Celebrating Birthdays--Disfellowshipping Offense--Where stated in WT pubs?

by blondie 53 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Brownboy

  Is it wrong to celebrate birthdays? Would it be the same as the father of the prodigal son throwing a feast upon his son's return? The only bad thing that can result is whether or not it is mixed with the worship of other God's. I would never knowingly celebrate something associated with a false God. I remain exclusive to the God of Abraham, and would never bring praise to another God.

  The WTS reasons on the fact that King Herod requested the head of John the Baptist on his wifes birthday (correct me if I am wrong). Of course this was bad, but would it be just as bad if a loved one was killed on a wedding anniversary? Would this prevent you from celebrating your anniversary? I am not convinced that a birthday celebration is wrong, but will refrain until I know it is not wrong. Can anyone shed some light?

  Brownboy
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  cyberguy

  Brownboy,

  The short answer is a "Christian must decide" (recall the recent article on blood fragments). In other words, since the Bible really does not say anything about this, as regards Christians, you must decide, and nobody should judge you if you wish to do it!
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  XQsThaiPoes

  Anyone notice they never mention Job? He gave an offering to God on his childrens birthday to attone for their sins of the past year. But ofcoarse using the NWT you would not find that.
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  cyberguy

  Right-on! XqsThaiPoes!
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  Brownboy

  Anyone notice they never mention Job? He gave an offering to God on his childrens birthday to attone for their sins of the past year. But ofcoarse using the NWT you would not find that. XQ

  Interesting XQ. Please point me to the scriptures where it says this occurred...........thanks. BB
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  XQsThaiPoes

  Job 1

  It is like the first 4 paragraphs of the story.

  
  Job 1
  4 His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
  5 And when the days of their feasting were over, Job sent for them to purify and hallow them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed or disowned God in their hearts. Thus did Job at all [such] times AMP
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  Cygnus

  I'm pretty sure that if you quietly celebrated your birthday with a small group of friends and family there would be no issues with the congregation.

  Whereas if you went ahead and printed out birthday celebration invitations, passed them out at the Kingdom Hall, complained if people didn't want to come, or held a huge party with lots of drinking and carrying on, and then kept talking about what a great time everybody had and advocated it to others, then you'd probably get counseled heavily. If after the counsel you kept on advocating birthday parties, then you might get DF'd for "starting a sect" or "conduct unbecoming a Christian" or some such.
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  minimus

  Cygnus----Substitute birthday parties and put in let's say----had sex parties-----the same could be said. Sure, you and a little group of people can do anything they want to do----as long as they don't get caught!
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  Farkel

  After giving the stock-in-trade two examples of birthday celebrations where people were killed, that 1998 WT states this:
  
  : Admittedly, true Christians today are not preoccupied with the roots and possible ancient religious connections of every practice or custom, but neither are they inclined to ignore pointed indications that do exist in God?s Word. This includes that the only birthday celebrations of Biblical record are of pagans and linked to instances of cruelty. Hence, the Scriptures clearly place birthday celebrations in a negative light, a fact that sincere Christians do not disregard.
  
  What freakin' "pointed indications?" That the Bible only gives TWO cases of birthday celebrations that ended in tragedy out of MILLIONS of birthday celebrations that didn't?
  
  How do they explain THIS Biblical account of birthday celebrations in Job 1 4,5 as has already been cited in this thread:
  
  "And his sons went and held a banquet at the house of each one on his own day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And it would occur that when the banquet days had gone round the circuit, Job would send and sanctify them,...."
  
  What would "on his own day" mean that would be so important as to have a large banquet with many people attending? I can think of no other explanation other than the day of one's birth. It is natural and very human to celebrate one's being a live on an anniversary of one's birth. Nothing pagan about that.
  
  While it is true that the society does not specifically merit DFing for celebrating birthdays, it is also true as AlanF has pointed out, they make the matter very fuzzy and imply that "mature" Christians wouldn't consider such a thing.
  
  Ex-Witness Dave Reed gives a personal experience of runaway elders dealing with the sending of a mere birthday card:
  
  "...One elderly JW of our acquantance in Massachusetts decided that he would send a birthday card to his non-Witness son, but his wife reported it to the local elders. They summoned him before a closed-door judicial-committee meeting and put him on trial for this offense. The seventy-year-old gentlemaan challenged them to show him one Scripture verse prohibiting sending a birthday card, but the committee went ahead and jdisfellowshipped him on the basis of the Watchtower Society's ruling. His Witness relatives now refuse him admittance to their home, and the Witessess who encounter him on the street turn away without even saying hello."
  
  Minimus has wondered when the WTS receives notice of such DFings for birthday-related crimes, why they don't nullify the DFing, since it is not official policy to DF for those "crimes." I wonder the same thing. The only conclusion I can reach is CONTROL and FEAR of the membership.
  
  : Consequently, while it is entirely a private matter if Christians choose to take note of their wedding anniversary, there are good reasons why mature Christians abstain from celebrating birthdays.
  
  Bullshit. Celebrate a birthday and even if you are not DFd, watch all the informal shunning you will receive and all the back-stabbing comments that will be made about you.
  
  Farkel
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  Terry

  The reason anybody can be disfellowshipped for anything is that they can get you into the backroom of the Kingdom Hall and gang up on you and push your buttons.

  The bullyboy's destroy your sense of self-respect by backing you into a narrow corner of self-justification. If you try to develop a cogent response, a logical defense, a point of merit or merely desire to read them a scripture; you'll be cut off at the knees. Anything goes in a Judicial Committee meeting. It is the KKK and trembling "darkie" with a burning cross in the background revisited.

  The strategy is to get you to blurt out anything that will condemn you by your own words. If they can heap enough indignity upon you and anger you--it is unavoidable. If they can't get you any other way they'll push you into anger. The WANT you to tell them where to stick it.

  In a court of law you have equal standing because you are viewed as INNOCENT until proven guilty with a full right of equal response by representation. There is due process. But, in the Kingdom Hall you have no standing, no merit and are guilty until proven innocent.