Expert: Brenda Martin - 4/19/2003

Question
Hi Brenda! First one: How did the word'Maunday" come about for Holy Thursday?  two: Why"Palm" Sunday? Why not "Oak or maple or willow", Sunday?  Third; Really I am NOT trying to be funny when I ask you this. My wife and I are Methodists. My sister is Roman Catholic. They are both so impressed and in a humerous way; envious of the Jehovah Women that they know.Meaning; they all seem to look GREAT! Hair, nails, shapely, clothes etc..! I really mean it! I notice it also. So, is this part of the Jehovah Witness; Dogma or belief or whatever you may call it? Brenda, I hope this is an odd question that you find interest and "FUN" in answereing!   Thanks.  Eddie  Jensen

Answer
Hi Eddie, You asked about--MAUNDAY--

In the first century Jesus and the early Christians accepted the determination of the date Nisan 14 (which commenced at sundown) as set by the Jewish temple priesthood in Jerusalem. It is noteworthy that Jesus celebrated the Passover meal on Nisan 14, as directed in the Law of Moses. (Ex. 12:6-8; Lev. 23:5; Matt. 26:18-20) He did not eat the Passover meal on Nisan 15, as most Jews do today. After the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E., Christians had to determine the Nisan 14 Passover date themselves.

At the time when Roman Emperor Constantine made apostate Christianity the state religion (325 C.E.), the Council of Nicaea ordained that the celebration of Easter should always take place on the Sunday that immediately follows the full moon that happens upon, or next after, the day of the spring (vernal) equinox. Usually this equinox date is March 21. Should the fourteenth day from the new moon, which they regarded as the day of the full moon, fall on a Sunday, the celebration of Easter was deferred to the Sunday following. This was in order to avoid concurrence with the Jews and the minority of Christians, termed Quartodecimans, who still celebrated on the fourteenth of Nisan. In this way Christendom has come to have their “Maundy Thursday” always on a Thursday to commemorate Jesus' Last Supper, and their “Good Friday” always on a Friday to commemorate his death.

This is all I could find out about the word Maunday sorry.

PALM SUNDAY

On Sunday, Nisan 9, 33 C.E., a great crowd with PALM branches in their hands hailed Jehovah's firstborn Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as “the One coming as the King in Jehovah's name!” (Luke 19:38; Heb. 1:6)

WITNESS WOMEN-- , is this part of the Jehovah Witness; Dogma or belief?

Everything J.W's believe is bible based, so if the women are smart, it is because they are trying to live up to bible standards. No one has told these women they have to dress smart etc. it comes naturally to them as they learn God's word. When they take part in the door to door work they are representing Jehovah God, so naturally will want to look their best and give a good impression of themselves, as whatever they do reflects either good or bad on the God they worship.

Here are some scriptures they would be taking into account--

1 Pet. 3:3, 4: “Do not let your adornment be that of the external braiding of the hair and of the putting on of gold ornaments or the wearing of outer garments, but let it be the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit, which is of great value in the eyes of God.”

1 Tim. 2:9, 10: “I desire the women to adorn themselves in well-arranged dress, with modesty and soundness of mind, not with styles of hair braiding and gold or pearls or very expensive garb, but in the way that befits women professing to reverence God, namely, through good works.”

Prov. 31:30: “Charm may be false, and prettiness may be vain; but the woman that fears Jehovah is the one that procures praise for herself.”

Keeping in mind also, these women don't drink excessively, or smoke, or do anything that damages the body, so it will be reflected in their appearance, but above all I would say what your seeing is an, inner beauty, they have purpose, peace of mind, they know what they're doing, and where they're going. I remember the first time I went to one of their meetings, my first thoughts were," why are they all so happy, what do they know, that I don't?" they're faces were glowing, now 30 years on I know why.

Basically it comes down to this, the Creator knows what is best for the human body, so when we follow his guidelines as laid down in the scriptures we can only benefit, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Isaiah 48; 17 "I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk. 18 O if only you would actually pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea"

Many people have remarked on the Witnesses and their dress, here are some of them—

1. El Norte of Monterrey, Nuevo León State, said:

“Even though 25,000 Jehovah's Witnesses were at the Monterrey Baseball Stadium, inside there was no garbage, no shoving, no shouting, nor was it necessary to have police patrols . . . The crowd, children, adolescents and grown-ups, came to the event in formal dress; the men were distinguished by the use of a tie and the women by their long skirts of subdued colors"

2. One local resident living next to a large sports complex noted the difference between gatherings held by Jehovah's Witnesses and various other events. After relating how litter and traffic jams characterized a loud rock concert, he said: “Almost all events in the dome have created problems. The only event that did not was the Jehovah's Witnesses convention.”

3. A general manager of another stadium volunteered this comment: “Of all the many types and sizes of crowds attending events at the stadium, your group has been by far the cleanest, best behaved and most cooperative.”

4. Following one of last year's district conventions, the editor of a large metropolitan newspaper wrote:

“More than anything else, it was the deportment of the Witnesses themselves that was most striking. How refreshing it was to see so many people carry themselves with such an air of dignity and respect. Dressed in their Sunday finest, hundreds of families representing the gamut of racial and ethnic backgrounds quietly streamed into the arena. Their behavior was in sharp contrast to that of most crowds that file into the arena. In fact, the Witnesses contrast greatly with most crowds in general. It's become all too common to see rude public behavior. . . . Indeed, the crowd of Witnesses is refreshing.”

So your not alone, and the reasons we are "different" is simply because we are sincerely trying to live up to bible standards.  All the best to you and yours, brenda