2006-12-29 16:34:14 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
i've always been curious about them. and why dont they celebrate holidays? what about birthdays?
2006-12-29 16:34:53 · update #1
Jehovah's Witnesses understand the Scriptures to teach that God's Kingdom will soon replace all earthly governments.
(Daniel 2:44) God of heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite
That Kingdom will rule over the vast majority of mankind, most of whom will have been raised from the dead after Armageddon.
(John 11:23,24) Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
(Acts 24:15) There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Until that resurrection, there is no suffering in "hell", or the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire
While a limitted number of humans will be resurrected to heaven to share in ruling over mankind, the vast majority (literally more than 99.9%) of Jehovah's Witnesses expect an EARTHLY hope, the same hope given to Adam and Eve.
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill THE EARTH and subdue it [caps added]
(Genesis 2:17) You must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die [so never eating from that tree means never dying]
Interestingly, the Scriptures are full of references to this earthly hope.
(Psalms 37:11) 'the meek will possess the earth'
(Proverbs 2:21) 'upright will reside in the earth'
(Isaiah 45:18) 'God formed the earth to be inhabited'
(Matthew 5:5) 'the mild will inherit the earth'
(Revelation 21:3) The tent of God is with mankind
Learn more:
http://jw-media.org/beliefs/trueworship.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/
2006-12-30 11:02:25 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
GOD put Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Even though they became disobedient and died, God has made it possible for their children, including us today, to live forever in Paradise. The Bible promises: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will [live] forever upon it.” Psalm 37:29.
The Bible tells about a “new heavens” and “a new earth.” (Isaiah 65:17) The present “heavens” are made up of today’s human governments, but Jesus Christ and those who rule with him in heaven will make up the “new heavens.” How wonderful it will be when this new heavens, which is God’s righteous government of peace, rules the entire earth!
What, then, is the “new earth”? The new earth will be good people who love Jehovah. When the Bible speaks of “the earth,” it sometimes means the people who live on the earth, not the land itself. ( Psalm 66:4; 96:1) So the people who make up the new earth will live right here on this earth.
The present world of wicked people will then be gone. Remember, the Flood of Noah’s day wiped out a wicked world of people. And, as we have learned, this present wicked world will be destroyed at Armageddon.
Imagine seeing the whole earth turned into Paradise! Jehovah says of that time: “Look! I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) Consider what that will mean. When Jehovah has finished wielding his destructive power against this wicked old system, there will remain “new heavens and a new earth.” This means that a new government will reign from heaven over a new earthly society composed of those who love Jehovah and who do his will. Satan, along with his demons, will be put out of commission. (Revelation 20:3) For the first time in thousands of years, mankind will be free of that corrupt, hateful, negative influence. The sense of relief will no doubt be overwhelming.
Paradise will not be like the world we live in now. God never wanted the earth to be filled with trouble and sorrow, pain and suffering. In the future, God will make the earth a paradise. What will Paradise be like? Let us see what the Bible says:
Good people. Paradise will be the home of God’s friends. They will do good things for one another. They will live according to the righteous ways of God. Proverbs 2:21.
Plenty of food. In Paradise, there will be no hunger. The Bible says: “There will come to be plenty of grain [or, food] on the earth.” Psalm 72:16.
Fine houses and enjoyable work. On the Paradise earth, every family will have a home of its own. Everyone will do work that brings true happiness. Isaiah 65:21-23.
Peace worldwide. No longer will people fight and die in war. God’s Word says: “[God] is making wars to cease.” Psalm 46:8, 9.
Good health. The Bible promises: “No resident [of Paradise] will say: ‘I am sick.’” (Isaiah 33:24) Also, no one will be lame or blind or deaf or unable to talk. Isaiah 35:5, 6.
An end to pain, sorrow, and death. God’s Word says: “Death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4.
Bad people will be gone. Jehovah promises: “The wicked, will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.” Proverbs 2:22.
People will love and respect one another. No longer will there be injustice, oppression, greed, and hatred. People will be united and will live in harmony with God’s righteous ways. Isaiah 26:9.
We do not celebrate "pagan" holidays, the holidays you mentioned most certainly are.
2006-12-30 06:20:55 · answer #2 · answered by BJ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
JW's believe only what the Bible has to say and recognize it as the Word of God and they strive to live their life in accordance with it. They believe that Jesus is God's son and that God has a name and its Jehovah. Holidays are traditions of men and they remain separate from these man made traditions. Also Jesus never said to celebrate his birthday but to hold in remembrance the day of his death. In the Bible there are birthdays mentioned but the 2 times they are mentioned they were celebrated by pagans not Christians. Hope this helps.
2006-12-30 00:48:28 · answer #3 · answered by joyofjoys 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Disfellowshipped JW
1982 Corning, CA Congregation
For cause, but not the ones some ex-JWs who want to put themselves on a pedestal, want you to believe, and know you will without question.
You could wait until next May when this program about Jehovah’s Witnesses is shown on PBS, or you can order a copy now. It was done by an independent film company.
http://www.knocking.org/
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=54714EBF23EFA251
Setting aside any Bible issues, they believe in obeying the law, even the inconvenient ones, such as speed limits when late for work.
They believe in paying taxes, even though there are many ways they could avoid them, as many religions do.
They believe in keeping their word, such as to the IRS that they will not promote politics in the church, and they actually mean it.
They teach their youth that waiting until marriage is preferable to using protection, and for the most part, the youths actually believe it. As a result, they have the lowest rates of out-of-wedlock births and STDs. Yes, there is the occasional ones who would rather have their fun now than wait, but there are far more who choose to wait.
They treat their youth with respect, not just "do what you're told!"
Youths are taught side by side with the adults, the Bible as a whole, and not just Bible stories. The very young may not understand what they are being taught, but by the time you reach the age of understanding, they have a good basic knowledge of the scriptures.
The congregations never get so large that the individual gets lost in the crowd. Since everyone is taught the same, it is easy to start a new congregation, with a set of elders.
Everyone knows everyone, whether in their congregation, or in their circuit. When Katrina happened, every Jehovah’s Witnesses living in New Orleans could be found in Texas, with every individual accounted for. How many other religions could say for certain they knew that none of those left behind belong to one of their churches?
They believe their Kingdom Halls should compliment a neighborhood, and not overwhelm it, so they are small and don’t include a lot of expensive decorative features. Each KH can hold up to four congregations.
They encourage all their members to read the Bible and submit their thoughts. This was before the NWT and when they were using the KJV, or Authorized Version. It should be noted that this version of the KJV was not the first, but the fifth. It took four revisions over a 150 year period, before it was approved by the Church of England.
JW may have their own Bible, but it came about as a result of reading the KJV by thousands of people and noting the contradictions as a result of errors in translation. A good example is the scripture that says “The Word” is a Mighty God. A Mighty God gets its power and existence from an Almighty God. As for revisions, to my knowledge, it had not been revised since it came out in the 50s. My mother still has her first JW Bible, though it is worn like all the others she has used since them. Witnesses generally wear out a Bible every few years, whereas those in Christendom may have the same Bible for generations.
The greatest difference between JWs and the rest of Christendom can be answered with just one question.
WHAT DAY DO YOU OBSERVE THE MEMORIAL ON?
Everyone else will falter around and perhaps come up with a day in May, but all JWs will say at sunset on Niacin 14, which falls on the first full moon after the vernal equinox, the Memorial of the Last Supper. This is the only day, aside from wedding anniversaries, that Christ said to continue keeping, yet Jehovah's Witnesses are the only Christian organization that does.
Whatever you may say about whether it is right or wrong to observe the man-made holidays created since the first congregations, the fact remains that Christendom does not observe the one day Christ said to keep. What does that say for the leaders of Christendom, that they ignore that one important day of the year, and don't even know what day it falls on?
The question of holidays gets asked a lot, yet the facts of why are clearly evident. Even the Churches of Christendom recognize that the holidays and observances are not in keeping with Bible teachings, yet they fear that doing anything about it will jeopardize their positions and power. Check any religious encyclopedia about the holidays and their history.
So the question is not why don't witnesses celebrate the holidays, but why does Christendom celebrate something not taught in the Bible? Further, why don't they know what day Christ said to observe and why don't you observe it on that day?
Whatever you may think of any of the other beliefs of JWs, you have to ask yourself is the need to observe these holidays more important than observing the day Christ said to keep?
2006-12-30 09:39:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Having been one I can say that they believe as all other Christians believe. They are the only "Right" ones and all others are lost if they do not convert after the door knockers have visited them. They are very sincere and try to live good lives, walk their talk for the most part. But again if you are not a JW you are not in the TRUTH. You have been deceived by the god of this world Satan. Only 144,000 will go to heaven the rest will live in a restored paradise here on Earth.
2006-12-30 00:58:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
wikipedia and other reference sources will answer your question about why we don't celebrate holidays because of their origens, and birthdays are only mentioned twice in the bible and both times someone was murdered. We beleive Christ is king and that the world is under control of spirit forces that turn us away from God. Watchtower.org is the only official website like the other answerer mentioned, cause many others are misleading.
2006-12-30 00:42:35 · answer #6 · answered by jaguarboy 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
1.) watchtower.org---official website, any other site is a fake.
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/index.htm?article=article_03.htm
2.) Ask one when they come to your door--if I wanted to know something about a baptist, i'd ask a baptist, a J.W., then ask a J.W.
Holidays have pagan origins, you can look that up for yourself in any encyclopedia, and so they don't have anything to do with them for that reason.
2006-12-30 00:38:02 · answer #7 · answered by eurolady 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
They believe in waking people up early on Saturday mornings!
Lol!
2006-12-30 00:36:17 · answer #8 · answered by angie20k 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
they believe that they are in the right path, and what they think and want to believe in, can't be false.
2006-12-30 00:36:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i'm also curious about the facts,but i think they believe in jehova as it is!!!!!
2006-12-30 00:40:51 · answer #10 · answered by jermaine 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋