enough...we all understand what you are saying because we all would have agreed with you at some point. Seeing things a new way takes time and the right bits of information to fall into the right places. For most Christians since the NT celebrates the birth of Jesus with heavenly choruses and gift giving they feel it is appropriate to do the same. Non Christians appreciate the best aspects of the Jesus tradition and embrace the charity and joy.
peacefulpete
JoinedPosts by peacefulpete
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39
why celebrate xmas?
by enoughisenough inmany on here are ex jw....they have left the jws because of coming to find out the many false indoctrinations.
one of the things learned as a jw is that there isn't anything true about xmas being the birth of jesus.
( matt chapter 2 tells a whole different narrative about the baby jesus than what is portrayed by the christian churches) they learn the ways that are celebrated are pagan practices jesus told the samaritan woman that god wanted to be worshipped in spirit and it truth.
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39
why celebrate xmas?
by enoughisenough inmany on here are ex jw....they have left the jws because of coming to find out the many false indoctrinations.
one of the things learned as a jw is that there isn't anything true about xmas being the birth of jesus.
( matt chapter 2 tells a whole different narrative about the baby jesus than what is portrayed by the christian churches) they learn the ways that are celebrated are pagan practices jesus told the samaritan woman that god wanted to be worshipped in spirit and it truth.
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peacefulpete
It didn't "appear over" Jerusalem at all. A star was seen by magi in the east and was interpreted as hailing the birth of the King of the Jews. They went to the capital to honor him. The story assumes you know that the whole world was awaiting the Messiah and had interpreted Numbers 24:17 the way the author and many Jews did. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Prophecy
I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
In the story they proceed to Bethlehem (to again"fulfill prophecy")
Their efforts were assisted by the star now somehow appearing over the house. It's a bit of a stretch of course but that is legend making. This allowed them to give gold and frankincense to "fulfill" another prophecy (Is 60:3,6)
“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance…. They will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the Lord
The whole classic Herod killing the baby boys is another typological "prophecy" from the Moses story. To have it 'fulfilled' required the Magi go to Jerusalem first.
The Egypt "prophecy" is likewise made possible by the mention of the family fleeing there,
so to the subsequent moving to "Nazar"eth to fulfill the "prophecy" that he would be a "Nazar"ene. (perhaps reaching a bit with the word Nezer, the village didn't exist until centuries after the OT was written or seeing another typology in Samson, Samuel or John the Baptist being Nazarites).
I know you are a believer but the story here and in Luke are each constructed from elements from the OT. The star is not a nefarious plot but a miraculous supernatural sign of the birth. The version Ignatius is familiar with especially makes clear that point.
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why celebrate xmas?
by enoughisenough inmany on here are ex jw....they have left the jws because of coming to find out the many false indoctrinations.
one of the things learned as a jw is that there isn't anything true about xmas being the birth of jesus.
( matt chapter 2 tells a whole different narrative about the baby jesus than what is portrayed by the christian churches) they learn the ways that are celebrated are pagan practices jesus told the samaritan woman that god wanted to be worshipped in spirit and it truth.
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peacefulpete
Matt 2 makes it plain the star didn't first lead to a manger but to King Herod who wanted to kill Jesus.
I know the WT says that but read it yourself. It does not say that at all. It says the Magi logically went to Jerusalem (the Capitol of Judea) after seeing a star (common sign of birth of kings) rise in the east and ask around:
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
The star does not move from the east to lead them to Herod, rather Herod hears about these Magi asking around and then secretly has them summoned to him.
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
The star they had seen when in the east then, to their joy, reappears and helps them locate Jesus.
The twisted version of the WT is a deliberate misrepresentation of the story to demonize the familiar Xmas scene.
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39
why celebrate xmas?
by enoughisenough inmany on here are ex jw....they have left the jws because of coming to find out the many false indoctrinations.
one of the things learned as a jw is that there isn't anything true about xmas being the birth of jesus.
( matt chapter 2 tells a whole different narrative about the baby jesus than what is portrayed by the christian churches) they learn the ways that are celebrated are pagan practices jesus told the samaritan woman that god wanted to be worshipped in spirit and it truth.
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peacefulpete
Boogerman, I think your conclusion could be embraced by a Christian but your argument leaves, me like jnine said, what??? I think decapitating your neighbor while motivated as a religious terrorist is still a crime. What's not a crime is taking a special day to be kind and charitable.
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33
Merry Christmas
by jhine ini don't think that it's too early for my annual merry christmas thread .
merry christmas everyone.
jan .
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peacefulpete
Happy Holidays to everyone, however you celebrate... or not.
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89
Myth of 1914
by peacefulpete inthe wt engages in history revisionism when insisting the world changed overnight in 1914. in fact the european power struggles that came to a head were centuries old.
millions of lives had been lost in the wars of the 19th century, with the world a powder keg the years prior to the assassination of franz ferdinand in june 1914 which is often said, albeit rather arbitrarily, as the start of the war that escalated over the next 4 years into the great war.
take a look at these two pages and ask if the wt's interpretation of history seems accurate to you.
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peacefulpete
And they can just as easily claim they didn't. It almost has to happen. Back away gradually then poof new light that no one can precisely date the "invisible presence". Like a band-aid ripped off, the whining will be short lived. And it will be just another example of overzealous anticipations of the past.
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89
Myth of 1914
by peacefulpete inthe wt engages in history revisionism when insisting the world changed overnight in 1914. in fact the european power struggles that came to a head were centuries old.
millions of lives had been lost in the wars of the 19th century, with the world a powder keg the years prior to the assassination of franz ferdinand in june 1914 which is often said, albeit rather arbitrarily, as the start of the war that escalated over the next 4 years into the great war.
take a look at these two pages and ask if the wt's interpretation of history seems accurate to you.
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peacefulpete
I believe they will drop it with a wave of the hand and burst of magician's flash paper.
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89
Myth of 1914
by peacefulpete inthe wt engages in history revisionism when insisting the world changed overnight in 1914. in fact the european power struggles that came to a head were centuries old.
millions of lives had been lost in the wars of the 19th century, with the world a powder keg the years prior to the assassination of franz ferdinand in june 1914 which is often said, albeit rather arbitrarily, as the start of the war that escalated over the next 4 years into the great war.
take a look at these two pages and ask if the wt's interpretation of history seems accurate to you.
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peacefulpete
When they finally cut the anchor of 1914 loose the church will be much freer to adapt and grow. I'd give it another 10 years or so.
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how do you perceive jehovah?
by stan livedeath inwhat did you think god looked like when you were ( or still are ) a jw ?
or even never a jw..but believe in god ?.
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peacefulpete
Never visualized him as listening to my prayers. The artwork and descriptions in the Bible are of an old guy with a beard of course. I think in some odd way the name had been elevated to such importance that I pictured the name when praying.
Some may find it peculiar I generally use Yahweh went discussing the OT now. Not only is it more accurate but it's not a trigger word. When leaving a high control group it's healthier to avoid the language and lingo of that group for a while maybe forever.
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Pioneer couple sense of entitlement
by nowwhat? inso there's this middle age pioneer couple.
he works part time and the wife doesn't work at all.
their daughter is getting married and even though it is known they go on multiple vacations a year, they expect the grooms parents to pay for 100% of the wedding!
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peacefulpete
Funny someone mentioned "gleaning". In my family we took it literally. We got much of our vegetables for canning by trespassing in fields after the harvester went through. Or picked apples off trees that weren't ours. Actually funny now but we were quite sure we were OK with God because of Leviticus. It left a deep impression apparently. I 'dumpster dived' as a pioneer quite regularly. I shared good scores with the rest of the pioneers. Even impressed my wife to be in that way. Good times lol.