Posts by ShaunaC

I was raised a JW. Since it was all I ever knew I really didn't pay attention to it being the exploitation of children. I can see how you are right, though, as I look back on it.

I was enrolled in the TMS at age 6. I remember being a householder (asst. really on my mom's lap) but don't remember being an actual householder by myself with my mom giving the talk. I do however, remember my very first talk all by myself. I was 6 and my younger sister who was only 3 was the householder. She obviously couldn't even read, neither could I well for that matter. Our setting was playing meeting. She was so young that she could only answer with one word, which inevitably were "Jehovah" "Jesus" "In heaven". Although I'm grateful for the training I received (my very first part on a Circuit Assembly in front of over 1000 was at age 6 giving an experience w/ my mom) I now cringe at giving a child of that age such pressure in front of all those people.

Specifically what you were talking about......I distinctly remember my parents training my younger sister at probably age 2 or 3 to ring the doorbell and simply hand the householder a tract. She was so small that usually one of my parents was holding her at the time. After the householder would open the door either Marisa would shove the tract in their face immediately or one of my parents would say "My daughter has something she would like to give you."

It's all so ridiculous to me now! They were using our cuteness to peddle magazines!!! I'm sure Jesus would be so proud!

Thanks for bringing it up. It's sometimes fun to walk down memory lane!

Shauna

17

Just Arrived.....

by biblexaminer in

jw
friends

i am settling in here after a long stay on anoter site.

well, that's the nice thing with cyberspace.

you can be in two places at one time.. i see many faithful christians here.

ShaunaC

Just wanted to extend a WELCOME to BX & Mustang!

Oh, and Rochelle, glad to see you've come over from H2O. But where's your beautiful pic?

37

after so long....

by 30years in

jw
friends

this is my first post in any network such as this.

i have been "lurking" around the "apostate" sites for the last year or so.

i am glad i have!

ShaunaC

Welcome 30, Terraly & Truman! So glad you've joined us!

30, I too was raised as a JW. My dad is currently the PO of the last cong I attended before being DF'd. Because of his position he feels he must maintain an even higher level of conduct so as to set a good example for the rest of the cong. So I essentially have not had parents for the past 2 years.

I am glad you are here with us for two reasons: 1) I hope you see that you have nothing to feel guilty about & you may even be the one who saves your entire family from this cult. Please just take it one day at a time and soak up any strength & comfort those on this board can provide you, as they have me! 2) I'm excited to have another elder on board who has recently served & knows the current ins & outs of what's going on in the org right now. Your insight will be of great comfort & use for many of us who still have family that are in the clutches of the WT.

So I look forward to getting to know you, 30, and all the other new posters. And I hope we all can help you by sharing our experiences and what we've learned since leaving.

WELCOME!
Shauna

6

Christmas etiquette

by Moxy in

jw
friends

i know its early but this just struck me.... i dont plan to actually start celebrating xmas, etc.

just to rebel.

lol, too much effort.

ShaunaC

My first Christmas was in 1999. I did not know until right before if I would be able to do it. (I had only been out of the WT for a year) But after my first Thanksgiving with Nick's family, I quickly saw that the holidays for most people are no different than how we treated them (albeit a day or so off)...dinner with the family.

So I spent both Christmas Eve & Christmas with Nick & his family. The only presents I bought were for Nick. Some of the presents Nick & I opened between the 2 of us at home. He was so impressed he made me rewrap them so he could open them up at his family's house the next night. He faked surprise! His family was so impressed that I knew how to give gifts.......like JW's never do, right?! Even more impressive was that my gifts for Nick were awesome, above & beyond the stuff people give because they have to. They were esspecially for him!

So I decided then and there that my participation in the holidays would not turn into what I hated seeing in "worldly" people when still a JW. I hated hearing people complain about all the stuff they had to buy for this & that person, just because of the holiday, or just because that person had given them something the year before.

When I give, I still give with the mentality that I was raised with as a JW.......I give out of pure love and the want to please someone I deeply care for. I will never give a gift just because I have to. I don't have to! For those others who I may not particularly be close to I am more than pleased to give a card showing my appreciation for their friendship.

I have even tried to encourage Nick to do the same. Last Father's Day he went crazy trying to think of a last minute gift for his dad. He ended up buying something so stupid just to appease the holiday. I told him that if there wasn't anything he knew his dad really wanted, how much better it would be to spare him of a stupid gift he didn't want and instead write a beautiful letter telling him of your appreciation of him being your dad. Isn't that what the holiday was all about anyway!

The point is, Moxy, do what feels comfortable to you and not what may be expected by other people. Try to find a balance! Don't get caught up in the hype, give because you truly want to give.

Just my thoughts.....
Shauna

P.S. If you would like to do something for your office but not be forced to buy gifts for each individual person, do something nice that the whole office can enjoy like bring in bagels for breakfast, cookies to snack on during the day or take a couple of guys out for a drink. Gifts don't have to have ribbons on them!

14

A very bad day

by RedhorseWoman in

today i arrived at work thinking that this would be a day like any other.

has been a combination of joy, sorrow, and relief.. my niece in new mexico left me a message this morning.

my sister died yesterday.

ShaunaC

RHW, I wish I had some encouraging words to share. Just know that I'm thinking of you and wish you well, even though I understand how hard that is right now.

Shauna

23

Did you burn the sacred documents?

by LovesDubs in

jw
friends

...or did you shred the shit out of em so even the garbage man wouldnt become accidentally sucked into this cult like i did?

during the time i read crisis of conscience i went into a two week long rage.

i was angry all the time for being duped and i hated every witness on the planet, mostly for being as stupid as i was, and the upper echelon at the society...i just wanted to castrate them.

ShaunaC

Loves, I understand completely your feeling of WT literature. I kept the few bits a literature I took when I divorced my JW husband for a little while after being Df'd. But upon moving to a new apartment a year ago I decided it was time to throw it all out. Most of it I don't care about, although I am a little regretful that I threw away the Bible my grandmother gave me for baptisn when I was 12 years old. At the time it infuriated me to have it because she inscribed the cover with words of encouragement to always rely on Jah. Course I wish I had it now just for entertainment purposes.

Thanks for sharing!

Shauna

22

Visiting Bethel/new Corp Arrangements

by LDH in

jw
friends

a recent post from a wol newbie:.

please, at least once anyway....it is soooooooooooooo worth it!

any of you visited bethel lately????.

ShaunaC

Touche Stephen! :)

Nate, I remember visiting Bethel (twice) and once we had a friend give us a tour where no one was usually allowed to go. We walked by all the offices of the GB. I remember walking by Losch's office just a few months after he was added. We even got to go into the conference room where the GB had their meetings. You would not believe how long this conference table was! They told us it was donated by some big corp., believe it was Citicorp.

The point is it gave us bragging rights. That and of course we had lunch with the Bethel family! OH MY GOD! I look back and see how, even though I tried to keep a level head, still showed my JW self-righteous "look at me" colors! God, I just wanna smack myself for it now! :)

22

Visiting Bethel/new Corp Arrangements

by LDH in

jw
friends

a recent post from a wol newbie:.

please, at least once anyway....it is soooooooooooooo worth it!

any of you visited bethel lately????.

ShaunaC

I find it hilarious that he claims Jehovah is streamlining the org and yet they added on...what.....7 new corps. to confuses matters even more?!! :)

3

1st Annual Convention....

by TR in

jw
friends

...of "the lost that have been found"(tlthbf).

my wife and i are planning to go to vegas in june.

we could skip the convention and just have some fun!.

ShaunaC

TR, I most definitely will.....that is as long as it is clean & Christian (haha) enough to share! :) This is Vegas we're talking about after all......CITY OF SIN! ;)