2007-11-21 09:57:10 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
JWs give gifts from their hearts, throughout the year.
Gifts given under compulsion, aren't heart-felt gifts.
Love must be voluntary. When we do something due to pressure or compulsion, it is not an act of love, but rather performed because it was expected.
Besides, Dec. 25 was a pagan holiday long before 'the church' pasted Biblical names & events on it:
"...Christians in the fourth century assigned December 25 (the Winter Solstice on the Julian calendar) as Christ's birthday (and thus Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. This theory is much disputed, as the dates of Saturnalia are not coincident with Christmas. A more refined argument is that Christmas was set on the feast of Sol Invictus, which was on December 25, and which had supplanted Saturnalia. However, others claim that early Christians independently came up with the date of December 25 based on a Jewish tradition of the "integral age" of the Jewish prophets (the idea that the prophets of Israel died on the same dates as their birth or conception), and a miscalculation of the date of Jesus' death. [1] A theory has been advanced that the establishment of the feast of Sol Invictus on December 25 was an attempt by Aurelian to co-opt the day already celebrated by Christians for a pagan festival..." (Wikipedia > Saturnalia)
"...Many customs associated with modern Christmas were derived from Germanic paganism...
Around the 12th century, the remnants of the former Saturnalian traditions of the Romans were transferred to the Twelve Days of Christmas...
Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival, incorporating ivy, holly, and other evergreens, as well as gift-giving...
A winter festival has been a traditional festival in many cultures due to the winter solstice.
In part, the Christmas celebration was *created by the early Church* in order to *entice pagan Romans to convert* to ... without losing their own winter celebrations.
*Most of the most important gods in the religions of Ishtar and Mithra had their birthdays on December 25*.
Various traditions are considered to have been syncretised from various winter festivals...
*The identification of the birth date of Jesus did not at first inspire feasting or celebration. Tertullian does not mention it as a major feast day in the Church of Roman Africa.* In 245, the theologian *Origen denounced the idea of celebrating Jesus' birthday "as if he were a king pharaoh*." He contended that only sinners, not saints, celebrated their birthdays... " (Wikipedia > Christmas)
God's own Word the Bible describes & condems the practice of the tree & ornaments so popular in Christmas decor:
"...Jehovah [God] has said: “Do not learn the way of the nations at all... because it is a mere tree out of the forest that one has cut down, the work of the hands of the craftsman with the billhook. With silver and with gold one makes it pretty. With nails and with hammers they fasten them down... They... cannot speak... they are carried, for they cannot take any steps... the doing of any good is not with them.” (Jeremiah 10:1-5 excerpts)
Jesus Christ has been enthroned as the King of God's heavenly kingdom. Does it really seem fitting to think of Christ as a babe in a manger, when he is now second only to his God & Father in heaven?
"...‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father
... to my God and your God.’” --John 20:17b
"... From now on the Son of man will be sitting at the powerful right hand of God.” --Lu 22:69
When men are honored for their achievements --whether still alive, or long dead-- they are honored as the mature person that they were when they made their achievement, (not as little babies who are unable to so much as take care of themselves)... Why shouldn't followers of Christ be doing likewise?
2007-11-21 10:39:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Jehovah's Witnesses do not get involved with Saturnalia or any other pagan festival that is made to look like a Christian Holiday.
It should be noted that the Magi arrived 1-2 years AFTER Christ was born. So it was not for his birthday, it was to pay him homage believing he is the new king of the Jews.
Mat 2:2 "Where is the king of the Jews that has been born? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to do him homage."
Homage (proskunesai in the Greek) proskunesai can mean honoring either a king or a God. Proskunesai can also mean a type of worship.
Was Jesus purpose of coming to earth so that everyone can worship each other on Dec 25th or was there a bigger purpose in hand?
2007-11-28 11:57:29 · answer #2 · answered by keiichi 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am very anti-Jehovah's Witness, but they do have a point. Nowhere in the Bible do you find the celebrating of nor giving gifts for such celebrations as Christmas. Christmas is a pagan holiday and many Christians do not like celebrating it. As for me, a Christian, I do not celebrate the day but I do take the advantage of the time to be with family and friends. Yes, I buy small mementos just as a kind of "thank you for being you" gift.
I realize it is NOT the birthday of Jesus nor are we supposed to celebrate this day in worship any more than any other day.
2007-11-21 18:08:33 · answer #3 · answered by mesquiteskeetr 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
We don't celebrate Christmas as it is not Jesus birthday, but the birth of Mithras and many other ancient pagan gods. It is a blend of pagan roman customs and other idolatrous things. The tree thing is even condemned in the Bible. Jeremiah 10:1-5
We give gifts at other times of the year.
My big time to give things is when we have our tax refund back in March or so. I get my kids new wardrobes including my 23 year old son who is not JW. Plus other things then as well as when I have money throughout the year.
Debbie
2007-11-21 18:03:34 · answer #4 · answered by debbiepittman 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Who cares about the stupid gifts at Christmas...get over it. I get gifts all the time, anytime of the year, for no reason.
How do you feel about buying gifts, then know they will be returned anyway? I don't hear anyone say anything good about Christmas shopping. Makes the present real special knowing it was bought grudgingly, doesn't it?
2007-11-21 18:19:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Christimas gets it's roots, and various traditions from Pagan beliefs. As Christians we strive to not take part in pagan celebrations.
In response to the comment about the "Wise Men". They were pagan astrologers who were led by the star first to herod to inform him his enemy was born.
2007-11-23 19:00:06 · answer #6 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From what I understand, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that holidays take their focus away from God. Which really doesn't make much sense to me, I think Christmas and Easter and the like cause us to focus more on Him.
2007-11-21 18:03:31 · answer #7 · answered by texastigerzt 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The answer I want to give would cost me 10 points so I will try to give one that won't.
Basically they believe that due to the fact that the date chosen to celebrate Christmas is a pagan holiday, which is true. So since the date is a pagan holiday, even though the point is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, they will not celebrate it. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible forbidding Christmas. Or any holiday similar to it. Yes the date is likely not the date of His birth but who cares.
Ok here goes 10 points. JW's believe whatever the watchtower tells them. They must follow it exactly. If they do not they are kicked out of church. Their families refuse to have anything to do with them. So basically JW's unquestioningly follow whatever the watchtower teaches. If it told them to jump of a bridge they would. The are not actually Christians since they follow the watchtower and not Jesus. They are truly watchtowerites.
2007-11-21 18:04:57 · answer #8 · answered by Bible warrior 5 · 2⤊ 5⤋
They understand the real meaning and origin of Christmas. All religions probably shouldn't celebrate.
Would you celebrate Hitlers birthday just because everyone else was?
2007-11-21 18:13:47 · answer #9 · answered by Reptilia 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
un vrai chrétien suivra les instruction du christ et nulle autre instruction
par exemple un patron donnera un ordre a faire a son ouvrier , est ce a l'ouvrier de faire comme il veut lui sous prétexte qu'il a l'intelligence pour le faire?
n'essayez pas car il vous mettra a la porte
pour les fêtes païennes c'est la même chose Dieu n'apprécie pas donc nous faisons autrement et c'est bien mieux
2007-11-21 19:05:13 · answer #10 · answered by gen 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋