I find it a little funny that the moral of Herod and John the Baptist becomes 'birthdays are bad', rather than 'drunk is bad'. Or even better 'making promises while drunk is bad'.
Tammy
"Birthdays rob the glory of God"
by sabastious 202 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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beksbks
Or cutting off heads is so uncool...
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beksbks
This is one of THE most idiotic and unnecessary bits of JWism. I appreciate the hell out of my loved ones. When we all make it through another year together, what's not to celebrate???
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Satanus
They never criticise whatshername for dancing for herod, and using her feminine wiles to get something she wants. Guess, women dancing for men for payment is cool. It's quite possible that she wasn't modestly dressed, iether. Most likely scanty if any clothes, during the process. But, it must be ok, cuz they don't criticise.
S
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thetrueone
The WTS/JWS in their positioning stance as a spiritual seer to all mankind has over played the theological viewpoint of celebrating
birthdays. There is evidence of ancient civilizations celebrating the birthday of their kings/gods as far back as the Egyptians.
Of course celebrating a birthday of a pagan god or king would be strictly forbidden and the JWS go on explaining that therefore
celebrating a birthday of mere mortals is also wrong.
In actuality celebrating a persons birthday should be considered a direct insult to the pagan practice
for mere mortals are not gods of worship and devotion.
It is very doubtful that this social practise of celbrating individual birthdays was common in ancient times .
Today's birthday celebrations are usually an expression of love and appreciation for that individual
who is having this special day in their own life. This act of love and respect that is mostly expressed within family members
and very close friends gets twisted out to be a form of individualistic people worship by the WTS..
One thing that you could use against this theological interpretation is Jesus's words
when he commanded all of his followers to love one another, his strongest commandment.
Being the power playing frauds as they are the WTS. spoused that
celebrating your loved ones birthday is a wrongful sin, when in actuality it is the opposite.
The celebrating of birthdays could also be considered an act to increase ones
interpersonal relationships with your family members and closest friends.
The WTS. leaders know nothing about social psychology either as you can tell.
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Nice_Dream
I understood how stupid this was when I read Carolyn Jessop's book. She grew up FLDS, and they didn't celebrate birthdays because it robbed the glory of the father in that household. I couldn't understand why a father would be jealous of his own child...and then I thought why on earth would God care or be jealous of us?
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cameo-d
debator: "So we Christians don't celebrate Birthdays. It is as simple as that"
I know Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians who have celebrated birthdays all their life. Does this mean they are not "Christian" or perhaps not as Christian as "we Christians"?
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Darth plaugeis
Jesus Death is the Only thing in your Human Life that matters...
None of your special Days Matter to God! You are Worthless....
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debator
justifying Birthdays and Xmas.
1/ how do we know they didn't celebrate Birthdays they ehh might of.
Secular history completely supports Christians taking a stand against Birthdays until about the 3rd century. The Bible has no problem mentioning Jewish or Christian dates of importance! Birthdays are shown to be pagan. The Jewish Calender doesn't even lend itself to celebrating a fixed yearly date that is not how it works, Don't you ever wonder why the passover always changes date?
2/ Well they didn't celebrate wedding anniversaries.
Wedding anniversaries are from the Middle ages not Jesus's time so this is simply a false comparison. Although Jesus did goto a wedding showing this is a God sanctioned institution as apposed to the pagan born Birthdays.
3/ They are no longer pagan.
The older sense of classical Latin paganus is "of the country, rustic" (also as noun). It has been argued that the transferred use reflects the fact that the ancient idolatry lingered on in the rural villages and hamlets after Christianity had been accepted in the towns and cities of the Roman Empire
Xmas and Birthdays are still the Biggest pagan celebrations around the world to date.
What happens if you try and redo a pagan celebration and try and give it a Christian make-over to make it more palatable?
Does it become Christian or does it remain what it is?
Easter (to the goddess Eostre) - Pagan fertility celebration that was attempted to be made-over as recognition of Jesus death centuries ago. What is it current status. It is still known for eggs, bunnies, rebirth and spring etc celebrating these and any pretence at Christianity is lost in the majority of people.
Halloween (all saints eve) - An attempt to make-over into Christian and dead Saints. This one has completely reverted to it's ghost and ghoulie pagan traditions.
Xmas (saturnalia) - Made-over as a celebration of jesus's birth supposed to be a mass( no longer even done on the 25th) This is still celebrated with the same pagan traditions it always has and the majority of the world no longer recognises any pretence at Jesus's birth connection prefering a newer pagan tradition of a red dressed, bearded coca-cola Santa to Jesus.
You can justify Birthdays and xmas all you like but you cannot change the reality of what they were and currently are! The biggest celebrations by pagans in the world today.
What is there attraction of them for you?
If you reject the bible and Christianity why do you now do these?
Isn't it because they represent the opposite of what you have rejected?
Many on here say religion is meaningless to them now but they happily celebrate these, why?
Because if you are completely honest with yourself they have nothing to do with religion and would be off-putting to you if they did! And even if religions try and adopt them they remain what they are which is pagan worldly celebrations you now want to do.
You want to embrace the world and it's traditions it doesn't get clearer than wanting to do the worlds Biggest pagan celebrations (that have no uncomfortable glorification of a God you now reject in them)! be honest with yourselves at least.
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TJ Curioso
Debator, indeed, the very organization emphasizes several articles that customs that have lost their religious significance or pagan, can be practiced by us. So, I give you some examples of customs practiced today who have no religious meaning for many pagan centuries: - Alliance - Wedding cake - Applause - Birthdays - Baptism (the organization itself recognizes that this ritual predates Christianity) Of all which prohibits the Watchtower? Only birthdays. Why? In the Bible there is no law or principle that goes against this conclusion. The Christian must have the freedom to celebrate or not this kind of celebration today has no religious significance.