ShaunaC

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Posts by ShaunaC

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  124

  I Think That I Chose My Parents.

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you believe in reincarnation?.

  i dont think i believe in it in the same way that most believers do, which is that we keep coming back in different fleshly bodies until we have achieved perfection.. i do, however, strongly suspect that we may well be spirit creatures who find it necessary to inhabit a fleshly body from time to time, and that this entails us having to leave behind most of our past memories.. i say most memories, because many people seem to have some vestigal recollections that don`t seem to fit in with earthly experiences.. i`m pretty sure that i chose my parents!

  i have a recollection of being shown a young and kind couple through some form of astral telescope and choosing to become their son.

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  ShaunaC

  I don't believe in reincarnation, however I do have some questions about that inner voice, intuition, subconscious premonitions.

  A couple of weeks ago a friend of my boyfriend, Nick, died in a car accident. The strange thing is that another friend helped this guys parents clean out his house. The friend got on his email and found an email sent to a girl he occasionally dated just the night before he died. The email smacked of what was initially thought to be suicidal thoughts. He spelled out almost perfectly what eventually happened the next day. He talked about how he had cheated death many times but that the roads are dangerous this time of year. He wondered if he died would she cry at his funeral & speak well of him.

  Now we don't really believe he committed suicide. A car accident is not a way to get the job done. And we don't think he would have put other's lives at risk. But even Nick, who was the last to speak to him on a cell phone about 30 minutes prior to the accident, said that he sounded very different from usual. He was very flamboyant and always over-exagerated everything. But this time he was quite mellow. Interestingly, Nick made these comments about this before we knew of the email letter or any thought of suicide.

  So I wonder....could he have had a subconscious premonition? I would normally not believe in this sort of thing, but I find the coincidences quite odd. What do you guys think?

  Shauna
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  30

  I need Help.............

  by rollercoaster in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  okay hi.

  i'm new here and i kinda like it but i do have some question have any of you grown up in the truth and then some were along the line stop going to meeting well i did i found out about some stuff the organization was doing and it really disapointed me and also the congregations i have been in haven't been very confornting so if any of you have some you want to talk about or you have been through the same i would really like to hear from you .

  discombobulatedgirl

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  ShaunaC

  Hi Discombobulated! Welcome, Welcome!

  I was raised in "the truth". In fact, my family goes way back as JW's, like 5 & 6 generations. I was a good JW girl. Baptized at 12, pioneer at 16, used many times in assembly parts. I finally left at 24, that was 2 years ago. My reasons were more personal...I was just tired of everyone ruling my life...my parents (dad is a PO), my husband (married for 7 years to MS), the congregation (they ruled so much down to what I was allowed to wear).

  I discovered the ex JW world on the internet last summer and now have many added reasons as to why my leaving the Watchtower was the best decision I ever made for myself.

  I understand how difficult it is growing up in the WT. I'm glad to see you're allowed to examine these things at an early age. You've got so much to look forward to in your life. And you've got a great mom to help you out in that.

  And just like Expatbrit said...enjoy your friends...including the new ones you have here on this board. I too found out very quickly that the friends I thought I had in the organization weren't really true friends at all. Just know they aren't worthy of your friendship but there are many other good people out here in the so-called "world" who are!

  Good luck to you! And please chat with us whenever you can!

  Shauna
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  12

  hi...

  by HalfWayThere in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was looking at jw sites on the net and i found this site, its pretty cool i must admit and you all seem to be so positive about life after "the truth".

  but its also comforting to hear how scared some of you were when you first left.. at the moment i'm contemplating leaving the organization.

  i haven't been attending the meetings much lately, nor done any witnessing, and to be honest i don't miss it.

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  ShaunaC

  Welcome HWT! Glad you have found us. There are many here who will give you much strength, even if it's just by osmosis. I have not posted long myself and can already see how much I've benefited from the association here.

  I completely understand how scary it is to leave the WT. I left 2 years ago from everything with nothing & noone on the other side to go to. I too felt the lonliness and was scared to death at the prospect of my life. But somehow, someway I'm continuing to muster the strength not to let fear control my life. There is so much good out here including many fine people here on this board who will understand you like no one else could, despite never meeting you in person or you even having to go in depth about who you are.

  Please stay and benefit! I look forward to getting to know you!

  Shauna
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  21

  Hi-I'm new here

  by had_enough in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  im new to this (or any) board and id like to introduce myself.

  ive been visiting this and h2o for about a month now, and it has been so therapeutic for me.

  ive been inactive for about 2 years except for memorial and assemblies and those have only been for my siblings sake to help care for an aging parent.. i decided to join in and introduce myself because yesterday i read ozzies great post on restrictions on march 23 pm and got so worked up by past memories of my experience with dfing and going through the humiliation of qualifying for reinstatement.

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  ShaunaC

  Welcome Had-Enough! So glad you've joined us!

  I agree with Englishman...you're on a great journey. Unfortunately that journey entails many high & lows. But despite the rollercoaster, I am finding it all worthwhile. You get to find out what you're really made up of, you're exposed to different points of view previously not allowed, and you gain a whole hosts of new friends that truly understand you like no one else.

  So...WELCOME AGAIN! I look forward to getting to know you!

  Shauna
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  6

  Stigmata & the Lost Saying of Jesus

  by ShaunaC in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  morning guys!

  hope you all had an enjoyable weekend!.

  i just watched the movie "stigmata" last night.

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  ShaunaC

  Morning guys! Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend!

  I just watched the movie "Stigmata" last night. Although it was about receiving the 5 wounds of Jesus, it was more about lost sacred writings of Jesus. I figured that this was completely fictional until I read at the end of the movie that in 1945 scrolls were discovered. Scholars around the world believe these to be the last sayings of Jesus. They have come to be known as "the Gospel of St. Thomas." Yet, the Vatican has rejected these as part of the Bible Canon and calls it heresy. According to the movie, the Catholic church wants to keep these newly discovered scrolls secret because these contain Jesus' instructions, in his own words, of how he wanted his church to be continued. This causes a problem for the Catholic Church because these scrolls teach that the kingdon of God is in the heart between a man and his Creator and not in any organized religion or with the use of priests and such. The Vatican with thus go to great lengths to ensure that this does not get out so that its hold on the people wll not be shaken.

  Now...I have many questions regarding the authenticity of the Bible. As was discussed on another thread, I too agree that the Bible is more likely a compilation of Jewish & Christian myths & parables. I too also wonder as to who Jesus actually was. (There was a very intersting program on ABC last year.)

  Yet, despite these personal questions I have to wonder...how many additional writings have been found or will continue to be found that may change the face of the Bible? Will the Church one day accept these writings as duly part of the Bible Canon, thus changing the Bible, perhaps the very meaning of it, as we have known it for hundreds of years? And how will this affect the religions of the world?

  I know there are many on this board who have been separated from the WT for many years and have thus had much time to research such things. I would be intersted to hear of anyone's thought about either this "Gospel of Thomas" in particular or my secondary questions.

  Thanks, Shauna
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  14

  Unresolved anger or overwhelming sadness?

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, which is it guys?.

  are you filled with anger at the wbts or just sad that things aren't what you though they were?.

  i'm very sad that my parents won't talk with my sister (da'd) or my brother (df'd) even though the society's own web-site says that such actions do not sever family ties.

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  ShaunaC

  Lisa, I definitely believe it's both. I would say that most time I remain somewhere in the middle of both. But sometimes I feel the anger well up inside me. This actually gives me much strength & conviction. When I'm at the height of my anger & frustration, I find I usually use that to delve into more research & reading. On the other hand, I also occasionally go to the other extreme of unbearable sadness. Unfortunately there is not a way to use this side to my advantage. I just have to go through my 2 hours of uncontrollable crying & sobbing. Despite not being able to stop myself when in this state, I do know that soon enough I'll return to my middle ground. Then I wait till the cycle starts again. Maybe it's a whole ying & yang thing! All a part of the healing process!

  Shauna (Part of the bragging class cuz I got to have lunch with LDH! )
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  23

  My story!!!

  by VeniceIT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i haven't really posted my story here, for one reason it was too painful to write out.

  well, i finally did go and write it up.

  it's pretty long so i'll just link it.. http://www.geocities.com/veniceexjw/mystory.html.

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  ShaunaC

  Venice....all I can say is....WOW!

  Despite the pain of what you had to give up, be proud that you were able to successfully stand up for yourself & the real truth. You're a very strong lady. With that kind of strength in you...You're going to have a great new life!

  Best wishes to you & your parents! I'm so glad you have each other for support!

  Love, Shauna
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  14

  Is therapy the answer?

  by ShaunaC in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i just finished reading the thread started by seven regarding therapy.

  i saw that many of you have gone to counseling as well.

  still others are cautious about it.

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  ShaunaC

  Hi RC! Thanks for wondering about me. And thanks for earlier sharing your story. You sound much tougher than you give yourself credit for!

  Your response to larc yesterday was right on target for me. Being able to be self-directed is harder than expected. I was raised a JW, married a JW at 18, and all the while was told what to do, say & think by the WT. I too have found it difficult to trust myself and my decisions. It's very frustrating to logically know why you react certain ways due to the background, and to know that I'm smart enough to be able to take care of myself in any way...and yet I'm always second guessing myself. Throw in the fact that I'm a young woman on top of that and the problem seems compounded.

  As I've stated before, I'm moving shortly, so I'm holding off on therapy for now. May pursue it once I'm in my new city. For the moment I'm gaining much strength & direction from all of you on this forum. Especially from the many strong women who are not afraid to assert their opinion & view.

  Thank you all for your thoughts. Have any of you read any books about building self-esteem or the like that you would reccommend?

  Shauna
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  12

  Did you know that George Benson is a JW?

  by Kent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you know that the jass musican george benson is a jw?.

  http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=jazz25&date=20000825.

  kent

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  ShaunaC

  My ex husband met George Benson once while visiting friends in San Jose, CA, which was where his home cong. was. He said he was very nice. Apparently he tried not to tour to much now so that it doesn't take too much time away from the org. YEAH RIGHT!

  Interestingly, George Benson has come to Fresno, where I live, many times to perform jazz concerts at outdoor venues. Many of my ex JW friends went to his concerts. I was told that if you showed the security your "no blood" card they would let you back stage to meet George himself. Always found that kinda funny!

  Just sharing...
  Shauna

  Edited by - ShaunaC on 23 March 2001 11:51:21
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  17

  Anyone out there?

  by Clark66 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my name is clark.

  i have been disfellowshiped since december 31, 1991. i attended the redwood city north congregation and was disfellowshipped along with an elder on the same night...you do the "mathwork.".

  i am new to this sight (about 1/2 hour) and am not familiar with the format of the do's and don'ts ... or even if i should be here.... however, i have a question for anyone...(and i'm ready for the answers whether it be from over enthusiastic jw's or people who understand...or from anyone in between).. i was disfellowshipped because i openly admitted before 3 elders that i am gay and lived this life as a gay man despite being previously a regular pioneer and a ministerial servant.

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  ShaunaC

  Hi Clark & welcome! Although I don't fully know how you are feeling, I do understand just a tad, a minute tad, based on...well...call it acted out curiousity. So please forgive me, my thoughts here are only to encourage you.

  I'm puzzled as to why you know you were not born this way & did not choose it, and you rightly believe that a god of love would not condemn you for such, but you still hold on to the JW mentality that you are destined for destruction?

  As an ex Jw myself, I completely understand how hard it is to rid yourself of old thinking, even when you know in your heart of hearts that it is completely wrong. In that respect, you have come to the right place. Being on this forum hearing a variety of points of view, as well as private reading & meditation, has done much to deprogram me from WT brainwashing. Please stick around and benefit & learn from the association here.

  As far as your other delimma, being that I can't relate from true personal experience, I'll leave that for those who do. I hope that SFJim or JoelBear respond and give you a better perspective.

  I'm so sorry for your pain! We'll all try our best to comfort you in any way we know how.

  Shauna

  P.S.
  Btw, did you know Alison Lunt? She was a young pioneer in Redwood City (don't know which cong.) around '89-'90.

  Edited by - ShaunaC on 22 March 2001 17:3:36