Since the Pharaoh's doing something evil on his birthday means birthdays are bad (according to the Watchtower)

Question

then does the fact that the Pharaoh did something nice on his birthday mean there is something nice about birthdays too ( using the same logic) ?

Pharaoh actually did something nice on his birthday as well - that is, he declared amnesty for the chief cubearer ( Genesis 40:21 ). He set man free!

Answer 1

If the reasoning for not celebrating birthdays is:

"Regarding birthday celebrations, bible students are encouraged to consider:
: 0% of faithful biblical Jews celebrated birthdays
: 0% of first century Christians celebrated birthdays"

as one answerer wrote, then why do JWs drive, use electricity, eat most of the food they eat, go to school, cook with a microwave, fly in airplanes, read machine printed books, use a computer, use indoor plumbing, etc, etc., etc., since obviously the same 0% theory applies??!

Using that reason to not celebrate birthdays is just ridiculous and not at all based on scripture.

Have your birthday celebrations -- you were born and you are here--have a bash, and the bigger the better, just BECAUSE!


:

Answer 2

This child is your flesh and blood. She's your creation and no one else's. Do you love this child or do you not? Because if you've been so neglectful for this long because you have another family, then all you are is a sperm donor and not a father. Just because you pay child support, doesn't mean you're making the effort in helping to bring up this child in a world of negativity. She's already going to have to deal with one absentee parent. This could lead to very serious psychological problems in her future and a disabling resentment towards you which you may never recover. Please remember: Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a dad. I feel sorry for your daughter who has no control over this situation with you and her mom, yet she has to deal with the fact that her own father may not want to do anything with her or be a part of her life. In essence, I think this makes you an irresponsible father. Every child deserves a life filled with love. Something that you aren't affording her the opportunity to fully experience. I hope you reconsider your actions.

Answer 3

Birthdays celebrate the day you were born and if you make others miserable, are evil, and don't want to change into a somewhat better person then you have made others lives more complicated, harder, and worse. If you do good in this world then you have made others glad to have you as a friend and have contributed something good to humanity. If your a rotten person people peobably wish you weren't born and think your birthdays a bad thing vise versa. Most of us do both so birthdays aren't neither bad nor good their to celebrate that you were born and to have a fun time. This is what I think at least.

Answer 4

Is it really reasonable to conclude that just because something happened on a certain day that they day itself is evil? Isn't such an assumption completely superstitious? Wouldn't it be much more accurate and reasonable to say that the PERSON who committed the evil act was what was, in fact, evil?

This is so typical of the circular reasoning the WT uses in all of its arguments. The really scary thing is that its members are discouraged from reaching any logical conclusion to this effect if it might contradict what "mother" says.

Of course, the other thing they say is that they should not be giving " honor" to a certain person, but do they not give honor to a couple on their anniversary, which they do celebrate?

Answer 5

That's not a logical statement.

If A then B is the original statement
If not B then not A is logically equivalent statement

If not A then not B is not a logical conclusion from the original statement. You can't make any kind of inference at all.

Answer 6

What did the Pharaoh do that was bad on his birthday?

Just wondering. All I remember is an execution, and if that's bad then so is Mosaic Law. No reason was given - we don't know the baker's crime.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 7

funny thing, every birthday celebration I've been to or hosted was more of a "we're so happy for you" celebration and nothing boastful and prideful.

My life is so much happier and content as an ex-JW. I am hoping the same condition befalls the rest of our family still miserable in its clutches.

Answer 8

No.

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.

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

Answer 9

the reason witnesses do not celebrate birthdays has nothing to do with what the pharaoh did over 2 millenia ago....it's because they're cheap! They don't buy presents, but they will (begrudgingly,lol) accept them!

Answer 10

What has my birthday got to do with anybody especially the Pharaoh????