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Over on the aptly named MADboard, on the terrific thread called "Aposates [sic], Non Believers, Anti's Etc", juliann has been chewing out a mostly benign post named Maggie Mormon. (And you had to know that the Wrong-Headed Wench would eventually turn up on this thread.) It seems that juliann is angry with Maggie for badmouthing her (i.e., Maggie's) ward. Check out the punishment juliann is doling out:

juliann wrote:

Maggie Mormon wrote:So I came here.

And as I came here, my eyes were more opened. More opened to "internet Mormons" (or whatever we really are) and indeed the difference between us and the "chapel Mormons" (or whatever they really are). I began seeing more "variances" and problems and my concerns became bigger and more concerning and much more alarming.

Your first posts in Fellowship were angry and accusatory and saying you needed a "break" from Mormonism. So the "I came here" makes a nice story but you started as you now claim to be ending. If you keep going with the excuse making you will continue to construct the usual apostate "they made me do it" atrocity stories instead of taking responsibility for your own decisions.

Yeeouch! Pretty mean, juliann! But it continues with this remarkably calm reply from MM:

Maggie Mormon wrote:Actually, if you look here you'll see my first post was in July 2006 and I've been in and out trying to pick up on deeper apologetics since then. Careful not to judge me so quickly Juls. good.gif

Edited: I've been into apologetics since about March 2006 however FAIR and MADB (atleast I've always percieved it to be) the place to learn about deeper apologetics of the faith. Some posters I really respect on MySpace recommended MADB to me and so I started an account. Since it seemed well out of my league, I just wanted to lurk occasionally.

And here is juliann exploding again:

juliann wrote:Nice try, Maggie...but you did a handful of posts and then completely disappeared for 8 months and came back and put up 470 posts after hurling judgements at your ward. Your words are there. This is how the game is played...you make accusations, you get responses. When you get to the point where you are laying your decisions at the feet of a few complete strangers, you are going to get even more responses. I don't have a lot of patience with what you are doing and I'm going to talk about it just like you are talking about everyone else you are so eager to complain about. I just think it works so much better when we are up front and open about what we do and why we do it, don't you agree?

(emphasis added)

Ah! Terrific! I guess this means that they will be doing away with the double layer of mod anonymity, and the semi-hidden Pundits Forum. Right?

Next, the very level-headed Don Bradley steps in to offer his thoughts:

Don Bradley wrote:So, Juliann, learning the typical narratives of the dissident and apostate allow you to discern the true, unspoken motives of every frustrated, doubting, or troubled Mormon who comes here? Wow. It's like magic!

What would be the harm of taking someone's own self-description seriously? You'd have to be a little polite?

Excellent questions! Here's the Wench's reply:

juliann wrote:Which of my egregious statements are you referring to, Don? I'm going to say what I think, I always have, I don't pretend to be something I'm not and I don't play hide and seek. If that means I'm not polite then I will own not being polite. But in the meantime...I don't know what you are reacting to.

Lots of fun stuff! It seems that newcomers to the aptly named MA&D board are expected to behave in very specific ways, otherwise they can expect to fact the Wrath of Juliann. juliann is apparently so paranoid about trolls, or others who seek to undermine her apologetic efforts that she will just rip into them with reckless abandon.

... juliann is apparently so paranoid about trolls, or others who seek to undermine her apologetic efforts that she will just rip into them with reckless abandon.

And this is different how? Juliann has always been like this. She hasn't changed. Anyone who expects her to be the Welcome Wagon Lady has a lot to learn.

Some believers apparently are so paranoid about possibly being "played" or something by exbelievers, that they are more than willing to throw wavering believers under the bus. It's a phenomenon that has been reported on repeatedly.

I think it has to do with ego.

Well Juliann's the MAD den mother...and when the kids start playing Critical Pursuit or Spin the Intellectual Bottle she has to lean into the party and tell the kids to knock it off. (Nevermind the kids are all adults...but whatever).

I agree with Harmony its nothing new, but I also was suprised by the extended attack on MM. Talk about thread-jacking and personal slagging-off! In that sense it did rather "come out of nowhere."

Then again, things have been highly wack over at MAD lately. Maybe its just because I read through a lot of threads recently for a quick catch-up, but it struck me as more rancorous and bizarre than usual (the thread on marriage wherein no one seems to have read a history book, ever).

Blixa wrote:Then again, things have been highly wack over at MAD lately. Maybe its just because I read through a lot of threads recently for a quick catch-up, but it struck me as more rancorous and bizarre than usual (the thread on marriage wherein no one seems to have read a history book, ever).

Can you give us the Reader's Digest version of the marriage thread? I prefer to not sully my shoes by tredding on MAD again, even though I've changed servers so could access it again, and they certainly don't want me there.

harmony wrote:

Blixa wrote:Then again, things have been highly wack over at MAD lately. Maybe its just because I read through a lot of threads recently for a quick catch-up, but it struck me as more rancorous and bizarre than usual (the thread on marriage wherein no one seems to have read a history book, ever).

Can you give us the Reader's Digest version of the marriage thread? I prefer to not sully my shoes by tredding on MAD again, even though I've changed servers so could access it again, and they certainly don't want me there.

Oh come on Harmony...I want to see the Pickle Jar in action for once ;)

Bond...James Bond wrote:

harmony wrote:

Blixa wrote:Then again, things have been highly wack over at MAD lately. Maybe its just because I read through a lot of threads recently for a quick catch-up, but it struck me as more rancorous and bizarre than usual (the thread on marriage wherein no one seems to have read a history book, ever).

Can you give us the Reader's Digest version of the marriage thread? I prefer to not sully my shoes by tredding on MAD again, even though I've changed servers so could access it again, and they certainly don't want me there.

Oh come on Harmony...I want to see the Pickle Jar in action for once ;)

From the Pickle jar: were you never on FAIR when Dill Pickles was holding forth about life, love, and the importance of vinegar in one's diet daily?

With appropriate musical accompaniment:

Those were the days, my friend...
we thought they'd never end.
We'd sing and dance, forever and a day.

Then Juliann got mad,
she hates Dill Pickles bad,
And she banned the Pickle, so I couldn't play.

But it all backfired
The Pickle hasn't retired
I just found a new place to have my say.

There has been an interesting addendum to the thread, in which juliann is now claiming that the Church, for all intents and purposes, "officially" sanctions FAIR:

juliann wrote:The stories are changing but the theme song is the same...'somebody else is going to determine what I do and I'm going to denigrate them in the process. ' I am unconcerned about what decision she makes, she will have to make her choices like we all do and because we are on a message board I have to assume that only she will know what is best for her. I have always said Mormonism is not a good fit for everyone. But I'm not going to sit by for months and 400+ posts and let statements like that go unchallenged. It is time to stop poking everyone in the eye while expecting to be treated with kid gloves.

If we are not "real" Mormons as she says with her chapel Mormon dig, I find it surprising that the church not only tolerates FAIR but puts up links to it and allows coverage of our "internet Mormon" conferences in the Church News. I'm just not going to put up with the crappy comments anymore when "internet Mormons" have gone out of their way to for her for months.

Somebody had better hurry up and alert John Lynch about this. After all, under no circumstances should anyone ever be given the false impression that FAIR is in any way "affiliated" with the LDS Church.