jws celebrate birthdays?! (page 2)

fullofdoubtnow

No jws I have known have celebrated birthdays, or at least, they haven't admitted to doing so. It is a disciplinary offence in the wts's eyes.

I've known quite a few Witnesses who celebrated birthdays and went to birthday parties sponsored by non-Witnesses. I personally don't know any Witness who is shunned for celebrating a birthday. Those who do, might not make the elder appointment list, but in small town congregations, I think a male Witness would have to just about murder somebody to be shunned.
In more than a few cases, they don't just lose an elder, they'd lose a congregation. They CAN put up with a lot when it's to their advantage.
People who are known cash donators are almost invisible. No one wants to lose their cash or their favors over a birthday party. The patriarch or matriarch of a small inbred congregation can almost do and say whatever they want with impunity. And believe me, they say and do.

Good Girl or Bad Girl?

My JW parents send me a "birthday card" every year, coincidentally of course. - V

V, what do you mean by this? GG/BG

poodlehead

I knew of one family that on there kids birthdays they would get out the family album and look at pictures of the years gone by and then she would do something special with them or buy them something. No Happy Birthday cake or rapping paper. The elders knew it, but they were unable to make her understand that this was the same. So I guess if you are stuppid and you frustrate the elders to death you can get away with it. A lot has to be your attitude. Remember Michael Jackson was counceled after doing Thriller the Video but was never disfellowshiped. Finally he removed himself.

blondie

I have never found celebrating birthdays listed as a DFing offense in the publications; not even the elders manual..............but I have read here on JWD of people being DF'd for celebrating birthdays.

This is one of those unwritten rules and the enforcement of it varies from congregation to congregation.

Blondie (does anyone know if it is in writing anywhere?)

SirNose586

My family has technically celebrated Thanksgiving a few times. My aunt and uncle would come down from Oakland and we would eat turkey sometime during the holiday weekend. We would never compare it to Thanksgiving, but it's certainly doing the same thing to celebrate!

bubble

My family are all strict jw's but they always call on mine,my kids and each others birthdays to wish us happy birthday.

My mum gave me and my sister a card and prezzie on our 18th.

My sister and I gave my mum a card and prezzie on her 50th.

What the elders don't know won't hurt them.

Stealth453

If they want you out, they will find a way to get you out. It matters not whether it is right or wrong. Full of their own "power".

Crumpet

I attended the PO's daughters birthday when I was 7 or 8 . My patrents would never have let us go had they known what it was - but there was a magician, cake with candles on it, presents, games etc - it was definitely a birthday party - as I'd never been to one I didn't know that it was. They called it a "get together".

Many many JWs celebrate birthdays but they just call it something different and dont do actual cards.

?me?

i think someone pointed out an article a few weeks ago that said that you should not celebrate something that had "pagan" or other bad backgrounds (blondie go to work on this).

i for one just the other day told my wife that there is nothing wrong with thanksgiving day. i can not see any harm in even the original celebration between the pilgrims and indians. i think these days birthdays are not that big of a deal as long as you do not hold a big party with a cake and all the stuff that you would do for a kid celebrating.

now that i really think about it, the jw reasoning on birthdays is pretty picky. the scriptures they use to back up not celebrating are pretty vague as far as "do not do this". sure something bad happened to john at a birthday, but that could have happened at anytime. maybe if abraham would have died on his anniverary we would not celebrate them.

jws celebrate birthdays?!