Posts by Xanthippe

42

How did you feel when you first celebrated Halloween or Christmas

by trujw in

with the holidays amongsts us how did you feel the first time you celebrated the holidays?

the first time i felt like i was in north korea trying to slip pass the secret police.

how weird a wonderful family holiday and i was acting like i just stole the mona lisa..

Xanthippe

On our first Christmas after we got out my husband and I, both born-ins, he third generation, bought an artificial Christmas tree and some decorations which I still have. We bought each other lots of tiny presents, mostly second -hand books and chocolate because when we left the JWs we were very poor, of course, living in a rented flat at the top of an old house owned by a lovely old lady. I can honestly say it was my best Christmas ever. I remember the coloured lights on that cheap tree, it was so magical I didn't feel guilty.

I wish he was still here to decorate the tree with me this year but sadly he died four years ago so my daughter and I do Christmas together. She has never known anything else being born after we left and I have to say when I see my happy, healthy, well-balanced child I think, I done good.

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I Want Proof Jesus Even Existed

by Farkel in

don't bother me with the josephus addendum.

i've already seen that debunked.. i am quite aware of the fact that the only evidence of jesus comes from his own followers who didn't even bother to write down his life for decades after jesus "died.

" don't know about you, but if i saw all that shit, i would have gone home and written three books about it that same day!.

Xanthippe

mP:
Im sorry he said a lot more hurtful things. YOu are cherry picking the few nice things he said and completely ignoring the evil nasty stuff he said. YOu are also forgetting he completely failed to address slavery or highlight its evils.

Am I missing something here? I don't believe in Jesus, I am not a Christian. I know he said weird things like let the dead bury their dead and that he came to put a sword. We believe the same thing, haven't you picked that up? Believers, I said, think he only talked of love but I am not one of them.

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I Want Proof Jesus Even Existed

by Farkel in

don't bother me with the josephus addendum.

i've already seen that debunked.. i am quite aware of the fact that the only evidence of jesus comes from his own followers who didn't even bother to write down his life for decades after jesus "died.

" don't know about you, but if i saw all that shit, i would have gone home and written three books about it that same day!.

Xanthippe

mP you said :-

'This of course all depends on who the "others" are. Lets not forget the Jews back then wouldnt even eat dinner with gentiles. I guess if you dont count them as others or even equals then you dont have to be kind to them. This was repeated in America where we have the quandry where Jefferson writes all men are equal and free etc, but kept slaves. I guess he didnt seee blacks are men or equal enough to have these rights.'

Of course even though Plato, Confucius, Buddha and others spoke over 2000 years ago about showing love and compassion especially to strangers or those who dont seem to deserve it, it doesn't mean that the vast majority have done this. They always say in ancient Greece all people were equal except for the women and the slaves.

As you say Jews wouldn't eat with gentiles in the first century, surely this is why the teachings in the NT are held up as being so ahead of its time because the whole point was that not only can we eat with gentiles now but they can be part of God's Kingdom?

Jesus is seen as special by believers not just for miracles or a supposed resurrection which no one can prove but also because he taught people to love one another and treat everyone with compassion. This however is not a new teaching at all as I gave evidence for in my previous comment.

It is just that it has taken humans so long to see that enlightened self interest requires that we treat one another well if we want to socially evolve and have a comfortable lifestyle for everyone on this planet. But those individuals who have realised this throughout history have been variously held up as prophets, heretics or insane.

Buddha, Confucius, Plato and others said very enlightening things that were clearly ahead of their time but never claimed to be the Son of God.

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I Want Proof Jesus Even Existed

by Farkel in

don't bother me with the josephus addendum.

i've already seen that debunked.. i am quite aware of the fact that the only evidence of jesus comes from his own followers who didn't even bother to write down his life for decades after jesus "died.

" don't know about you, but if i saw all that shit, i would have gone home and written three books about it that same day!.

Xanthippe

Confucius in the Analects describes his view of how to treat others, "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius.

Plato spends a great deal of time talking about what it means to be a ' just' man or good person and what 'piety' really means. His Euthyphro is a good place to start to see this discussed.

Buddha explained the need to develop our positive minds such as love, compassion and wisdom.

http://www.meditateinlondon.org.uk/about-buddhism.php?gclid=COWxjYSq37ICFcPHtAodkkkABQ

All of these lived four or five hundred years before Jesus (whoever he was) mentioned 'do unto others'. Luke 6:31

Check out the history of the Golden Rule

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

So 'he' was a bit late with the idea that we should be kind to our enemies and we should care for more than just our family, tribe. city state etc.

When this idea was developed among people with fairly primitive ideas of how to treat others it was an amazing thing. But did Jesus invent the Golden Rule? No he was born much later (whoever he was and whoever wrote it down).

43

Femine supplies advice help needed

by jws in

i'm divorced and i have a daughter who is nearly 11. last year she watched a video in school covering upcoming body changes (which she already knew about).

but one suggestion they gave that i didn't think of was to go get femine supplies and be prepared for when the time comes.

i like being prepared ahead of time for emergencies.

Xanthippe

Yes I agree with the above and as for brands www.always.com should help you.

199

I Want Proof Jesus Even Existed

by Farkel in

don't bother me with the josephus addendum.

i've already seen that debunked.. i am quite aware of the fact that the only evidence of jesus comes from his own followers who didn't even bother to write down his life for decades after jesus "died.

" don't know about you, but if i saw all that shit, i would have gone home and written three books about it that same day!.

Xanthippe

sorry I should have typed 'to glut one man's cruelty'

199

I Want Proof Jesus Even Existed

by Farkel in

don't bother me with the josephus addendum.

i've already seen that debunked.. i am quite aware of the fact that the only evidence of jesus comes from his own followers who didn't even bother to write down his life for decades after jesus "died.

" don't know about you, but if i saw all that shit, i would have gone home and written three books about it that same day!.

Xanthippe

Ucantnome Yes Tacitus and I think the other primary source is Xenophones but I'm not 100% sure of that.

Tacitus says in The Annals, number 44., Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular.

Accordingly they first arrested all who peaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of thhe crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burned, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved exteme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to gut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed.

(My translation is a Washington Square Press Book)

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