@ Robbie & Galveston: Merry Christmas

Originally posted by divegeester
So in saying that, you admit that you hadn't answered the question!

I wonder why...



Edit: Grampy Bobby, perhaps now you can see why some of us in this forum have to pin these JWs down to specific answers or you get repeated hemming and hawing.

But yet you seem to have a hard time grasping an answer when it is clearly given. I'm beginning to thing you and FMF are the same person?

Originally posted by galveston75
But yet you seem to have a hard time grasping an answer when it is clearly given. I'm beginning to thing you and FMF are the same person?

Can you list these "lies" that Christians who commemorate Jesus' birth are telling?

Just run through them here in brief. Lie #1, Lie #2, etc.

Originally posted by FMF
Can you list these "lies" that Christians who commemorate Jesus' birth are telling?

Just run through them here in brief. Lie #1, Lie #2, etc.

"I hear you knocking, but you can't come in"

Originally posted by galveston75
"I hear you knocking, but you can't come in"

The demon in FMF wantts to know the lies we Christians tell so he can use them against all Christians. Surely your Watchtower Society have a list somewhere that you can provide him. Why don't you stand up for the Jehovah's Witnesses and accuse us Christians of all these lies?

Originally posted by RJHinds
The demon in FMF wantts to know the lies we Christians tell so he can use them against all Christians. Surely your Watchtower Society have a list somewhere that you can provide him. Why don't you stand up for the Jehovah's Witnesses and accuse us Christians of all these lies?

What a bunch of spiritually starved milk sucking infants you all are. All the scriptures I've posted explain all the answers you so easily miss. Pray to God for a little help and ya never know what will happen.

Originally posted by galveston75
But yet you seem to have a hard time grasping an answer when it is clearly given.

And yet when I pressed you for a precise response, you said it was "none of my business".

We both know you enjoy the festive period doing certain festive social activities with your family; I wonder why are pretending you don't?

Originally posted by galveston75
And that is fine if they choose to do that. I clearly said earlier that most probably do not know the facts of Christmas. But..many do. For those who do, that is between then and God isn't it?

I know the facts of Christmas but they don't have any bearing on my personal reasons for celebrating.

It's not as if by merely celebrating the birth of Christ at a chosen time of year, I am automatically celebrating something else, just because Pagans did what they did at the same time of year. I'm celebrating what I choose to celebrate, and no purported prior Pagan practices can change that. (alliteration free of charge)

When Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, are they actually celebrating something else, if, by chance someone in history celebrated that thing on July 4th a long time ago?

And by the way, you admit that probably most Christians (I agree) are ignorant of these purported prior Pagan practices. As such, shouldn't they be completely excused of actually celebrating something they know nothing about?

The celebration of Christ's birth is not forbidden in the bible. And obviously God favors and encourages annual celebrations--such as the Passover celebration--as reminders of really important events in history that we should never forget. God encouraged--even enforced--annual celebrations/reminders. If (for example) the Passover celebration qualifies, then certainly the birth of God's "only begotten Son" should qualify. At least in God's eyes. Right?

Originally posted by RJHinds
The demon in FMF wantts to know the lies we Christians tell so he can use them against all Christians. Surely your Watchtower Society have a list somewhere that you can provide him. Why don't you stand up for the Jehovah's Witnesses and accuse us Christians of all these lies?

Wow, that one deserves *two* rim shots... zing! zing!

Originally posted by sumydid
I know the facts of Christmas but they don't have any bearing on my personal reasons for celebrating.

It's not as if by merely celebrating the birth of Christ at a chosen time of year, I am automatically celebrating something else, just because Pagans did what they did at the same time of year. I'm celebrating what I choose to celebrate, and no purported ...[text shortened]... the birth of God's "only begotten Son" should qualify. At least in God's eyes. Right?

Ok lets really look at what is said in the Bible on a few things. After all this is Gods words to us and it is God we have to listen to for many reasons. One is to learn what he approves of and not.
There are some things he does not mention by name such as Christmas because it did not exist in any form within the Christian faith until a couple hundred years after Jesus died.
Are we close on that fact?
If so look deeper and see there is not 1 mention in the Bible at all of any of God's people all the way back to Adam of any of them celibrating their day of birth. Do you agree?
Doesn't one think of all humans born on earth that Jesus and his followers would have done this for Jesus then? But yet that not once is ever mentioned in the Bible. Why is that? Did it matter, if it was just to give recognition and have a good time, why did they not do that?

Here is one bit of info on birthdays:

Le livre des religions (The Book of Religions), an encyclopedia widely distributed in France, calls this custom a ritual and lists it among “secular rites.” Although considered to be a harmless secular custom today, birthday celebrations are actually rooted in paganism.
The Encyclopedia Americana (1991 edition) states: “The ancient world of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia celebrated the birthdays of gods, kings, and nobles.” Authors Ralph and Adelin Linton reveal the underlying reason for this. In their book The Lore of Birthdays, they write: “Mesopotamia and Egypt, the cradles of civilization, were also the first lands in which men remembered and honoured their birthdays. The keeping of birthday records was important in ancient times principally because a birth date was essential for the casting of a horoscope.” This direct connection with astrology is a cause of great concern to any who avoid astrology because of what the Bible says about it.—Isaiah 47:13-15.

So I can pull up many more pages of the history and reasons birthdays were observed.
But to make it clear these nations were at odds with God and his people for many centuries and God condemned them and even had some destroyed because of their beliefs and customs, and gave many many warnings not to adopt and practice their customs.
Up to this day he has never told us his viewpoint and even his disgust for those has changed.
But still why not? It's just for fun and to give gifts and visit with your families and friends?
Bottom line it is up to anyone that wants to partake of something that God, in so many words, has condemned.
We do not because we take his words seriously as he has many times said to "even not touch" the things he disaproves of.
No JW is deprived of anything. We still have our families and friends that we see all year on many occasions and give gifts and recieve gifts many times for no reason other then we want to.

Originally posted by galveston75
Doesn't one think of all humans born on earth that Jesus and his followers would have done this for Jesus then? But yet that not once is ever mentioned in the Bible. Why is that? Did it matter, if it was just to give recognition and have a good time, why did they not do that?

You claimed the bible condemned celebrating the birth of Jesus. Can you show us this condemnation? Or are you backing down on your claim that there is a condemnation?

Originally posted by galveston75
Bottom line it is up to anyone that wants to partake of something that God, in so many words, has condemned.

This "in so many words" thing: can you give us the book, chapter and verse in the bible?

Originally posted by galveston75
Ok lets really look at what is said in the Bible on a few things. After all this is Gods words to us and it is God we have to listen to for many reasons. One is to learn what he approves of and not.
There are some things he does not mention by name such as Christmas because it did not exist in any form within the Christian faith until a couple hundred occasions and give gifts and recieve gifts many times for no reason other then we want to.

You must have gotten amnesia again.

Job's Sons Celebrated Birthdays

Job was a blameless and upright man (see Job 1:1) and, therefore, raised his children properly. and the evidence indicates that his sons - and most probably Job, as well - celebrated birthdays.

And his sons went and rested in their houses, everyone his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. (Job 1:4, KJV)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible indicates that the word interpreted as "day" (yowm) in this scripture can be used figuratively as a space of time and can be rendered, with other Hebrew words (such as "his" ) to mean birthday. The Revised Standard Version is a better translation of this verse:

His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each on his day; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

But, The Living Bible probably gets to the meaning, of what is meant, best of all:

Every year when each of Job's sons had a birthday, he invited his brothers and sisters to his house for a celebration. On these occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment.

Needless to say, today, birthdays are important in our culture and a yearly celebration is quite proper for friends and family. There is no need to be filled with guilt brought upon by well-meaning, but wrongly informed members of religious organizations who add extra meaning to the scriptures.

http://www.ffpc.com/new-world/birthdays.htm

Originally posted by galveston75
Ok lets really look at what is said in the Bible on a few things. After all this is Gods words to us and it is God we have to listen to for many reasons. One is to learn what he approves of and not.
There are some things he does not mention by name such as Christmas because it did not exist in any form within the Christian faith until a couple hundred occasions and give gifts and recieve gifts many times for no reason other then we want to.

I sure you can find lots of reasons for treating your children the way you do; after all you have no issues with denying blood to save a life, so what is depriving a kid of it's birthday or Christmas.

I'm sure you make up for it secretly though, right...😉

Originally posted by divegeester
I sure you can find lots of reasons for treating your children the way you do; after all you have no issues with denying blood to save a life, so what is depriving a kid of it's birthday or Christmas.

I'm sure you make up for it secretly though, right...😉

Yeah you are right..we do all kinds of stuff in secret. We not only do the holiday thing behind closed doors, we even rob from stores to get those things we need and will even kill if we need too to get them.
And as far as blood, we love it and eat it whenever we get the chance and would even bite your neck to get it if we need to.
Yep you have exposed us so now everyone knows...

Happy now? I truly hope so.

Originally posted by RJHinds
You must have gotten amnesia again.

Job's Sons Celebrated Birthdays

Job was a blameless and upright man (see Job 1:1) and, therefore, raised his children properly. and the evidence indicates that his sons - and most probably Job, as well - celebrated birthdays.

And his sons went and rested in their houses, everyone his day; and sent and calle s who add extra meaning to the scriptures.

http://www.ffpc.com/new-world/birthdays.htm

Does Job 1:4 indicate that Job’s children celebrated their birthdays?

No, that verse does not apply to birthdays. A little examination of the matter will show this. The verse reads: “And [Job’s] sons went and held a banquet at the house of each one on his own day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.”
In the English Bible the word “birthday” appears in Genesis 40:20, where we read of the birthday celebration of the pagan Pharaoh of Egypt. Consulting Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, one will see that “birthday” is a compound of the two Hebrew words yowm (meaning, a day [as the warm hours], whether literally or figuratively) and hullédeth from yalad (meaning, to bear young). However, in the Hebrew Scriptures the word “day” (yowm) is often used alone, referring simply to some day. This distinction between “day” and “birthday” may be noted in Genesis 40:20, where both expressions appear: “Now on the third day [yowm] it turned out to be Pharaoh’s birthday [literally, ‘the day (yowm) of the birth (hullédeth) of Pharaoh’].”
At Job 1:4 hullédeth does not appear; only yowm is used in the Hebrew text. So it speaks of Job’s sons’ doing something “each one on his own day,” not ‘each one on his own birthday.’
The Bible does not go into detail as to what occasioned the banquets. It may have been that at a particular season, such as harvesttime, the seven sons held a family gathering, and as the feasting made the week-long circuit, each son hosted the banquet in his house “on his own day.” Or the feasts could have been of the nature of family reunions held at different times in the year. This picture of a warm and happy family gathering, in contrast to the wild celebrations marked by dissipation and overindulgence in food and drink on the part of ones who have no respect for God, is further indicated by the fact that the sons considerately invited their sisters.


Nowhere is the word "birthday" used in this scripture..........................