I got home tonight to discover my letter box had been "hit" by the local Jehovah's Witnesses; a mass produced leaflet with an invitation to attend "the anniversary of Jesus' death" which "falls on Monday, April 2, after sundown." Uh, and I thought it was yesterday evening.
JW's are the other significant minority sect, outside the Churches of God, that celebrate a version of the Passover, commemorating the Last Supper, only once each year.
I'll be giving the JW version a miss, though I think it's interesting that outsiders are now welcome to attend. As I understand it, only a very few, those who believe they are among the elect group of 144,000, take the emblems of the bread and wine. Garden variety JWs simply look on.
Is there a strategy here one or more of the COGs might wish to emulate? After all, interested outsiders are usually welcome to attend the various Feast of Tabernacles services (with the exception of the very closed communities of PCG and COG-AIC.)
Every Christian community seems to have its own tradition involving a symbolic meal of bread and wine, basing it on the New Testament accounts. Mass, Eucharist, Sacramental meal, Passover, Lord's Supper; the similarities are obvious despite the different names. The annual Church of God version had its strengths and weaknesses. Footwashing never seemed to make much sense to me in a society without dusty roads and open-toed sandals, but being a once a year event it seemed to mean a lot more than the monthly "Holy Communion" service I was used to in the Lutheran church of my childhood.
Whatever else the Passover means, it's a statement of commitment. If that commitment is to the life and teachings of Jesus (rather than a sect or Elijah-figure) then maybe that's an entirely legitimate thing to do.
10 comments:
I've often said that since there are so many different cultures, with diverse beliefs and customs, it really proves that humans can find happiness in just about any ritual or holiday. Not only that, they can be happy and thrive believing in pantheons of gods and goddesses, believing in YHWH with or without Jesus, or believing in nothing at all.
I'm in favor of whatever religious practices are effective in making people better persons, filling their hearts with brotherly love and kindness.
The holy days, per se, were never particularly objectionable rituals, at least to my way of thinking. The intrusiveness of the ministry into personal matters, the stifling authoritarianism, the teaching of obvious and blatant falsehoods, and the total lack of love or concern for outsiders were the aspects of ACOGdom which I found to be so toxic and destructive. If the shoe were on the other foot, and the mainstream Christians who observed Christmas and Easter were afflicted by the cultic practices enumerated above, then we'd need to speak out against them instead of the ACOGgers.
BB
We got the exact same flyer here in Arcadia, CA. They must be blitzing the world! The end is nigh!
we renew our vow to God each passover (and the foot washing is a "refreshing" of our baptism..."those that have been bathed need only to wash their feet"), so what sense does it make to allow someone who:
1) never responded to the calling
2) never repented of their sins
3) has never been baptized
4) never made the vow to live
according to God's commandments
to take part in it?
they would be taking part in something that they didn't understand, and thus, eating and drinking damnation to themselves.....and we would be even more guilty because we encouraged them to do it while knowing better.
I got the invite too for 2-2-07 Maybe some in my local KINGDOM HALL could be part of the 144k ? They gave me a book: "What does the Bible REALLY Teach" On page 216 it speaks of the 607BCE-1914CE prophecy but doesn't mention the part about the "generation who witness WWI" surviving to see the Second Coming. Ex JW employee/writer Raymond Franz said he was told by the Higher-Ups to come up with a historical reference to fit the year 607BCE. He was able to do it!
The JWs have a quasi- COG connection.
Both can trace their history back to post-Millerism. Charles Taze Russell was heavily influenced by Seventh Day Adventist missionaries.
Hence you find some unique parallels to general COG thought...
*Non Celebration of Birthdays
*Non Celebration of Easter/Xmas
*No Voting
*14th of Nissan "Lords Supper"
* Only One True Group/Org
* No Immortal Soul
* Soul Sleep
* No ever burning Hell fire.
* Military Pacifism
Lussenheide
"He who will not eat of my body, nor drink of my blood so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved."
There is, of course, no way to tell if those words predate Christ's words recorded in the Gospels. Similarly, there is no trace of a connection between Christ's action in Jerusalem, based in the Jewish Exodus experience, and the pagan Mithraic mysteries. Contrary to Alexander Hislop of Two Babylons infamy, similarity of religious rite is not evidence of a genetic origin.
brave anonymous poster said...
we renew our vow to God each passover (and the foot washing is a "refreshing" of our baptism..."those that have been bathed need only to wash their feet"), so what sense does it make to allow someone who:...........<
You wash feet to point out toe nail fungus perhaps? How about the fungus that never stops its attack on humanity called armstrongism. Fleecing people is what it is all about~ http://www.hwarmstrong.com/liars.htm
Let us examine our conscious with this comment that is an answer to a letter sent to RM:
"As to your specific questions about Mr. Armstrong's personal behavior, I sincerely do not know if he had the kind of relationship with his daughter that you describe. I know that she and another family member became extremely agitated and hateful because of a decision Mr. Armstrong made about his son. I know that alcoholism was involved in one of their lives (perhaps both), and that one of these individuals was saying and doing things that was not right and was lying somewhat regularly."
http://www.hwarmstrong.com/merry-death.htm
Care to comment on who RM may be talking about? >>and that one of these individuals (which one?) was saying and doing things that was not right <<
"Saying and DOING" Circumstantial evidence as to YOUR apostles guilt!
Now forum members, how do you vote? Guilty Herb or Innocent Herb?
Alcoholism and Incest. HWA's legacy.
The Scribe.
On the JW's you may find this video of interest......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqWyJg0bmlc
Jared Olar said...
"He who will not eat of my body, nor drink of my blood so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved."
"There is, of course, no way to tell if those words predate Christ's words recorded in the Gospels."
Since Mithraism pre-dates christianity by 500 years or more, it's a pretty good bet.
Roman Catholicism and Mithraism are almost identical. Early Christians even took over the old Mithreums for places to worship (or did they just change the name of their cult?).
Re Gavin's comment: "JW's are the other significant minority sect, outside the Churches of God, that celebrate a version of the Passover, commemorating the Last Supper, only once each year."
This isn't true anymore. I see the evangelical Christian professional money-raisers making their way from one televangelist's program to another -- referring to the Passover scriptures and in particular (you guessed it) to the verses that say something like "don't appear empty-handed before your lord!"
The Knave
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