@ Robbie & Galveston: Merry Christmas

Originally posted by divegeester
I think it's a fair question.

Jehovah's Witnesses are not supposed celebrate Christmas, however it is my understanding that some secretly do, to a greater or lesser extent. For example some will get together at home and have a (nondescript) festive meal, whilst others may go away and celebrate the season in a more full on manner (without actually rec ...[text shortened]... lk through each day of Christmas without so much as a mince pie or a gift for their children.

Ignorant as to why the holiday is shunned. Please fill me in.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Ignorant as to why the holiday is shunned. Please fill me in.

Pagan linkages and trappings. [not disputed]

Carefully cultivated otherness, corporate selling point, spartan misanthropic affectation. [disputed]

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Ignorant as to why the holiday is shunned. Please fill me in.

What FMF said; also

http://www.towerwatch.com/Witnesses/Beliefs/their_beliefs.htm

The JWs won't look at that link as they are not permitted to read anything that could contradict JW teaching.

So I've included the JW official website; however as they have omitted to include a "search" function (interesting in itself!) it is difficult to get to some of their beliefs without going through other sources.

http://www.jw.org/en/

The lack of response to these questions you see evidenced in this thread, is typical of our resident JW's who prefer avoidance, deflection or obfuscation.

Originally posted by divegeester
What FMF said; also

http://www.towerwatch.com/Witnesses/Beliefs/their_beliefs.htm

The JWs won't look at that link as they are not permitted to read anything that could contradict JW teaching.

So I've included the JW official website; however as they have omitted to include a "search" function (interesting in itself!) it is difficult to get to so ...[text shortened]... is thread, is typical of our resident JW's who prefer avoidance, deflection or obfuscation.

Adamant stance seems to offer compelling reason to cease and desist from probing into any personal deviations or otherwise

hassling them. Live and Let live still stands as the order of the day, especially for maturing Christians who should know better.
.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Adamant stance seems to offer compelling reason to cease and desist from probing into any personal deviations or otherwise

hassling them. Live and Let live still stands as the order of the day, especially for maturing Christians who should know better.
.

Sure; by the way, this is a debating forum.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Adamant stance seems to offer compelling reason to cease and desist from probing into any personal deviations or otherwise

hassling them. Live and Let live still stands as the order of the day, especially for maturing Christians who should know better.
.

They choose to actively judge, sneer and pontificate in a public forum and get caught out and called out, repeatedly, for contradicting themselves, dealing in double standards and sometimes even deceiving. Engaging them - in a public forum - cannot be described as "probing" and "hassling". They have made spiteful remarks about Christians and Christmas on many occasions. Inviting discussion of these things is in no way off limits simply because they happen to be "adamant" about them.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Adamant stance seems to offer compelling reason to cease and desist from probing into any personal deviations or otherwise

hassling them. Live and Let live still stands as the order of the day, especially for maturing Christians who should know better.
.

Thanks for your wise and insightful comments. And as you commented earlier I have no wish to discuss this issue with them as it has been discussed in length many times.
They are not inquiring to learn and be satisfied with our answers and history has shown over and over.
Thanks again.

Originally posted by galveston75
They are not inquiring to learn and be satisfied with our answers and history has shown over and over.

On the contrary, I have learnt a lot from my discussions with you, including from the way you go about discussing things and the way you behave when contradictions in what you claim are pointed out.

Originally posted by FMF
They choose to actively judge, sneer and pontificate in a public forum and get caught out and called out, repeatedly, for contradicting themselves, dealing in double standards and sometimes even deceiving. Engaging them - in a public forum - cannot be described as "probing" and "hassling". They have made spiteful remarks about Christians and Christmas on many oc ...[text shortened]... hese things is in no way off limits simply because they happen to be "adamant" about them.

Do we always respond in kind; do we never treat others better than they may deserve?

Originally posted by divegeester
Sure; by the way, this is a debating forum.

Any outside parameters or limits?

Originally posted by galveston75
Thanks for your wise and insightful comments. And as you commented earlier I have no wish to discuss this issue with them as it has been discussed in length many times.
They are not inquiring to learn and be satisfied with our answers and history has shown over and over.
Thanks again.

Best to you and yours in '13.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Do we always respond in kind; do we never treat others better than they may deserve?

If you've followed any of the relevant threads here, you'll know the kind of gratuitous ad hominem Clan Forum style abuse robbie corrobie dishes out. My reputation here is - I think - one of tenacity, patience and dogged civility in the face of such stuff. Personally I think the insults are triggered by the fact that my contributions often strike right at the heart of the contradiction or hypocrisy or inconsistency in question. I am pretty sure there are those here who think I treat him better than he deserves, specifically because I do not respond in kind.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Best to you and yours in '13.

Thanks and I hope the same for you.....

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Any outside parameters or limits?

Not so long ago, robbie rather embarrassed himself on a thread over a claim he'd made and a bible citation that didn't support it. He had to climb down. And my line of questioning had helped to bring about that climb down. An indignant and chip-spitting robbie then subjected me to repeated questions about whether I'd been sexually abused as a child and whether I was suffering from drug related mental illness, in what he claimed was a sincere effort to work out why I had described some of his previous posts about his claim and bible citation "evasive", which they had been, because even he was having doubts leading up to his climb down. Nevertheless, the retaliation came in the form of speculation about whether I was abused as a child and whether I was suffering from psychosis. Any "outside parameters or limits" issues in all this, do you reckon? Or does asking him about Christmas trump all this in terms of 'treating someone badly'? 🙂

Originally posted by FMF

If you've followed any of the relevant threads here, you'll know the kind of gratuitous ad hominem Clan Forum style abuse robbie corrobie dishes out. My reputation here is - I think - one of tenacity, patience and dogged civility in the face of such stuff. Personally I think the insults are triggered by the fact that my contributions often strike right at the ...[text shortened]... who think I treat him better than he deserves, specifically because I do not respond in kind.

While I tend to agree with your self assessment, comparisons are still odious. What others may or may not do ranks high on the list of the irrelevant and inconsequential. Absence of silent gloating and self gratification is still the acid test of treating others better than they deserve.
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