2006-12-16 12:17:08 · 19 answers · asked by mt33000 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
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
2006-12-17 19:36:34 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My sister and her family are Jehovah Witnesses and they are not freaks! My sister and her family are the very best of people. I am an atheist by the way so there is no religious bias on my part. So I will do my best to answer from what I remember them explaining to me. First of all they study the Bible and interpret it. All modern religions have a "holy book" and even the ones that use the same "bible" interpret the same passages different ways. They don't celebrate holidays in part because they are man made events which exalt something other than Jehovah. They don't appear in the bible. This explains why they don't celebrate birthdays as well. They will celebrate wedding anniversaries because the marriage is a "sanctified" event and they are remembering the commitment they made before Jehovah. In a previous comment someone mentioned that they also don't agree with the date. That is true. My nephew informed of this part when he was 5. They believe Jesus would have been born in the "warm" season so to speak. I'm not sure if they believe that the "Jesus" Christians celebrate was the son of Jehovah. I know Jewish people do not believe God's son has been born. I hope this helps. By the way, the number of people who believe in Jesus Christ is a minority in the world. A friendly suggestion - don't insult other people's beliefs. It's very disrespectful. Would you like it?
2006-12-16 12:43:47 · answer #2 · answered by Debra G 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
From what I know: Christmas was not a holiday to be celebrated because it is steeped in pagan tradition. The celebrating of birthdays was also considered a Pagan celebration, that Jesus and his disciples did not take part in; interesting how Jesus never once mentioned his birthday. However the date he did mention to acknowledge was his death. And it is logical to conclude because his death redeemed mankind from sin, that is why we haveforgiveness for our sins. if it is steeped in false religion then Jehovah's Witnesses won't take part in it. It is a scriptural based stand. I actually found out quite a bit about the tainted holidays by reading up on it in the library encyclopedias.
2006-12-16 12:37:42 · answer #3 · answered by cutie 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
More to the point, why don't people of other religions know what day Christ did say to observe?
Ask someone in Christendom what day was Christ born on and they will mostly say December 25th, which is wrong and is a man made observance.
Ask them what day do they observe the Memorial on and they say a day in May.
Ask a 12-year-old JW child what day do they observe the memorial on and he/she will day the night of the first full moon after the vernal equinox, as sun set. Niacin 14, the memorial of the Last Supper, one of only two observance Christ promoted.
So, the question should be why do JWs observe the one day Christ said to observe, while forsaking man made observances, while those in Christendom observe man made holidays, while forsaking the one day Christ said to observe. Further, why don't they teach their followers about it?
Which would you rather forsake, what Christ did and said, or what Christendom does and says?
Regardless of what you may or may not think of the origins of the holidays, you have to ask youself that if you claim to be Christian, why don't you know about Niacin 14 and how to find it on any calendar?
2006-12-16 21:30:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
They do not believe in holidays because they interpret the Bible to say the nothing should be placed above the worship of Jehovah (God), supporting even Thanksgiving - is not allowed.
2006-12-16 12:25:20 · answer #5 · answered by SpecEdTchr 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No one has to celebrate any of these holidays to be a christian. The holidays were added later. The early church did not celebrate any of them.
2006-12-16 12:24:18 · answer #6 · answered by cathyhewed1946 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
They deny the things that are behind the holidays.
2006-12-18 20:32:36 · answer #7 · answered by Buzz s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the holidays are pagan. and jehovah is a jealous god.our worship has to be holy to be accepted by him and his son.
2006-12-16 12:18:57 · answer #8 · answered by gary d 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Sodom and Gomorrah were an example to the world, God showed them no one has got to be forced to do what others do, each man works out his own stand with God.Philip.2:5,9-12;
Rom.14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
2Cor.5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
2006-12-16 12:30:24 · answer #9 · answered by jeni 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If they don't live in the holiday,do you really believe that they die for twenty-four hours ?
2006-12-16 12:19:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋