Birthday celebration/participation

Zana

My wife (liberal JW) and I (UBM) have been discussing birthdays lately (again...), after our 3 years old son got a few birthday invitations from his friends. My wife is considering to let our kids participate, maybe even celebrate their own birthdays. She says what can be so bad about just giving a little kid (who doesn't yet understand the bible) a day full of joy and happiness? She herself actually delayed her own baptism as a teenager in order to celebrate one more birthday.

Questions for you:

- How bad are birthdays really for JWs? Reason for DF? Or how bad compared to other sins for example fornication, smoking, marrying an UBM? Is there a difference between participating in someone elses birthday and celebrating yout own and why? What about a JW mother who lets her kids participate in their friends birthday parties? How bad will she be counseled if word gets out?

- How can I continue to reason with her, that the watchtower interpretion of the bible concernings birthdays is actually very far-fetched. What bible-quotes will she throw at me (or other JWs at her) and how can I try to disarm their arguments?

nugget

Birthdays are a no no. I know that celebrating certain holidays is definitely a df'ing offence but not sure whether birthdays would be included in this. Certainly no JW would consider celebrating their own or another's birthday or send children to a birthday party.

I personally think if you are withdrawing from the faith then allow your child to attend parties and lead a normal life. In later life he will thank you.

transhuman68

Just do it, lol. The JWs use Gen. 40:20-22 & Matt. 14:6-10 to justify being birthday Nazis; but just hit them with Romans 14:5.

As long as no-one is beheaded you are all good...

juliew

Per the Shepherd the Flock book celebrating a birthday would be a disfellowshipping offense if it persisted and you were not repentant.

InquiryMan

That is not correct. Holidays like christmas are mentioned, but far as I know birthdays are not mentioned in that list...

Aroq

The reasoning of why birthdays are not celebrated are due to the beheading during the two instances that Jw's bring up in the Bible.

Here is what I bring up, based on the fact that a couple fellows were beheaded during a birthday, we can conclude with the same logic that anything that the end result is a beheading is evil and should be shunned. right?

Now I have two young children at home who take naps every now and then. Are afternoon naps ok? Surely they are not!!!! Those are evil according to the reasoning of a beheading!

2 Samuel 4:5 " So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest. 6 They came to the middle of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him ."

This is just an example of the inconsistancy in logic. No mother would/or could refuse their child a nap.

Comatose

Only religious holidays are DFing offences.

Quarterback

You won't be DF'd for celebrating a birthday, but, you might as well be wishing your microphone privilledges away when you blow out those candles.

redvip2000

You won't be DF'd for celebrating a birthday, but, you might as well be wishing your microphone privilledges away when you blow out those candles.

What a priviledge. Only the Borg is able to convince people that running around with a microphone is a priviledge. It's right up there with scraping $hit from toilets at the end of the convention. That's also a priviledge.

keyser soze

For the most part it's considered a no-no. Your wife will probably get a pass, however, given that you aren't a JW, and as the father, you should reasonably be given some say in whether or not your child celebrates his birthday. They can't do anything to you about it, can they?

Birthday celebration/participation

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