Why do Jehovah Witness not celebrate birthdays?

Question

I just don't understand why you can't celebrate the day of your birth. Also how come only 144000 can get into hevan? this seems like a random number..

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!

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.

Also, Jehovah's Witnesses recognize that Revelation 14:1 describes the number who are resurrected to heaven.
(Revelation 14:1) And I saw, and, look! the Lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.


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

I used to be a JW so I can tell you they don't do birthdays because in the Bible the only people who celebrated birthdays did not worship their God or something bad happened (John the Baptist was beheaded at a birthday party). Therefore, they think they should not celebrate the custom. In addition, they feel that birthdays are inherently selfish focusing attention on one person. I disagree with all of that logic since many of their practices are selfish (using titles, and other JW sanctioned celebrations like Baptism Anniversaries, Graduation Parties, special privileges). 144,000 is a number in Revelation. The J-dubs think it is a literal number, though this teaching is somewhat controversial even within the organization. Doubters are usually excommunicated so most of them seldom voice their dissenting opinion though...

Answer 3

The birthday thing is a bit of pretentious legalism that allows people to feel superior. Birthdays are just fine for kids. They should be banned over a certain age, though. ;o)

144,000 is not a random number. On the contrary, it is very meaningful. There were twelve tribes of Israel, the Chosen Race, and this number is taken to represent the fulness of the saved. But there are not to be twelve saints in heaven. So the saints in heaven notionally number 12 x 12 x 1000 = 144,000.This number should not be taken literally!

Btw, It is totally untrue that Jesus set any day as being special. The whole point of the Christian life is that every moment is devoted to Christ's will- the Christian is a slave to Christ, having been bought by the price of His blood. Special days or seasons are absurd and even demonic to a Christian, who 'walks with God', who 'talks with God' all the time.

'Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God — or rather are known by God — how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.' Gal 4:8-11 NIV

Answer 4

while they claim that birthdays are not recorded in the bible, they over look the fact that if herod celebrated his birthday then that means that it was acustom then. did not christ say that he followed all the customs. christ and his disiples celebrated the sabbath which is the weekly birthday of the world. JW have no basis for not celebrating birthdays.
as for the 144000, this is the no. of those whogave up all worldly stuff including marrige to follow god. nearly all JW must have had sex or have wordly possesions. the book of revelation says a great multitude when describing the saved in heaven

Answer 5

God, through the Bible, does not put birthdays in a favourable light. There are only two mentioned in the scriptures. The first is in Genesis chapter 40. Pharaoh, a worshipper of false gods, celebrated his birthday and had the chief of bakers hung. The second was that of Herod recorded at Matthew chapter 14, and he had John the Baptist beheaded on that occasion.

The is no record of Jesus or his followers celebrating birthdays.

The origins of the customs associated with birthdays lie in the realm of magic. Offering congratulations, gift-giving, celebrating, even the lighted candles, were to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and ensure his security for the coming year.

The round birthday cake comes from lunar worship.

The Hebrews looked upon birthdays as a part of idolatrous worship.

The Greeks and Romans believed that everyone had a protective spirit who attended his or her birth and watched over them for the rest of their life. This is were the idea of a guardian angel, fairy godmother and patron saint comes from.

Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.

The 144,000 is not merely a Jehovah's Witness belief, it is a Bible teaching. At Revelation chapter 14 (in any Bible) we are told that the 144,000 are standing in heaven, singing a song before the throne. These ones are "bought from the earth". (vs.3).

Revelation 7:4 also mentions the 144,000 but then in verse 9 mnetions another the group "a great crowd which no man was able to number", they are not said to be "bought from the earth". Note, however, the contrast that John draws between vs. 4 and vs. 9. He states that the first group, “those who were sealed,” has a definite number. However, the second group, “a great crowd,” is without a definite number. With that in mind, it is logical to take the number 144,000 to be literal.

If the number 144,000 were symbolic and referred to a group that is actually numberless, the force of the contrast between those two verses would be lost. Thus, the context strongly indicates that the number 144,000 must be taken literally.

Various Bible scholars have reached the same conclusion, that the number is literal.

Some argue that since Revelation contains highly symbolic language, all numbers found in this book, including the number 144,000, must be symbolic. That conclusion, though, is clearly not correct. Granted, Revelation contains numerous symbolic numbers, but it also includes literal numbers. For instance, John speaks of “the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev 21:14) Clearly, the number 12 mentioned in this verse is literal, not symbolic.

The confusion arises because mainstream religion teaches that all good people go to heaven. But is that what the Bible teaches? What do people think they will be doing when they go to heaven? Revelation 20:4 talks about those who will rule with Christ as "kings and preists". Revelation 5:10 says: "You made them to be a Kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth."

Two things are required for a kingdom. (1) a King, and (2) a domain. If all good people are in heaven, who is left to be ruled over?

God's original intention was for mankind to live on a Paradise earth. Had Adam & Eve not rebelled and sinned against God, they would still be alive on earth today.

People often say the Lord's prayer and in it they pray for God's kingdom to come and for his will to be done in heaven, also upon earth.

Psalms 37:29 says "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it."

Numerous verses point to an earthly hope for many people, which was God's original purpose in Genesis.

Answer 6

The question is why would you want to observe something that is not promoted by the Bible, while you ignore observing the day Christ did say to keep in Memorial? The Memorial of the Last Supper. Do you think like Satan who told Eve that there is more than what God is telling you?

As for those going to heaven, do you so hate God's creation, the Earth, that you want to get off it? Do you think that you personally are above and too important to be one of the ones helping to rebuild the Earth back into a Paradise?

Answer 7

I stand to be corrected but I think it's because of John the Baptist (Jesus' friend) was beheaded at the birthday of some Roman leader's daughter's birthday. he asked her want she wanted and she said ...well...off with his head.
As for the 144 000, the answer lies in JW's interpretation of Revelations.
Once again, I'm not too sure.

Answer 8

The only mention in the Bible of a birthday is Salome's when John the Baptists head was served on a plate to her. They also don't like you saying God, gotta be Jehovah! Don't agree with blood transfusions, would let their kids die rather than taint them with shared blood. Bunch of wacky fun loving people really!!! I think the number is the phone number of Mary Magdelene before she gave up being a prostitute!

Answer 9

They are also against to wearing crosses.

Once a Jehovah witness asked me " Suppose if Jesus was executed by a sword.......then would you hang a Sword at your chain?"

Answer 10

they dont celebrate birthdays because LIFE SUCKS, STOP BEING HAPPY