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Introduce Yourself- Part 3


samurai_sarah

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Hello there.  There's not a lot to tell because I stumbled upon this site searching for a sims 3 challenge based on Quiverfull-type beliefs. 

So a bit about me:

I'm English and am therefore technically registered as CoE due to some interesting legal quirks.  But paperwork doesn't always line up with reality so agnostic atheist as far as actual beliefs go but I don't care enough to do all the necessary paperwork.     But yeah, late 20s and started learning to knit about three months prior to Easter.    I'm making progress slowly but surely.   I've made a little rabbit and I'm currently working on some baby booties.

Oh, and I really don't, at the moment, understand the difference between BEC and Snark so yeah...I'm gonna ask there.   

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Hi there. First post from a longtime lurker, etc.

I developed an interest in fringe religious beliefs, cults, and the like in the mid-2000s, around the same time my high school friends got hooked on TLC shows. I happened across Homeschoolers Anonymous in late college and started following some folks' personal blogs. Cynthia Jeub's writing and research in particular drew me in. (Gawd, it's hard to phrase things without sounding like I view real people's lives the same way a bored zoo visitor looks at tide pools.) And seeing as she posts here on occasion along with some other lovely folks, I figured I'd commit and join.

As for personal background, I was raised Catholic in an intensely conservative, Protestant Reformed area of the Midwest. Now, I consider myself culturally Catholic and functionally agnostic. I have a degree in English and far more interest in effective communication than following the rules (translation: I am hiding my intellectual insecurities with my writing style beneath personal philosophy and attempts at humor).

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Hello! I’ve lurked awhile and decided to join, though I imagine I'll be more of a reader than a poster. I was a once a teenage sister-mom in denim jumpers. My family started leaning “fundie” in the late-90’s. They were (still are) Christians from chaotic homes that were searching for a simpler, more idyllic, structured, family-oriented lifestyle. We never settled truly comfortably into any niche and generally took the more extreme lines of thought with a grain of salt, but we did bounce around a lot looking for “THE WAY” and finding this site was like stumbling upon a play-by-play of my childhood. ATI/IBLP. Vision Forum. The Pearls. We did all that. My mom used Teri Maxwell’s scheduling book. It was bizzare to find this site and at first I felt so uncomfortable. It felt indirectly a little humiliating --- all these principles that we sacrificed for and took so seriously were actually viewed as harmful and/or ridiculous?

Now that I have a daughter of my own, of course I want the best life and future for her possible. I have to struggle against not defaulting to old thought patterns just because that is what is comfortable and familiar. Reading FJ has been part of a journey, giving different perspectives, so thank you for that and thank you for reading! 

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Hello! I've read here a lot and often find myself wanting to say something, so I thought I'd finally make an account. I'll probably still read more than post, but who knows.

I don't think I knew fundies existed until I saw and early Duggar special in high school and have been fascinated ever since. I was baffled by the matching frumps and very clearly recall going to my Mom and being like, Mom, look at these people. WTF. (the wtf was in my head, because teenagers cursing around parents was aah) I grew up in a Presbyterian church, but a relatively liberal one in a very liberal family/town/state so religion has never been particular big to me. I've worked a lot with kids. I like guessing baby names, baking, and reading books that have nothing to with religion or finding a man. 

Edited by Babysitter
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Hello. 

I rarely participate but love to read all of you so I decided to introduce myself a little bit. 

So, my surname is Lil, I'm 23 years old and a mom to a beautiful cat named Misfit ! I have been studying for 3 years and I'm now officially a social worker (a specialized educator, for real) aha. I use to work with autistic adults and deaf children. Now I'm working with french CPS. 

As for the religion, i have been raised catholic (Portuguese heritage ..) and only went to catholic schools. At 17-18, I rejected it all. I thought it was all hyprocrite. Now, I might believe in the man Jesus, not the religion but I don't know. Lol  

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I think I'm pretty well introduced, just wanted a place to test-post.  I'm trying to reply to the latest JRod thread, and my post keeps getting eaten.

ETA: OK, so that worked.

Edited by FullOfGravy
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Hello, 

I was raised hardcore fundie, as measured by the standards of this site. I grew up as a Missionary Kid and English is not my first language. 

I understand the criticisms of Missions, as I watched my parents fight, tirelessly, for the culture, language, and dignity of the people we served. I am proud of the medical clinic my parents built and the school they facilitated. Missions can be a blessing, but far too often it was Colonialism and Racism on steroids. 

I think watching my parents struggle to challenge other missionaries and mission organizations to be ethical, loving, kind, patient, generous and empowering allowed me to develop critical thinking and evaluation tools about my religious beliefs. 

I think most FJ members would call me fundie-light. 

I live in the middle of the United States, now. Religiously,  I am a follower of Christ, but I find myself befuddled, and often times at odds, with what passes for Christianity in many circles. 

I have three biological kids and a herd of kids I have fostered. We have adopted four kiddos. With so many kids in Foster Care, I felt our family should grow by loving others as Christ loves me. 

I homeschooled most our kids, but my foster kids are in our public school. It is a decent school, and we have a good working relationship, but most of my foster kids come to us so far behind in school that it is always a challenge. I end up teaching them each evening and most Saturdays for an hour or two as we try to play catch up. 

My permanent kids homeschool year round, four days a week. At 16 they transition to concurrent enrollment at our Community college?. All of the older kids have gone on to University. One has a Master’s Degree, one is in grad school, one is an engineer, one graduates in May with an Education Degree, two more graduate the next May in Graphic Design and Elementary Ed. 

One is slugging through Algebra 1 at the SOTDRT as I write this. 

Education brought me to Free Jinger. For years I FOUGHT the influences of the “homeschool” monsters who didn’t want their kids fully educated. I watched a beloved co-op dissolve under the cancer of Stay at Home Daughters and sons being denied  a chance for college. It made my blood boil ? and for the life of me I cannot figure out how they justified this intellectual abuse under the guise of my loving faith. 

My husband and I both hold advanced degrees from fully accredited colleges. Our kids all attend public universities. None of them has left their faith. (Because it is their faith, not something we shove onto them.) All our kids know our Love and Support is unconditional. If one of them left the faith I would be sad, but NOTHING could ever make me stop loving my kids. 

I live my life in dresses ? because I like them. I homeschool because I enjoy it and I do it well. I live a quiet life and I live a modest life. I try to think twice before I speak, walk a mile in someone’s shoes, and do unto everyone the way I want them to treat me. 

I believe prayer changes things, but most of the time what it changes is me. 

I rescue dogs, and have a permanent Basset Hound on hand at all times to remind me what really matters, and I  try to love my fellow humans in word and deed.

I struggle with wrath once in a while because I would really like to kick Doug Phillips someplace squishy.  

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello everyone, I decided to re-introduce myself on here.

Last time I posted on here was (according to my account) late 2015. So almost 3 years now. For some reasons, I had stopped following the Fundies and recently, I've been back into the rabbit hole. And of course, watching the Fundies without FJ snark was no fun so I started lurking the forum again, until I decided to create myself an new account. But turns out my old one is still here. I had no idea my account still existed on the forum but I am happy it does.

As for me, I'm a 27 YO, I studied history, finished college 2 years ago. I am actually now back in college for some night classes while having a full time job. (!) Which means I'll try to be active on here but life will probably get in the way. I am from Québec, Canada. As a lot of Québécois, I was raised Catholic. I might add though, my family was ''very very laid back'' Catholic. So probably a very different experience than some members on here.

I discovered the Fundie world through the Duggars like a good majority of people. I was not familiar with it until I saw it on TV (considering it is not common where I am from). I hope to be able to exchange with people on the forum here on tons of different subjects. Happy to be part (once again) of the FJ community.

Edited by Vivi_music
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28 minutes ago, Vivi_music said:

Hello everyone, I decided to re-introduce myself on here.

Last time I posted on here was (according to my account) late 2015. So almost 3 years now. For some reasons, I had stopped following the Fundies and recently, I've been back into the rabbit hole. And of course, watching the Fundies without FJ snark was no fun so I started lurking the forum again, until I decided to create myself an new account. But turns out my old one is still here. I had no idea my account still existed on the forum but I am happy it does.

As for me, I'm a 27 YO, I studied history, finished college 2 years ago. I am actually now back in college for some night classes while having a full time job. (!) Which means I'll try to be active on here but life will probably get in the way. I am from Québec, Canada. As a lot of Québécois, I was raised Catholic. I might add though, my family was ''very very laid back'' Catholic. So probably a very different experience than some members on here.

I discovered the Fundie world through the Duggars like a good majority of people. I was not familiar with it until I saw it on TV (considering it is not common where I am from). I hope to be able to exchange with people on the forum here on tons of different subjects. Happy to be part (once again) of the FJ community.

Hello and welcome!  I am not Catholic but rather an agnostic who just happened to be born in Montreal (my Anglo parents were living there due to Dad's job in the 1970s) and I attended an all French school until we moved to Toronto in 1980, at which time I transitioned easily into the French Immersion stream.  As such, I am bilingual in French and my parents barely speak a word.  I hold a bilingual RN nursing job in telehealth.  Although I was not born Francophone or Parisian (my teachers were both) I consider French culture to be a very big part of my identity if that makes any sense.  I too discovered FJ via the Duggars but what initially brought me here was someone posted a link to FJ via a MckMama (there's a rabbit hole) snark thread.  Also I was looking for a place to heal after a failed marriage to a patriarchal headship under the usual umbrella of religion.  I am now healed and also happy to meet you.

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On 9/23/2018 at 5:17 PM, pook said:

Hello and welcome!  I am not Catholic but rather an agnostic who just happened to be born in Montreal (my Anglo parents were living there due to Dad's job in the 1970s) and I attended an all French school until we moved to Toronto in 1980, at which time I transitioned easily into the French Immersion stream.  As such, I am bilingual in French and my parents barely speak a word.  I hold a bilingual RN nursing job in telehealth.  Although I was not born Francophone or Parisian (my teachers were both) I consider French culture to be a very big part of my identity if that makes any sense.  I too discovered FJ via the Duggars but what initially brought me here was someone posted a link to FJ via a MckMama (there's a rabbit hole) snark thread.  Also I was looking for a place to heal after a failed marriage to a patriarchal headship under the usual umbrella of religion.  I am now healed and also happy to meet you.

Bonjour Pook!

Enchantée as well. I can totally see how French would be important part of your identity. I'm glad you were able to keep that little part of Montreal with you after you moved. Especially finding a job where you can use your bilinguism, that's awesome. Maybe you should create a French club on here to discuss! :) 

I am glad you found a place on FJ to heal and are feeling better now. Happy to meet you as well.

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17 hours ago, Vivi_music said:

Bonjour Pook!

Enchantée as well. I can totally see how French would be important part of your identity. I'm glad you were able to keep that little part of Montreal with you after you moved. Especially finding a job where you can use your bilinguism, that's awesome. Maybe you should create a French club on here to discuss! :) 

I am glad you found a place on FJ to heal and are feeling better now. Happy to meet you as well.

Thank you so very much for your kind words!

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  • 1 month later...

Hi everyone,

I’m 24 years old, currently at uni and whenever I have time over (and sometimes when I don’t) I love to play The Sims. I love animals, especially cats and horses, and one of the biggest drawbacks with my current apartment is that animals are not allowed.

As my username implies one of my biggest interests in life is reading. I’m not a very picky reader, and I don’t really have a preferred genre, but some of my favourites include Harry Potter (I’m a bookworm born in the 90’s, so obviously), Jane Eyre and Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier). 

Other things I like: cooking, baking, musicals, winter and math (not physics though, ugh).

I’ve been lurking around FJ on and off for years, since around the time of Jill Duggar’s wedding. I’m not sure why I’ve never created an account before, but I guess I’m more of a reader than a writer. 

Like for many others, the Duggars were the ones who brought me here. 19KaC used to air on TLC here in Sweden back in the days, and sometimes it would come on after an episode of Say Yes to The Dress, my all time favourite guilty pleasure show. We don’t really have people like the Duggars in Sweden (we have other kinds of nutters of course, but that’s another story) and I found them strangely fascinating. 

Discovering the Duggars led to discovering the Bates, and then the Maxwells, who IMO might be the weirdest of the bunch (Jill Rodrigues and John Shrader give them a run for their money, though).

At the moment I must admit I’m looking forward to see Carlin Bates and Evan Stewart’s wedding. Not because I think it’s a particularly good idea for them to get married (they seem waaaaay to immature for that) but because it’s going to be so much fun to see Carlin go into full bridezilla mode. I also really want to see what kind of dress she picks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi there, first post! 

If a thread has drifted, is it considered rude to make a post that doesnt follow on from what is being said, but harks back to the thread title?   It seems a bit like interrupting a conversation!

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12 minutes ago, Sops2 said:

Hi there, first post! 

If a thread has drifted, is it considered rude to make a post that doesnt follow on from what is being said, but harks back to the thread title?   It seems a bit like interrupting a conversation!

It's not considered rude. It's only if you specifically say thread drift should stop etc that people will take umbrage.

Do be prepared that the thread drift may continue at the expense of your post though!

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I'm not completely new. Years ago I had an account, after an update to the site, my old laptop kept malfunctioning when I tried logging in. After a year or so, I forgot my password. I tried logging in the other day and using the forgot password function, but I never received an email. So, I made a new account. IIRC, multiple accounts are not allowed, but I hope an exception can be made since i have no access to that account and I was never sent to the prayer closet. ;)

I've been lurking again for a few months and decided to return officially because I miss posting. I mistakenly ran into the fundie world through an ex boyfriend. Unbeknownst to me, until we grew closer, he was Quiverfull and misogynistic. My first clue was when he said women should not be allowed as priests/pastors or teachers in the church. I should've taken that red flag and left, but at the time I was willing to dismiss it. Then I made an offhand comment about deer evolution and he said he did not believe in evolution. The final straw was his reaction to my uncles coming to visit over Christmas. I informed him they were a gay married couple and he refused to meet them or shake their hands. :( I confronted him, saying that response was not Christlike and he agreed to meet them and acted appropriately during dinner. My parents encouraged me to talk about the theological differences with a pastor from his church and him, but I decided I hated everything being a debate. I appreciate his willingness to listen to reason, but it was tiring. 

 

I can't decide what I should use as my profile picture. I still get a kick out of my old picture (Joyanna's snarky expression as a kid), but I'm not sure if it still fits. 

By the way, despite Joy being my previous pet fundie, my username references a phrase I grew up with. J.O.Y = Jeasus first, other second, yourself third. These days I am trying to reach a balance of self-care and valuing myself with helping others.

Edited by J.O.Y.nomore
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Hello, first post!

I pretty recently ended up on FJ through lurking on the Duggar Snark subreddit. I remembered watching some of the Duggar specials and X Kids and Counting when I was younger with my family (my mother, sister, and I mostly made fun of them, while my dad groused about their anti-Catholic bigotry in the background). Falling down this rabbit hole makes me both amused and disturbed, especially because I am the same age as Joy-Anna, and I honestly can't imagine being married with a child at 20/21.

I'm currently attending college and trying not to miss my cat too much. My username refers to Anne Boleyn, my all-time favorite historical figure. My icon is from America's Next Top Model, a guilty pleasure that's a little less devastating to watch than the Duggars. I was raised Catholic, but I'm agnostic now. I live in the northeastern part of the United States. So far I've mostly been lurk-reading the Duggar and Rodrigues threads, with a couple dips into the Bates. The thing I've taken away the most is that it's horrible to be a woman/girl in these circumstances, and my heart breaks a little bit for every woman/girl trapped in fundamentalism, though their horrible beliefs certainly lessen my sympathies.

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6 minutes ago, Anna Bolinas said:

Hello, first post!

I pretty recently ended up on FJ through lurking on the Duggar Snark subreddit. I remembered watching some of the Duggar specials and X Kids and Counting when I was younger with my family (my mother, sister, and I mostly made fun of them, while my dad groused about their anti-Catholic bigotry in the background). Falling down this rabbit hole makes me both amused and disturbed, especially because I am the same age as Joy-Anna, and I honestly can't imagine being married with a child at 20/21.

I'm currently attending college and trying not to miss my cat too much. My username refers to Anne Boleyn, my all-time favorite historical figure. My icon is from America's Next Top Model, a guilty pleasure that's a little less devastating to watch than the Duggars. I was raised Catholic, but I'm agnostic now. I live in the northeastern part of the United States. So far I've mostly been lurk-reading the Duggar and Rodrigues threads, with a couple dips into the Bates. The thing I've taken away the most is that it's horrible to be a woman/girl in these circumstances, and my heart breaks a little bit for every woman/girl trapped in fundamentalism, though their horrible beliefs certainly lessen my sympathies.

Welcome to FJ :)  Once you look around you'll find there is a whole lot more crazy than just the Duggars.  They were the gateway fundies for a lot of us.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hiya everyone,

Well I'm Sassy (okay not my real name but my nickname), knocking on the door of 27 in a couple months. Single mom to a little one.  I work for a dealership as an admin assistant. I love it. In a way, its my second family. Joined FJ not too long ago. My sense of humor can be described as dry, witty, dark, twisted, morbid and at times inappropriate. I love to laugh and am quick to defend the people I love and care about.

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  • 1 month later...

I joined after a) seeing references to Free Jinger on sites such as Spiritual Sounding Board and b) finding a thread about Gwen Shamblin.  

I saw and heard Gwen way back in 1996, when my church still hosted Weigh Down.  I knew several people who did the program; I did not.  She came to my church and gave a talk, and as part of the day, a few women stood up and talked about how Weigh Down had helped them.  

I came away from that day with two impressions:  1.  No one was going to stand up and talk about how something *didn't* work for them, and 2. Something seemed "off" about Gwen but I couldn't exactly put my finger on it.

I later heard about Remnant Fellowship, and in my reading about it, it rang bells with me.  I was involved in an abusive church during my college years, and the information control, the shaming if you didn't live up to expectations, the worship of those who were leaders, the shunning of those who leave all sounded like the church I had been part of.

Recently, I re-read some of the stuff about Remnant and Googled the name of one of people who left because I was wondering what they were doing now . . . and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when my Google search turned up that Gwen Shamblin was divorced and remarried (in a "covenant wedding", no less!)  Given, though, that Gwen's ex had shown very little interest in Remnant, I think a divorce was inevitable.

I don't have experiences with being pressured to have more than one child or with being married young (I didn't get married until I was nearly 30 and I didn't have my son until I was 35, he is my only child) but I do have experiences with an abusive church.  "The church" was supposed to be the #1 priority in your life, second to school, church, work, etc.  When I left, I deliberately went to a church that was trying to get away from that kind of teaching . . . and they wound up going so far in the other direction that they turned out to be just as bad.

The more I read about how women are treated in Evangelical culture, the angrier I get.  I posted someplace a while back that I no longer trusted male leaders in either conservative politics or the evangelical church.  If they don't abuse people, they support those that do.

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Welcome to FJ, @fransalley! I hope that reading here about groups like Remnant Fellowship gives you a chance to work through the aftermath of leaving an abusive church. (If that's something you want. :) ) We have several members who have left abusive churches and cults, and it's always helpful to hear about their perspectives and experiences.

You may have already had a look around FJ, so you may have already seen that we follow quite a few fundamentalist churches, families, and groups. Feel free to ask if you need any information. The SOTDRT forum is a great place for any and all questions, but you can also ask in any discussion. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you around!

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Hello!

I grew up as a pastor's kid in a rabidly conservative, pretty Charismatic Christian cult that operated out of a camp/conference center. I realized it was a disaster when, at a camp staff meeting, a counselor was made to stand up and apologize for a rumor started by campers that he was gay (kids are shits)...and was stripped of his position and his paycheck and demoted to camp trash collector for the rest of the summer. When I was 18, I left the church. I already knew I was queer at that point and figured out I was trans later in life, and now, even if I wanted to, I could never go back. I am fairly estranged from my family for all those things, and because my religious beliefs are Very Different these days.

I came to FreeJinger for the PPP/Zsuzsu threads (I believe I had a run in with PPP years ago) and decided to make an account to comment. Otherwise, I'm in my late 30s, work in human services, and am an artist otherwise.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello. Longtime lurker here. I have a crazy story to tell and I hope I can keep it brief. I became a fundie, married homeschooling mother in my 20s and have 8 kids. I am now 36 and have grown very disillusioned to all of the things I once believed. I am still a Jesus follower. However that looks a lot different than it did several years ago. I was never ultra conservative. Have always worn pants, listened to contemporary Christian and secular music, and two of my kids have played travel baseball for several years. I apologize if I am jumping around. I have very few real people to talk to. Anyways, my main point is that I am seeing a lot of things differently than I once did. One big struggle I am having which I would never be able to tell anyone I know, is that I have been recently experiencing same Sex attraction. My husband is a decent father and hard worker but I have never been physically attracted to him. And it’s been so hard to live with that guilt. Don’t know what my point is but as anyone else ever experienced any of what I am saying?

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Hi. Long time lurker here and I first found this site just before Jinger got married? Lately I have found myself wanting to reply so finally took the Plunge.

Im from Sydney Australia. A single  mum to 3 kids and approaching 40.

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