Jehovah Witness?

Question

Why would JW's not celebrate thier birthdays, if they weren't born they wouldn't be able to be JW's

Answer 1

they are weirdos, cult. that is why

Answer 2

Jehovah's Witnesses are quite thankful for the gift of life, and regularly thank the Almighty for life in their prayers. Witnesses are also taught to honor their parents, partly because of the parents' role in giving life. But a birthday celebration does not honor the true God or parents, it honors oneself.

A Witness would be very likely to take special note of such birthdays as 16, 21, 30, 40, etc. His family and perhaps a few close friends would likely take note as well and perhaps even congratulate him privately.

However, Jehovah's Witnesses would not stage an ego-centric gathering around such an occassion. Bible students are encouraged to consider:

: 0% of faithful biblical Jews celebrated birthdays
: 0% of first century Christians celebrated birthdays
: 100% of birthdays celebrated in the bible were by debauched enemies of God (See Mark 6:17-29; Gen 40:19-22)

Bible historians (M'Clintock, Strong, and others) have noted that faithful Jews of the bible did not celebrate birthdays, and that ancient pagan birthday celebrations were at least partially intended to honor the patron gods of the particular day.

By comparison with such paganisms, the bible does not even tell us the birthdates of Jesus or ANY of his apostles!

Admittedly, the bible doesn't specifically forbid birthday celebrations, which is why they rarely results in 'disfellowshipping'. Still, the practice is certainly 'frowned upon' and against the consciences of most Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 3

Before I answer, I want to point out that about everything that lightblue_100 said is incorrect. Anybody who seriously wants to know about Jehovah's Witnesses and what they believe should either talk to one, or visit http://www.watchtower.org

AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION:

There are several reasons that Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays.

For starters, there are only 2 birthday parties mentioned in the bible. Both of these events were for foriegn people who did not worship the Israelite/Judeo-Christian God Jehovah. One was Pharoah of Egypt, the other was King Herod of Rome. In the written record of these events, something tragic happened.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that everything that is written in the Bible is "inspired of God", "beneficial for teaching", and there for a purpse, to "set matters straight" - 2 Timothy 3:6

So is it significant that birthday parties are cast in a negative light and that the only ones mentioned were held by non-worshippers of Jehovah God?

Secular history shows that Jews did not celebrate their birthdays and neither did Christians until about 400 years after Christ (see notably the works of Origen). So "Christians" didn't even celebrate birthdays until about 1500 years ago.

Now that biblical and secular history has been established, let's ask why? what is the reason?

As previously mentioned, we should take a close look at what takes place at a birthday party. To sum it up, people brings offerings and sing praises to a particular individual, dealing to him an exhorbant amount of reverence.

Jehovah's Witnesses refrain from participating in anything like this because they believe that such a measure of reverence belongs only to the creator, Jehovah God.

Jehovah's Witnesses do good to others, whether in the form of material gifts or not, at all times during the year.

As an aside, there is nothing wrong with giving someone a phonecall or saying 'happy birthday' (the equivalent of 'happy anniversary [of your birth]). It's the PARTY, worship-like ceremony, that isn't practiced.

Answer 4

JWs follow the Bible to the letter. The Bible doesn't explicitly forbid birthday celebrations, but it shows them under a negative light. Plus the fact that we do not know Jesus's exact birthday; so the main idea is that the day you were born doesn't really matter. My parents are JWs.

Answer 5

Although considered to be a harmless secular custom today, birthday celebrations are actually rooted in paganism. This is our reason for not celebrating birthdays, plus in the Bible, only 2 birthdays are mentioned, at one party a man was put to death by hanging, the second party John the Baptist got his head cut off.

Ecclesiastes 7:1  ¶A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.


Not surprisingly then, we read in The World Book Encyclopedia: “The early Christians did not celebrate His [Christ’s] birth because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.”

With the introduction of Christianity the viewpoint toward birthday celebrations did not change. Jesus inaugurated a binding Memorial, not of his birth, but of his death, saying: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Lu 22:19) If early Christians did not celebrate or memorialize the birthday of their Savior, much less would they celebrate their own day of birth. Historian Augustus Neander writes: “The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period.” (The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries,) “Origen [a writer of the third century C.E.] . . . insists that ‘of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below.’”

Clearly, then, the festive celebration of birthdays does not find its origin in either the Hebrew or the Greek Scriptures. Additionally, M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopaedia says the Jews “regarded birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship . . . , and this probably on account of the idolatrous rites with which they were observed in honor of those who were regarded as the patron gods of the day on which the party was born.”

True Christians today are not preoccupied with the roots and possible ancient religious connections of every practice or custom, but neither are they inclined to ignore pointed indications that do exist in God’s Word. This includes that the only birthday celebrations of Biblical record are of pagans and linked to instances of cruelty. Hence, the Scriptures clearly place birthday celebrations in a negative light, a fact that sincere Christians do not disregard.

Why do Christians celebrate wedding anniversaries but not birthdays?

The Bible does not put marriage in a bad light. It is entirely a private matter whether Christians choose to take note of a wedding anniversary, reflecting on the joyfulness of that event and on their resolve to work for success as a couple. However, the only birthday celebrations of Biblical record are those of pagans, and such were linked to instances of cruelty.

Answer 6

Celebrating birthdays is rooted in superstition and false religion.The Encyclopedia Americana (1991 edition) notes,"The ancient world of Egypt,Greece,Rome and Persia celebrated the birthdays of gods,kings and nobles".It says that the Romans observed the birth of Artemis and the day of Apollo.In contract "although the ancient Israelis kept records of the ages of their male citizens,there is no evidence that they had any festivites on the anniversary of the birth date."
Other reference works go into considerable detail about the origin of birthday celebrations "Birthday parties began years ago in Europe.People believed in good and evil spirits,sometimes called good and evil fairies.Everyone was afraid of these spirits,that they would cause harm to the birthday celebrant,and so he was surrounded by friends and relatives whose good wishes,and very presence would protect him against the unknown dangers that the birthday held.Giving gifts brought even greater protection.Eating together provided a futher safeguard and helped to bring the blessings of the good spirits.So the birthday party was originally intended to make a person safe from evil and to ensure a good year to come."-Birthday Parties Around the World 1967.
The book explains too,the origin of many birthday customs.For example "The reason [for using candles]goes back to the early Greeks and Romans who thought their tapers or candles had magical qualities."

God's servants of old,noted when individuals were born,which allowed them to figure ages.But there is no record of any birthday celebrations among God's people.Encyclopedia Judaica says:"The celebration of birhtdays is unknown in traditional Jewish ritual."Customs and Traditions of Israel observes:"The celebrations of birthdays has been borrowed from the practices of other nations,as no mention is made of this custom among Jews either in the Bible,Talmud or writings of the later Sages.In fact,it was an ancient Egyptian custom."

So in a nutshell,Jehovahs Witnesses do not take part in celebrations that are steeped in pagan rituals and beginnings.These include birthdays,Christmas and Easter.
Jesus said of his followers that they were to be "no part of the world".This is what Jehovahs people strive to do.That is to remain morally and spritually seperate from this system of things.2Cor.4:4 warns that Satan is "the god of this system"
The only occasion Jesus asked to followers to commemorate was the memorial of his death.And Jehovahs Witnesses faithfully obey the command each and every year on the date on which it falls which is equivalent to the Jewish date of Nisan 14.

Answer 7

The Jehovah Witness don't celebrate birthday first it because in the bible it's write 2 example of that situation i talk to you only for the second time who they celebrate birthdays to someone who you will remember. If you have a bible in your home i suggest you to go to read that because it's too long for write what is happen. In Matt 14:6-10 they talking about Herod's birthday and his daughter in law who she dance for him and he promess to her that he will make what's she want, so she dance for him and after she go see her mother and ask what i can ask to the king for that dance, and her mother say "give me here upon a platter the head of John the Baptist" so as same as his hearth don't want to do that he made it. And in the bible you had 2 example why they don't celebrate birthdays. And if the bible mention that is for a reason. Jehovah's witnesses take note that God's Word reports unfavorably about birthday celebrations and so shun these. P.S sorry for my bad english, i'm french Quebecois

Answer 8

Jehovah's Witness Heresy, beware of them?
Jehovah's Witness dont call them selves Christians
because they believe a little bit like Protestant And Jews
any way they dont believe in the Churches of the Lord
and do dont believe in Our Mother Virgin Mary and they
dont believe in the saints
they dont believe in Peter
they say that hell is the grave
they believe in Saturday not Sunday
they believe in jerusalem temple
they are against the state and the goverment
they say that the church is the devil made
they dont serve in army
they refuse blessing the state flag
they say that the world will end in 1914
yet it has passed and nothing happend so they are liers
they lied that jesus came like an angel in 1914 in the temple
of god yet no one saw him.

they believe that the 6 says of genesis is 7000 years
they believe that angels were created like the humans
and they say the angels can mary humans

but it says in
Psalms 104:4 "He makes winds his angels, and flames of fire his servants"

Answer 9

First century Christians never celebrated their birthday. Also they have pagan related customs

Answer 10

it is about only worshipping god. having a birthday where someone is given gifts all day and celebrated all day is like worshipping them for a day. so as they only wish to worship god they dont have days of worship like birthdays for any person on earth, or not on earth for that matter, same goes for mothers day and fathers day and the like, its about putting someone on a pedestal for a day which they see as wrong. only god can be worshipped in this way.

Answer 11

Cause they are so tite they won't buy themselves even a cheap birthday card or 1 measly candle...