It is indeed a famous jw saying, and it holds no water in actual practice. It's just their way of trying to show that they are "normal", when in fact they seldom if ever give gifts other than on special occasions.
That said, I do think they have the right idea about Christmas giving. I'm not saying that their viewpoint is correct (I think Christmas has evolved to the point where it's simply a family holiday and its pagan origins are no longer much of a factor), but that Christmas has become so commercialized that gift-giving is often done out of compulsion. At least that's how I feel - after trying to celebrate Christmas for about 8 years now, I still cannot get past the blatant commercialization and the compelling obligation that I feel to give gifts.
Michael Vick throws one TD pass and you're ready to anoint him as the Eagles' best chance to win? When Vick was in his prime, he was at best a questionably accurate passer. In the modern NFL, accuracy is of tremendous importance. If a QB is not completing at least 60-65% of his passes, he will have limited effectiveness. Vick's percentage was often in the 50's in terms of percentile, and sure enough, his effectiveness was limited.
ok, my issue with the memorial i have put forth in another thread, but allow me to past them here:.
the memorial enfoces on them the power of the gb and of the "annointed" class, it is the total opposite of grace.. where god's grace is given free to all, the memorial is withedl from the majority.. god's grace tells us that no matter what we do, god loves us and if we belive, our salvation is in christ's hands.. the memorial is about the opposite, no matter what you have done, you are not worthy to partake on what was free given to all.. only the annointed can partake, the rest are not deserving.. if that is not a slap in the face of god's gift of grace, i don't know what is.. there they sit, all the "un-annointed", their heads hanging low, nomatter how many hourse they put in, how many loved ones they shunned, how many they have lost to the horrifc "no blood policy", they are not deserving to share in what jesus told all his believers to do.. the last supper was our lord's gift to us so that anytime we do it, we remember him.. when we say grace before our meal and we thank jesus for all his has done, for his sacrifice, we are partaking of his blood and body.. but even here the wt ignores jesus's commands and relegates him to the back with the rest.. horrific....
One of my main problems with the Memorial, personally, was the absence of significance of it for non-partakers, who of course make up the vast majority, and at most Memorial meetings, they make up the entire audience. We all just sat there, heard the same talk every year, and passed the emblems in a meaningless ritual. There was a pronounced feeling of irony - 'you are here to celebrate the signifcance of Jesus' death, and yet you cannot participate'. The Memorial was in many ways the most frustrating meeting of the year.
i was talking with a friend of mine on the board yesterday and the discussion gave me the idea for this thread !
( thanks friend !
) and it seems as we were talking the thought came up that many of us when exiting the mind control of jehovah's witnesses we really come to appreciate the freedom to think how we want and be able to have access to other views which helps us to have a broader scope , or broader world view than just the tunnel vision of the wt society.
For me it's time as well. I feel like I can live one day at a time now; when I was a jw, it all seemed to blend together in a constant flurry of meetings, field service, etc. Even Bible reading is much more enjoyable now - I can take my time and read it instead of rushing just to get through the "assigned" reading.
Zoiks pointed out: "Just think what would become of you..." is fear-mongering at its finest.
I noticed this statement in the article too, and it's designed to initiate fears or play on already existing fears that jws have and that are constantly pounded into them. They are made to think that they are nothing outside the congregational environment; that they will begin making poor, life-threatening decisions upon leaving. It's as if, as soon, as they walk out that figurative door, they'll become immoral, unethical, and incapable of any success in life.
When I left, I wondered if my life would go drastically downhill. Fact is, my life is pretty much the same. I didn't start cheating on my wife, cheating on my taxes, or stealing. I didn't start gambling or become a drunk. I just went to work and came home, spent time with my family, watched sports, etc. Same stuff I always did.
i was in for 30 years.....my ex was an elder...."holy spirit appointed" he tortured me....i was married 33+ years....you know,,,marriage is sacred...you can leave,,,i know,,,,if abuse is intolerable....but that starts a series of events...etc etc etc....i finally left everything...and moved far away.....people actually believe "holy spirit" appoints people,,,my ex would not pray unless there was an audience...you know,,,,people invited over for supper kind of thing,,,you get the point..... my best friend had a mental breakdown,,,,she basically became psychotic.....had to be hospitalized....she took up smoking,,,got disfellowshipped...and lost all emotional support....to this day,,,,as far as i know,,,she is still disfellowshipped...needs to be hospitialized every so often....she is on complete disability.....and still trying to get back into the org....her mother does support some what,,,,even though she is a witness herself,,,,,takes her to assemblies,,,,memorial,,,etc,,,,this has gone on for years.....she cannot mentally handle the organization,,,nor can she mentally handle not being a witness...lost everything....guilt....etc..... did not mean to ramble on so much......i have mental scars that will not go away....because i stayed in a "mess" for god,,,,i could write page after page of things like the above....as being my "last straw".......curious about you here on the board....any specific "breaking point" or a collection of many things..... thanks for your in put...peaches.
Last straw: The Generation teaching change in 1995 (took me until 03 to leave).
Other issues which created serious doubts:
So-called "brothers" and "sisters" bad-mouthing one another, especially in field service, while at the same time trying to convince people to become jws. Here was a group that de-valued the people already in the religion while spending tremendous amounts of time trying to make converts.
Stand against higher education
Being an elder and seeing how things such as disfellowshipping were handled.
The crap spewed by C.O.'s during every visit, especially when they met w Elders (for example, one C.O. said we should quit our job if we could not get off work to attend our assigned District Convention).
"Pacman Jones was NEVER charged with a crime"... What planet have you been living on? Thank you, miseryloveselders for posting Pacman's long list of criminal offenses for which he was indeed charged.
"The rejection of God is a matter of will, not of intellect," he asserts.
Many people reject the existence of God precisely because of intellect; religion and/or belief in a God as revealed in the Bible is simply not intellectually satisfying to them.
The WTS includes the teaching of 1914 being the beginning of the Time of The End as one of their core teachings. Yet, look at all the changes in regard to 1914. Yet, they assert that such changes are "minor".
