Coming upon this site has really got me thinking. I have been mulling over things all day that normally I think to myself. Just wondering what your opinions are on some of these subjects.
1. Holidays
Now I understand how JW's say holidays have pagan origins, but what doesnt nowadays? Wearing wedding rings, white dress on wedding days, a candy cane.. all of these things are practices that started in pagan times. So what do we do? Stop all things? Or realize that those meanings lost their potency thousands of years ago. One thing I asked many JW's but never got an answer is: if we are allowed to celebrate anniversaries, then why not birthdays? After all, a birthday is an anniversary of birth. I never got a good answer from an elder when I posed this question except to say that John the Baptist's head was cut off at someones birthday. So I guess that means if someone commits a crime on a wedding day, then all weddings should be banned. Does this make sense?
Something else an elder said to me was that 'true Christians' dont commerate or partake in cultural or social holidays. But this is totally not in accordance with Christians in Jesus's day. They would partake in feasts and holidays of their area. Wouldnt Thanksgiving fall into that category?
2.God's protection to JW's only
This is something that was ingrained into me since birth. All of us have read stories in the YearBook and Watchtowers and Awakes about people being looked over by officials looking for Witnesses. How many times have I read an article where someone escaped persecution and the reason being Jehovah blinded the oppresor's eyes? I remember people saying they had an Awake in their car and it prevented them from getting car-jacked. Another story said a theif saw a Book of Bible Stories on a bedside table and left taking nothing. All this from having a publication from the WTS in open view.
A recent example of this is an email I recieved from my brother that was circulating among the Witnesses. In talking about the Twin Towers collapsing on Sept. 11: "Several brothers and sisters worked in the World Trade Centre. One brother walked into the building, put his briefcase down and decided to go for breakfast. The buildings collapsed while he was out. One brother and sister were sick and stayed home from work. They are waiting to hear about the rest. They have a call in to all the congregations to see how the people have fared..... I know this short amount of storys only scratches the surface and that
many more will come to light on how Jehovah protected his people."
So is this to say that only JW's were saved? I dont understand this logic.. it is implying that non-Witnesses are not important to God and these people lived because they were JW members. It really saddens me.
3.There is no life outside of the Organization
How many times have you been told your life would go to pot if you left the 'truth'? I can't count how many times I've been told that if I married in the world or left the 'truth' that I would have no real friends, no happiness and things just wouldnt go right for me. I have found quite the opposite. Many times they will tell you that God won't hear your prayers if you don't attend meetings (as my sister told me a few months ago).
Pick a topic and tell me your thoughts!
Yours,
Tera