Ok, so in about 3 weeks, our best friend is coming to stay with us for a month. She is still a dubbie but she was recently reprimanded and her family is making her life a living hell. They are making her literally feel like shit. I know that she feels an obligation to her parents, even though she is 29 years old and divorced.
Anyway my point is that she knows my wife and I are not going to meetings anymore, but what she doesn't know is that we're going to have our Crhistmas tree up in the living room. My wife thinks it's better to tell her before she gets here so at least it doesn't come as a big shock to her.
My wife doesn't want me to "unpreach" to her, but I told her that if our friend asks any question regarding why we're not going to meetings anymore and why we have a Christmas, I will answer her truthfully.
What I need is suggestions on what points would be more effective to attack first and any useful areguments PRO-Christmas that I can discuss with my friend.
Thanks!
OK Guys... Your help neede and appreciated!
by Mastodon 13 Replies latest jw friends
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Mastodon
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blondie
There are more than 2 sides to this issue. Why does she have to be pro-Christmas tree? All she has to be is willing to let you make your own decisions.Anti tree
Neutral
Pro tree
Blondie
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AlmostAtheist
"No, no! It's not a Christmas tree. We're.. uh.. celebrating saturnalia! Yeah, that's it!" -- no, probably not. :-)
Like the Bible, Christmas tree tradition is a matter of interpretation. If you want to prove it's pagan, it's not hard to do. Likewise, if you want to establish that the modern-day christmas tree tradition was in fact NOT of pagan origin, you can do that, too. Since there's this ambiguity, I doubt you'd get far trying to weasel around the "pagan" thing.
There was that Awake article on pinata's that said it is more important to see how something is viewed today, than how it was viewed a hundred or more years ago. (They used the logic to dismiss the pinata's pagan/religious background) Perhaps it would jar your friend a bit to see such reasoning in print, in the context of this discussion.
Also, showing her how the birthday issue was just pretty much made up and has nothing to do with 'reasoning from the scriptures' might help her see that the 'tower often goes beyond what is written. (See: http://thebentinel.com/jw-birthdays.html)
Hope it helps!
Dave
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Sam the Man
Just make up some excuse and say she cant come. Easier all round I'd say. Sorry if thats useless information but thats what I'd do. Why stress?
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Finally-Free
I was told, "Jesus didn't command us to observe anything except the memorial". My answer was, "Jesus didn't command us to eat Chinese food either, but we still do it, even though it finds its origin in a primarily non-Christian nation.
W
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Purza
Are there any PRO christmas points that a JW will believe? I don't think so. I would just tell her in advance about the tree and leave it at that -- no explanation is really needed. If she is uncomfortable with it, she probably just won't come to visit.
Purza
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ghostbuster
I wouldn't worry about any of this stuff, your helping her out remember. If she does find issue then it's her problem not yours. She needs to be discrete her self.
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MsMcDucket
Just say Jehovah made trees, and we chose to decorate them. Also, we believe what Colossians 2:16-19 says, which is:
16. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holiday, or of the newmoon, or of the sabbath-days;
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Sassy
I think in all fairness she should have a warning. Your wife is right. It might seem like a small thing to us, but it might be a big thing to her.. so if she has a problem with it, well she'll have to get help elsewhere.
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wanda
The historians now say the tree started as a tree in church plays of the Middle Ages, the Tree of Paradise in the garden of Eden to be exact. People thought it neat, put their own up in homes, then some began to decorate it.
It was never worshipped by any Christians. Think about it. Why would Christians have worshipped anything not Christian?