"Babylon the Great"

@sonship said
@Rajk999


I don't think anyone needs to worry about "disfellowshipping" you Rajk999.

I don't think you have ever had any "fellows" you could stand for two minutes anyway, your whole time the Bible's been in your hands.

Never. He answers to no one by golly!!!!!!

@rajk999 said
Well you are saying the same thing Im saying. It is taught in the JW church that birthdays are not to be celebrated. This is NOT IN THE BIBLE. Then why are they putting a strain on family relationships.

Churches should bring families together not drive a wedge between them.

As you rightly say the abstaining from Birthdays isn't specifically biblical. I mean to say look at all the men of faith that was recorded celebrating it themselves right? Exactly ! Not one.

Of course you can't separate birthdays from Christmas, the latter being the re-vamped version of Saturnalia. So steeped in pagan religion. Did you ever count up the number of apostles that are listed that celebrated Christmas of Jesu's birthday? About the same as the approved men of fame that celebrated their own birthday. Zero.

Why didn't these guys celebrate birthdays? Because it was a practice that originally was connected paganism (false worship). The birthday was the anniversary of when an individual was closest to the spirit world.

Now you chuck this stuff around about dividing families, so let's just see what the The Master himself said on this point.

Jesus at Luke 12

"51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

He told you it was coming.

@galveston75 said
Never. He answers to no one by golly!!!!!!

I answer to God. You answer to men.
That makes you a follower of men
Maybe you might want to fix that.
But then again some people love being subject to men

@medullah said
As you rightly say the abstaining from Birthdays isn't specifically biblical. I mean to say look at all the men of faith that was recorded celebrating it themselves right? Exactly ! Not one.

Heard that argument a dozen times. How can somebody really think celebrating birthdays is an evil act based on the fact that the bible does not record anyone of faith doing it? For real? Is that the standard for deciding right and wrong? There is no mention of dogs being a good thing, and dogs are always mentioned in a bad light. Should not JWs shun dog owners as well ?

@medullah said
Of course you can't separate birthdays from Christmas, the latter being the re-vamped version of Saturnalia. So steeped in pagan religion. Did you ever count up the number of apostles that are listed that celebrated Christmas of Jesu's birthday? About the same as the approved men of fame that celebrated their own birthday. Zero.

Why didn't these guys celebrate birthdays? ...[text shortened]... se worship). The birthday was the anniversary of when an individual was closest to the spirit world.

Those are really non-arguments. What the pagans did has no bearing on practices now and Jesus is not going to tell the Good Samaritan ... hey you are an evil bastard for celebrating your birthday and Christmas, get away from me .. That is not how it will go down. Cults focus on the wrong things to control people. Weak people succumb to cult control because they need people to tell them what to do. This is why people should take their doctrine from the teachings of Christ and the Apostles. In fact judging people on these petty matters is a clear demonstration that the weightier matters of eternal life has gone over your head [well not yours but people who make these petty things an issue]

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using😉 after the commandments and doctrines of men?(Colossians 2:16-22 KJV)

Followers of Christ, the true ones, are not subject to these rules fabricated by churches

@medullah said

Now you chuck this stuff around about dividing families, so let's just see what the The Master himself said on this point.

Jesus at Luke 12

"51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father a ...[text shortened]... aw against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

He told you it was coming.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

Jesus is foretelling that people will take His teachings and create enmity because of it and sideline and shun family members, mother and faither. IF you think Jesus was encouraging that behaviour then you need to read some more. A prophecy or prediction does not condone the sin of ill-treating parents and others in the family which comes with the threat of damnation.

@rajk999 said
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

Jesus is foretelling that people will take His teachings and create enmity because of it and sideline and shun family members, mother and faither. IF you think Jesus was encouraging that behaviour then you need to read some more. A prophecy or prediction does not condone the sin of ill-treating parents and others in the family which comes with the threat of damnation.

Really? This is the best you can come up with?????

@rajk999 said
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

Jesus is foretelling that people will take His teachings and create enmity because of it and sideline and shun family members, mother and faither. IF you think Jesus was encouraging that behaviour then you need to read some more. A prophecy or prediction does not condone the sin of ill-treating parents and others in the family which comes with the threat of damnation.

Also my friend..... I have been attending meetings now for over 55 years. Have been to hundreds of assembly's. I have read just about everything the WTS has printed. Have known literally thousands of other JW's.
You know what? I have never ever heard that statement of telling ones their damned if they are not one of us or believe what we believe said by anyone of JW's ever.
Now how many meetings or assembly's have you attended? Hummmm?

@galveston75 said
I have been attending meetings now for over 55 years. Have been to hundreds of assembly's. I have read just about everything the WTS has printed. Have known literally thousands of other JW's. You know what? I have never ever heard that statement of telling ones their damned if they are not one of us or believe what we believe said by anyone of JW's ever.

I have been attending meetings now for over 55 years.

Have been to hundreds of assembly's.

I have read just about everything the WTS has printed.

Have known literally thousands of other JW's.

You know what? I have never ever heard that...

You should contribute to the thread on confirmation bias. It would be interesting to see what your answer is to the OP question.

@galveston75 said
You know what? I have never ever heard that statement of telling ones their damned if they are not one of us or believe what we believe said by anyone of JW's ever.

So there is no need for me nor anyone else to become a member of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in order to gain access to life after death?

@divegeester said
So there is no need for me nor anyone else to become a member of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in order to gain access to life after death?

One would need to be doing God's will. Are you?

@galveston75 said
One would need to be doing God's will. Are you?

Let’s assume that I am for this thought experiment.

So there is no need for me nor anyone else to become a member of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in order to gain access to life after death? Yes or no. Simple question.

@galveston75 said
Also my friend..... I have been attending meetings now for over 55 years. Have been to hundreds of assembly's. I have read just about everything the WTS has printed. Have known literally thousands of other JW's.
You know what? I have never ever heard that statement of telling ones their damned if they are not one of us or believe what we believe said by anyone of JW's ever.
Now how many meetings or assembly's have you attended? Hummmm?

Is your experience the only one that matters? Please remove yourself from this situation. It is not about you. Its not about whether your father cried for shunning people. Stop being so childish. A proper understanding will only come if you read the comments from a wide cross section of the JW group.