on khakis and a tucked in polo, little girl had a homemade looking dress down to her ankles with long socks and tennis shoes. She had a long fishtail ponytail and couldn't be older than maybe 4. Boy was about 6. Mom had her hair pulled back in a very elaborate looking almost FLDS style. They stuck out like sore thumbs. A woman walked by in long shorts and I noticed the dad look down as she walked by. Probably did the same to me. I've seen as lot of fundies, living here in Nashville, but these were different to me. We get a lot of Gothard looking girls and typical southern baptists, but rarely full on fundies like these.

[solacetea]

Solacetea, did you ever confront the parents about their kids saying yours were going to hell??

No, I never did. I was a lot less militant back then, plus I worked with the father of the family. He was pretty nice, his wife was the crazy nut in the family.

[Swamptribe]

Had an encounter today. A fundie mother and daughter were looking at children's books. They were both dressed in ankle length skirts long sleeved shirts, shirts underneath (this is south Florida, in the summer). Long hair. What struck me so was they were both going through books, and turning the pages in sync. It was so odd. Mom would turn a page in her book, daughter would turn a page in her book. Actually did a double take when I walked by them.

There was a teenage boy with them, who was in a t-shirt and shorts. Shirt had IBP Boys Summercamp on it. They left in a large passenger van with Missouri plates. No idea if anyone else was with them. What the heck is the IBP?

[crazysnark]

I am 99% sure I saw Michael and debi pearl at sea world a few min ago. Oh have no idea what would bring them here to San Antonio tho.

[Lovebug]

I wish I read through these threads earlier - I had no idea - what fun!

I live in Central Florida in the city. Business by day, party nearly every night somewhere down there. The hubs and I rarely go out at night (oddly, we joke about how great it would have been to live here when we were in our 20's, since we spent MANY party weekends here in our younger years!) and we were walking home from a concert around Halloween time.

Picture it - a HUGE street party, with every costume (and body part) imaginable for the eyes to see. As we're rounding the corner heading toward the main street downtown, there sits a man with a bull horn and his two long-haired, skirt wearing warriors - warning all the sinners of the error of their ways - trying desperately to save their souls. He was being defrauded left and right, yet managed to stay strong while delivering his message - his comrades dutifully passing out literature, which promptly littered the ground around them. I'll say it - they had balls. BIG ones.

Turns out nearly every weekend someone is preaching on that same corner. Defrauded or not, God's army presses on each Friday and Saturday night Central Florida!