enoughisenough

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Posts by enoughisenough

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  16

  Our First Christmas Tree

  by Queequeg in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  early on, after we left jw land, my wife said to me, “i hope you don’t care, but i don’t ever see myself doing any christmas stuff.

  i don’t really understand why some ex jws decide to do that crap.” we agreed that parties were a little different because of the social aspects, but other wise i didn’t care.

  now… there’s a 16’ douglas fir with ornaments and lights in our living room.

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  enoughisenough

  My parents weren't JW. There is a description of a tree in chapter 10 of Jeremiah. As I recall the WT referred to these as totems. The very description fits a xmas tree: Jeremiah 10:2...2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

  3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

  4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

  5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

  Anyway, my Dad thought this description meant xmas tree and when we would drive by houses with trees displayed, he would say, "A heathen lives in that house." That sound judgmental, but it was stated as fact, not judgement. He was helpful to anyone in need, so never held it against them. When I was little , we celebrated xmas and for whatever reason ( that scripture for sure, in part,) we quit having the tree and wrapped presents. Mom always cooked a big meal and we were given some money for to buy ourselves whatever we wanted towards the end of December. That was a big deal to be given $5 and taken to Ben Franklin!
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  12

  What do Jehovah`s Witnesses beleive that can be linked to Pagan practices , anyone ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a previous thread has inspired me to post this ,thanks guys .. { i`ve been out for so long i may have missed something }.

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  enoughisenough

  So I am thinking the Egyptians were pagan...they built their pyramids and placed in items for the afterlife, if I recall what little I know about them-definitely not a teaching I have ever read in the Bible. BUT Russel, father of WT, based some of his teaching on pyramidology...so the WTBTS started out with pagan origins if you want to really sort it out, IMO. That is why we aren't to read the old publications...then we would know and common sense would help us see through the smoke screens.
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  29

  Why Not Celebrate Christmas?

  by Mum in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, jw's don't celebrate christmas or other holidays.

  as bill cetnar once said, there are two reasons for everything: the reason they tell you, and the real reason.

  they will tell you it's because christmas is "pagan" and can lead to all sorts of licentious conduct (like drinking too much macallan scotch?)..

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  enoughisenough

  Why not celebrate Christmas? What does Santa, reindeer, greenery, mistletoe, trimming trees, elves, being naughty or nice, leaving cookies, etc have to do with Christ's birth?
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  16

  My favorite Cooking Pot

  by Wonderment in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  although cooking pots are not directly "religious" subject, perhaps not many will deny that a happy belly can lead to wholesome religious thoughts and peaceful spiritual discussions.. that said, through the years i have tried most major brands of cooking pots - all the way from all-clad to cast-iron skilets - including some with the most extraordinary claims in between.. however, the one we have used the most in our kitchen is one brand from denmark, specifically, the 5 quart pot called "scanpan.

  " it is now approaching 40 years of daily use, and it has held-up surprisingly well.

  the handles are as tight as day one when we bought it.

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  enoughisenough

  Crock pot...throw a combination together and go about your business for hours and hours. If you have put in a good combination, you will be rewarded with a tasty meal and lots of good leftovers so you don't have to cook again for a while!
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  21

  Keep telling yourself that!

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.

  no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!

  not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.

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  enoughisenough

  Rattigan350, if independent research solidified the teachings of JW, they wouldn't disfellowship you for just reading a chapter or two in the Bible and discussing it in a group.( this happened to a sister- it wasn't a "church" group) The Bible says to make sure of all things and hold fast to what is fine. The JW says do your research, but only look into our publications when you do it. But you have to be careful with that because if you bring up some "truths" from past magazines, you can still get disfellowshipped for being an apostate...Just go back and look at the false prophecies in your independent research in the WTBTS books and magazines and start questioning it. You had to believe it at that time or be disfellowshipped as apostate , and many who have been labeled apostate now have brought up "facts" from the old magazines. ( can't win )
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  21

  Keep telling yourself that!

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.

  no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!

  not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.

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  enoughisenough

  punkofnice--go ahead and forgive yourself. I daresay, all who have woken up feel like we were gullible, stupid followers...going along with if you don't understand it, wait on Jehovah. In a video I watched, the person explained putting his doubts on a shelf because he thought those doing the writing knew better than himself. I felt the writers were true Bible scholars and researchers and who was I to question. If I had been reading the Bible without the filters of the WT, I would have recognized some of the lies sooner. If I had read some of the old books they didn't want you to read, I would have been awake to the pyramidology origins. This is why they don't want independent study groups-they don't want their blinders coming off. They keep the rank and file on such a treadmill, and what with having to support ourselves beside, it was just easier to go along with what they published...push any nagging thought away. So I think we all should forgive ourselves ( for those who are beating themselves up )and just be glad we are awake to the lies now. Are some of us suffering because of loss of friends? I am...I have no friends now where I live. I have a couple of work acquaintances, but nobody close.( I mostly work alone ) But on the flip side of that, I am not on the WT treadmill where if you don't keep up, you are judged spiritually weak and nobody wants you around. I am of the opinion some people pioneer so they will be noticed by others. The ones to be pitied are those still in slaving for the charlatans and donating to them.
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  21

  Keep telling yourself that!

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.

  no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!

  not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.

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  enoughisenough

  I recently listened to a video of a recorded judicial meeting where a woman was disfellowshipped for just joining in a study of nothing but the Bible.
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  18

  Do the old boys on the GB actually report their field service hours?

  by eyeslice in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this came to mind as my 71 year old wife got up at 6:30 to drive 1.1/4 hours to meet the field ministry group.

  we live a long way from the kingdom hall and the traffic is horrendous where we live!.

  somehow, i doubt the good old boys do much themselves.

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  enoughisenough

  too bad she is still asleep beings she gets up early.
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  21

  Keep telling yourself that!

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.

  no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!

  not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.

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  enoughisenough

  after the book study arrangement was taken out of private homes, some were meeting ( I went a couple of times) in the home of retired CO . We were just going over and talking about the chapters for Bible reading that week. He was told to close up that shop... the supposed reason being that one sister complained she was getting overlooked in commenting on the scriptures we were reading. That didn't smell right to start with! I guess some story had to be circulated rather than the truth of the matter.
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  39

  why celebrate xmas?

  by enoughisenough in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  many on here are ex jw....they have left the jws because of coming to find out the many false indoctrinations.

  one of the things learned as a jw is that there isn't anything true about xmas being the birth of jesus.

  ( matt chapter 2 tells a whole different narrative about the baby jesus than what is portrayed by the christian churches) they learn the ways that are celebrated are pagan practices jesus told the samaritan woman that god wanted to be worshipped in spirit and it truth.

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  enoughisenough

  peacefulpete, thank you for your explanations...you made some points that are well worth consideration.