Introduce Yourself- Part 3

[Palimpsest]

Again @Loolaa, and many thanks for introducing yourself.  I am so sorry to hear about your struggles with infertility and the abusive relationship.   Congratulations on getting out of it and best wishes for your recovery.  I think you will find FJ a supportive place. Although we love to snark most of us don't bite so jump on in whenever you want.

Most people seem to focus on a a few families, threads, or areas of FJ.  Probably no-one has time to read all the threads.  And I avoid the Nauglers too.  There are just some things that really make my stomach turn.   You've probably noticed that I follow John Shrader closely as you've been reading here.  I also recommend the Maxwell family and the Arndt family for much Fundie fuckwittery.  Was your former church Lutheran?  I can see why you left. 

I am another dog lover, and have 2 sight hounds, but I love your horrified cat avatar.  Very appropriate for Fundies.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

2 hours ago, Loolaa said:

Hi ?‍♀️

I'm also a long time lurker. I started reading here sometime after Razing Ruth and the fall of Doug Phillips (is a Tool), but before Joshgate. My gateway fundies were the Duggars, but I also follow others: Rods, Schrader, Lori, Gwen Shamblin, Erica Shupe at the time, and I stop by here and there on other threads  ... Not the Nauglers though, cause the though makes me

I grew up non-religious in a Scandinavian country that's mostly secular, where fundamentalism is rare and mostly just in certain areas of the country. I was baptised since that was the norm at the time and more about tradition than religion. The baptism automatically made me a member of the state church. State and church have later been separated. Although I was never in church and was a so-called "silent member" on their member lists, I decided to officially file a request to leave church around 10 years ago due to their view on homosexuality. The church gets state funding based on their membership numbers and I didn't want to be a part of it anymore.

Despite my avatar, I'm a dog mom. My instagram feed is mostly filled with dogs ? But I feel that the cat picture so accurately captures my thoughts on fundamentalism.

I've struggled with infertility and failed IVFs, then my husband filed for divorce just before our much awaited adoption was to be completed, which meant that the adoption was annulled. In my grief I fell into an unhealthy relationship that became abusive (on his part). Am now single and trying to live a good life, though it's a struggle most days. FreeJinger is my happy place when times are rough!

I might not write a lot, but hope to venture into some threads now and then.

I hope you venture to post - welcome to FJ.  I lurked for years first too, now I don't stop talking ....glad to have you here!

[Loolaa]

@Palimpsest, thank you for the welcoming words, kind thoughts and suggestions. You've got the church right, it was indeed Lutheran! Not the most fun of churches ... And dogs for the win ? ?

@HerNameIsBuffy, thank you for the welcome! 

[byzant]

Hi I'm  byzant_ alas I don't own a Yorkshire Guinea  pig but I  a mental health senior professional ( trying to be vague the NHS is weird)  based in the UK and am planning on a dog_ if my bid on a house is successful. Started with the duggers but have branched out to jill rod( I have no words) , seven farmgirl sisters( yeah) ,  maxhell band,  gwen shamblin. No kids or partner . Atheist( despite orginally  coming from northern Ireland where the next question is " are you a protestant or catholic athetist) . Proud skeptic and mediocure  crocheter. 

Also crap at spelling as evidenced above!

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Hello, @byzant! Thank you for introducing yourself. Ordinarily I might say "Welcome to FJ", but you've been posting for over a year, so that doesn't exactly apply!  

Do you have a particular breed of dog in mind if (when!) your bid on a house is successful? Or will you adopt a dog from a shelter? We just got a cat from the local animal shelter last month. It was my first time deliberately getting a cat, rather than accepting the one(s) that drift into my life.

It's cool to see your guinea pig avatar around the different discussions; I hope more people will branch out like you have.

Edited May 26, 2019 by WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?
it is ≠ it was

[byzant]

Always a rescue dog: there are such issues with puppy farms and genetic diseases I've always known i want a mutt! Hope your shelter cat is  settling in well; my wandering cat just happened to wander to the wee old lady down the road with all the treats(i wonder why!) 

 

Have been using the different free jinger rabbit holes to avoid stress when buying a house, it has been really interesting but I haven't been brave enough to venture to the nauglers (weak stomach ) 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

1 hour ago, byzant said:

I haven't been brave enough to venture to the nauglers (weak stomach ) 

Very sensible!

Our kitty has settled into our home nicely, except that he thinks he should be allowed to go outside. (He was found wandering around in a different part of our city.) Outdoor cats face so many dangers here that we want to protect him from, but he doesn't see it that way! Maybe someday we'll live someplace he can have an enclosure outdoors, what some people call a "cat-io". (Like a cat patio.)

[jillsdopplerofdoom]

Hi everyone, 

Been lurking for a while. and thought I would finally join. Mostly here for the Duggars (not a fan but I have been watching them on tv for a few years) and the baby name predictions. I work in a boarding kennels in my other life. I'm not religious. My hobbies are getting outside for nature walks, working out and painting.

[Needle]

Hi, I'm Needle (I work with them, so it seemed fitting) I am female, 36 and in a longterm relationship (have been engaged for years, maybe one day we will be bothered to get actually married). Usually refer to my boyfriend as my husband, since boyfriend sounds kinda child-like in my native language. I am living in Northern Europe btw.

I own one fur baby, a bull terrier, and I have one bonus-child (husband has a child from a former relationship) that was raised by us and is now an adult.

I was raised Catholic, and still refer to myself as cultural Catholic (love the churches in looks and smell, will still pray/light candles every now and then, but dont attend Mass/actively follow the teachings). Husband was raised in protestant homechurch (non fundie)

Have been lurking here for years, and decided to sign up to get some information about the Shraders, when we got a brush with them/friends of them during a family visit in Zambia.

Needle

Edited June 13, 2019 by Needle
forgot the 2 and 4 legged kids....

[Cora Persephona]

Hello again everyone! I think I posted in the introduction thread when I first joined some years ago, but I mostly lurked even after joining and haven't really posted for a very long time. I decided to dip my toes in the water and post more, so I thought to reintroduce myself. I found FreeJinger a long time ago through ZsuZsu Anderson, but afterwards I started reading here about various fundies.

I'm in my early 30s, live in Europe and I am culturally Christian Orthodox, but consider myself an agnostic. I "know the drill" in church, but I just can't get behind the way things are done by most of the clergy and find it hard to believe in the god organised religion puts forward. I do have an interest in religion from a cultural/historical point of view (probably what keeps me coming back here day after day after day, so much to learn).

I love, love, love animals and my plan is to adopt a dog after moving to a house (hopefully by next year).

[Palimpsest]

Welcome @jillsdopplerofdoom, @Needle and welcome back @Cora Persephona.  Of course all dog lovers get an extra warm welcome from me.    ❤️

As I'm sure you all know, we are an international board and come from all sorts of religious and non-religious backgrounds.  We value the diversity of our board greatly.

@Needle, if you manage to glean any information about the Shraders from friends or family I would dearly love to hear it.  

 

 

 

[Hisey]

12 hours ago, Cora Persephona said:

Hello again everyone! I think I posted in the introduction thread when I first joined some years ago, but I mostly lurked even after joining and haven't really posted for a very long time. I decided to dip my toes in the water and post more, so I thought to reintroduce myself. I found FreeJinger a long time ago through ZsuZsu Anderson, but afterwards I started reading here about various fundies.

I'm in my early 30s, live in Europe and I am culturally Christian Orthodox, but consider myself an agnostic. I "know the drill" in church, but I just can't get behind the way things are done by most of the clergy and find it hard to believe in the god organised religion puts forward. I do have an interest in religion from a cultural/historical point of view (probably what keeps me coming back here day after day after day, so much to learn).

I love, love, love animals and my plan is to adopt a dog after moving to a house (hopefully by next year).

Welcome Cora! ZZ Anderson was one of my gateway fundies too! She’s an interesting one, isn’t she?

I share your love od animals and wish you the best of luck with your dog adoption. We’ve always had a dog around, rescues or strays, and recently (just this week) lost our current dog to cancer.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Hisey

[ImpossibleSoul]

First of all, @Hisey I am very sorry for your loss. ?

Secondly, hello! I'm new to the forums, and fairly new to snarking, so I'm still trying to find my feet a little.

21/female/UK, came here from the equivalent subreddits which seem far more dead in comparison, lol. I wasn't going to say anything here unless I felt the need to post in a regular thread, and needless to say I'm currently caught up in the JRod madness ?

[aloof chicken]

Hello! 

Newbie here, long time lurker. That weird 1980’s Rodrigues lady and her shenanigans made me join? but I also like reading and learning about all things in general. 

Looking forward to meet you all.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Welcome to FJ, @aloof chicken! Cool, unique username.  Do you keep chickens, or is it a joke that I'm missing?

[aloof chicken]

12 hours ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

Welcome to FJ, @aloof chicken! Cool, unique username.  Do you keep chickens, or is it a joke that I'm missing?

I don’t have chickens but my grandpa used to. They were insane. 

Thanks for the welcome.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

@aloof chicken, if you're interested, there's a discussion about user names here:

It's a fun way to find out a little bit about other posters. 

I've never had chickens, but I've had pet sitting jobs that included chickens. Some of them really are insane.  My favorite was the lone turkey hen living with chickens. She thought she was a chicken.

[AtTara]

Hi everyone, this is my first post

I've read at FJ for years, but finally joined because of Gwen Shamblin Lara's Remnant Fellowship Cult.  Holy cats, that thing is weird.

And then there's her hair ?

Anyway, I'm 49, married, 2 kids, 4 steps, 2 grands (via my husband's son -- we married after his children were adults so I'm not a mom figure to them, but they're great people), 4 dogs, 2 cats, 8 snakes, and a sulcata tortoise who wanders my back yard and deeply disapproves of all the dogs.

It's nice to be here

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Welcome to FJ, @AtTara! It sounds like you have your hands full with critters. Are any of your kids/step kids still at home to help?

[AtTara]

Just now, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

Welcome to FJ, @AtTara! It sounds like you have your hands full with critters. Are any of your kids/step kids still at home to help?

Thanks, @WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? ?

We do.  Lordy, we do.  On top of that, we're dealing with several health issues with two of our dogs (one has diabetes, is blind due to diabetes-induced cataracts, and has glaucoma as well; the other has a bladder stone that may necessitate surgery shortly).  Plus, two 8-month-old puppies which, it cannot be made more clear, is pretty much like wrangling five dogs ?

They're all worth it, though!

One of the kids is still home as he's still in high school.  Another is home for summer and holidays since he's in college.  They help, in their own way, but it ends up being mostly my husband's and my job... which, since we brought them into the house, is kind of where the buck stops   The steps are all mid-to-late twenties and live out of state (and 2 of the 3 are married), so they're pretty independent of their step-monster's pet issues LOL

Thank you again for the welcome!

[Sonic the Whoredgehog]

Hey everyone! I've been a lurking snarker here and on other sites for a while, but thanks to moving to a new city I am seriously lacking in social interaction, so I'm joining in the fun. I'm 21, a recent college grad and newlywed, currently a stay-at-home cat mom as I slog through the hellish wastelands of the job search. 

I was raised in a military family of 7, southern Baptist, and homeschooled. I consider myself ex-fundie-lite. I'm still a Christian, but *whispers in case my catholic grandma hears me* progressive and egalitarian. My "favorite" fundies are Lori Alexander and Girl Defined, and I probably have an unhealthy attachment to their particular flavor of bullshit. 

I may or may not have been inebriated when I chose this username, but I have no regrets. 

It's nice to be a member here and I look forward to participating! 

[Palimpsest]

10 minutes ago, Sonic the Whoredgehog said:

I may or may not have been inebriated when I chose this username, but I have no regrets. 

Welcome, @Sonic the Whoredgehog.  We are glad to have you, and thanks for introducing yourself. 

And your user name made me laugh. 

[Becky]

Hi, I am Becky. Been following FJ since Yuku days. Recently the Quiverfull of Politics threads have brought me out to finally post. I don’t know how much I will contribute, but I wanted to introduce myself. Married, 60-something, retired, coupla kids and grands. Never been fundie but often think I would have been susceptible to the appeal when I was younger. ? 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Hi, @Becky! Welcome out of lurkdom. Since you've been following FJ for so long, I bet you've seen plenty of changes over the years. I've only been around since the first Josh Duggar scandal broke, so I'm a relative newbie. It will be good to keep hearing from you around the various forums! (Forums? Forae? Something like that. )

Edited September 3, 2019 by WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?
punctuation

[Sicily]

Hello! 

I only recently found out about this forum when I googled for information about the Servens, my gateway fundies, who I started following about 10 years ago.

I'm a middle-aged Australian lady who is single with cats and loving it.

I was raised Jewish but rejected religion in my early teens.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Sicily