I have met a few JW lately and I just wish to understand why?
2007-12-28 14:29:45 · 21 answers · asked by bosbabe_four 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
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
2007-12-31 02:00:42 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a JW and I don't celebrate them either. My children have never celebrated a birthday. We do acknowledge ones birth date and the annual increase in age. We just don't celebrate it. Don't know why the JW's don't, but we don't because there are 2 examples of birthday celebration in Scripture and they are pagan kings, another situation is in Job were it is generally agreed, when Job's children got blown away at least one was celebrating his birthday with the others present. Daddy wasn't there! You know, PERFECT JOB, was not at the birthday party celebration.
>>>> Don't agree with this group on a whole lot, BUT, www.yahweh.com << THEY have a very informative book on the celebration of birthdays issue, shouldn't cost more than a few dollars. May be online for free.
Throw this in too, we don't wear wedding rings either! They are from pagan sources and are actually NASTY PHALLIC SEX WORSHIP IMAGERY picked up by religous groups. Used to a Catholic Encyclopedia that even said so, now got to find it in other literature. However, we do celebrate our wedding anniversary,,,,, when one of us remembers. Not found anything in Scripture to suggest it's bad yet. Please share it if you know of something, I forget about it most of the time anyway. I come home and my mother in law has dropped off a cake or something, then I'm up a creek without a paddle, usually.
2007-12-28 23:25:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do Bible references to birthday celebrations put them in a favorable light? The Bible makes only two references to such celebrations:
Gen. 40:20-22: “Now on the third day it turned out to be Pharaoh’s birthday, and he proceeded to make a feast . . . Accordingly he returned the chief of the cupbearers to his post of cupbearer . . . But the chief of the bakers he hung up.”
Matt. 14:6-10: “When Herod’s birthday was being celebrated the daughter of Herodias danced at it and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Then she, under her mother’s coaching, said: ‘Give me here upon a platter the head of John the Baptist.’ . . . He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.”
Everything that is in the Bible is there for a reason. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) Jehovah’s Witnesses take note that God’s Word reports unfavorably about birthday celebrations and so shun these.
“The various customs with which people today celebrate their birthdays have a long history. Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating—complete with lighted candles—in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year. . . . Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”
2007-12-28 22:42:53 · answer #3 · answered by Just So 6 · 6⤊ 1⤋
From what I gather from my own religion (I am a Jehovah's Witness) we have found through research that birthday celebrations have pagan backgrounds.
My own viewpoint is this:
They arn't mentioned in the Bible, so why celebrate them? If they arn't Christian, then why do them if our lives are based on Christ's teaching? Jesus never regarded birthday's as anything special so why should we?
Also, is it really that big of a deal? They tend to be self-centered occasions. I've never celebrated my birthday, and I don't miss it at all. I've never once said: "Wow I wish I could celebrate my birthday this year".
It isn't really important, and why take the chance of violating our purely Christian standards? It really isn't that big of a deal. I get material things all of the time. They're not really gifts. We just share year round really.
2007-12-28 22:40:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋
JW don't celebrate birthdays because in the bible the celebration of birthdays is linked to paganistic celebrations where murders and other atrocities have occurred. In addition to this there is no account of Jesus or any of his apostles celebrating there birthdays or any commandment for his people to do so. There are explicit directives in the bible especially in the old testament given direction on how the Israelites were to live their lives that would keep them in harmony with Gods will. Their focus was to praise God and serve him so self celebration deviates from this purpose. In addition to this if you were to do a search on the origins of the birthday celebration you may be surprised to see that it is linked to paganistic rites which is something that God specifically states to stay away from in order to be in his grace.
2007-12-28 22:48:01 · answer #5 · answered by dnycuzer 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
“The various customs with which people today celebrate their birthdays have a long history. Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating—complete with lighted candles—in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year. . . . Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”—Schwäbische Zeitung (magazine supplement Zeit und Welt), April 3/4, 1981, p. 4.
2007-12-28 22:33:13 · answer #6 · answered by papa G 6 · 13⤊ 0⤋
1.It is rooted in pagan customs.
2.The only time birthdays were celebrated in the bible bad things happend ex.John the baptist getting beheaded.
3. They do not give honor to God
4. Early Christian did not celebrate birthdays.
2007-12-28 22:44:30 · answer #7 · answered by godsnoriel 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes. Humility is one factor but there are more important ones.
a) The only two birthdays celebrated in the scriptures ended up badly. John the Baptizer was beheaded at King Herod's birthday party. The other one I don't recall off the top of my head.
b) Jesus himself never celebrated it. In fact the one thing he said to memorialize was his death. Notice that at the last supper he said "keep doing this in remembrance of me.
c) King Solomon wrote at Ecclesiastes 7:1 ..."A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born." Strange? No. Because at death one will have had a record of service to God that he would remember.
I hope that helps you understand. Please feel free to email me if you have any other questions.
2007-12-28 22:39:38 · answer #8 · answered by Q&A Queen 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I don't celebrate my birthdays but I'm not a Jehovah witness. My reason is very simple: I just don't give a s.h.i.t and don't need any gifts.
2007-12-28 22:39:41 · answer #9 · answered by Mr. Speaker 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It has pagan origins.
It does not give honor to God.
2 instances of Birthday celebrations recorded in the bible were Pharoh and King Herod, both of which did not worship the true God and had people kill as part of the celebration - why was this included in there if it were not to teach us. Sheds negative light on these types of celebrations.
Do you really want to celebrate the fact that your one year closer to your death?
2007-12-28 22:38:11 · answer #10 · answered by Enlightening McQueen 3 · 4⤊ 2⤋