why do some religions, such as muslims and jehovah witnesses not..??

Question

.. celebrate their birthdays?? i mean im really confused about the whole concept.. why wouldn't you want to celebrate the day you was born?? and let people acknowlegde that you are a year older.

i must have called up one of my friends who's a muslim and told her happy b'day and started shouting at me telling me "you know i don't celebrate my b'day" i was just well baffled..

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate their birthdays because it's not mandated in the Bible. Furthermore, there are two instances of a birthday being celebrated in the Bible: Pharaoh's birthday and King Herod's birthday. On both occasions, someone got killed. (Pharaoh had his baker killed. King Herod had John the Baptist killed.) So, they reason that to celebrate one's birthday is to be emulating these "evil" people. (Personally, I think it's a bit of a weak argument myself. These "evil" people ate breakfast, too. Does that mean they should stop?)

As for Muslims, I don't think they have a certain doctrine that keeps them from celebrating their birthday. As others here have pointed out, it's mainly a cultural thing.

Your friend, I'm sorry to say, sounds like a rude person with poor social skills. Even most Jehovah's Witnesses, when wished a happy birthday (if it's known, that is) will politely say, "I don't celebrate my birthday, but thank you for thinking of me."

Answer 2

Let me say, please, at the outset, that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not against having a good time. They have plenty of parties and give numerous gifts to loved ones, friends and the like. They enjoy food, drink and a good time and there is nothing wrong with this. This does not mean, however, that any and every celebration is approved of by God.

Having said that, I’m sure it seems odd to many that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate their birthdays. Interestingly enough, first century Christians did not celebrate their birthdays either. The World Book Encyclopedia reports that the early Christians “considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” Historian Augustus Neander writes: “The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”

This was true also of early Jews. Thus, the Encyclopaedia Judaica reports: “The celebration of birthdays is unknown in traditional Jewish ritual.” The publication Customs and Traditions of Israel observes: “The celebration 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 Witnesses are not the only ones who have shunned this activity. While it is true that celebrating birthdays is rooted in superstition and false religion, this is not the primary reason Witnesses refrain.

As mentioned by one poster, the Bible brings up the matter of celebrating birthdays and Christians wisely take this into consideration. Everything in the Bible is there for a reason. Carefully consider the two references to birthday celebrations. There is absolutely nothing in either of these references to suggest anything positive about the celebration. But there is everything negative. These two celebrations are hardly presented as innocent fun. Moreover, several scriptural principles are involved here and true Christians are sensitive to their direction.

Given the known origin of celebrating birthdays, the example left by early Christians, and more importantly, the unfavorable light in which birthday celebrations are presented in scripture, Witnesses have abundant reason to abstain from the practice. Can anyone reasonably find fault with this position?

Hannah

Answer 3

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.

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.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/rq/article_11.htm

Answer 4

Noone knows when Jesus was born. When the Roman
Emporer Constantine became a Christian, the Romans
already had a celebration where they exchanged gifts. It
was to celebrate the Winter Equinox. The beginning of
Winter. So since the Wise Men gave Jesus gifts, Constantine
made Christs birthday the same as the celebration they
already had.
Many don't like this. Since it mixes Christs birthday with a
pagan celebration.
As far as not even celebrating a little baby's birthday. I think that
is a little extreme.

Answer 5

As a former Jehovah's Witness, I can tell you that they don't celebrate birthdays because their Governing Body decided they shouldn't. Jesus said that his followers should be no part of the world, so JW leadership has, particularly in the Rutrherford-Knorr years of the 20th century, gone out of their way to find ways to be different than the mainstream Christians.

Originally, Jehovah's Witnesses did celebrate birthdays - not as a religious observance but simply because it was a harmless custom. They also celebrated Christmas, even though they were aware that December 25th was not the actual date of Jesus birth. They reasoned that since the purpose of Christmas was to honor Jesus, they may as well not 'quibble' over the date. In the 1920's, Judge Rutherford, a man with a lot of strange ideas (like the dead being resurrected in 1925) decided that because of the 'pagan origins' of Christmas, JW's would no longer celebrate it. And that would apply to everyone else's birthday, too.

Since then they have looked for justification for this view in the scriptures and have found a few they like to use to show that Christians should not celebrate birthdays. It takes a lot of 'reading between the lines' but JW's are used to that.

You will notice that JW's will say that in the Bible only pagans celebrated their birthdays (two of them). That's true, but so what? If the Bible mentioned in the Bible that two pagans had drank tea and never mentioned that any one else did, would that make it wrong to drink tea? The Bible never connects the birthday celebration with anything pagan. It is mentioned merely as a point of detail in the accounts and nothing negative is said about celebrating birthdays in those two accounts.

In the account of John the Baptist, John was beheaded. But that was totally unrelated to the 'birthday'. It could have been any kind of party at all - it just HAPPENED to be a birthday party. But because JW's are LOOKING for reasons not to celebrate birthdays, they try to use that as a reason.

Also, Salome could have asked for something other than John's head. She could have asked for money, jewels, position. She could have asked for something GOOD like for the king to share his wealth with some poor people. If she would have done that, would JW's then say that we should celebrate birthdays because something GOOD happened? It's totally absurd - one has nothing to do with the other. (In fact, something GOOD did happen at the other (Pharoah's) birthday party, but JW's don't ever mention that. I would be surprised if they even know it.)

Of course if celebrating birthdays in some areas is done because of religious reasons, then that would be a good reason for Christians to avoid them. But to merely observe the anniversary of an important date in your life - which is the case in many places, such as the US and England - is not objectionable.
That is why JW's do celebrate anniversaries.

To say that they don't do it because it's not commanded in the Bible is ridiculous. The Bible doesn't say to celebrate anniversaries or do a lot of other things that JW's do anyway.

It's just another way that JW's can be different from everyone else and reinforce their view that they're so much better than other religions. If JW's were honest, though, you would find many of them feel that celebrating a birthday is not much different than celebrating a wedding anniversary, graduation or some other special occasion. But they have to follow their man-made rules and traditions.

Answer 6

I turned 50 this year. The last time I celebrated my birthday was when I was in the 2nd grade. My mother became a Jehovah's Witnesses soon after. I should mention that I was disfellowshipped by the Corning, CA Congregation in 1982. Some good reasons are given below, but the most important relies on the example of Christ. He observed the Passover and Wedding Anniversaries. His only specific instructions were to observe the wedding anniversaries and the Memorial of the Last Supper.

Now, I don't know if you have children, but a common problem parents have with their children is when you tell them not to do something. Since you didn't spell it out in specific detail, of what they shouldn't do, than the child gets the idea that it must be okay if it is done a little differently. Further, they will do something they know is wrong, but because they were not specifically told not to do it, than it must be okay.

God and Christ have been very clear in what they expect us to do and not to do. No, it does not clearly say not to celebrate birthdays, but what are they saying by giving examples of only pagans celebrating them? Does this mean that because you're not pagan, than it must be okay?

Ultimately, only you can answer whether it is okay for you or not, but don't ever think that since Christ didn't specifically say not to do it that it must be okay. Too think that us putting yourself on an equal stance with him and his Father. Are you equal to them in knowing what is right and wrong?

You talk about celebrating now, but are you willing to celebrate now as a trade off to celebrating forever while having everlasting life? If you are willing to make that trade, than yes, it is okay to celebrate your birthday.

Answer 7

Don't assume that all muslims or jehovah witnesses believe the same way because they don't. Many muslims celebrate birthdays & other holidays. Strict muslims do not celebrate birthdays because that practice is not found in history. They believe that they should only celebrate the praises of Allah. If your friend believes this way she should have said thank you but my religious belief is that I shouldn't celebrate my birthday. This person is just rude. Find a new friend.

Answer 8

There is nothing in Islam that prevents the celebration of birthdays, but it is preferred if the birthday is used as an occasion in which to praise the life and bounties that Allah has provided.

If there are any particular strains of Islam that forbid the celebration of birthdays, which is entriely possible, I've not heard of them.

Perhaps your Muslim friend was turning 30 and was feeling a bit old and cranky? She does sound like a bit of a cow though.

Answer 9

Jehovah's Witnesses take bible teachings very heavily, and an outstanding initiate as to why we don't rejoice birthdays is discovered at Ecc 7:one million - "an outstanding popularity is greater effective than the main costly physique spray. interior a similar way, the day you die is greater useful than the day you have been born." The meaning in a nutshell is that once you pass on, the way you lived your life (good!) is greater significant than celebrating your beginning - regardless of each and every thing, no person is attentive to yet at your beginning in case you would be an outstanding guy or woman or purely a waste. There are different motives stated interior the bible, yet i actually like that scripture. additionally JW's are between the main relaxing loving communities of persons I certainly have ever been around - they humorous tale and laugh and BBQ and merely have relaxing with life, using fact our God Jehovah is a happy God. yet another component, we do rejoice the beginning of our childrens, we do merely no longer lead them to look ahead to a holiday/birthday to get presents.

Answer 10

did you ask for an explanation????
for real christians that should be the same way!,i mean no to celebrate certain dates throughout the year,if you are not into religion it's going to be really hard for you to understand,anyway,jesus said that his followers are not part of this world,meaning people whising to be obidient to jehova will not do the same things than the ones(world)who don't give a dime for obidience to god...such as birthdays,new years,christmass,easter,etc.those festivities are used in the worl as traditions.it's a little long explanation but i recomend you to ask a muslim for their reasons and a jw's for theirs but i'm sure you don't really care abt god,so dont' worry,but if u r really intersted,keep an open mind because when you get the whole picture,hopefully you decide to obey god rather than men and you'll have true knowledge about so many esential things in life which you ignore right now!!!!