Do you know anyone who is a Jehovah's witness?

Question

I want to know why don't they celebrate any holidays or birthdays? Do they not believe in God or Jesus? What do they believe?

If their main focus is to go out and preach His word, then why do they accept or ask for money when they give people a WatchTower book?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses believe strongly in God Jehovah and in his Son Jesus Christ.

Regarding birthday celebrations, 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!


Jehovah's Witnesses practice strict political and nationalistic neutrality, so they do not celebrate nationalistic holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day.

Other holidays derive from false religion, and so are incompatible with pure worship as adulterating interfaith. For example, Easter derives from the pagan god Oestre and celebrates "rebirth" and "fertility" instead of commemorating Christ's Last Supper and death as Jesus commanded:
(Luke 22:1-22) [Jesus] dispatched Peter and John, saying: “Go and get the passover ready for us to eat.” ...14 At length when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them: “I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it becomes fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”

Seemingly innocuous holidays may have only a tangential connection with false worship, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day (although arguably derived from ancestor worship). Understated observance of these is not generally considered interfaith by Jehovah's Witnesses, but it is too easily misunderstood in some cultures.

Since such celebrations are not required in true worship, and can easily become a distraction, so Jehovah's Witnesses focus their attention elsewhere. In particular, they are focussed on the preaching work which *IS* a requirement for Christians:

(Luke 10:1-17) [Jesus] the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/rq/article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2000/12/15/article_01.htm

Answer 2

From the answers already given you can come to the proper conclusion that Witnesses believe in one God; Jehovah, and his son Jesus who gave his perfect body as a sacrifice for us to have forgiveness of sins._ Matthew 20:28. Witnesses are known for their neutrality and believe that the only solution for mankind is God's kingdom which we actively preach to others about._ Matthew 24:14. In addition Jehovah's Witnesses do not take part in God-dishonoring holidays which either are tainted by nationalism or have pagan roots.
As for your second question you posted, the magazines and books we give people are free. You do not have to make a donation to receive one. When we ask people if they like to give a donation or if they give it from their own accord we gladly appreciate their support because we know it would be of great help in the production costs. Unfortunately, everything costs money these days and all the work that goes into the making of books and magazines made for our enjoyment and benefit aren't that cheap. That's why we sometimes may ask if you like to give a donation. The amount you give doesn't matter as long as it's from your heart._ Luke 21:1-4. If for whatever reason you can't donate that's fine also. This is all the part of the donation arrangement. Still the donations are not in vain as they help further the Kingdom work. In addition to what was already said this is not our main focus when we share in the ministry. Our main focus is telling people about Jehovah God and what he will do for mankind with the the Kingdom hope in mind. I hope I cleared any confusion on the matter.

Answer 3

The best way to find out what the JWs believe in, is to ask a JW. I'm sure they'll come knocking on your door soon.

But JWs take the commandment of "Thou shalt not have any graven images" very literally. The JWs that I know, have explained to me that they believe holiday's and all of the bells and whistles that go with them take the focus off of God, because many of the traditions that are celebrated are founded in paganism. And yes, JWs do believe that Jehovah mentioned in the Old Testament is God the Father and they also believe in Jesus Christ.

Just because a religon does not believe in the "traditions" of mainstream does not make its followers any less faithful or believeing.

Answer 4

I know a lot of Jehovah's Witnesses. They believe God's name is Jehovah, and that Jesus is his son. Because they believe you should only worship God, they reject holidays that their research shows honors pagan gods. For example they don't celebrate Christmas, because Dec 25th is nowhere in the Bible. There is no observance of Jesus birthday by Jesus, his family, friends or followers that is recorded in the Bible. The date and customs of Christmas were adopted beginning about 300 years after Jesus death. Christmas was an adaptation of the worship of the pagan god Saturn. You can ask them for more details. They are not shy about explaining.

Answer 5

I knew a Jehovah's Witness when I was a teenager. I don't know one of them right now.
I have asked a Jehovah's Witness why they don't celebrate holidays. What she said made sense to me. Here's basically what she said...

-They don't celebrate birthdays because John the Baptist was beheaded on the king's birthday.

-They don't celebrate Christmas because the bible indicates that Jesus was not born in the winter.

-They don't celebrate Halloween because it is a celebration of bad spirits.

-And other holidays, to them, are worldly.


I have never been curious about their beliefs when it comes to Jesus. Therefore, I have never asked. I don't completely agree with them on some other religious doctrines that they have. But that doesn't matter to me. The Jehovah's Witnesses I have seen are deeply devoted to following God. That is something I truly admire.


P.S. I still have the email address of the JW that I asked. If you want to ask her about her religion, I can give it to you. (She's open to emails like that). Oftentimes, you'll hear rumors about most religions on here. So your best bet is to ask a Jehovah's Witness or to check out their website. -- http://watchtower.org/

Answer 6

Can you cite any scriptures detailing how Jesus celebrated any birthday of anyone, or any holiday other than the traditional Jewish ones? They believe they will live forever in thier physical bodies here on the earth. They believe the earth will be made into (returned to) the earthly paradise such as Adam and Eve lived in before taking of the forbidden fruit.

Answer 7

My friends mother is. They believe in One god Jehovah. They believe in Jesus but they dont believe that he is a god, just a person in history. They dont celebrate birthdays or holidays because they are pagan in origin. Easter originated from a pagan named Eastre who had a celebration. No where in the bible does it celebration of birthdays. Also Jesus' actual birthday is not mentioned their either. It all has to do with the origination from Pagans.

Answer 8

They don't celebrate any earthly holidays, as they do not want to be a part of the earthly kingdom. This is funny, since they still enjoy our roads, military protection, etc.

They believe in god in more or less the same way that most Christians do, however they believe that Jesus was nothing more than a great teacher (ie, not your savior).

The best part is that they believe that only 144000 people get to go to heaven, and that those people have already been selected. So you might as well have fun here on earth, since your either in or your not and nothing that you do here will change a damn thing.

Answer 9

Their view of sexual behavior reflects conservative Christian views. Homosexuality and premarital sex are considered sins.[58] Abortion is considered murder.[59] Modesty is heavily encouraged in dress and grooming. Gambling is strictly forbidden.[60] Practices that connote nationalism or false religion are avoided. Weddings, anniversaries, and funerals are typically observed; however, common celebrations and religious or national holidays such as Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are regarded as unchristian and are not celebrated.[61] The family structure is patriarchal. The husband is considered the final authority on family decisions, but is strongly encouraged to actively solicit his wife's thoughts and feelings. Marriages are required to be monogamous.[62] Vigorous efforts are made to spread their beliefs by all members throughout the world in a variety of ways, with particular emphasis on the written word. Literature is published in many languages through a wide variety of books, magazines and other publications, with a small number being available in as many as 410 languages. The preaching work is regarded as a form of humanitarian effort by giving people a hope for the future. Aid work after large natural disasters is considered an important part of their work. Often hundreds of thousands of donated money is used in the affected areas to rebuild communities and provide aid. However, on-going aid work that some other religious groups provide, such as soup kitchens, clothing donations, or building homes for the homeless, is not focused on.

Answer 10

They don't celebrate the holidays because it is of pagan origin. And I don't know where you received your information at, but JW's believe in God and his holy son, Jesus. I'm not a witness, but I do know a few, and they are the most dedicated people I know where God and Jesus are concerned.