ShaunaC

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Posts by ShaunaC

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  4

  San Francisco ex-JW picnic

  by Introspection in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  saturday, june 22, 2002 from 12:00 noon until dusk - picnic for exjws in golden gate park, at lindley meadows, tables 12 & 13. bring along some food or (non-alcoholic) beverages.

  for further details, email paul-henry thomasian at [email protected]

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  ShaunaC

  Hey Intro...have you received any feedback regarding the picnic on the 22nd? I may be up in the City from Monterey that weekend.

  Shauna

  Edited by - ShaunaC on 11 June 2002 13:22:8
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  25

  Do you consider yourself an ex-JW?

  by Introspection in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i'm gonna go for the direct approach here.

  it's kind of strange to identify yourself as an ex- anything, to define yourself using a former identity as a point of reference, one that is no longer.

  in some cases you might use it to clarify your relationship, (i'm jane's ex-husband, or whatever) but again it gets weird.. i mean we don't think of ourselves as ex-kindergarteners or something do we?

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  ShaunaC

  I think I'm seeing your initial question a little differently from everyone else.

  I do identify myself as an ex-JW. When I first left it always became inevitable to tell someone new I met early on that I used to be a Witness. I found it hard to talk about any part of my life, whether it was not attending public high school cuz my parents wouldn't let me go to college cuz I needed to pioneer instead, or why I got excited as a 5 year old when celebrating my first Christmas or Halloween, or to explain why I had married one month after my 18th birthday, or to explain why my family wasn't in my life, without prefacing it that I was once a JW.

  I tried for awhile to consciously try not to bring up the fact that I was an ex-JW. I actually yearned for that to not determine the boundaries of who I am as a human being. But I learned that it gave me a comfortable seat to sit in while meeting someone new. People are always fascinated about my life and the dynamics of my family relationships because of the Borg. It became an easy ice-breaker for conversation.

  A second thing it did, and probably much more importantly...every time I would recount my story to someone new, I would always receive commendations and praise for my courage and strength for what I had gone through. It served to strengthen me in return and move me to continue my resolve to never get depressed (for too long anyway) over my situation but rather to savor my freedom and feel proud of myself for making decisions that I don't think my parents are brave enough to make. Getting that reaffirmation so early one when I had noone was so needed and helpful.

  I have often wondered how long I will continue to use this to define me. I've only been out 3 1/2 years so I'm still racking up experiences and memories of my new life that will eventualy define me more accurately. But no matter where I go or how much I change, the simple fact will be that I will always be considered and consider myself an ex-JW. It makes up the largest part of who I am. Not the strongest part, but the largest part. Seeing people advidly post on the forum who have been out 20-30 years, tells me this might always be the case to some degree.

  Each new experience that stands in such direct contrast to my old JW self is exemplified and becomes even more important because of that old life. I savor those things more so because I haven't always had those freedoms.

  So instead of feeling bad or weak in some way for defining the base of who I am on the seemingly negative of being an ex-JW...I focus in on the positives of the person I've become and continue to grow to be because of the lessons I've learned since leaving that life. Thus saying proudly that I am an ex-JW shows just how far I've come. And that's awesome!!!

  My 2 cents...

  Shauna
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  42

  Watching my parents age and die.....

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just posted this on teejay's thread, but in case some didn't read that thread i will repost it here, the enhanced version, because i believe it deserves its own thread.. recently, my parents visited with me.

  (the great apostate, can you believe it?).

  technically, they were here to visit my kids and husband, as i am df'd [8>].

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  ShaunaC

  ((((((((BIG HUG LISA)))))))))

  That's all I can say or do. If i say anymore I'll become depressed about my own parents for the next few days. I understand completely!

  Hugs,
  Shauna
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  29

  A Christian responds to an Atheist

  by FetterFree Annie in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  atheism vs. christianity, a response to unanswered questions .

  christian--dr william lane craig.

  atheist--frank zindler.

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  ShaunaC

  Nicely done, Jan!

  Would you please suggest some more books on Christianity vs. Atheism. I am not as of yet atheist, more so agnostic purely for the reason that I have not done my reasearch as of yet. But I'm very interested in now reading some literature regarding religious mythology, including the debate of whether Jesus really existed.

  Thank you, Baby!

  Shauna
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  25

  Get rich Quick Dubs

  by OUTLAW in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dubs are always looking for an angle to make money.their probably no worse than anybody else,but they do like to preach against materialism while chasing the illusive dollar.alot of times its some form of pyramid scheme.amway for one,or the triple charge system(owned and operated by some dubs from califonia)then theres the out and out pyramid scheme.you bring in people who give the pyramid $500.00,after bringing in so many people the guy at the top get`s a $17,000.00 payout,and is free to start again at the bottem of the pyramid.i`ve known a few dubs who have collected their 17grand.the pyramid eventually burns out,and the people at the bottem are left holding the bag(no payout).they lose the money they couldn`t afford to spend to begin with.there are some dubs though,that make a good living at this.what are some of the get rich schemes you`ve witnessed(pun intended)in dubland?...outlaw

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  ShaunaC

  Anybody remember Melaluca? It was big among JW's in my area of Cali about 12 years ago.
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  4

  Anyone from Monterey / Pacific Grove CA area?

  by Makena1 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i would like to get in touch with a long lost friend from that area.

  last time i saw him was 1989 - scott h.. please email me!.

  mak

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  ShaunaC

  Makena, I just sent you an email.

  Shauna
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  18

  one year ago

  by peaceloveharmony in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  well a year ago, i ended a five year relationship with a man i thought i'd marry and have babies with.

  i left for lots of reasons but mainly because i'd lost myself and i wasn't really happy with him.. i moved into my own place and life has been an adventure.

  i dated a 21 yr old, that was interesting haha.

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  ShaunaC

  Good for you Harmony! I may not be single at the moment, but I strangly feel more independent and free than I ever have. Learning about yourself is the greatest gift you can give to not only you but the person you eventually settle down with (if ever you decide).

  Hey...ever think of moving here to California?!!

  Shauna
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  20

  Bowen Disfellowshipping/Daramsala Salt Works

  by Francois in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  bill bowen's disfellowshipping is very likely to have the same effect as the attack, by british and conscripted indian forces, on gandhi's followers who attempted to close the daramsala salt works.

  this event marked the end of the british raj in india - even though the brits stayed in nominal power a couple more years.

  the unprincipled and immoral attack upon unarmed demonstrators showed the world the utter lack of ethics and morals of the the british lording it over someone else in their own home.. likewise, the jw attacks, disfellowshipping of people who attempt to protect the most defenseless, the most helpless, the most innocent members of our society, is a carbon-copy of the arrogance of the british raj in india - and at the salt works that fateful day.. these disfellowshippings will demonstrate to the world the complete moral degeneracy of the watchtower bible and tract society.

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  ShaunaC

  While we all hope this will have a major effect on the downfall of the WT, sadly it will probably not. Remember that the Catholic Church has been dealing with this issue for years. While it has shaken the faith of some parishioners, the Catholic Church is far from being dismantled.

  The same will unfortunately be true for the WT as well. While this may provide some already doubting JW's the needed push to free themselves from this cult, in reality this is only the first of many steps in the downfall of the Borg.

  Believe you me, I would love for this to be more pivitol than it will be. I too know personally of quite a few who were molested as children by elders, pioneers and the like. Interestingly I never knew of it until after I left the Borg. JW Apologists claim that the number Bill qoutes is way out of proportion. Yet I bet that most have people close to them that have been affected by pedophilia...they just don't know it yet. (When my good friend finally went to group therapy 10 years ago while still a JW to deal with molestation at the hand of her father, she was surprised to see 3 or 4 other JW women also there.)

  We ex-JW's are prone to get overly excited about stuff like this. We want so badly for our family and friends to take their blindfolds off and see the WT for the destructive cult it is. But I will be ecstatic if even a few wake up to the "truth" because of this issue. It will be a long road. We should all be happy for the little steps because it surely isn't going to happen all in one shot.

  Shauna
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  11

  No sympathy...but maybe a little support!

  by joeshmoe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm heading down a path i think alot of you have gone down... and i'm certainly not looking for any sympathy here.

  i've read some experiences here and at other sites that shows me that alot of folks have gone through alot worse than i am.... basically, a year ago i left brooklyn bethel after a five year stint.

  already sick of structured man-worship, i struggled for while to pretend, but my heart wasn't in it.

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  ShaunaC

  Welcome Joe! Your next steps will be quite difficult. No one here will delude you otherwise. But we can assure you that if you follow your heart coupled with your research, you will not regret the decisions you are making. The truth really does set you free...that truth just doesn't come from the WT.

  Good luck to you! And don't worry, you'll have plenty of friends here for support.

  Shauna
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  7

  OK, psych, let's talk about blood

  by wasasister in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in reply to a previous post, psych said:.

  there is an area where jehovah's witnesses fail to protect their.

  children - blood transfusions.

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  ShaunaC

  Psych, why would you be willing to publicly denounce the WT's blood policy in the Wall Street journal but you criticize, no attack, Bill Bowen for his stand against the WT for the pedophilia issue?

  I'm confused on how you pick and choose the issues where and how the Society is wrong. Why is one thing good to pick on while the other is not?