Can JW's celebrate Hannukah? (page 2)

Listener

This is from the 8th December, 1990 Awake,

But what of the festival itself? Since it commemorates an important event in the history of God’s people, should it be commemorated by Christians?
The apostle Paul explained at Colossians 2:14-17: “[God] blotted out the handwritten document against us . . . by nailing it to the torture stake. . . . Therefore let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.” Just as a shadow cast by an approaching object can alert someone to its arrival, the Law covenant was able to alert people to the arrival of the Messiah, or Christ. However, once this handwritten document had served its purpose, it was blotted out by God.—Galatians 3:23-25.
Thus, the Law covenant and all related festivals came to an end from God’s standpoint at Pentecost 33 C.E. Indeed, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Roman armies in 70 C.E. soon underscored that fact. (Luke 19:41-44) So even though the rededication of the temple was an important event in the history of God’s ancient people, there is no reason for Christians to commemorate Hanukkah.

The Jewish people, like Jehovah's Witnesses, are not Christians (followers of Christ). Jewish people are also not God's chosen, as Jehovah's Witnesses alone have that privilege. Jewish people are still waiting for the messiah, obviously Jehovah chose not to send them that memo. Jehovah's Witnesses rightfully understand that Christ came and went and is only important in his death. Jehovah is the deity that matters and is ALL that matters. Of course you can't celebrate Hannuka!.

Even if it weren't about Jesus or religion, Jehovah's Witnesses have to be different. That is why they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. They have to set themselves apart from the very evil nice people of the world. Give thanks indeed!

zeb

wedding anniversaries..

If the wt tried to stop those their would be such a scream from the sisters and such a walk out the wt would cease to exist.

Diogenesister

If I were a jw I'd start celebrating the new moon, since Paul gave it the OK

Phizzy

Sorry Listener, I clicked the dislike button without really thinking, because I disliked the WT's answer ! Thank you for the WT reference.

Their argument is spurious of course, Paul himself, and other Jewish Christians, would have observed all the Jewish Festivals etc , even after penning the words they quote !

So, for Christians,those Festival observances certainly did not come to an end in 33 C.E !

Splash

So the Awake! from 27 years ago is the last reference to Hanukkah and merely says "there is no reason for Christians to commemorate Hanukkah".

Their reasoning is that the old Law no longer applies. Maybe they should remember that when they start using the Hebrew scriptures to create their own catalogue of laws. Anyway...

There's no reason to have fish on a Friday, but it's not wrong to.

There's no reason to do lots of things, but if you do do them they're not necessarily wrong.

That WT article also quotes Paul as saying "let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival ", which is precisely what WT try to do.

The bottom line is that WT would like to stop you from celebrating Hanukkah, and tries to word things in such a way as to make you think you shouldn't, but they are once again over stepping their authority and making rules they cannot justify.

My recommendation is that if you see a JW on the street, at a cart or at your door, wish them Happy Hanukkah and see how they squirm!

carla

" That is why they don't celebrate Thanksgiving."- yeah right. I think most jw's do in fact do Thanksgiving even if they sit around a table with a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing & cranberry sauce telling each other that it is not Thanksgiving, it is. Doesn't matter if they it do it on Fri, Sat or Sun instead of Thurs to the rest of the sane world they ARE celebrating Thanksgiving. They just had to get everybody together on a different day like the rest of us do at times.

Anyway, I am assuming they say a prayer or grace thanking God/jah for life,food, etc... All part of Thanksgiving.

If they really wanted to claim they don't do Thanksgiving they would not eat turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce the entire month of Nov. Just like many jw's will not wear red or green the entire month of Dec lest somebody think they are celebrating Christmas.

jwundubbed

@Carla

That is why they don't celebrate Thanksgiving."- yeah right. I think most jw's do in fact do Thanksgiving even if they sit around a table with a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing & cranberry sauce telling each other that it is not Thanksgiving, it is. Doesn't matter if they it do it on Fri, Sat or Sun instead of Thurs to the rest of the sane world they ARE celebrating Thanksgiving. They just had to get everybody together on a different day like the rest of us do at times.

I can't speak for witnesses today but when I was in, No they didn't. We went to movies. My friends usually went to concerts or did things they didn't normally have time for on a Thursday. Most witnesses that I knew would work that day and get the extra holiday pay. I never knew any JWs who ate turkey, or any of the other Thanksgiving dinner dishes, at any point during Thanksgiving weekend.

carla

I know that some of my jw's 'friends' do have a big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.

I remember a story here (years ago) about a young woman who was just joining the cult and the elder told her she could not go to her families traditional non jw Thanksgiving. Instead she was invited to spend the day with his family. What did she find when she got to his house? A huge Thanksgiving meal with his family and friends. If I recall the story correctly the young woman's grandmother dearly missed her at the yearly event and died shortly after that.

Yes, we had a nice Thanksgiving meal here at my house in which my jw even helped out, sat at the table and ate. Generally acting like a member of the family and having normal affection for family. A good time was had by all.

I have no idea why he 'allows' Thanksgiving but can't come to Christmas dinner's with the same attitude. To outsiders he just looks like a kook. We are still happy to have our jw at a family function though. Too bad is presence is dependent upon a bunch of weirdos in NY.

label licker

Why do you say they are jewish festivals? Leviticus 23:2 reads: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are MY feasts.

So these feasts are gods feasts for starters and that's what I told two joho's when they came to my door. That we were to keep the feasts forever. It shall be a statute forever in all our dwellings throughout our generations(verse 21).

Acts 18:21 shows Paul having to travel to Jerusalem to keep the feast. Paul also stated for us to keep the feast in 1Corinthians 5:8: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Ask the jw's if their bible has a cross reference scripture to 1 Corinthians 5:8 and it will show them Exodus 12:15. (That's if they tell you the law was done away with). The feasts were part of the law. They will say the law is done away with yet Matthew 5:17,18 says until heaven and earth passes away, not one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Heaven and earth hasn't passed away yet. The CO and his wife told us they weren't familiar with this scripture. They had just come back from gilead. You can show tons of scriptures on the law and they still will not listen. It just goes on and on in a circle with these people.

Can JW's celebrate Hannukah?

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