Real Life Fundie Encounters: Part 5

[Marmion]

19 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

We had a JW at our door the other day. She wasn’t pushy at all. She just left a flier. I was surprised. Maybe they are trying to be less pushy? 

Another possibility is that she might have been   "PIMO "   . I remember when I was in the Nazarenes , at this one church , the pastor excused all teens from the evening service whom had wanted to distribute fliers inviting people in the area surrounding the church to our upcoming vacation Bible school . Well , since I believe that most all of us in the youth group were PIMO , including myself , we all jumped at the chance to get out of having to endure yet another dismal lecture . So we went around the neighborhood sticking fliers in newspaper boxes , and behind the flags of mailboxes , but not inside the mailbox itself , as that is actually illegal . But anyway , towards the end of our pampleting , one of us had some fliers left over . So he said that we could go on ahead of him to the van , and that he would catch up after he finished up .  Some short time later we saw him running towards the van screaming for us to hurry up and let him in . He then informed us that at one of the houses a man came out and told him that if he didn't get out of the area quickly , he would call the police on him .  The reason the teen came up with for why this might have happened was that the man might have mistaken him for some sort of traveler , like a Romany , whom was seeking odd jobs .  So our remaining teen was worried that if he didn't skedaddle the police might arrest him for vagrancy .  So that is an effective , yet nasty , way to scare away door to door proselytizers , some of whom might not actually want to be mixed up in doing this anyway , if we felt we had much choice in terms of religious involvement . 

[BlackberryGirl]

I was remembering a real life encounter with some Mennonites that I hadn’t thought of in ages. 

Way back when I was working with foster teens one of my boys was placed with a Mennonite farm couple. The foster mom made and sold home made egg noodles at farmers markets. 

Sooo there it was on the big table in the front room, makings for noodles. Flour and dozens and dozens of eggs, unrefrigerated, cats and dogs running around, all no more than 3 feet from a huge stock watering tank with a 4 foot long live crocodile.  Yup. A croc.  And friends wonder why I don’t buy Amish/Mennonite baked goods.

[Marmion]

On 7/31/2019 at 1:53 PM, BlackberryGirl said:

I was remembering a real life encounter with some Mennonites that I hadn’t thought of in ages. 

Way back when I was working with foster teens one of my boys was placed with a Mennonite farm couple. The foster mom made and sold home made egg noodles at farmers markets. 

Sooo there it was on the big table in the front room, makings for noodles. Flour and dozens and dozens of eggs, unrefrigerated, cats and dogs running around, all no more than 3 feet from a huge stock watering tank with a 4 foot long live crocodile.  Yup. A croc.  And friends wonder why I don’t buy Amish/Mennonite baked goods.

My dad hauls Amish professionally , and he told me that the Amish he gets paid to give rides to won't buy baked goods from the Swartzentruber  Amish , as they know them to have unsanitary conditions in their kitchens , from seeing them firsthand .  For more than just anecdotal evidence , of how substandard their  home sanitation conditions are , here is this article .  https://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/amish-contest-sewage-standards-in-fillmore-county/article_67429e5a-f913-5351-abaa-16dc531d809d.html  

[Themanda Duggar]

The best and fastest way I’ve gotten rid of missionaries at my door was to say -I’m Jewish, just like Jesus.  Maybe you should be worshipping me-  I wish I’d had a camera so I had a record of the horrified looks I got in response.

also effective, but not as fun, -I’m the maid.  I’ll get fired if they catch me talking to you while I’m on the clock-.

[Tatar-tot]

Ask them to pray the Rosary.  Works every time...they hate Catholics and the Hail Mary. 

[MarblesMom]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:54 AM, Flossie said:

They seemed startled to see me, and I couldn't understand why, as they had to hear me clumping to the door with my walker.

Yeah, there is a small Rufus blessing in moving slower to the answer the door on the damn walker.

And this.

[SoSoNosy]

I think my daughter had an encounter yesterday.  She had gone to yoga at the gym and stopped back by Hobby Lobby to get some stuff for a quilt she was making; she had on a tank top.  She got in line behind two young women in skirts to the floor, and overheard a conversation something like "Well, I do have a tank top that I work out in; I tell my husband that it might be vulgar, but I'm wearing it anyway".  My daughter isn't in the least thin skinned, she snickered to herself and went on about her business.
 

[Marmion]

5 hours ago, SoSoNosy said:

I think my daughter had an encounter yesterday.  She had gone to yoga at the gym and stopped back by Hobby Lobby to get some stuff for a quilt she was making; she had on a tank top.  She got in line behind two young women in skirts to the floor, and overheard a conversation something like "Well, I do have a tank top that I work out in; I tell my husband that it might be vulgar, but I'm wearing it anyway".  My daughter isn't in the least thin skinned, she snickered to herself and went on about her business.
 

Even fundies may wear tank tops , as long as their is something underneath .  But as this Mormon woman pointed out , women , and girls should not be blamed for the actions , and thoughts of men , simply due to what they wear .  https://lizzysmilez.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-this-mormon-mom-wears-gasp-tank-tops.html   As this song , sung by Crystal Lewis,  funny enough , says .   

 

[Briefly]

7 hours ago, SoSoNosy said:

I think my daughter had an encounter yesterday.  She had gone to yoga at the gym and stopped back by Hobby Lobby to get some stuff for a quilt she was making; she had on a tank top.  She got in line behind two young women in skirts to the floor, and overheard a conversation something like "Well, I do have a tank top that I work out in; I tell my husband that it might be vulgar, but I'm wearing it anyway".  My daughter isn't in the least thin skinned, she snickered to herself and went on about her business.
 

Yeah, good 'ole passive aggressive fundy disapproval!  My daughter would probably have taken that ball and run with it - she'd have given them a little in-store entertainment, that's for sure.  I could not care less how somebody else dresses, etc., but they were really out of line to do that, if they were trying to shame your daughter. I'm not saying they were, but IF they were.

[CarrotCake]

13 hours ago, Marmion said:

Even fundies may wear tank tops , as long as their is something underneath .  But as this Mormon woman pointed out , women , and girls should not be blamed for the actions , and thoughts of men , simply due to what they wear .  https://lizzysmilez.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-this-mormon-mom-wears-gasp-tank-tops.html   As this song , sung by Crystal Lewis,  funny enough , says .   

 

Refreshing to read this from a woman in a faith like that. I like how she is so certain of her view even though her religion tells her otherwise. 

[SoSoNosy]

If the snark had been aimed at somebody else, my daughter would have taken them out verbally.  But aimed at her just amused her.

[GoddessOfVictory]

Ran into some new (to me) fundies when I was out shopping today. There was a pregnant mom and her four kids out buying school supplies. The mom and two girls were wearing a style of frumper that I've not seen before. They all wore the exact same style of dress in different colors. The dresses were ankle-length and looked to be two pieces sewn together at the waist with a bodice buttoned up the front. The sleeves were slightly puffed at the shoulders then tapered down to the wrist. The dresses were all of solid colors and sturdy fabric. They wore no head covering but their hair was all done in the same loose braid that was tucked under at the end. They wore solid black sneaker-style shoes. The boys both wore sneakers, jeans, a solid-color button-up shirt, and baseball caps. I'm not sure if they were just a fundie family that wears the same pattern of frumper or if they belong to a specific group/colony.

 

Also, one of my coworkers has recently been dealing with some very persistent Mormon missionaries. He told them he was Catholic and not looking to change but that he would listen to them if they wanted to talk to him. My coworker is far nicer and more indulgent than I would be and these missionaries are absolutely salivating at the thought of converting him (not gonna happen). They've come to speak to him at least five times so far and this week they came in while I was working. The lead missionary immediately introduced himself to me as Elder Smith (not his real name) but I was saved from having to speak with them further because someone had to continue working while they monopolized my coworker. However, I overheard some of their conversation and, get this, the Holy Ghost is "super cool!!!". It was all I could do to keep from giggling and thinking about songs from The Book of Mormon.

Though, I have to say the lead missionary was pretty cute. I imagine all the young Mormon maidens are swooning over him and will be disappointed when he moves on to his next assignment.

[danvillebelle]

4 hours ago, GoddessOfVictory said:

but that he would listen to them if they wanted to talk to him.

I made this fatal mistake as a naive newlywed who had never encountered Mormon missionaries before.  I worked as a secretary on a college campus and was approached by two female missionaries in the cafeteria.  It took a couple of weeks of purposefully dodging them and finally having to get really rude for them to finally leave me alone. 

A few months later I was approached by two more (guys) while waiting for the bus.  I'd learned my lesson and told them loudly to fuck the hell off and stay away from me.  They got the message. 

[EmainMacha]

@GoddessOfVictory those outfits and hairstyles sound very FLDS-esque. Might that be a possibility? I suppose it depends on where you are geographically as they seem to be mainly Western USA/Canada.

[Hane]

Just putting this here: 

 

[Briefly]

10 hours ago, EmainMacha said:

@GoddessOfVictory those outfits and hairstyles sound very FLDS-esque. Might that be a possibility? I suppose it depends on where you are geographically as they seem to be mainly Western USA/Canada.

They really do, but I think they may be spreading out since the ones I saw were in Broken Arrow, OK which is a small town outside of Tulsa.  "Mine" were exactly what I have seen pictured, the looked exactly like the FLDS followers.  But it's possible that they may have been travelling through on their way to/from somewhere else.

[Marmion]

19 hours ago, GoddessOfVictory said:

Ran into some new (to me) fundies when I was out shopping today. There was a pregnant mom and her four kids out buying school supplies. The mom and two girls were wearing a style of frumper that I've not seen before. They all wore the exact same style of dress in different colors. The dresses were ankle-length and looked to be two pieces sewn together at the waist with a bodice buttoned up the front. The sleeves were slightly puffed at the shoulders then tapered down to the wrist. The dresses were all of solid colors and sturdy fabric. They wore no head covering but their hair was all done in the same loose braid that was tucked under at the end. They wore solid black sneaker-style shoes. The boys both wore sneakers, jeans, a solid-color button-up shirt, and baseball caps. I'm not sure if they were just a fundie family that wears the same pattern of frumper or if they belong to a specific group/colony.

 

 

Did they look like this perhaps ?  If so , I would say that they were FLDS .     As an aside , I wonder how  we'd all respond if we were to face this fundie encounter , only in real life .  

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Marmion

[Briefly]

The pictures you posted, @Marmion, are exactly what I saw several weeks ago.  The hairstyles, dress style, everything was exact.

[Calypso]

I ran into some members of the Followers of Christ cult while I was working the other day. I was getting very strange vibes while talking to them and ended up googling the group to find out more. 

It seems like the church's whole schtick is extreme isolationism and believing that you must trust God in all things- including forgoing medical care and instead using faith healing. The stories online of court cases where a baby or young child died because their parents refused to call 911 or get medical care were chilling as they were so very similar to the scenario with the family I came across.

The parents I met did end up calling 911 in order to save their childs life. Thank goodness. But it sounds like this was the first time anyone in the extended family had ever stepped foot in a hospital before... I wonder if they're getting backlash from their community for getting medical help. There were so many wierd dynamics to unpack during that encounter in addition to the medical neglect aspect.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

@Calypso, was this in Oregon, or another state? I have read that some of the Followers of Christ in Oregon have become more likely to seek medical help for their kids since the Oregon legislature closed the loophole allowing parents to let their children die from preventable causes, without fear of prosecution. (Idaho still has a giant loophole. Can you tell it bothers me?)

[GoddessOfVictory]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I believe they were FLDS. It would make sense as there are certainly Mormons in my state. I've just never run into the FLDS kind. The dresses most closely resembled the one worn by the girl in the far right of the photo below.

21 hours ago, Marmion said:

Did they look like this perhaps ?  If so , I would say that they were FLDS .   

 

 

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

On 8/8/2019 at 8:54 AM, SoSoNosy said:

I think my daughter had an encounter yesterday.  She had gone to yoga at the gym and stopped back by Hobby Lobby to get some stuff for a quilt she was making; she had on a tank top.  She got in line behind two young women in skirts to the floor, and overheard a conversation something like "Well, I do have a tank top that I work out in; I tell my husband that it might be vulgar, but I'm wearing it anyway".  My daughter isn't in the least thin skinned, she snickered to herself and went on about her business.
 

I had something like this happen to me in the 80’s at a truck stop in Saskatchewan, Canada, seriously fundy Province, at least back then it was. Anyhow three middle aged fundy women gave me serious shade for wearing a tank top, in the summer, at a truck stop ffs.  Soooooo I took it off!!!!   TRUE STORY.  I was an asshole back then.    (I was wearing a seriously sexy bra)!!!!!

[Calypso]

1 hour ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

@Calypso, was this in Oregon, or another state? I have read that some of the Followers of Christ in Oregon have become more likely to seek medical help for their kids since the Oregon legislature closed the loophole allowing parents to let their children die from preventable causes, without fear of prosecution. (Idaho still has a giant loophole. Can you tell it bothers me?)

It was in Oregon. I'm glad that they closed that loophole. I wasnt sure about the legality of things. 

It seemed like most of the women had a lot of children. I cant imagine having that many kids when your only birthing option is a home birth with an unlicensed "midwife."

Also it sounded like the women had no education (went to public schools but did not graduate or get GEDs) and married around 17 to men 10+ years older than them. Yay fundies for making sure women can never leave.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Calypso

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

@Calypso, I only had time to skim this article, but it looks like it has some good information about the state of the Followers of Christ following the prosecution of parents who let their newborn baby die.

https://expo.oregonlive.com/news/erry-2018/07/c6430fe46a2145/are-decades-of-needless-child.html 

I'm glad the parents you met got help and saved their child's life.

[Marmion]

18 hours ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

@Calypso, was this in Oregon, or another state? I have read tjpg   some of the Followers of Christ in Oregon have become more likely to seek medical help for their kids since the Oregon legislature closed the loophole allowing parents to let their children die from preventable causes, without fear of prosecution. (Idaho still has a giant loophole. Can you tell it bothers me?)

I read the Wikipedia article on the Followers of Christ .  I wish that I could say that I was surprised to see that they're a Holiness /Pentecostal offshoot , but I am not .  This actually sounds quite similar to this group , one might say cult , called the Church of God ( Restoration )  , which is to the Church of God ( Anderson , Ind. )  , which incidentally both my parents , and my sister have had some level of involvement with , like what the FLDS is in relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints .  articles on the Church of God ( Restoration )   The members of the COG ( Restoration ) even have a distinct quaint look , similar to both the Amish , and the FLDS .  I feel about such groups as these , like how I imagine ex-Mormons feel towards the FLDS .  Like , growing up in the Holiness movement can be hard enough as it is , without them taking things to even greater extremes .