life as a jw is very...well...sheltered.
many experiences are outright condemned.
still, when others don't have specific rules against them, we more often than not, at least i did, choose not to engage in them so as not to stumble someone who would not approve.. very soon after my exodus from the wt i decided that life is an adventure.
A very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you, JoelBear & Mitch!
Love is a wonderful thing in any form it comes in! You appreciate that so much more when the "conventional" love you expect to always have is gone.
I hope you have a wonderful celebration together!!! :)
Edited by - ShaunaC on 22 March 2001 14:53:27
life as a jw is very...well...sheltered.
many experiences are outright condemned.
still, when others don't have specific rules against them, we more often than not, at least i did, choose not to engage in them so as not to stumble someone who would not approve.. very soon after my exodus from the wt i decided that life is an adventure.
Life as a JW is very...well...sheltered. Many experiences are outright condemned. Still, when others don't have specific rules against them, we more often than not, at least I did, choose not to engage in them so as not to stumble someone who would not approve.
Very soon after my exodus from the WT I decided that life is an adventure. It's all about our experiences, some good and some bad. But they all make up us as people and add to our life story. I decided that I wanted my life story to be full of events. You know the saying...the biggest regrets aren't what you have done but what didn't do!
Since I left the WT 2 years ago, I've been able to experience many new things. They range from the SIMPLE "no big deal" that I could have always done if given the opportunity....to the NAUGHTY "oh my god, you didn't" that I would get DF'd for all over again.
I've learned to surf, wakeboard & snowboard (the product of dating an extreme sports extraordianare). I've skydived, which btw, I wholeheartedly believe absolutely everyone should do at least once in thier life. I did it in Monterey over the ocean & quilt-like patchwork of the crops below from 14,000 feet. A truly breathtaking experience that I can't wait to do again soon! And although it took some time, I eventually learned to enjoy the holidays. The last to partake in was Halloween last year. I went to a rave party in San Diego dressed as, what else...a devil, in honor of my WT past...it's what my parents think of my anyway. (Many of you have already seen the pic) :) I've also greatly enjoyed many new "naughty" experiences that I will refrain from elaborating on so as not to make any of you blush :|
The point is...I'll try almost everything once. But I always try to temper that adventurous spirit with my age, knowledge & personal conviction of what is wrong & right for me.
So what new adventures have you been able to enjoy now that you no longer have the constraints of the WT? And if you're just beginning your life fo freedom, what would you like to do? Chances are that there is someone here who has already done it!
Please share! It helps all those that lurk to see that life can be rich & full without the the overbearing rules of the WT!
Shauna
i have been reading alot of margaret lately-thought i'd share this.. seven.
post-cult after effects .
psychological manipulation, cult groups, sects, and new religious movements .
Seven, thanks so much for posting that. It was strange to read through it & see myself so clearly.
BTW, I believe you see a therapist for other reasons, but do you discuss your experience of being in the JW cult? If so, was this person knowledgable of JW before discussing it with you?
Thanks again,
Shauna
been doing a bit of reading on mithras.. this essay contains some interesting information.
count the parallels between the legends of mithras and that of christ.. one of the "proofs" given to show that the gospels must be divinely inspired is that relatively simple men of the first century could not have fabricated such a powerful mythos.
a simpler explanation is that they merely made use of thousands of years of pre-existing religious ideas, shaping them to fit their own needs, as follows.. expatbrit.
Thanks all for posting this info. Very Fascinating!
Do know of any books which discuss the similarities of all these legends to the story of Christ in the Bible?
Thanks,
Shauna
over the past few weeks i have been thinking about this and wanted to get your input.. it seems to me the wbts has taken one scripture, jer.
10:23 (the heart is treacherous, who can know it) and used it to build their whole religion.
they have convinced us that all of men's hearts are pure evil, and i just don't find that to be true!.
You said it so well, conflicted, you might as well be talking about me specifically. True freedom is sometimes hard to attain. It can come with great loss, but what you gain makes it so worth it. Thanks for your thoughts!
Shauna
P.S.
Thanks Eric for the pics! They were great!
busty sexbomb anna nicole smith is having a lesbian affair with her 21year-old personal assistant.
jehovah's witness kimberly walther has moved in with the blonde beauty in houston, texas.. this interesting piece of information was just published, and you can read the story on my website.. http://watchtower.observer.org.
any comments?.
You mean I may not have lost my golden opportunity?!!
Where did this supposedly happen? Palm Springs? Sorry guys, gotta go call the travel agent! :X
Shauna
why do you bother to post on this site?
what good does it do you?
what do you gain from posting?.
Thank you for helping me in my recovery, Gopher! Your words are very soothing. Keep 'em coming!
Agape,
Shauna
over the past few weeks i have been thinking about this and wanted to get your input.. it seems to me the wbts has taken one scripture, jer.
10:23 (the heart is treacherous, who can know it) and used it to build their whole religion.
they have convinced us that all of men's hearts are pure evil, and i just don't find that to be true!.
Lisa, I so understand what you are talking about. In fact, I think it's what hinders me from being able to fully get my bearings "in the world." In the many decisions I make in my new life my once well-trained JW conscience tells me not to follow my heart because the heart is treacherous and can lead you down the wrong path. Yet, I struggle because I know my conscience is being transformed. Half of what I instinctively think I know is a product of JW manipulation. So I try to balance out that old conscience with current knowledge and then try to temper that with what I feel is right in my heart.
It's all so confusing and frustrating that many times I don't know which part of me to trust. I hope at some point in my life those three characteristics...conscience, knowledge & heart...will finally gel together. Until then I feel a little schizophrenic! :)
Hey Lisa, we still on for lunch tomorrow?
Shauna
sharing .
on a judicial committee .
"when having a hearing between your brothers, you must .
I wonder how many on this board who were disfellowhshipped after succumbing to a judicial hearing feel that that the elders judged them with righteousness and not from partial knowledge or personal feeling!
I'm the one who contacted the brothers to arrange a judicial committee. It was on the matter of fornication (on purpose btw) to free my soon to be ex to remarry and to get myself out of the org. At the time I still thought it was "the truth" and had every intention of returning one day. I knew there was a bigger stigma on disassociating and so chose to succomb to disfellowshipment so as to have an easier road to return later.
There was one elder who I had talked to many times during the few months previous that I had separted from my husband. He was a young elder (time wise) and thus treated me with much kindness. One elder I was regretting dealing with but he ended up remaining relatively silent throughout the process. The worst of the situation was the 3rd elder who had been like a 2nd father to me since about the age of 2. He treated me with so much contempt. He even admitted that he hurt like he was my own father. Since it was on the matter of fornication, he felt he had the right to ask intimate questions which had nothing to do with my case. Remember, I was the one who called the committee together. I was not repentant & told them so. I wanted to be Df'd. Despite repentance not being an issue and the fact that I had not lived with my ex for 2 months nor had "been" with him in 6 months, he preoceeded to question about the number of times things happened, what kind of protection I used, even going so far as to berate me as to whether I was now going to live with this man who I slept with. Dealing with him was so awful that even if I were to be brainwashed again by WT propaganda, I could not ever meet before this person to get reinstated.
A few months back I was listening to Howard Stern. He had a former Witness on who described how in-depth the questions her committee asked her. Such as...how many orgasms & what positions. She had to describe them in great detail until she finally refused to no longer answer. After hearing her ordeal, I consider myself pretty lucky.
Have any of you had similar situations? Are elders worse when it comes to a matter of sex because they're all sexually repressed perverts?
Shauna
why do you bother to post on this site?
what good does it do you?
what do you gain from posting?.
Englishman, thank you so much for bringing this up. Although a newbie to a discussion forum as this and a relatively newbie to the internet world of ex JW's in general (only discovered it last summer), I can say without a doubt that it has been great therapy for me. Almost a year ago I began on a rollercoaster of depression. I intially searched the web for psycological help from hopefully an ex JW. What I found was a great world of ex JW's, all with stories so similar to mine, to one degree or another.
I lurked for a long time on Witnet, the old & new H20, but it was just a few weeks ago that I finally decided to join in. Boy, am I glad I did! I've met so many wonderful people here. And now my boyfriend has to sit through stories every night of the new people I've talked to and the interesting information I'm reading from all of you elequent posters.
I must admit that my reason for posting is probably pretty selfish. At this point in my life I have no interest whatsoever to debate anything Biblical, divine or otherwise. It's not that I don't have an opinion or are even in the midst of formulating one. But I am so turned off every time I see a scripture quoted (unless in reference to the WT's disgraceful misrepresentations). And don't even get me started on those words I absolute abhor....my lord & saviour! I think it's just a stage I'm in at the moment, I think many of you have probably gone through that yourselves. But I can feel myself being drawn into more in-depth conversations.
However, at this time I'm reveling in the fact that I get to talk to people who, despite never meeting me personally or me having to give an in-depth description of myself, can relate to me. There are others in my life who try so desperately to understand. They are most definitely symathetic, but it's so hard for them to be truly empathetic (remember that from an old WT lesson).
I'm enjoying every bit of strength I'm receiving from you all through osmosis. As I proceed in developing my own mind and opinion on other more important topics, I look forward to then being able to spar with you all in a more meaningful way.
Funny how we still enjoy a brotherhood! Thank you all for that!
Shauna
