when we first left the dubs, we celebrated x-mas pretty much straight away, but had no decorations or tree, and only gave gifts to each other.
for some reason it just seemed wrong to put up decorations and we continued to celebrate this way for about 5 years.
we decided to put up decorations when it was my daughters 1st x-mas, and have never looked back.
Hi!
I think I've got you beat. I've been out for seven years and I still don't celebrate Christmas. My kids are still witnesses though, so I don't have much reason to. All I do to celebrate is kick back in my easy chair, sip a cognac and watch my favourite holiday movies (A Christmas Story, Holiday Inn, White Christmas, etc.) and just enjoy the day off from work.
Cyrus The Persian
how's the weekend going?.
mrs ozzie and i enjoyed a beach picnic with friends.
yes, there was plenty of shiraz!
Hi
I would say 1 & 4.
Like Englishman, I too, was the accounts servant. I remember how the brothers' eyes would glaze over as I read the accounts report.I would be thinking, "I could tell these poor zombies that I had invested the maintenance fund in Enron stock and they wouldn't bat an eyelash."
The maintenance fund-what a joke that was at our hall! If a light burnt out in the hallway it would put us in the red and cause a string of elder's meetings to discuss the situation. That was a pretty "ungiving" congo.
Cyrus
now you can find out!
http://disney.go.com/vacations/websites/100yom/secret/flash.html.
and surprise, surprise..... i was tinkerbell!
...yep. I knew it...I came up Goofy...again.
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this so bums me out.
i'm not a big johnny cash fan, but he was a cornerstone for the country music industry.. john ritter was a funny guy, i wiil always remember three's company.. they will both be missed.
So sad, so sad.
To lose not one, but two of the greats in American entertainment!
I remember as a small boy watching the Johnny Cash Show on television and listening to him sing about trains and prison, hobos and long lost loves. I learned to play the guitar by watching him do chord changes as he sang.
And John Ritter...What a funny guy! His old show, Three's Company, was the funniest program on American TV back in the seventies. His new show, Eight Rules... was just just hitting its stride.
My heart goes out to their families.
Goodbye Johnny and John...and thank you.
Cyrus
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lotsa newbies here.....i keep trippin' over yall when i'm readin' posts....why don't yall check in here and introduce yourselves?
we'd all love to hear from yall, dontcha know..... frannie b
Hi
Even though I've been hanging around for a while I'm still a "newbie." I don't post much, I just lurk. I'm a "fade-away" ex-jdub. I'm divorced and the rest of my family remain active. The last time I went to a meeting was to hear my son give his first talk. It was weird because they don't have an introduction or conclusion to the Bible reading part anymore, They just go up, read a chunk of scripture, and sit back down. If it weren't for the fact that it was my son up there, it wouldn't have even been worthwhile. Things like that and the pre-prepared presentations on the back of the KM make me think that they are raising up a generation of witnesses that are not only zombies but ignorant zombies as well.
CyrusThePersian
P.S. Re-reading the above rambling, almost nonsensical post above it becomes easy to see why I mostly just lurk...
1. you will believe in the sacrifice of jesus christ.
2. you will believe in god's anointed,directed and inspired organization.. .
in case you are not sure, study baptismal questions.. .
Odrade
The first Baptismal question is:
On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?
CyrusThePersian
so the good news will start now...... some of you may remember that i stumped my mom http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/51940/1.ashx.
anyway here is the update.
i went on vacation but my mom to my knowledge did not pick up coc and read it.
Hi
Another good idea would be to look up "Jerusalem", "Isreal", or "Babylon" in ANY, and I mean ANY encyclopedia or history reference and they will ALL say that Jerusalem fell in 587/586 B.C. The Witnesses are the only people on earth who think that Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E.
Cyrus
Hi
I was going to say Numbers, as in number of field sevice hours and number of meetings attended, but I think Reborn2002 hit it when he said "appearances" How you look to others means everything to JW's. It doesn't matter how shallow or insincere you are as long as you LOOK good to the elders et.al. I knew a long time pioneer who put in her hours and mag placements dutifully but would shrink back in horror if she ever was called on to conduct a study. Why? Because she knew nothing about the Bible or JW doctrine! Such shallow hypocricy!
Cyrus
a question to my fellow united staters on the board, .
do you find yourself using british expressions in your daily life because of being on this db so much?
two that i've picked up - i occasionally will call a friend "mate" (they look at me kind of funny) .
Hi!
Not from off this board really, but I spent most of my youth reading P.G. Wodehouse instead of the "Truth" book, so I confounded my first wife by constantly referring to our apartment as a "flat" and saying that this certain elder was "barmy" or another had "his knickers in a twist"!
Cyrus
does anyone have any reading recommendations for bible fallacies/contradictions etc??.
also i just ordered christ conspiracy by a. acharya after reading some wonderful reviews on it.. i was also interested if any of you had any opinions on :.
the encyclopedia of biblical errancy by c. dennis mckinsey .
Hi
May I recommend Steve Allen on the Bible Religion and Morality Parts 1 and 2. These books look at the Bible from a unique moral perspective. Not only do they address the difficulty in reconciling the bloodthirsty God of the OT with the sweetness and light God of the NT but also shows that even the New Testament God isn't that much of a sweetheart either.The truth is most Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses included, don't care much for facts and historical documentation that discredits the Bible, but if you can show that the Bible is morally deficient, you may get them to take notice.
Another good one is Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Even after over 200 years since its initial publication, this book remains one of the most striking deconstructions of the Bible and organized religions ever printed.
All of these books are heavy-duty reading. If you want something light and humorous, yet in its own way thought provoking try Ken's Guide to the Bible by Ken Smith. All these books are available on Amazon
Happy Reading!
CyrusThePersian
