Birthdays

by wanda 7 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  wanda

  I enjoyed this. Do you?

  BIRTHDAYS

  Some people go around saying, as they are wrongly told to do so, that “mature” Christians should not celebrate birthdays.

  In fact Jude 12 tells us that the earliest Christians enjoyed balanced merriment at "love feasts," get-togethers Luke 2:6 says that angels celebrated Christ's day of birth, and if you read first Job 1:3 and then Job 3:1,3 it is clear that the banquet days which Job's children celebrated were also birthdays.

  Therefore those against birthdays are wrong in saying that in the Bible the only birthdays that are mentioned are in negative contexts, namely at the birthday of King Herod when he had John the Baptizer’s head chopped off, and when an ancient Egyptian king slew two servants on his birthday.

  In fact a birthday is a time for honoring the One who caused such happiness, the Creator of Life Himself, and it is also a way of showing the person who receives a birthday that they are loved, not “worshipped” as those against birthdays also sometimes say.

  Galatians 5:22 says that one of the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit is “joy...” or happiness, and so there is every reason to ignore such misinformation and continue in joyful celebration.

  So, got a birthday coming? Then enjoy it to the fullest!
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  mrsjones5
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  AlmostAtheist

  Excellent reasoning! I think the jury's still out on Job's kids and the basis for their celebration, though. It's be a tough sell to someone that really wants to believe otherwise.

  Can I get away with promoting my birthday document again?

  http://thebentinel.com/jw-birthdays.html

  Dave
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  mrsjones5

  Thanks Dave, I printed it out
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  wanda

  People are welcome to print my post up above out too.
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  AlmostAtheist

  >> People are welcome to print my post up above out too

  Too late! I already did! :-)

  Dave
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  Leolaia

  Just consider whether the ban on birthdays and all holidays is consistent with the counsel given here:

  "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ....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...Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence" (Colossians 2:8, 16-23).
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  Inquisitor

  Thanks for the link, Almost Atheist. To wanda: I didn't quite get the reasoning of Job 1:3 and 3:1,3. Those two citations don't exactly show that Job's kids were celebrating their birthdays. The texts show Job had a big family (1:3) and that he cursed the day of his birth (3:1,3). Job 1:4 mentions the feasts held in the houses of the sons of Jacob on "appointed days". But there was no indication that these were on days of birth. There is nothing to support the idea that the "love feasts" by 1st Century Christian included birthdays either. INQ