(CW: CSA) Josh & Anna 47: Serial SM Commenter Anna Silent on Family Posts Lately. I Wonder Why?

[gustava]

21 hours ago, imokit said:

Big big house.

You win the internetz😁

[OrchidBlossom]

1 hour ago, Jana814 said:

Hope your feel better. I had it in February it took me a full 2 weeks to feel better. 

Thanks! I’m in the early stages 😢 but it could be worse, I know that. 

[Hane]

@OrchidBlossom, wishing you a rapid recovery! The friend I spent last Sunday with called to tell me that she tested positive for COVID (although the rest of her family tested negative). I just bought a home test and am headed back to take it.

Both my friend and I are triple-vaxxed, are pretty careful, mask up all the time, and don’t go out much, being retired.

[SassyPants]

14 minutes ago, Hane said:

@OrchidBlossom, wishing you a rapid recovery! The friend I spent last Sunday with called to tell me that she tested positive for COVID (although the rest of her family tested negative). I just bought a home test and am headed back to take it.

Both my friend and I are triple-vaxxed, are pretty careful, mask up all the time, and don’t go out much, being retired.

Hope you get a big, fat negative!

[EmmieJ]

@OrchidBlossom, even though you have a "mild" case of Covid, it sounds pretty awful.  I hope you feel better soon!  My son was set to fly home on Monday, but his roommate tested positive, so he got tested and also has it.  They are isolating at their apartment (both are in the Marines).  Crappy Christmas for them.  So far, my son ( vaccinated but not yet boosted) says he just feels like he has a cold.  I pray it stays that way.  I got my booster on the 7th, so hopefully that will fully kick in by next Tuesday but I'm going to basically avoid as much outside contact for the next month.  I do go into the office, but have my own separate office and we aren't having clients come in.  

Everyone, be safe as this next wave comes through.  Health care workers, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[Jana814]

I’m suppose to spend a week with a client (December 24th till the 31st) they are going to Aruba. My client told me the only way they will cancel is if someone tests positive. She had 3 kids & they along with her & her husband are vaccinated. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Jana814

[Father Son Holy Goat]

On 12/17/2021 at 9:40 PM, Destiny said:

If anyone wants to see the birth of FJ, it’s here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140405022809/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3120234-14-children-and-pregnant-again/page-134

Interestingly, it was Jacob and Sars not Howard that were the heavies that caused it.

Wait, Jinger needed a kidney transplant?

 

On 12/17/2021 at 6:34 PM, SassyPants said:

Left to his own devices and decision making, I’m not sure Josh is interested in reading a Bible.

He might read the rape and sex bits. 

[imokit]

30 minutes ago, Father Son Holy Goat said:

Wait, Jinger needed a kidney transplant?

No they were being sarcastic - talking about how the Duggars would grift for it.

"Why, they would pray and put up little jars around town begging for change to get little Jinger the kidney transplant she so desperately needs*, of course!"

"  *speaking rhetorically, of course"

[Father Son Holy Goat]

1 minute ago, imokit said:

No they were being sarcastic - talking about how the Duggars would grift for it.

"Why, they would pray and put up little jars around town begging for change to get little Jinger the kidney transplant she so desperately needs*, of course!"

"  *speaking rhetorically, of course"

Oh good. Jinger has had enough in her life, I’m glad she didn’t need a kidney transplant too.

[Proverbs31]

On 12/18/2021 at 4:56 PM, nokidsmom said:

Agree I never thought Joshley was interested either.  And maybe he knew that.  But living in the TTH, he didn't have much choice and going along was probably a survival thing just like a lot of kids who are raised in a religious environment, regardless of any religion/denomination.  All hell would break loose if you made any indication that you weren't into it.

I wasn't raised fundie but parents were religious, raised us in the church, they were more than regular churchgoers, but active on church council, women's circle, Dad was elder, etc.   By teenage years, I realized I wasn't that into it.  I had some belief but honestly as I progressed in my education, certain beliefs like heaven/hell for example, weren't believable any more.  Of course, I couldn't tell my family that.  But once I left home, I basically quit church because I didn't have to do it anymore.  

Now that Joshley will be completely separated from his family, it will be interesting to see what he does.  Some folks predict he will do some sort of ministry but I wouldn't be surprised if there's....nothing. 

I could be wrong, but one of the things I remember on the OKCupid profile was a claim to believe in God quite strongly. The other things that stuck with me were that he gave the wrong answers to a couple of trick questions to demonstrate intelligence and education, right before he went on to say that he was smarter than most people. And that he agreed that women had an obligation to sleep with men who bought them dinner, or something else along those lines that raised the hairs on my neck. He also claimed to get on insanely well with both his parents. Didn't take the name of the Lord in vain, didn't drink. All in all, as soon as the questions stepped beyond the sexual expectations and beliefs, and strayed into anything around personal morals and politics, I think he was as Duggar as Duggar can be. It was part of what made it read so creepily. 

And why wouldn't a rampant narcissist, with absolutely no redeeming qualities or achievements to his name at this stage in his life, not believe in the faith he has been spoon-fed all his life? God, in his world, thinks Josh is spiffing. God is why Anna is partly to blame for anything he does, for not keeping him satisfied enough to look only to her. His high value in God's eyes is what makes him such a juicy and immense target for Satan - who is, of course, so much wilier than any poor human, making his choices Satan's doing, and not really his own. God, as Josh believes in him, is why he's not really responsible for anything foul he's ever done. God's favour is why they have all that money, and God is also why he's more deserving than the heathens, whatever he does. And even more fundamentally: everyone he's ever met by choice, who isn't a fellow paedophile, has come from his political and faith background. To Josh, 'good people' and 'people like him' all share the same beliefs. He's not bright enough to work his way through them alone, either. I would suspect he sees his faith as like gravity: just a fact about this world we live in. His education taught him a pack of lies where science was meant to be, and that education came at Michelle's hands. Where would he ever hear, from someone he had any respect for at all, anything that questioned his beliefs? When those beliefs handed him an easy life and easy adulation on a platter? 

For Josh to give up on God would mean him giving up on the foundation of why he sees himself as special. Given he's an abject failure using any objective metric anyone could ever care to name, that is going to make his faith - in a God who sounds, and behaves, and plays favourites just like Jim Bob - fundamental to his ego. I could be wrong of course, and people can and do grow and change, but I can't see him changing. Why would he? God's his ATM and ego shield, all in one easy package. As long as he has God, he's special. Without that faith, he's just a middle-aged paedophile, and his crimes were more widely reported and discussed than the show ever was. Why would he lose a belief system that protects him from the real world, at this of all times? It's his mental shield. 

As the joke goes: how many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one, but the lightbulb has to really want to change. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Proverbs31

[EmCatlyn]

1 hour ago, Father Son Holy Goat said:

 

He might read the rape and sex bits. 

Only if he can find them.  The Duggars use the KJV, and forsooth methinks they understand not the language.  😉

Seriously, these people criticize Catholics for “rote” reciting of prayers, but they cling to a Bible version written in an English that the average college freshman has difficulty with.*  They half the time don’t know what they are reading.

*Shakespeare and the King James Version of the Bible are both written in Early Modern English.

[Proverbs31]

2 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

Only if he can find them.  The Duggars use the KJV, and forsooth methinks they understand not the language.  😉

Seriously, these people criticize Catholics for “rote” reciting of prayers, but they cling to a Bible version written in an English that the average college freshman has difficulty with.*  They half the time don’t know what they are reading.

*Shakespeare and the King James Version of the Bible are both written in Early Modern English.

I just googled the question he got wrong on OKCupid, and it related to Shakespeare. He thought that, "Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name..." meant not, "Why are you Romeo?" but, "Where are you, Romeo?"

He was so sure his wrong answer was the right one, he didn't even check via Google. It's framed as an obvious trick question, and the clue is right there, contextually, in the second line... and he still didn't. So I'd agree that his chances of comprehending the KJV are low. 

(He also thought a left hand glove turned inside out would still fit on his left hand, not his right. And he then blithely ticked, "I think I'm smarter than most people." If he weren't such a monster, he'd just be a real life David Brent.)

[Bobology]

5 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

Seriously, these people criticize Catholics for “rote” reciting of prayers, but they cling to a Bible version written in an English that the average college freshman has difficulty with.*  They half the time don’t know what they are reading.

This would make the patriarchy easier to maintain... The head of each home interprets every single thing, I bet, so there is really no need for the women and children to understand what is being read. Heck, the menfolk don't understand it either. And since they home-church there is never a differing interpretation offered. If two or three families are home-churching together, the heads probably have "meetings" where they secretly agree on specific interpretations.

[EmCatlyn]

1 hour ago, Bobology said:

This would make the patriarchy easier to maintain... The head of each home interprets every single thing, I bet, so there is really no need for the women and children to understand what is being read. Heck, the menfolk don't understand it either. And since they home-church there is never a differing interpretation offered. If two or three families are home-churching together, the heads probably have "meetings" where they secretly agree on specific interpretations.

I am not sure about that.  I think there is more of a tendency for them to get their interpretations from men in the Fundie leadership than to actually discuss things ahead of time.

Someone like Ben may actually be interested in theological debate and interpretation (maybe), but the average Duggar just wants listen to a sermon, sing a few hymns and feel they are ok with God.

 

[Cam]

8 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

…the average Duggar just wants listen to a sermon, sing a few hymns and feel they are ok with God.

Hm. I think a lot of Christians who attend any church want it this way.

[EmCatlyn]

14 minutes ago, Cam said:

Hm. I think a lot of Christians who attend any church want it this way.

Absolutely. But these other Christians don’t pretend that they have a special direct relationship with the Bible.   My point was that though the Duggars and the people they worship with make a big deal of reading the Bible and getting the word of God for themselves, they really are no different from mainstream Christians in that most of them don’t want to spend time studying and interpreting the Bible.   They rely on preachers and the leaders of cults to tell them what is in the Bible.  

[Gobsmacked]

On 12/19/2021 at 1:52 AM, OrchidBlossom said:

I just got diagnosed with COVID but at least Josh is in prison

….So did fully vaccinated and boosted son  #2.  Confirmation text arrived today. He has been isolating all weekend.  Me and son #1 both tested negative with home test so trotted to our nearest walk-in centre an hour ago. Hopefully all will be ok. His girlfriends’ test was  negative thankfully. They now can’t spend their first Christmas together sadly. 
His job requires him to test 3 times a week and he is fully vaccinated.  The new variant is a sneaky wee bugger. 

[backyard sylph]

51 minutes ago, EmCatlyn said:

Absolutely. But these other Christians don’t pretend that they have a special direct relationship with the Bible.   My point was that though the Duggars and the people they worship with make a big deal of reading the Bible and getting the word of God for themselves, they really are no different from mainstream Christians in that most of them don’t want to spend time studying and interpreting the Bible.   They rely on preachers and the leaders of cults to tell them what is in the Bible.  

I remember, back at some church I attended in the previous millennium—went through many via Mom and a husband—taking a weekly class in how to understand the Bible, because the person who was teaching it made it rather scholarly, which appealed to me. He didn't interpret anything at first, or much at all. Instead, he discussed why the language was used, a bit of history of the time periods, and some tools of rhetoric. I found all of that terribly interesting. But it made me far less convinced than ever about any of it being the "inerrant" word of God. The final nail...let's say in the coffin. I wonder if he thought it would go over everyone's heads and they would just take from it "smart people tell me things." Anyway.

I enjoy a lot of scripture as much as ever because I enjoy language and the historical use of it. But I've noticed people don't enjoy it when you bring up verses that sort of oppose their ideas of what their religion says. 

[smittykins]

17 hours ago, Proverbs31 said:

As the joke goes: how many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one, but the lightbulb has to really want to change. 

The way I heard it is “it takes a long time and the lightbulb has to want to change.”

(Another version goes “None, it’ll change when it’s ready.”)

[Alisamer]

19 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

Only if he can find them.  The Duggars use the KJV, and forsooth methinks they understand not the language.  😉

Seriously, these people criticize Catholics for “rote” reciting of prayers, but they cling to a Bible version written in an English that the average college freshman has difficulty with.*  They half the time don’t know what they are reading.

*Shakespeare and the King James Version of the Bible are both written in Early Modern English.

I think with the "education" the Duggar kids got, the Bible might as well be the Canterbury Tales, in the original.

Quote

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote, 

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, 

And bathed every veyne in swich licóur 

Of which vertú engendred is the flour; 

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth 

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth 

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne 

Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne, 

And smale foweles maken melodye, 

That slepen al the nyght with open ye, 

So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages, 

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, 

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, 

To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; 

And specially, from every shires ende 

Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, 

The hooly blisful martir for to seke, 

That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. 

(I still have all but the last line of that memorized from 30 years ago!)

16 hours ago, Proverbs31 said:

I just googled the question he got wrong on OKCupid, and it related to Shakespeare. He thought that, "Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name..." meant not, "Why are you Romeo?" but, "Where are you, Romeo?"

He was so sure his wrong answer was the right one, he didn't even check via Google. It's framed as an obvious trick question, and the clue is right there, contextually, in the second line... and he still didn't. So I'd agree that his chances of comprehending the KJV are low. 

Oh my lord. Like this is the first thing the teacher tells you when you start reading Romeo and Juliet. Like I remember clearly the very first day, the teacher said "OK, first thing. 'wherefore' means WHY. Now..."

My friend's 14-year-old studied Romeo and Juliet this year. I remember it being the first Shakespeare play we studied in school. 

But yeah, smarter than the average person. Sure. 

The sad thing is? He'll never know. He might be smart. Maybe. But he's so under-educated and concieted that he'll never actually know whether he's reasonably intelligent or not. 

[Mama Mia]

17 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I think with the "education" the Duggar kids got, the Bible might as well be the Canterbury Tales, in the original.

(I still have all but the last line of that memorized from 30 years ago!)

Oh my lord. Like this is the first thing the teacher tells you when you start reading Romeo and Juliet. Like I remember clearly the very first day, the teacher said "OK, first thing. 'wherefore' means WHY. Now..."

My friend's 14-year-old studied Romeo and Juliet this year. I remember it being the first Shakespeare play we studied in school. 

But yeah, smarter than the average person. Sure. 

The sad thing is? He'll never know. He might be smart. Maybe. But he's so under-educated and concieted that he'll never actually know whether he's reasonably intelligent or not. 

A bazillion years ago when I was 14 my 9th grade English Teacher gave us this introduction to reading Romeo and Juliet 

—The ode to teen suicide that for some reason they think it’s important for a bunch of hormonal teens to find romantic—

[feministxtian]

I vaguely remember Shakespeare from high school. I couldn't read it. My brain refused to comprehend the old English. 

I also read from a variety of bible translations. My top 3 are NIV, ESV and NASB. Then again, I tend to approach a lot of it from a historical/cultural view. For example, the whole "wives submit to your husbands" thing. They leave out the next passage that says "husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church". To break it down once it is all said and done is "wives, don't be a nagging bitch and respect your man. Husbands, your wife is not property, she is the other half of you and you both are part of the body of Christ...therefore, be nice, love your wife."

 

[ALM7]

On 12/15/2021 at 6:42 PM, justmy2cents said:

Didn’t they refer to him as JD or was that just us?

Surprised it wasn't Flyboy, considering they love to play pretend military. 

[marshmallow]

30 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Oh my lord. Like this is the first thing the teacher tells you when you start reading Romeo and Juliet. Like I remember clearly the very first day, the teacher said "OK, first thing. 'wherefore' means WHY. Now...'

I guess Michelle must have forgotten to mention that when she covered Shakespeare at the SOTDRT...

 

[Nothing if not critical]

35 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I still have all but the last line of that memorized from 30 years ago!)

Ha! Me too - half the General Prologue, and parts of the The Wife of Bath's Tale.

Bifil that in that seson on a day,

in Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay.

Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage

To Caunterbury with ful devout corage...

OMG, that brings back memories! I got my M.A. in English linguistics twenty-five years ago, and had to read a passage from the Canterbury Tales aloud and explain the grammar. Good times!