I respect other religions and don't tend to judge for what others believe, but I am really curious on some of this Jehova stuff..thought someone could answer some questions for me.
Why is it that if they don't celebrate Christmas, they are readily there to take the Christmas Bonus from their employer?
My mother works with one and she won't sign birthday cards, etc, but now she is being a part of the Christmas party and even wears Santa pins. WHY?
Why is it that they have to knock at my door EVERY YEAR just before Christmas? You don't see them in July...only in the cold of winter before Christmas?
I know the background for a lot of their beliefs (Christ apparently wasn't born in December.....and some other rituals other religions have they think/believe they've come from pagonistic (spelling?) things from back when....and that is fine. That is what they believe...but I am wondering why some of this seems very hypocritical to me... & WHY AT CHRISTMAS?
Just trying to understand!
2006-12-13 10:29:56 · 11 answers · asked by retrowfmk 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
roeleavitt...
I understand (and I mentioned that) why they believe stuff about Christmas, etc...but you did not answer my question.
Why are they knocking at doors EVERY year at Christmas and "disrupting" others' holiday beliefs? Is there a point to the timing of that?
And yes..the chick my mother works with IS that religion. She's even said she doesn't celebrate stuff..yet she is right there wearing the pin and taking the holiday money.
Why do they take the bonus at Christmas if they don't believe in it?
I am just wondering those things..not the the background on the history..I stated I aleady knew that.
2006-12-13 10:45:37 · update #1
Hi. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. First let me say that if you realy want to know you could ask a Witness when we come to your door, or you could call a Kingdom Hall or go to http://www.watchtower.org I suggest this as you are more likely to get honest answers right out of the horses mouth.
We used to celebrate Christmas, we no longer do as it is a Pagan holiday. As for the "Christmas" checks. I have never recieved one. While each of us must make our own choices it seems inappropriate. I will gladly accept an end of year bonus. End of Year bonuses take place at somewhat differing times depending on the company. It may even coincide with Christmas. As for your mother's coworker, I do not know what to say. It is possible she is losing faith. WE all have weak moments. So that may be why she is a part of the Christmas party, or maybe she rationalised it, or it may be a mandatory attenance event so she feels she must comply. As to going from house to house. There is no set secular event that we try to Witness during or near. We are out in the Heat, the Cold, sometimes the Snow, the Rain etc. I personally, due to health problems, have at times had to stay in on the days of excessive heat or cold. So we do not just Witness during Christmas, if we did I'd be a frost bitten Icecicle by spring.:) As to Witnessing during Christmas itself, I find that most people I talk with seem more interested, or should be, in the Bible since this is supposedly a holiday about Jesus. I hope this answers your questions.
In reference to the comment about the 144,000. Oy. We do not think that the ONLY people in heaven are Witnesses. We know from the bible that there are many faithful ones from during the Bible times who are in Heaven. As to why we stll Witness we are not doing so to fill seats or decrease chances for heaven. That is Jehovah's buisness. Most faithful servant's of Jehovah have the hope of living on earth in a paradise as he originally intended for us.
2006-12-14 07:24:45 · answer #1 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What you are talking about is not a Christmas gift or even a Christmas Bonus. It's called that only to make the employer appear generous. It's an end of the year profit share. The intent is to reduce the tax to be paid out, since it is tax deductible. It is done at this time of the year because of the end of the fiscal tax year. In other Countries, such as Greece where they observe the holiday in January, it is simply a profit sharing bonus. The employer is not being generous, just fiscally responsible the to company.
As for the person you speak of, every religion has inactive members who drift, like people who only go the church on Christmas. How many SUNDAY ONLY Christians do you know, who put ont the show once a week, but live life free and without concern the rest of the week? Unlike Christendom, who counts anyone who comes as a member, no matter how little they do, JW official counts are only of the active publishers, who are living their lives in the light of God and Christ. Their actual number is 3-4 times that. Your mother's co-worker is likely disassociated.
I'm disfellowshipped, yet I have never celebrated Christmas, and I never wish anyone a merry Christmas, but I do have a selection of 133 Christmas music videos on my taxi cab video entertainment system for my customers. I also have videos for other religions.
2006-12-13 15:10:32 · answer #2 · answered by The Papa B 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the earth will remain forever and that all people, living and dead, who will fit in with Jehovah's purpose for a beautified, inhabited earth may live on it forever. All mankind inherited imperfection from Adam and Eve and, hence, are sinners. (Romans 5:12)
The book of Revelations speak about the 144,000. They feel that only the 144,000 will get into heaven.
They believe that Christ was not born on December 25. I think they believe Christmas, they just don't celebrate Christmas. They believe the Christmas tree and gifts are out of context for Christmas.
Personally I know a family whose religion is Jehovah's Witness and to me she's a lil wishy washy. I've seen her do things that were completely wrong and she knew about it. She and her daughter were dresses and skirts only but at her job she prepares dinners that are for Christmas. I think they should practice what they preach. Also, where I live they come every Saturday (lol).
There's a lot on beliefnet. Read it and good luck trying to figure it out.
2006-12-13 10:56:14 · answer #3 · answered by juicy 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
They believe that Christmas is a pagan holiday. I don't know why they take the bonus. Perhaps it's called a year-end bonus?
Birthdays fall in the same category.
Maybe as they are making the rounds, your neighborhood falls in the December category.
They are taught that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are Satanic, not in the Biblical text. Probably because the bible they use doesn't follow the original manuscripts. They also believe Jesus died on the stake, not the cross. They don't believe Jesus is God.
Which means...Rev. 22:18-21 didn't mean anything to them.
They also teach that 144,000 mentioned in Rev. 7 are JW's not the Jews.
Which brings me to ask this question:
If only 144,000 JW's are going to (their) heaven...aren't there more than 144,000 total JW's that have lived (now dead) and living? Does that mean when someone joins or a child is born, someone else is kicked out of their place? When I looked at Rev. 7, I saw 12,000 from each tribe of Israel and there wasn't a JW in the bunch.
Makes ya go...hmmmm?
2006-12-13 10:42:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
to place it right into some words. The Protestant religions have been given their theory from the Catholic Church,They the two have the comparable ideals different than for the worship of idols yet different then that they seem to agree in rather much each coaching. Jehovah's Witnesses had to figuratively dig up the reality that grew to become into misplaced while the final apostle died which grew to become into John the author of Revelation. It took them years of extensive religious study and look at to finally locate the actual teachings of Jesus and his apostles. The Protestants did not and have not paintings demanding to seek for the reality. There theory grew to become into exceeded right down to them on a silver platter with the help of the Catholic Church. ideals that don't stem from the Bible yet from the instructions of adult men.
2016-10-14 21:34:43 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each Witness decides for himself what he will do about so-called "end-of-the-year" bonuses at work. Admittedly, no Jehovah's Witness is perfect. Sadly, anti-Witnesses have been known to wildly exaggerate and even invent stories with the intention of demeaning Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians; they teach that Christ was and is Divine and of the same nature as God. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that no salvation occurs without Christ, that accepting Christ's sacrifice is a requirement for true worship, that every prayer must acknowledge Christ, that Christ is the King of God's Kingdom, that Christ is the head of the Christian congregation, that Christ is immortal and above every creature, even that Christ was the 'master worker' in creating the universe!
Jehovah's Witnesses love and respect and honor Christ. They do NOT celebrate so-called "Christmas" because "Christmas" does NOT celebrate Christ; "Christmas" celebrates the pagan Saturnalia. Jesus was not even born in December. Nearly all so-called Christmas customs dishonor Christ.
(Jeremiah 10:2-5) This is what Jehovah has said: "Do not learn the way of the nations at all... 3 For the customs of the peoples are just an exhalation, because it is a mere tree out of the forest that one has cut down, the work of the hands of the craftsman with the billhook. 4 With silver and with gold one makes it pretty. With nails and with hammers they fasten them down, that none may reel. ...the doing of any good is not with them."
http://watchtower.org/e/19981215/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20001215/
http://watchtower.org/e/20041215/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19981215/
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm
By contrast, it's tragic that the one holiday Christ actually *DID* ask Christians to commemorate is entirely ignored by almost all of Christendom. It is, of course, the Memorial of Christ's death, sometimes called "the Last Supper" or "the Lord's Evening Meal".
(1 Corinthians 11:23-25, NWT) The Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did likewise respecting the cup.. Keep doing this... in remembrance of me.”
(1 Cor 11:24, 25, NEB) "Do this as a memorial of me.”
Christ Jesus himself personally celebrated and explained the significance of that Last Supper to his followers (see Matthew 26:26-29). Christians who commemorate the Last Supper have done so on the same Jewish calendar date as Jesus did, Nisan 14, which generally falls between late March and mid-April. Interestingly, Christians in the centuries immediately after Christ's impalement were sometimes called "Quartodecimans" which literally mean "Fourteen-ers", because the early Christians were well-known for this true holy day.
How would Jesus feel to learn that the holiday he commanded was widely ignored, while his so-called followers chose to celebrate a pagan false god and their own traditions of men? We don't need to wonder.
(Matthew 15:6-9) You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. 9 It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20041215/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20011115/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/
2006-12-13 11:27:43 · answer #6 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Apparently, You have had a bad experience with a person that is playing at religion, not properly practicing...! there are good and bad in all religions, just your luck, a bad example doesnot prove anything at all except they are human and not enlightened..!
Dont let one or two knock you down or depress you.. but You will
NEVER understand the bad apple...!
2006-12-14 05:20:16 · answer #7 · answered by B_G_PECK 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i suppose with all religions you have some followers that obey their rules to the T and others that manipulate it to suit their own needs.....
my mum is a Jehovah's witness and she would never sign a birthday card nor will she wear anything christmassy......she does her door to door thing every week and although i do not practise the same faith i respect her for committing to a religion which she is no hypocrite to.......
2006-12-13 10:36:30 · answer #8 · answered by askaway 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
very peculiar religion, in my opinion. You have the right to believe in whatever you want, however I don't like it when people try and push their beliefs onto me. It is rude, and what did they witness anyway.... crazy world we live in... I think people want to belong to something and believe in something so badly we allow ourselves to be brainwashed! Merry Christmas everybody!!!
2006-12-13 10:42:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
I heard they believe its hell on earth. I don't know how true it is. Im just going by hear say.
2006-12-13 10:33:03 · answer #10 · answered by Qt PIE 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋