>> i guess it gives me hope that j.w isnt the
>> only religion and one day he may find his
>> way out!!! also because i feel sane here!!!!
When JW's are examined in the light of day, they turn out to be just another religion. Plenty of folks have left it and gone on to enjoy some other religion, Christian or otherwise. So your hope is well-founded!
>> when you were a j.w why were you taught to not celebarte
>> christmas?
>> also is there fact behind there teachings?
Depends on what you mean by "fact". They teach that if a practice originated with false worshippers ("pagans"), and was a part of their false worship, then Christians shouldn't participate in it. This is an opinion, but it is treated by JW's as an irrefutable fact.
They then show that Christmas has pagan origins. This is almost surely true. The date, the holly, the wreaths, the evergreen tree, can all find their roots in pagan worship. Of course, no one doing it today thinks of it that way.
And JW's themselves don't exactly follow that logic, either. They still wear wedding rings and enjoy banging around a pinata, both of which find their origins in pagan religious practices.
It is such a sin to celebrate it that you can be disfellowshipped (shunned by all other JW's, including family) if you do celebrate it. (I know, that's what I was disfellowshipped for, and why my in-law's will no longer speak to me.)
>> did you ever feel left out at this festive season
>> and what did you think of others that celebrated?
>> (i.e worldly friends, relatives, spouses.)
No, because I thought I was pleasing God. When a person thinks they are doing something for God, there isn't much they aren't willing to do. Even die. Even kill. (Think 9-11 pilots)
>> and if you have now found the real truth about
>> the truth..do you celebrate christmas and why?
Yes, I and my family now do. I'm an atheist, I do it because it's fun and it's traditional. I find that following traditions makes me feel connected to the community and my history.
My wife is a pagan, sort of shamanistic/eclectic. She calls it "Gina-ism". :-) She enjoys Christmas for the same reasons as me, but also BECAUSE of its pagan roots.
There is little doubt that some pagan somewhere down the line got on his knees and prayed to Molech. Does that mean Christians today shouldn't pray on their knees? The Watchtower makes a mistake in logic when they say that if a pagan did something for a certain reason, anyone else doing it must also be doing it for that reason. It isn't logical or reasonable, but it's their take on it.
Merry Christmas!
Dave
