How do you explain to worldly people why Jehovahs Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays?
by Iamallcool 25 Replies latest jw friends
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james_woods
We do not have to - because we are ex-JWs.
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MeanMrMustard
You can give the "worldly" (i.e. normal) person a run down of the three main reasons (its promotes self, bad stuff happened in the bible when a birthday is mentioned, and it has roots in pagan tradition). Then explain why each of those reasons is logically unsound, followed by a summary of : "They don't celebrate because they are told not to celebrate. There are no good reasons. Its a cult after all."
MeanMrMustard
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MrFreeze
When I tell people I used to be a JW, they always point out about the holidays. They ask why we don't. My response is that I don't really understand why. We were talking about Thanksgiving the other day. I said "I don't celebrate, its against my religion". I said it as a joke, since I'm not a JW anymore. They said "what?" Then one said her cousin is a JW and doesn't celebrate. I told her I used to be one and they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. There is no good reason they don't celebrate it.
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darthfader
One Word.... "beheadings"....
All kidding aside, It can only be explained if you look at the bible from a narrow point of view. For the JW's its not really about birthdays or christmas or standing for the national anthem. It's about "being no part of the world". Judge Rutherford (and others back in the day) looked for ways to make JW's stand out of the crowd. They looked for ways to make the rank and file a shining example of the "truth". Only by these sacrifices can the truth be known.
Barf I say!
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Iamallcool
James Woods says We do not have to - because we are ex-JWs.
I know but if people ask me why Jehovahs Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays, I want to give them a good answer if possible.
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Elgiard
Tell them that they're a cult and their stupid birthday rule, like so many others, is to suck every last little bit of joy out of people's lives and take every opportunity to make them look like freaks so it's impossible to fit in and have any kind of normal interation with anyone not in the cult.
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mrsjones5
I've tried to explain to my children why their grandparents' don't acknowledge their birthdays and these are the looks I got from my children:
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Joliette
I always told kids in school that the bible doesnt say to celebrate birthdays. I got very odd looks just like that mrs. Jones...lol
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mrsjones5
Yeah, kids know silliness when they hear it.