adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Dec 20, 2023 12:54:15 GMT
Do they send cards? Seems a bit frivolous. They do, but rarely. Last year, I received a card from a unknown JW, offering free bible for the entire block of residents. Say 70 letter x 1st stamps. All addressed to “residents”, not named. It's part of their evangelising. We've had a few letters from the local JWs, all genuinely hand-written and posted. All promptly recycled. www.jw.org/en/library/jw-meeting-workbook/march-2019-mwb/meeting-schedule-mar18-24/sample-letter/If it makes 'em feel happy, who am I to stop 'em wasting their time and money like that?
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Post by bernythedolt on Dec 20, 2023 12:58:08 GMT
Do they send cards? Seems a bit frivolous. They do, but rarely. Last year, I received a card from a unknown JW, offering free bible for the entire block of residents. Say 70 letter x 1st stamps. All addressed to “residents”, not named. I think most would consider that a promotional circular rather than a Christmas card though.
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Greenwood2
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Post by Greenwood2 on Dec 20, 2023 13:13:30 GMT
They do, but rarely. Last year, I received a card from a unknown JW, offering free bible for the entire block of residents. Say 70 letter x 1st stamps. All addressed to “residents”, not named. I think most would consider that a promotional circular rather than a Christmas card though. There was a house I used to drive by quite often that had a sign outside that said 'Free Bibles', I assumed that was probably a JW or similar. Never took them up on the offer.
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benaj
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Post by benaj on Dec 20, 2023 13:14:18 GMT
They do, but rarely. Last year, I received a card from a unknown JW, offering free bible for the entire block of residents. Say 70 letter x 1st stamps. All addressed to “residents”, not named. I think most would consider that a promotional circular rather than a Christmas card though. Absolutely, nothing personal nor warm hearted message for Christmas. Although there are many JWs living and evangelising worldwide, it is unlikely they distribute freebies in those countries with very high government restrictions on religion.
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 20, 2023 16:45:15 GMT
Quite. It's been turned into one of those faux woke liberal tropes so beloved of the likes of the Trumpian wing of the Republican party, US Evangelicals (OK, at the moment the latter are a subset of the former), and the British "Redtop" media. It's probably 35+ years since I parted ways with my American Jewish partner, but I was using "Happy Holidays/Seasons Greetings" blah blah back then, without an inkling it would become a populist "anti-woke" hate target. Indeed, had you told me back then it was "woke", I would have look puzzled and probably attempted to correct your grammar while figuring out why you were using a verb rather than an adjective. I have a friend I've known since we were 12 and he arrived at our school. Doubt anyone knew he was jewish and only I realised when he started telling me about it. Funny stories about synagogue etc. He was my "best" friend at school and still we try to meet up occasionally. To him, despite feeling at home in a synagoge although I don't think he goes regularly anymore, he is not "lost" in a church. By that I mean if he found himself in one perhaps due to mates going to midnight mass one year or perhaps because at school there were trips there it was nothing special - he knew what goes on probably as much as I did. Boring largely. His kids get christmas presents on the 25 and do everything like I did as a kid and indeed he did. Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas is certainly the greeting I get from him and frankly vice-versa.
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travolta
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Post by travolta on Dec 20, 2023 16:51:56 GMT
Happy Christmas .
See you all next year as I am run off my feet from now till then .
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 20, 2023 16:54:24 GMT
Happy Christmas . See you all next year as I am run off my feet from now till then . Warmest Season's Greetings to you and theirs.
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benaj
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Post by benaj on Dec 20, 2023 16:58:40 GMT
I rarely hear "Hanukkah, O Hanukkah" as I don't know any Yiddish, I assume they don't say it to strangers. However, I've seen a few "local" drivers putting 9 candle lights structure on top of their cars, no idea whether they secured their displays safely not risking other drivers and passengers.
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Post by bernythedolt on Dec 20, 2023 17:25:08 GMT
I rarely hear "Hanukkah, O Hanukkah" as I don't know any Yiddish, I assume they don't say it to strangers. However, I've seen a few "local" drivers putting 9 candle lights structure on top of their cars, no idea whether they secured their displays safely not risking other drivers and passengers. That sounds like a menorah: www.britannica.com/topic/menorahGood fun through the car wash though... 
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Greenwood2
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Post by Greenwood2 on Dec 20, 2023 18:04:54 GMT
Quite. It's been turned into one of those faux woke liberal tropes so beloved of the likes of the Trumpian wing of the Republican party, US Evangelicals (OK, at the moment the latter are a subset of the former), and the British "Redtop" media. It's probably 35+ years since I parted ways with my American Jewish partner, but I was using "Happy Holidays/Seasons Greetings" blah blah back then, without an inkling it would become a populist "anti-woke" hate target. Indeed, had you told me back then it was "woke", I would have look puzzled and probably attempted to correct your grammar while figuring out why you were using a verb rather than an adjective. I have a friend I've known since we were 12 and he arrived at our school. Doubt anyone knew he was jewish and only I realised when he started telling me about it. Funny stories about synagogue etc. He was my "best" friend at school and still we try to meet up occasionally. To him, despite feeling at home in a synagoge although I don't think he goes regularly anymore, he is not "lost" in a church. By that I mean if he found himself in one perhaps due to mates going to midnight mass one year or perhaps because at school there were trips there it was nothing special - he knew what goes on probably as much as I did. Boring largely. His kids get christmas presents on the 25 and do everything like I did as a kid and indeed he did. Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas is certainly the greeting I get from him and frankly vice-versa. My cousins wife is a Jew by birth, but is now a Deacon (I think, I'm not big on Church designations) in a Christian Church, their children went to a Christian Church School. Her family came here from Austria during/immediately after the war and they were impacted by the holocaust. I wish people wouldn't mix religion with ethnicity, not aimed at anyone here, just a general gripe!
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 20, 2023 18:22:37 GMT
I have a friend I've known since we were 12 and he arrived at our school. Doubt anyone knew he was jewish and only I realised when he started telling me about it. Funny stories about synagogue etc. He was my "best" friend at school and still we try to meet up occasionally. To him, despite feeling at home in a synagoge although I don't think he goes regularly anymore, he is not "lost" in a church. By that I mean if he found himself in one perhaps due to mates going to midnight mass one year or perhaps because at school there were trips there it was nothing special - he knew what goes on probably as much as I did. Boring largely. His kids get christmas presents on the 25 and do everything like I did as a kid and indeed he did. Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas is certainly the greeting I get from him and frankly vice-versa. My cousins wife is a Jew by birth, but is now a Deacon (I think, I'm not big on Church designations) in a Christian Church, their children went to a Christian Church School. Her family came here from Austria during/immediately after the war and they were impacted by the holocaust. I wish people wouldn't mix religion with ethnicity, not aimed at anyone here, just a general gripe! What do you mean by ethnicity? Aren't you making your argument even harder by using that term which appears to be a mix of things.
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Post by bracknellboy on Dec 20, 2023 19:50:47 GMT
My cousins wife is a Jew by birth, but is now a Deacon (I think, I'm not big on Church designations) in a Christian Church, their children went to a Christian Church School. Her family came here from Austria during/immediately after the war and they were impacted by the holocaust. I wish people wouldn't mix religion with ethnicity, not aimed at anyone here, just a general gripe! What do you mean by ethnicity? Aren't you making your argument even harder by using that term which appears to be a mix of things. while some definitions of ethnicity may include "religion", that tends to be secondary to other things, or at least part of a long list of things that aren't related to religion. I don't think there is a useful alternative to 'ethnicity'. And indeed, there doesn't necessarily need to be. I think the vast majority of people tend to think of 'ethnicity' and 'religion' as two separate orthogonal characteristics. After all, as far as I'm concerned my 'ethnicity' is independent of my being an atheist. And on virtually every form I've ever encountered they are separate. This is also true of the UK Census: List of ethnic groupsI do note that list doesn't include "Jewish" as an ethnic group. But that is a matter of granularity. You can be White British and Jewish. And of course secular.
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ozboy
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Post by ozboy on Dec 20, 2023 20:15:17 GMT
Feliĉan Kristnaskon al ĉiuj. Come on, it’s just season greetings. I have plenty of non christians saying this to almost every body whether religious or not, buddhists, muslims and atheists, including cards and presents from muslim friends. 'course, the actual objection here isn't that people are trying to stopping you, Oz, Michael, Berny, Ethel, Marky, Mogish from saying whatever the hell you want to whoever the hell you want... Fill yer boots. It's that you want others to be stopped from saying things to you that don't fit your preference. Why can't they have the same freedom as you? Why do a few friendly syllables different cause you such anguish? Indeed, what's so different between "happy holidays" and the phrase you just used, "seasons greetings"? Neither explicitly reference one particular winter celebration, but both can be taken to include it. A cynic might suggest it could be described as "snowflake cancel culture". My point is that any increasing and general use of "Happy Holidays" may eventually cause the extinction of "Merry Christmas", and that would be the erosion and erasure of a big part of our British history, traditions, culture and being. Some Brits actually don't want and don't condone the ongoing onslaught to erode and erase our history, traditions, culture and being. 
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Greenwood2
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Post by Greenwood2 on Dec 20, 2023 20:34:26 GMT
My cousins wife is a Jew by birth, but is now a Deacon (I think, I'm not big on Church designations) in a Christian Church, their children went to a Christian Church School. Her family came here from Austria during/immediately after the war and they were impacted by the holocaust. I wish people wouldn't mix religion with ethnicity, not aimed at anyone here, just a general gripe! What do you mean by ethnicity? Aren't you making your argument even harder by using that term which appears to be a mix of things. Ok what would you call it? Family were all Jewish, Speak Yiddish, always raised as Jewish. The Nazis didn't care if you worshiped as a Jew it was all about your family history and how you looked, ie, your ethnicity not your religion. Still happens today people are persecuted because of their origins not their actual religion. Be free to describe what that is in your opinion...
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Dec 20, 2023 21:17:27 GMT
What do you mean by ethnicity? Aren't you making your argument even harder by using that term which appears to be a mix of things. Ok what would you call it? Family were all Jewish, Speak Yiddish, always raised as Jewish. The Nazis didn't care if you worshiped as a Jew it was all about your family history and how you looked, ie, your ethnicity not your religion. Still happens today people are persecuted because of their origins not their actual religion. Be free to describe what that is in your opinion... I just don't understand you. Ethnicity includes religion. Ahh hang on a minute. Penny dropping. You're trying to use the word "race" but feel reluctant to do so for some unknown reason ?
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