Happy Birthday Terry! 🍷
xo
when the doctor pulled my screaming body out of mom all those 7 decades ago, i landed in a post-wwii world.the world of 1947--compared to today's world--an alien planet.. the world i live in today has nothing in common with the world in which i grew up.. there were no cell phones back then--there were black telephones with a dial-tone and an operator who placed your call.
everywhere you found telephone booths!
a call was a nickel.where did all those telephone booths go?i dunno.where did my whole world go?i dunno.. tv sets were huge boxes with tubes and small screens.
Happy Birthday Terry! 🍷
xo
one of the witness rebuttals that is used to belittle the christmas holiday is the one where they say that people reduce jesus christ to being just a baby in a manger, whereas the witnesses recognize him as a mighty king, a much more accurate and current way to view jesus.
a baby in a manger is a sweet sight on any day, it's true, but more is going on than meets the eye in the case of jesus.
this particular baby is the first baby to have been born without an earthly father, the immaculate conception.
dear stillin...
You said, "I just don't care to be classified as some self-serving pagan or heathen"...
Pagan means something like "living outside the city". I guess in the biblical context it could mean someone who doesn't subscribe to the notion that Yehovah is the supreme God to be worshipped and obeyed. Heathen means unconverted.
IF people who don't know you have really been "classifying" you as self-serving, and saying that to you, you really shouldn't care.
IF that is only your perception of what they MAY be thinking, then stop it. That's like beating yourself up.
xo
one of the witness rebuttals that is used to belittle the christmas holiday is the one where they say that people reduce jesus christ to being just a baby in a manger, whereas the witnesses recognize him as a mighty king, a much more accurate and current way to view jesus.
a baby in a manger is a sweet sight on any day, it's true, but more is going on than meets the eye in the case of jesus.
this particular baby is the first baby to have been born without an earthly father, the immaculate conception.
dear stillin...
I'm not sure who said it, but it has been suggested that what made Mary the chosen vessel to carry Jesus is that her bloodline and consequently her DNA wasn't tainted by the DNA of the fallen angels. She'd be fully human, not a hybrid mixture.
one of the witness rebuttals that is used to belittle the christmas holiday is the one where they say that people reduce jesus christ to being just a baby in a manger, whereas the witnesses recognize him as a mighty king, a much more accurate and current way to view jesus.
a baby in a manger is a sweet sight on any day, it's true, but more is going on than meets the eye in the case of jesus.
this particular baby is the first baby to have been born without an earthly father, the immaculate conception.
dear Pete Zahut...
You said..."I don't think you're truly concerned about anyone being confused about Jesus still being a baby or that somehow he'd disapprove. The feeble arguments you present come across as attempt to nit pick and grasp at straws in order to feel more knowledgeable and or virtuous"...
I draw my argument from the fact that Jesus did what He did as an adult and the writers of the NT clearly want us to relate to Him as an adult. How could that make me feel more knowledgeable or virtuous?
You said..."That was the nation of Israel and God ended that arrangement because it failed miserably. They were an actual nation of people long before Jesus arrived so they weren't even following Jesus much of the time. JW's somehow dare to call themselves spiritual Israelites even though as far as I know, there was no indication that Christians were to view themselves as an actual nation, spiritual or otherwise"...
The apostle paul said that gentiles (wild olive branches) are grafted into israel with the jews (natural branches). Romans 11:27-26. It says ALL israel will be saved when referring to the "branches" of the tree. The apostle paul says that gentiles are drawn near to the commonwealth of israel and its covenants through the blood of Jesus. Ephesisns 2:12-13. Believers are no longer excluded from citizenship in israel. The apostle paul says that all believers are "the israel of God". Galatians 6:15-16. Both jews and gentiles become the new creation in Jesus. These believers are, the israel of God. Also ezekiel 37:21-23. God will call His children out of the nations, wherever they have gone. Anyone, jew or gentile, who believes Jesus is king over all is a citizen of one nation, israel. They are His people and He is their God.
You said..."Who said anything about God being obligated to honor our feelings or traditions and how is it that you presume know so much about what he approves or disapproves of that you can criticize and or condemn other peoples customs?"...
The bible is full of admonitions about what God approves and disapproves. I'm not taking a wild guess. Christians believe/FEEL that they are simply celebrating the birth of Jesus yet it is a fact that the dec 25 date and the traditional customs of christmas are rooted in paganism. God said make a distinction between the holy and the profane (don't mix the two). God said don't do what the world does, seperate yourselves from their practices.
The hebrew nation took their precious things and made a golden calf, they knew that golden calf wasn't God but they transferred their thanksgiving and honour to that calf...with all sincerity (FEELINGS). God didn't approve. The bible tells us that Jesus doesn't approve of traditions of men when they make void the word of God. I've already given examples of how the admonitions from God are ignored/made void in the celebration of christmas. That is why I said God isn't obligated to honour our feelings or traditions of men.
You said, "I just don't understand the superior attitude some people have about their religious beliefs and what God supposedly wants or approves of. They act as if they have it all figured out and have a special "in" with God and or mock or condemn anyone who thinks differently than they do."...
I don't think it's a matter of understanding. I think you just don't like it when people are given valid reasons to examine THEMSELVES to see if they are in the faith or if they're still kinda doing their own "thing". Perhaps it makes you harken back to your JW days when everything you did, thought and said was micro managed? Now that you're free from that, I'd bet that you take any biblical instruction that you find contrary to your "freedom" as mocking or condemnation of you personally. That's completely understandable, however, from me it is neither. I haven't mocked anyone. I haven't condemned anyone.
xo
quote: "jonathan cahn on the jim bakker show nov.12th, 2012. cahn uses detective work to figure out that jesus was born on the first day of the jewish new year, known as nissan 1, in 6 b.c.
compelling correlation of jewish feast days and their foreshadowing of the life and work of jesus.".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptlsxttf6n0.
one of the witness rebuttals that is used to belittle the christmas holiday is the one where they say that people reduce jesus christ to being just a baby in a manger, whereas the witnesses recognize him as a mighty king, a much more accurate and current way to view jesus.
a baby in a manger is a sweet sight on any day, it's true, but more is going on than meets the eye in the case of jesus.
this particular baby is the first baby to have been born without an earthly father, the immaculate conception.
It's completely different than the blood ban.
As the israel of God, His people are called out of the world. We're to separate ourselves as a holy nation unto God...following Jesus and worshipping in spirit and truth.
There is no truth in the blood ban, and it doesn't matter what kind of mental gymnastics the WT does, they're not following a biblical precept in spirit either. The blood ban is a completely manufactured testament to their self-righteousness NOT the righteousness of God.
one of the witness rebuttals that is used to belittle the christmas holiday is the one where they say that people reduce jesus christ to being just a baby in a manger, whereas the witnesses recognize him as a mighty king, a much more accurate and current way to view jesus.
a baby in a manger is a sweet sight on any day, it's true, but more is going on than meets the eye in the case of jesus.
this particular baby is the first baby to have been born without an earthly father, the immaculate conception.
Yes, Jesus is different, but we're speaking about His birth...His humanity and that is where I've drawn the comparison. When the bible draws a comparison it speaks to His humanity too. "He was tempted in every way, like us, but He didn't sin". This is speaking of His humanity as an adult, not as a baby. None of the bible writers, the Son or the Father said anything that would cause people to think that Jesus should be celebrated as a baby.
It is solely a tradition of men. God is not obligated to honour our feelings about "why" we celebrate christmas and He's not obligated to honour the traditions of men. Since December 25th isn't Jesus' birthday, it's even less likely that God honours the christmas celebration with His approval.
one of the witness rebuttals that is used to belittle the christmas holiday is the one where they say that people reduce jesus christ to being just a baby in a manger, whereas the witnesses recognize him as a mighty king, a much more accurate and current way to view jesus.
a baby in a manger is a sweet sight on any day, it's true, but more is going on than meets the eye in the case of jesus.
this particular baby is the first baby to have been born without an earthly father, the immaculate conception.
When we celebrate our birthdays we don't open up the photo albums, gather around and coo over "the baby". We want people to relate to us as we are.
Why would Jesus want it any differently than we do?
This is only slightly related: I was following a post on facebook where a JW lady was asking about a product and where she could buy it. Anyway, someone else suggested she might find it at such and such a store. JW lady was very pleased and said, "fingers twisted".
seriously? she couldn't say "crossed" but was on board for the superstition...
🙄
salvation : "heaven, hell and the afterlife.
"the jehovah's witnesses believe only 144,000 will make it to heaven, they dismiss the concept of a literal hell, and do not believe in the afterlife.
in this new video, i explain from the scriptures who go to heaven, who go to hell and is the afterlife proven in the bible?
dear Vander...
You said, "One should not base doctrine on fiction or symbolism only."
What about baptism and communion?