Since joining FJ

[FlorenceHamilton]

I have been a member since beofre the Rapture. The changes are simply amazing. I would never have guessed when I started reading that DPIAT would have fallen, Gothard would have fallen and amazingly, the Duggar empire is falling. THis is all in a very short period of time. I mostly lurk now, simply because y'all are already saying what I wanted to say, but this has been an amazing 2 years.

FJ's have wondered what was really going on, speculated about the dirt in the super scrubbed images of the clearly very dysfunctional Duggars for a very long time. Remember when Vision Forum awarded Michele with the "Mother of the year" award? Think about that now.

What are the things that happened that stick with you most since joining FJ?

And Doug Phillips is still a tool.

[blessalessi]

I've not been lurking since yuku, but I went there during Burrisgate and was struck by how different things "felt" back then. :)

I am not from the USA, so my knowledge of fundies is pretty much filled with gaps, and I don't have any sense of how big any of these events are in context but, as an onlooker, it does seem pretty amazing that so many have fallen off their pedestals in such a short time.

One thing I noticed from reading the "user title list" thread the other day, is that a lot of the old references seem to be odd, random families that made their blogs private when FJ or whoever "found" them. I wonder what all those little, relatively unknown "quiet" fundie families are thinking, now the patriarchs are falling.

I came here mostly because of families I read about on Gomi, or knew from other interests, and the discussion is so much more detailed here. I am still waiting for Titus2 and the Pearls to fall.

[gemma]

Curious .....what are DPIAT and yuku?

[apple1]

Curious .....what are DPIAT and yuku?

Doug Phillips is a Tool

Yuku is the host for the original FJ (where much of the database of posts from those years still exists). Some of us were also posters on the Yuku FJ.

[wotdancer]

Not to sound trite, but I've become very thankful for my upbringing and family. I grew up as a pastor's kid of a (theologically) conservative church, but was never told that I couldn't wear pants / pursue education or career opportunities / date and marry who I want, etc. FJ has educated me re: a crazy variety of families that limit their children (from Jill R and her RV prison, to Erika limiting her children's fiction reading, and so much more that I have yet to discover).

[Rescinded and Mended]

I always thought that if the Duggars were ever to suffer a fall from grace, it would be for something that Michelle and Jim Bob did. The fact that it was Josh who had not one, but two scandals in such a short period of time really surprised me.

Josh has always struck me as being kind of sleazy, but I guess a part of me figured it was just him being raised to act like a patriarchal blowhard. Those are typically a dime a dozen ranging from the conservative Christians to the fundies.

I was surprised by the severity of Josh's scandals, but on the other hand, I'm not due to the sexually repressive environment he was raised in.

I was far less surprised by the Doug Philips scandal. Pompous little twit made it blatantly obvious in his every move and speech that there was something creepy about him.

And finally, I still don't know what the hell to think about Burris's flounce. That whole thing was just strange on so many levels.

[gemma]

Doug Phillips is a Tool

Yuku is the host for the original FJ (where much of the database of posts from those years still exists). Some of us were also posters on the Yuku FJ.

ok, thx

[nastyhobbitses]

I lurked for a while because I was always really fascinated with the Duggars and fundamentalist Christianity in general, and it's surreal how much things have changed in just a few months. I remember saying that something had to be up with the Duggars, there was something "off" about them, they had to have some dark secret, it couldn't just be that Jim Bob is narcissistic and Michelle is neglectful, something would come out...and never have I felt more sad about being right.

[Cleopatra7]

I always thought that if the Duggars were ever to suffer a fall from grace, it would be for something that Michelle and Jim Bob did. The fact that it was Josh who had not one, but two scandals in such a short period of time really surprised me.

Josh has always struck me as being kind of sleazy, but I guess a part of me figured it was just him being raised to act like a patriarchal blowhard. Those are typically a dime a dozen ranging from the conservative Christians to the fundies.

I was surprised by the severity of Josh's scandals, but on the other hand, I'm not due to the sexually repressive environment he was raised in.

I was far less surprised by the Doug Philips scandal. Pompous little twit made it blatantly obvious in his every move and speech that there was something creepy about him.

And finally, I still don't know what the hell to think about Burris's flounce. That whole thing was just strange on so many levels.

In retrospect, it's mindboggling that JB and Michelle would angle so hard for a reality show when they had this gigantic, Frankensten-sized skeleton in their closet that was just bursting to come out. Considering that the rumors about Josh molesting his sisters have been circulating for 10+ years, it's even more amazing that the tabloids didn't pick up on it sooner. The Duggars really must think they are "super-speshul," because they act shocked that anyone would think that the molestation scandal should have derailed their reality show.

The fall of DPIAT is also not unexpected, given that abuse is hardwired into Christian patriarchy. The use of Victorian and antebellum imagery suggests to me that the VF "stars" always imagined a world in which they'd be up at the top with a servant class at the bottom. Since the "men of the house" in both the Victorian and antebellum periods routinely sexually abused the women who worked for them, the resulting scandal should have surprised no one. Like the Duggars, DPIAT bought into his own hype.

As for the "ordinary families" in the quiverfull/patriarchy subculture, who knows what will become of them. Unfortunately, I think that relatively few of them will use the fall of their idols to reassess their beliefs. A more likely situation is that they'll double down on the isolation on the assumption that even a little exposure to the world is too much. Maybe the Maxwells will get more business; their "girls" may not be married, but they aren't going wild like Josh Duggar, and that's probably all that matters to most fundies.

[JMO]

Would someone mind giving me a synopsis of the Burrisgate?

ETA: I attempted a search but 114 pages is too much to wade through.

[VTSleeper]

As for the "ordinary families" in the quiverfull/patriarchy subculture, who knows what will become of them. Unfortunately, I think that relatively few of them will use the fall of their idols to reassess their beliefs. A more likely situation is that they'll double down on the isolation on the assumption that even a little exposure to the world is too much.

I agree wholeheartedly. As long as there are men with fragile egos that want to dominate the women in their lives, these folks are not going away.

The good news is that the show has made it VERY clear that this style of parenting is not the way to raise kids that are guaranteed not to be screw-ups. The show has actually been a public service in that regard.

[nokidsmom]

It was the Jubilee fiasco that brought me to FJ. The whole weird scene of the Duggar kids smiling around an ammunition box had me do some googling and I landed here. I signed up about two months later.

The notable events for me during my time here:

DPIAT getting busted. Not surprised personally about all the things he was up to, but seeing him fall in a such a spectacular way was frankly beyond my hopes, his shenanigans were truly laid bare. Bradrick! seeing the light was a bit surprising as I thought he would be such a true believer that he would deny, deny, deny rather than face the fact his mentor was such a scumbag .

Obviously Joshgate versions 1.0 and 2.0. Not surprised at all that there was there was a dark side to the "wholesome, Christian, big family" but I didn't think it would be this messed up. By that, I don't just mean the molestations, but the equally messed up way JB and J'chelle handled and continued to this day that they did everything right. I will second Cleopatra on the absolute mindboggledness of how the family could go on national TV, promoting their beliefs while holding such a damning secret. And that it wasn't completely on the hush either, there were longtime rumors and people who knew the deal. That it took so long for it to finally come out is very surprising but I guess their luck such as it was ran out.

The Burris situation was truly strange. I still don't know what to make of it. There's posters whom I have not been surprised when they chose to exit in some spectacular way, but I never pegged her as one who would do it.

Other things of note to me: Liz Munck escaping Maxhell to me was a major event. And not just so that Steveovah got a deserved dose of but a vibrant young woman reclaimed her life.

Another one: Sarah Reith busting up with Zach Bates. Yeah, I felt bad for Zach as I think he really liked her but to see someone so talented with some real things going for herself it would have been a serious shame for her to give it all up to marry into that family. I wouldn't say she reclaimed her life like Liz Munck did, it wasn't a near miss, but I suspect she saw what life would be like for her and said "no way".

RR getting outed. Super cautionary tale about believing people over the internet.

[princessmahina]

I lurked a little on Yuku, but for whatever reason, was more interested in lurking on TWOP. I stayed there until after FJ moved here, but still didn't join. Razing Ruth was my first big scandal. I really believed in her- luckily I was broke and didn't give any money :?

Joshgate is probably the biggest thing for me. After all, I joined solely for the Duggars, then branched out a bit. I even follow a fundie FJ rarely talks about! (Caroline from the Modest Mom. A little less crazy than the others).

Somehow, I really just didn't expect the Duggars to fall so hard.

[Wingnut]

Would someone mind giving me a synopsis of the Burrisgate?

ETA: I attempted a search but 114 pages is too much to wade through.

This is the Farewell thread....don't know what else to call it :shifty:

viewtopic.php?f=81&t=26392&hilit=Burris

[Palimpsest]

This is the Farewell thread....don't know what else to call it :shifty:

viewtopic.php?f=81&t=26392&hilit=Burris

Synopsis: A long term member turned out to be a rotten liar who lied. It was the weirdest and sickest long con that I've ever seen. Some people fell for it. Me too, for a bit, and I like to think I'm pretty darn skeptical about sob stories on the internet.

When I look back at threads on yuku and happen to notice one of my more naïve old posts, I realize how much I've learned over the years from FJ. I first came to learn more about Gothardism but stayed because the snark is irresistible.

I've learned about a lot more than just individual Fundies. There are some extraordinarily knowledgeable people on FJ. If I were forced to single out one thing - probably our theologians, some self-taught experts and some actual degreed professionals, have taught me the most.

[kpmom]

I found FJ when it was still on Yuku.

Right after Christopher Maxwell got engaged (to NR-Anna, not Sara) I googled around to see if there were any fundies out there taking about it, and that's when I found FJ.

I guess the downfalls of Phillips, Gothard and the Duggars was the biggest news.

But, since the Maxwells were my gateway fundies, Liz Munck leaving Joseph almost at the altar was right up there.

And I know I shouldn't be surprised that Sarah Maxwell is going on 34 and still single, but I sort of am.

I was convinced Jon-Marie was hanging around to marry one of the Maxwell sisters.

[Miss M]

I found FJ back in the Yuku days via a friend who got me hooked on the story of Emma and her adopted devil baby, who she then sent back. Once I got through that, I branched out, Zsu and JRod are probably my favorites now, but I am starting to delve in the the life of Erika of Large Families on Purpose.

[Jana814]

Since joining FJ it has been great for me to read what others have to say about the Duggars & Maxwells. I have also learn about others family. (Many of whom I have never of before.

[punkiepie]

Way back on 2009, I happened upon TWOP when I was trying to figure out the Duggar's schtick. On the main Duggar thread, someone mentioned Kristina- of Arby's engagement fame- and that there was a website called Free Jinger that had large discussion threads about her and the Duggars. So I checked it out and my life was, honestly, never the same.

I lurked on yuku and then registered shortly after the Rapture. I was afraid to post for the longest time because the culture of the board was a lot different back then. It's almost like the open minded people who were here, we're very close minded against people they believed to be close minded- does that make sense, haha? Everything was much more black and white and if you were in the gray, watch out. Back then, I had just started admitting, to my family and others, that I questioned most of the beliefs I was raised with. So I felt I was still in a gray area that might get pounced on, as tended to happen to a lot of newbies. When I finally made my first post, I had lurked for so long that I was very familiar with the lingo and what things not to say.

I think the changes in the board's culture is the biggest and best thing that's happened to FJ. But, I do miss a lot of the old families that we snarked on who made their blogs private or flounced all together.

[hoipolloi]

Been on FJ since the Yuku days. Found the Yuku board after years of fundie-stalking websites, blogs & google. I was OVERJOYED to find so many people who were fascinated by this weird corner of humanity and, like others here, stayed to enjoy the snark.

FJ's snark embodies something that La Rochefoucauld* said in one of his epigrams: "Most men would rather be thought evil than ridiculous."

I firmly believe that our snark brings sunshine & enlightenment with the laughter -- something that most of our snarkees do NOT want to happen.

*Think it was La Rochfoucauld who said this but have not been able to track down the quote.

[GodsKnickers]

I'm only on page 6 of the Burris thread. Good lord. I remember Burris from my first landing on this forum. I think I might have landed at Yuku once upon a time but didn't stick around (didn't register/post) - I hated when ezBoard turned into Yuku and couldn't abide the format. I ended up being absent for the better part of a couple of years due to family illness/medical issues so I missed a lot. This Burris thread I'm reading......I have thoughts but they can wait - or not be uttered at all.

[Sobeknofret]

I've also been around since Yuku. The biggest surprise for me was Doug Phillips. I honestly thought he was probably a slime, but too slick to get caught at it. It was a huge shock when Tool-o-Ween rolled around.

I also didn't expect the Duggars to have a long shelf-life either, but thought it would be because people would get tired of them and they'd slide back into obscurity, albeit with a little more money. After Tool-o-Ween though, I can't say it all surprised me.

[Marian the Librarian]

I joined FJ on Yuku in 2007 or so - that's the year the Botkins' "Return of the Daughters" DVD was first released, and that was my gateway to this whole fascinating rabbit hole.

I've seen the same changes others have already mentioned here: the fall of DPIAT/R and Vision Forum, and Bill Gothard; I cheered the day of Elizabeth Munck's "thanks, Maxwells, but no thanks." I'm in the tiny minority that has zero interest in the Duggars - but I'm not at all surprised at their recent revelations and scandals. I am a natural-born skeptic, and have never been comfortable with organized religion. The stuff these folks push? A recipe for disaster, again and again.

I've had a hinky feeling about the Botkins right from the get-go, and believe it's only a matter of time before their little cult blows wide open, too.

[sawasdee]

First read on TWOP, but then was absent for years - by the time I returned, it was Free Jinger.I read for a long time, then Josh #1 made me register. I now bore all my friends with FJ bon mots...and I love the wide range of fora here - from cooking to Harry Potter!

[GenerationCedarchip]

Wow - I know I'm a sporadic reader/poster, but somehow I missed Burrisgate. That is...something.

I started on here in Yuku days. Growing up in fundie-dom, I knew there were lots of interconnections between churches and people in the movements (or movements - Christian fundie comes in different flavors) but I had no idea how deeply some of the ties ran until I read on here. Also, surprised at the fall of DPIAT. I would have guessed that VF had financial hankypanky going on but no idea about Dougie's other abuses.

I still feel terrible for Lourdes. I also think a lot about the people taken in by DPIAT as well as the Phillips children. I know that they must have had a hard time and I often wonder what's behind the public face of the family. I can't help but think about what could be going on behind the WWII cosplays because they have to know at least part of what has been happening.