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Sisyphus
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 2142
Location: United Kingdom, Not Europe....
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 Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:25 pm Post subject: Birthdays |
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In another thread we are being asked to give our birth dates so Anne can be mother and make sure we are congratulated. Excellent idea.
A young man, 25 years of age who works for me is a JW. He is a desperately likeable lad, the users all like him he is good at his job etc etc....
When it is my birthday, he finds ways of giving me a present of some small thing under some pretext or other. All this subterfuge because JW's don't celebrate birthdays.
The reason they don't celebrate birthdays? Because there is no reference in scripture to anyone celebrating a birthday.
What a stunningly perverse idea..!!
What, pray tell me, is the Nativity story if not a celebration of a birthday..??
They don't celebrate Christmas apparently for the same reason, it celebrates a birth...... Totally perverse...  
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".... love thy neighbour as thyself." is the hardest thing I have ever done.... |
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Janie
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 736
Location: Essex of course....is there anywhere else ?
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 6:56 am Post subject: |
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I know.. this is something that has always puzzled me too.
I asked a JW once why they don't celebrate Birthdays..the answer given was (like you said Sis) because birthdays are not mentioned in the bible other than Herod's and a couple of other *undesireables*..however they do celebrate wedding anniversaries, not that wedding anniversaries are mentioned in the bible either, but because we are told Jesus attended a wedding ?????? well surely working on that basis he attended his own birth too ? or perhaps not. 
What a lot of people don't perhaps know, is that at their formation JW's celebrated birthdays and Christmas but somewhere along the way these celebrations were dropped. |
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-theophilus-
Joined: 24 Sep 2006
Posts: 562
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:13 am Post subject: |
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What else the Bible doesn't mention?
Sola Scriptura
The 66-book canon of scripture
...off the top of my head 
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Sisyphus
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 2142
Location: United Kingdom, Not Europe....
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:42 am Post subject: |
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I have said many of the same things to the young man I mention in my first post. He has no good answer other than they don't do it. I have said things like no flying, no television etc etc.
I may be being over simplistic, but to make a statement such as the JW's seem to be trying to do, one cannot pick and choose what one will or won't adopt for convieniences sake.
To take the JW stance to it's ultimate conclusion a person either has to become as the Hammish, or become a hermit in Ethiopia.... (A calling that is often quite appealing...  )
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Eddie c
Joined: 16 Sep 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Manchester
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:14 am Post subject: |
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[ | Quote: | quote="-theophilus-"]What else the Bible doesn't mention?
Sola Scriptura
The 66-book canon of scripture
...off the top of my head |
[/quote]
The Pope?
Eddie
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Eddie c
Joined: 16 Sep 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Manchester
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:22 am Post subject: |
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The main reason witnesses dont celebrate birthdays is because the Watchtower tells them not to. There is no strong bible reason not to do so.
Its true that the early witnesses did celebrate thier birthdays,Rutherford the second president decided that they are pagan.Its felt that he did this to distance Jws from thier founder Russell, and the churches.
Sisyphus,
sounds like you have a great oportunity to share the love of Christ with this young man.
Eddie
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Eddie c
Joined: 16 Sep 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Manchester
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:26 am Post subject: |
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[ | Quote: | quote="faith"]Imagine if we only did what is mentioned in the bible.
We will have to get water from the well, no cars in the bible so no driving. In fact now I have started to think of it there are so many things that they cannot do.
No door knocking as the bible does not mention that.
How many other things can people think of? |
[/quote]
Hi Faith,
when i was child we had no water and had to go to the well.I was in Ireland recently and the well is still there. 
I think you are wrong about there being no cars in the bible. When Joshua entered the promised land,the sound of his "Triumph" was heard thro-out the land.
Eddie
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Janie
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 736
Location: Essex of course....is there anywhere else ?
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:33 am Post subject: |
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| Eddie c wrote: | [ | Quote: | quote="faith"]Imagine if we only did what is mentioned in the bible.
We will have to get water from the well, no cars in the bible so no driving. In fact now I have started to think of it there are so many things that they cannot do.
No door knocking as the bible does not mention that.
How many other things can people think of? |
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| Quote: | Hi Faith,
when i was child we had no water and had to go to the well.I was in Ireland recently and the well is still there.
I think you are wrong about there being no cars in the bible. When Joshua entered the promised land,the sound of his "Triumph" was heard thro-out the land.
Eddie |
*Vitessé or Herald* ? |
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Elaine
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 1712
Location: Derbyshire
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:46 am Post subject: |
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Titles like "his holiness" etc for mere mortals 
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-theophilus-
Joined: 24 Sep 2006
Posts: 562
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Eddie c wrote: | [ | Quote: | quote="-theophilus-"]What else the Bible doesn't mention?
Sola Scriptura
The 66-book canon of scripture
...off the top of my head |
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The Pope?
Eddie[/quote]
Well St. Peter is in there, but then I'm not Catholic anyway so his sucessors hold little authority over me.
And besides, if sola-scriptura isn't in the Bible why should I worry about other Christian things not being in there? As long as they are true then it doesn't matter, and there are reiable ways of knowing which things belong to the ancient faith of the Apostles and which don't.
Anyway, back to the JWs.....
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Sisyphus
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 2142
Location: United Kingdom, Not Europe....
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| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Eddie c wrote: |
Sisyphus,
sounds like you have a great oportunity to share the love of Christ with this young man.
Eddie |
Craig, the young man in question, has worked for me for a little over two years. We frequently have discussions and occasionally, I can see his mind working on something I have said. I am working on the 'softly, softly, catchee monkey' plan at the moment and will keep chipping away, but a complete lifetime of being a JW is quite an obstacle. But, God willing, I have plenty of time and it is in the Lords time as to when and if he uses me to be the spark.
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Janie
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 736
Location: Essex of course....is there anywhere else ?
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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| and speaking of birthdays |
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keepingthefaith
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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OH NO
Janie I forgot   please forgive me |
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Sisyphus
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 2142
Location: United Kingdom, Not Europe....
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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Happy Birthday Janie  
Im a man, so I'm required to forget birthdays..... But, Oh, Anne!!! 
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keepingthefaith
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