Is thanksgiving a religious holiday?
Thanksgiving...feelin' a little annoyed...for now...
by AwSnap 28 Replies latest jw friends
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AllTimeJeff
Is thanksgiving a religious holiday?
No, its just a holiday that JW's can't (re)write the history of.
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drew sagan
It's called intergroup discrimination. In order to build up their own identity and self importance, members of a group must marginalize the actions other groups they perceieve as competition.
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greenie
I looked into this too as I am hosting Thanksgiving today, wanted to invite my JW family, and needed to know in advance if that was ok, or if there'd be objections. While I actually agree with the reasoning stated above (namely, that they just use it as another way to isolate and thus control their followers), the stated reasons are that it could be too nationalistic. So they circumvent the pagan problem (i.e., that there aren't pagan origins) and instead pin it on swearing allegiance to a worldly government - the same as the Fourth of July. So for those of you not from this side of the pond, just read what your WT says about national holidays and apply it here. OH, OH, OH, and of COURSE they use the stumbling argument! "You can observe it, but if it would stumble your brother..." REALLY? They make them sound like such wimpy Christians. What would stumble me is if I saw Preacher Brown out drunk and making out with ladies that aren't Mrs. Preacher Brown, NOT if I saw him eating matzo ball soup at a bar mitzvah.
Of course this day is bittersweet for me, per usual, but I'm trying to power through the bad feelings and set a good example. Here's what I mean: JW family *can't* come over today, but may come tomorrow for leftovers. Hmmmm... This really, really, REALLY frustrates me for reasons I'm sure I don't have to explain to all of you, but I am trying to be the bigger person and be just as enthusiastic when they come tomorrow as I would've been if they come today. I'm sure my actions will speak louder, right? I need some encouragement here, people, because really what I want to say is "Well, if this food that I have slaved over, missed sleep for and burned myself while making isn't good enough for you on the day it's meant to be eaten and you don't want to join in fellowship and friendliness with my family, I'm afraid I'm not interested in sharing it with you on the next." I know, immature, right? But I find their logic so silly, and I find their actions insulting and frustrating. Oh well! I'm determined to make it a Happy Thanksgiving and my place is smelling delicious!
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drew sagan
JW family *can't* come over today, but may come tomorrow for leftovers. Hmmmm... This really, really, REALLY frustrates me for reasons I'm sure I don't have to explain to all of you
Because the Watchtower's objections to holidays are petty and inconsistant, the responses individual members make to these restrictions are equally as petty and inconsistant. Like father like son, so to speak. I know that most JWs have large meals and gatherings on thanksgiving and christmas simply because people have time off and food prices are cheap. This "work around" displays the superfluous nature to their "rejection" of holidays.
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dissed
"wimpy Christians?"
That's funny Greenie
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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restrangled
They would like to think they don't celebrate, but they do.
Excuses I've heard through the years:
Turkey is on sale.
Everyone is off of work.
Relatives are in town.
We have the turkey on Friday when everyone is shopping for Christmas. The turkey, stuffing sweet potatoes, gravy, vegs. and pumpkin pie.
(Hmmmm, sounds like Thanksgiving to me) All the guys watched sports the entire day waiting to eat too!
I never heard a JW turn down a Turkey dinner. ON or NEAR the date.
r.
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AwSnap
Greenie, I don't think you're immature...I'd probably feel the same way.
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Chalam
greenie JW family *can't* come over today, but may come tomorrow for leftovers. Hmmmm...
That's an interesting point. I heard of JWs buying fireworks after November 5th and having their own night for kids.
The message there must be real confusing. You cannot let off fireworks on 5th Nov as it is a "worldly" or "pagan" but you can do the very same things as "worldly" people on the 6th?!
The exclusion must be quite damaging and also have a hardening effect to criticism of the religion.
Blessings,
Stephen
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AwSnap
Well, I had a little email conversation with one of the jw's on my facebook. Here was part of her response:
Trust me I know what you mean when it comes to volunteer events "the world" to those "not in the world", but when I was speaking generally when I said "the world". (yeeeeahhhh riiiiight)<---awsnaps thought I know you must be a little stressful right now because you're not a practicing Jehavah's Witnesses or maybe you don't believe the same things you were taught). (or maybe I'm only stressed out when I see idiots make comments about how the world doesn't show thanks during other parts of the year)
She was one of the folks who'd posted something like "how come people in the world don't volunteer and show gratitude except during the 'season of giving'??!" So I said to her that, in my own experience, whenever I volunteer at functions throughout the year, the ratio of those "in the world" vs. those "not in the world" is quite vast.