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WHY .... doesn't Jehovah God consider warfare ... murder? It seems clear to me that Jehovah allows civil governments to run their own affairs as they see fit, and even has no objection to them judging and executing wrongdoers ... and even commands us to be in subjection to these governments, as even the very worst of them are better than anarchy. People generally misinterpret the scripture that say " Thou shalt not kill." where the scripture more actually says "Thou shalt not murder". There is a very real difference. A sovereign government, executing a wrongdoer is implementing the political will of that government ... whether it be a government the size of a continent .. or an extended family sized tribe of Jewish sheepherders living way out in the middle of nowhere, living in tents, governed by a patriarch. I have not been able to find in the Bible where actual warfare, committed by any sovereign group, is considered to be murder ... either by the perpetrators of the war, or the defenders of the war against them, except in the case of "war crimes" against non combatants and other cases. Did you know it is legal to drop napalm on civilians in war, from an aircraft ... but not from a flame thrower from a soldier on the ground? ....but I digress. Even people that warred against the Jews were not considered murderers..... they were considered warriors. I am working on getting this all straight in my mind now ... as there seems to be a profound truth buried in this stream of thought, somewhere, but I cannot get it to crystallize, or perhaps it is approaching 3AM, and I am too tired to think about it. But whatever it is that is ... what profound basic principle that I am missing ...is based on having a correct answer as to WHY ... WHY does God NOT consider warfare to be murder. I suspect when I figure it out, it will be like driving down a road in a southerly direction, thinking you are going North ... and then you see that landmark or sign that indicates you are really going South ... and that feeling you get when your whole frame of reference rotates in your head, like the world just rotated 180 degrees. It's like deja vu, and geography, combined. Perhaps my premise is faulty, but I don't think so. Please feel free to destroy my premise, or my stream of thought, or my conclusions. I try to be "loyal" to whatever is true, and not an agenda of defending an agenda. Knowing "WHY?" things are the way they are, is the key to good philosophy. Bad philosophy will waste our lives, which are pitifully short.

The wedding ring is one of the most common symbols of marriage known to man today, so common that most church-goers will condemn a Christian if he/she doesn't have one. However, where did this idea of wedding rings come from? It certainly isn't from the Bible because that's never mentioned in marriage. In fact, the first mention of a finger ring in the Bible comes from Egypt, a well-known source of paganism. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; -Genesis 41:42 It is the heathen nations that always put the emphasis on gold, silver, and fine jewelry, but Christians were not supposed to put emphasis on such things. The New Testament Scripture defines these things as vanity and pride. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? -James 2:1-4 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; -1 Timothy 2:9 So our modern society got it from the Catholic Church, who in turn got it from pagan tradition: " The wedding ring also has its origin in pagan times. According to the ancient Greeks, Prometheus [titan who created mankind] made the first wedding band out of smelted metal for strength and endurance. The unbroken circle was believed to signify the harmony of marriage... Modern-day adaptations of the many pagan rites have become big business! Photographers, jewelers, musicians, and florists have all prospered from ancient customs." -Abigail Kirsch, The Bride and Groom's First Cookbook, Doubleday, 1996, p. 4, ISBN: 9780385476355 This author, who was a popular medium/psychic (divination, necromancy, and sorcery), and a Catholic school teacher for 18 years, explains: "Our world is filled with pagan symbols--take, for example, the wedding band. It was believed that if bad luck came to a married couple, it would get trapped in a circle (the ring) , and it would just stay there, running in a circle for eternity." -Sylvia Browne, Secrets and Mysteries of the Word, Hay House Inc, 2006, p. 4, ISBN: 9781401922504 This witch author, whose books her husband stated has helped gay couples in their "marriage," says that pagan rituals can also call for astrological birthstones to be placed in the rings to give specific magical properties: "There are several ring choices besides the traditional engagement ring and wedding band that you see most often today. Read the following suggestions for different types of precious and semiprecious stones that you could incorporate into your engagement ring , wedding band, necklace, bracelet, or anklet, given here with their magickal properties ." -Kendra V. Hovey, Passages Handfasting: A Pagan Guide to Commitment Rituals, Adams Media, 2007, p. 145, ISBN: 9781440516368; Author's husband statements: [goodreads.com/review/show/893672232?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1] The wedding ring is esteemed in many witch covens above other jewelry for its "magick" properties: "In most cases, watches and random jewelry should be removed before practicing magick... Wedding rings are worn during the practice of magick, as they are considered sacred and blessed. " -Aislin, Ashling Wicca: Book 1, Lulu.com, 2012, p. 111, ISBN: 9781105350108 According to pagan sources, the "ring finger" that the wedding ring is supposed to adorn is based on what is called "palmistry," which is founded in witchcraft. "The Origin of the bridal bouquet goes all the way back to the ancient belief that strong-smelling spices and herbs would prevent evil spirits from ruining things. Her bridesmaids often follow suit, and even the flower girls have a specific role to shower all of the guests with petals from the chosen variety of flower. As Pagans, we are not limited to the colors, smells, and magickal uses of flowers . We can also incorporate the colors, smells and magickal uses of herbs. You are free to use traditional flowers, magickal herbs, or a combination of the two for a spectacular display of fragrance, color, and magick." -Kendra V. Hovey, Passages Handfasting: A Pagan The tradition of having a "flower girl" spreading out rose petals down the aisle of a typical wedding ceremony was taken from the Wiccan ceremony of casting spells in a magic circle known as "the rite of handfasting:" "Starting at the eastern-most point of where the circle will be cast, the Flower Girls (Maidens) each stand with a basket of rose petals ... The rose petals are a symbol of our Lady and the Flower Maidens a symbol of youth... When all is ready, the groom rings a bell, opens the book containing the wedding vows, and lights a candle to announce the beginning of the rite." -A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, Career Press, 2002, p. 126, ISBN: 9781564146205; Drew has authored many books on Wicca and hosts the annual Real Witches Ball for PaganNation.com. "Few people are aware that the wedding cake used in modern marriage ceremonies is a relic of the symbolic corn ears worn by the bride to ensure fertility in pagan times. These corn ears were replaced by cakes that were scattered over the newly married couple as they left the church. Thus we see how a subtle magical practice, in the form of the wedding cake, has become a central part of a religious or secular ceremony that allegedly has absolutely nothing to do with magic.[i.e. Church-goers deny its pagan roots.] The pleasant custom of sending pieces of the wedding cake to friends and relatives is also a modern expression of the traditional need to share with one's friends the magic of the corn spirit." The wedding cakes were even used in practices of divination: "The history of wedding cakes is quite long. These nuptial goodies have their origins in the ancient custom of couples ritually eating sacred foods during the marriage rite... Guests kept pieces of the cake, much as wedding guests of our own time take home slices for 'good luck.' In the Victorian era, unmarried English women placed pieces of wedding cake under their pillows for dreams of their future husbands ." -Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012, ISBN: 9780738717111; Cunningham was a highly-respected 20-year veteran sorcerer, publishing more than 50 books around the topic of witchcraft. http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/marriage.php Divorce rate amongst Jehovahs Witnesses: https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/divorce.php