ShaunaC

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Posts by ShaunaC

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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
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  8

  What have you been up to?

  by ShaunaC in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  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.

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  ShaunaC

  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
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  8

  What have you been up to?

  by ShaunaC in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  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.

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  ShaunaC

  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
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  13

  Post -Cult After Effects

  by Seven in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  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 .

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  ShaunaC

  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
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  6

  Interesting essay on Mithras

  by expatbrit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  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.

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  ShaunaC

  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
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  10

  Trust your HEART or your CONSCIENCE?

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  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!.

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  ShaunaC

  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!
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  12

  Anna's lesbian fling with a JW

  by Kent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  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?.

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  ShaunaC

  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
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  29

  So Whats Driving You To Make Posts?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why do you bother to post on this site?

  what good does it do you?

  what do you gain from posting?.

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  ShaunaC

  Thank you for helping me in my recovery, Gopher! Your words are very soothing. Keep 'em coming!

  Agape,
  Shauna