They don't participate in any sort of celebrations, why? Like for instances birthdays, they don't celebrate them, isnt life worth celebrating? Just curious, Thanks!
2007-09-05 07:24:14 · 8 answers · asked by Dragonette 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Victoria,
When did I say I didn't respect their beliefs? I was just asking a question, not questioning their beliefs, so your answer makes no sense.
2007-09-05 07:40:17 · update #1
Jehovah's Witnesses do celebrate many happy events, merely abstaining from celebrations which have pagan origins and pagan connotations.
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/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20001215/article_01.htm
2007-09-05 07:58:28 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 7⤊ 1⤋
What the Jehovah's Witnesses won't tell you: 1. Their founder celebrated Christmas and birthdays. 2. There is NO Biblical condemnation of celebrating Birthdays. 3. Celebrating a birthday is not called a sin anywhere in the Bible. 4. Jesus never condemned the practice. 5. The Bible clearly teaches- Colossians 2:16, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." 6. If the leadership (Governing Body) changed their minds on this (or any) topic, all faithful JW's would again celebrate birthdays along with the rest of us.
2016-05-17 10:23:47 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Witnesses do celebrate events, just not ones that are based on ancient Pagan celebrations. We celebrate anniversaries, we have parties, so on...
You mentioned birthdays, the reason we don't celebrate these is because the celebration is based on superstition and a belief that a spirit is present at the time of your birth and protects you throughout your life. Not celebrating birthdays doesn't mean we don't appreciate life, we do! We just don't need to celebrate it once a year.
2007-09-05 07:34:21 · answer #3 · answered by Mabes 6 · 8⤊ 1⤋
We celebrate many events.
Baby Showers, Graduations,
we commerate the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ
annually. Baptism.
Weddings or the Anniversaries there of.
We have parties, Bar-B-Q's...and more.
Yes, life is worth celebrating,
we just show it in different ways.
The preaching / teaching work that is being done
worldwide shows our love of all human life.
We choose to not participate in events
that are not honorable towards Jehovah God.
2007-09-06 01:20:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I know that this rumor has traveled the planet, but as many responders have already mentioned, they do celebrate many things. So the statement that "they don't participate in any sort of celebrations" is wholly untrue.
And yes, indeed, life is worth celebrating. Do you not feel that life can be celebrated without birthday parties?
Hannah J Paul
2007-09-05 07:57:32 · answer #5 · answered by Hannah J Paul 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
That is not true. We celebrate many things. We have graduation gatherings, wedding anniversaries, marriage ceremonies, coming home parties, house warming gatherings, bridal showers, and baby showers, just to name a few. The most important celebration is the Lord's Evening Meal.
We shun holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween because of their connections to false religion.
You ask: "Isnt life worth celebrating?" Well, it all depends on what is being celebrated. In the book of Exodus, while Moses was in the mountain to receive the Law from Jehovah, the people decided to to have a celebration. They even dedicated the party to Jehovah. They said at Ex. 32:6: "There is a festival to Jehovah tomorrow." Because of the party's pagan overtones (the golden calf), did Jehovah feel this party was worth celebrating? NO! That party cost the lives of 3,000 people who felt that a paganistic life was worth celebrating.
As I already said, Christmas, Easter, and even birthdays are rooted in paganism. To celebrate them would be to offend our God, Jehovah
2007-09-05 07:27:27 · answer #6 · answered by LineDancer 7 · 9⤊ 2⤋
it is nice that you are curious. everyone else answered the question well. i just wanted to say that it is nice you are asking witness what they believe instead of just going with what you've heard.
Allot of witnesses used to celebrate holidays until we learnt the origin behind them and we know what we are missing or not missing.
2007-09-06 02:24:30 · answer #7 · answered by rayhab 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Each and every religion has their own belief, muslim guys can marry up to 4 times, christians think that gay doesn't exist, jihad likes to kill all christian, and so forth...so lets respect what they believe
2007-09-05 07:29:17 · answer #8 · answered by Vick 2 · 2⤊ 4⤋