I heard that its common for JWs in a certain congregation to make a big deal when someone turns 40--to the point that they actually throw a party.
Is this something that happens out there?
I just thought it sounded pretty odd.
JWs celebrating their 40th birthday?
by M.J. 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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sir82
Haven't heard of this, but if it gets common enough, expect to see Watchtower articles and/or assembly talks on this topic.
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under_believer
Not to my knowledge, no.
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greendawn
They still expect to see heads on plates at birthday parties, how sinful it's a custom that continues to the present, at each birthday party someone gets beheaded.
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BluesBrother
Is this something that happens out there?
Not around here, it doesn't
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looking_glass
I've never heard that either. I know a ton of people of were raised around the "truth". They are all getting older and I have yet to hear about them getting a 40th b-day party. A lot of my GFs that are still JWs are having slight melt downs because they are "getting older in this system of things" and they put off having kids, or even getting married and here they are in their 40's and nothing has changed.
What I do know though, is a family that consists of 3rd and 4th gen JWs, dad is PO (and claims to be anointed) and mom is full time pioneer for years. Two kids, one boy and one girl. The day of their birth, the mom would make their favorite meal and they would make a day of it. I always thought that was so funny. The upstanding good JWs were having their own version of a birthday.
But I would never call them on it, because I always thought it was a nice idea. My mom calls me the day of my birthday, on the hour I was born. She says the same thing "this day (how every many years old I am) years ago, I was in terrible pain, because I had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl." Now keep in mind, I was born at 5:15 a.m. I love the fact that she has done this for years, but I don't love it when I have been out until say 1 or 2 a.m. drinking and I am nursing a hang over. But I am NOT about to tell her that!
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kid-A
Never heard of this, and why would 40 be significant?
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undercover
I've heard of it. It wasn't a widespread thing. More of an underground thing amongst certain dubs who were little more liberal than the norm.
Before I slowly faded out, I remember a couple of my dub friends turning 40. Birthday cards making fun of turning 40 were given, jokes told, even t-shirts printed. No real parties, but we had a good time of picking on people turning 40.
For years on my birthday I used to make it a point to eat at restaurants that had birthday specials. There were a couple of places that actually gave you a free meal. Someone questioned me about it one time, asking if that was not celebrating my birthday. I told them, no, I wasn't celebrating it, but if the restaurant wanted to, I wasn't going to stop them. The funny thing was that I made a bigger deal out of finding those B-day deals when I was still active. As I faded out, I lost interest in trying to make a point of getting something for nothing on my birthday.
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M.J.
Ok...interesting. Come to think of it, I'm not totally sure it was mentioned that they actually throw a party with invitations and everything. But it did sound like people get together.
Never heard of this, and why would 40 be significant?
Apparently, it's all downhill from there...
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fullofdoubtnow
I've never heard of this, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does go on. After all, a lot of jws have "gatherings" at Christmas. They don't call them parties, but I've been to a few in the past, and the distinction between party and gathering was a little difficuly to spot.