by confusedjw 40 Replies latest jw experiences
Wow - look at all the turkeys I missed out on. Of course back then I thought all of this was "real" and "important".
As to elders giving advice on the matter - no one *really* wants to suffer for righteousness We will chose to be self-righteous in areas that don't cost us money
I always thought that the Witness view of the holidays was a bit skewed. As a witness, my mom might fix a nice dinner on Thanksgiving, but we couldn't have a turkey, although a few days later on Saturday my mom would invite all my unbelieving relatives over and fix a turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, the works. Birthdays wouldn't really be acknowledged, but a few days later I might get a few gifts, just not birthday presents, mind you (wink wink). Nothing special on Christmas day, but a few days later we'd have a big dinner and maybe a few presents, without the label of christmas. We couldn't shoot fireworks off on July 4th, but every other day around July 4th was perfectly fine.
Since I'm faded now, it's rediculous when I see it happening, my mom actually invited me over for chicken this Thursday, but I'm also invited over on Saturday as well for a big turkey with all my relatives. It's stupid to think that god would pay any mind or care at all that you eat turkey or shoot fireworks off on a certain day and not another.
Ah. I wouldn't go to watch fireworks either as I figured it to was a part of the "celebration".
On none of these issues did I care what others did, though.
No, never. I was sooooo convinced it was wrong. What a sucker!
I did take the holidays off since the office was closed. I also used the floating day-off they gave me, but since I didn't celebrate the holidays, I worked the days everyone else wanted off so they could be with their families and I took Jan. 2, the day after New Year's off.
My parents always took the turkey, though, and we had turkey almost every Thanksgiving. Once we had spaghetti after going up to Mt. Rainier to go sledding in the snow. We took my aunt's Bible study and her teenage daughter up because they had never seen snow before. They were visiting the US from China because the mother was working in an exchange program with Boeing. I now think the reason we had spaghetti was not just because it was easy to fix after a hard day of playing, but also to impress the Bible Study with the fact that we didn't celebrate that day with turkey.
One Thanksgiving we were all eating turkey when Bruce Baker showed up for a visit. We were a bit red faced, but Bruce dismissed it as something most JWs did because turkey was at the cheapest and everyone had the day off to cook it. I really thought even more highly of Bruce for that.
Tammy
We attended our last meeting at the KH about a year or more back. Fading since. Not DF'd, but expect it anytime. 35 years in, almost 50 really since we never knew anything else even as kids! This year we are having a few family over for the first 'Thanksgiving Day' of our lives actually. Although my wife's family (all witnesses) always had a 'Family Dinner' on that day, but never advertized it too loudly. We are still a little self-conscience about it -although we have decided it is not scripurally wrong - my wife invited her inactive sister over and I heard her tell her 'well everyone is off work that day, just kinda a family meal', same thing her mother always said. Deep down, let's just be thankful and eat. I think we should do both daily.
By the way always took the bonus and the turkey. How could poor witnesses with no money do otherwise. Still poor, since we passed on the education due to 'wt policy', but happiness is starting to show up now!
Jeff
Yes, we did every year.
I would even send back thank you notes.. My ex would bring home birthday cake they would buy for him for his birthday.
I would take the Xmas bonuses as well as any gifts that were given to me. I just didn't care. But I've also known dubs to have a Thanksgiving dinner ON THANKSGIVING and invite the "friends" over to eat but they would say it's not really celebrating Thanksgiving. It's just taking advantage of cheaper turkey prices. One elder's family would also have alot of "friends" over on Christmas day for a party. They had a big hill that was great for sleding so all the kids would play outside all day while the adults hung out inside and "associated". No gifts were given but another BIG dinner was had by all and it was VERY reminiscent of celebrating Christmas only with the lack of gifts. My mother is the one who opened my eyes to the hypocrasy of this. She was actually pretty mad because I wouldn't celebrate the holidays (which upset her alot) but would goto these celebrations which were the same damn thing. Only it was given a different name, a different meaning and was sanitized and named as something that was acceptable.
Then I started to think that HEY! She was RIGHT! The dubs always say that no matter what name you give it, no matter how you change it's meaning, if it had pagan or spiritistic origins you could NEVER cleanse it in God's eyes. It would ALWAYS be pagan or satanic. And what are these idiots doing? They are having parties and get togethers on the SAME DAYS as these holidays and saying that it's all acceptable because of who they are (elders or snobs in good standing) and that it wasn't being done "in the spirit" of the worldly holiday. They are essentially changing it's name and it's meaning and it's OK for them to do it. But it wasn't OK for the Catholic Church to change the pagan holiday of Saturnalia into Christmas to appease the large multitude of pagans freshly converted to Christianity. This was one of the many contradictions that I logged into my brain and spewed out when confronting the elders.
You better believe I used it! I remember that it was just enough to buy that 25lb. of dog food I needed (for my doggie - not me)
LOL That statement reminds me of me. I make sure my animals are fed first THEN my teenager. LOL
I once received a $25 gift certificate to Safeway once and you bet I used it. I always took everything that was handed to me. Money, gifts, etc. Never felt a shred of guilt. I only felt guilty because I couldn't reciprocate when my co-workers gave me something.
The thing that pissed me off is -- I had this one boss who knew I didn't celebrate x-mas, so he didn't feel that he should give me a "christmas bonus". Total cop out on his part. I called him on it and he gave me the bonus in June.
Purza
Thanksgiving, and turkey in November is not known over here, so I cannot comment.
Christmas bonus is known. Most dubs that I know will take the bonus, and count it as a fair reward for their work "Workman is worthy of his wages"... I dont think that I have had a job that paid one, but I would have taken it if it were offered
Why, I ask?
If we did, we're sure to feel guilty about it without having it plastered all over in a forum.
If we didn't, we might regret it and we've alread got enough to regret concerning the WT-BATS, and it sure doesn't make us one whit better than someone who did accept these gifts.
