News Flash: Many JWs do commemorate theirs and their loved one's birthdays. It is done very discretely and in very closed circles. Yes, it has taken place even in Bethel.
GC
10 good reasons why celebrating birthdays should be allowed
by bluecanary 90 Replies latest watchtower bible
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prologos
bluecanary. question on item 1.
Beheadings on the 2 bible-based records of birthday celebrations. Do Moslems celebrate birthdays?
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leaving_quietly
In Joseph's day, the baker was executed as a criminal. It happened to be on Pharoah's birthday. Remember, he was in prison with Joseph. The cupbearer was exonerated and the baker was executed. The details of the crime(s) they were charged with is not recorded.
With John the Baptist, Herodias wanted John dead. Mark's account tells us it was "a convenient day" when Herod's birthday was being celebrated.
In both cases, that it was someone's birthday was irrelevant. Certainly makes the accounts easier to remember, but other than that, it's irrelevant.
This year, I permitted my workmates to celebrate my birthday with a cake and the traditional Happy Birthday song. It was nice. I enjoyed it for the first time ever. And the weirdest thing happened: NO ONE DIED.
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StarTrekAngel
This is something that has recently caugh my attention. Simply trying to explain why such insistance on avoiding certain pagan activities but not others. This is when I suddenly realized that the divide between the dos and donts on celebrations has a pretty clear line. For the most part, ans speaking on the most common western celebrations, those that only happen once in a lifetime are ok, but annual celebrations are not. Bellow I copy a message a wrote to JWstruggle. I guess I am not the only one that has seen this. And I thought I was over thinking it.
Regarding the celebrations, I had once to wonder, why would they be so dead serious on banning them. I mean, I don't think the GB is unaware of the possible flaws on this doctrine. The only reason I can find for them to be so serious about it, is money. In your experience in relating to other ExJW, has anyone ever noticed or mentioned how JW are allowed to celebrate every feast that only happens once in a lifetime (even if they are pagan) but not yearly? Weddings, graduations, baby showers, etc. But none of the yearly celebrations are allowed. Birthdays, mother and father day, etc etc. Wedding anniversaries are a yearly celebration by definition but very few people actually carry them out, as they are, usually, an intimate thing for the couple. Only marriage milestones are celebrated consistently (like every 10 years). As much as I thought about it, I could not separate my mind from the fact that there is a very clear line dividing the dos and donts when it comes to most celebrations. All allowed celebrations only happen once in a lifetime for every person. We, however, do make it a point to make sure everyone and their mother attends all four of the yearly WTBTS celebrations (3 assemblies and the memorial) and we make sure to take gifts to almost all of them. So with that in mind, I decided to run the numbers. Just to give them the benefit of the doubt, I decided to keep it conservative...
-Based on the 2014 Year Book, there is 13,714 congregations in the US main territory. Also, there is a total of 1,167,723 publishers. This shields an average of about 85 publishers per congregation.
- Based on this numbers I looked at my own congregation and behold... we actually have 85 publishers exactly. So, I will not be too far off assuming our congregation is a good sample to depart from.
- Assuming an average witness family of 4 (parents and two children), this give you an average of 20 families
- Assuming most birthdays, if allowed, would probably be oriented to children, then that means 40 celebrations per year. - While we do have 85 publishers in our cong, the actual attendance numbers are anywhere from 120 to 140 (watchtower study days). Most of whom are associated members of the congregation. Where we stand today we have no one who is DF. So all in all, this give a total potential attendance to a birthday of 30 families (120 attendance / 4 family members)
- Again, in an effort to be conservative, consider that may be not everyone will present a gift to the host, but lets assume one gift per family. It will be safe to assume every family can spare $20 dollars for a gift. At 30 families this means a potential $600 in gifts alone. If we consider the number of celebrations per year, the total is $24,000 per year.
- This don't seem like a number the WTBTS would be willing to consider in light of the controversy that could surround the doctrine, until you consider the entire US JW population. At 13,714 congregations, this would amount to $329,136,000 per year.
I understand the variables are many and so are the assumptions I am making. Many families could choose not to attend if they have no children or if they could not afford the gift. Other wealthier families may choose to make more expensive gifts. I am also leaving out JW relatives from other congregations that may attend, the many adults that may choose to celebrate their own birthdays and the other congregations world wide. The point being is that, all things considered, there is a millionaire sum to be accounted for when it would come to celebrations within such a tight knit community. Another thing to notice is that we are looking at birthdays and the gifts only. If you account for the actual cost of the party (food, decorations, games, music, etc) or you begin to consider other celebrations like mothers day, etc, then the numbers would quickly skyrocket. And lets not forget that we, JW, have more than just our fleshy parents, we also have spiritual parents (those who brought us in)
Could it be said that I am implying that the WTBTS did this in an attempt to have us donate the money that would otherwise would have gone as a gift to a person? Not at all. For once it would have made it too obvious and, second, history most likely shows that, if the earlier was true, the strategy did not work (or did it? I could not say for sure so I will not make such statement officially) With all of these in mind I can only conclude this is an attempt to "keep life simple". An attempt to make sure people have no other reason to spend money beyond their basic life necessities. This can be done while allowing the others, relatively cheaper celebrations, go on as normal so that no one feels we are being deprived of fun things to do.
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Mr Fool
"-We are not allowed to celebrate your birthday, but let us instead go to cinema and look at Harry potter"
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baker
My JW spouse is so adamant against birthdays, even mentioning the word, she goes into a tyrade, that you don't want to open that can of worms. If we go to any multi family (worldly) function and one of them has a birthday either 3 days before or near after, she will not go, cause she she says she is bringing reproach on Jokehova and all those is attendance will be ridiculing her. How tragic this organization has messed up so many families. I do wish I could find proof to show her that bethelites do celebrate birthdays(discretely), so that might take the edge off of her staunchness(stubborness).
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Truthexplorer
We celebrate our child's birthday each year. Couldn't care less what the 7 blokes in Brooklyn think!
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waton
birthday are actually celebrations of things happening in heven, In Northern or southeren lTIRUDES, YOU COULD MAK A SPOT WHERE THE SUN SETS OR RISES, A TREE OR MOUNTAIN, THAT MARKS THE TIME THAT THE EARTH HAS COMPLETED ON ORBIT.
It is not a numbing number on the calendar, it is your voyage through space. through timespace, spacetime.
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waton
He commanded the memorial of the last supper to be commemorated. He also had ordered various celebrations throughout the year for the Israelites.
Bc. All the above were based on astronomical observation, primitive as they were in those days, only ~ 3000 years after the appearance of perfect humans.
You could have a rudimentary way of keeping track of your age by a line on the floor or 2 pegs in your garden. Having gratefully lived to another star-timed milestone is always occasion for satisfaction, celebration of life. imho
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zeb
It was a further release of wt infuence (effluence?) when I began to send small gifts of money to my grand kids and cheeky sms to my kids.
"Having gratefully lived to another star-timed milestone is always occasion for satisfaction, celebration of life. imho"
what a profound thing; nicely put waton.