Why did Christ appoint a religion in 1919 as the FDS who were pagan, by the JWs definition? ie birthdays, xmas, the cross, pyramids, masonic symbols, false prophecies....
Birthdays?? Good explaination...please??
by inarock&ahardplace 26 Replies latest jw friends
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Sushi Crow
Daystar, my understanding is that the original use for "playing cards" was only for divination. The card games part came later on.
Regarding celebrating birthdays...There seems to me no good explantion, but here is what I was told. Part of it was the reference that was already made to beheading - John the Baptist's head was requested by...forget her name as a birthday present and of course, she got her wish. I was told that "nothing good could come of them [birthdays]" because of the head on the silver platter thing. Also was told that it's a vanity thing, honoring/ worshiping the self too much. And also that it's a worldly celebration. Caused me much misery as a kid, kinda like to make a big deal of it now, guess I'm making up for lost time :)
Sushi Crow
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misspeaches
You may also find this interesting. Information indicating that Job and his family also celebrated birthdays. (therefore there would be more than 2 birthdays mentioned in the bible.)
Follow the link --> http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/95744/1.ashx
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Rayvin
Sushi Crow- I was told the same thing about B-days- When they told me you shouldn't put yourself above others by celebrating your B-day , I then asked " Why do we have anniversary parties, graduation parties, and baby showers?" I am then given a 'you poor soul' smile and told to do more studies and attend meetings more often since i haven't been listening. I still haven't been given a concrete answer on why I shouldn't be joyful that either I was born or my children were born. --
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Es
i was always told because yeah they are pagan and two people died at the two recordings of birthday celebrations es
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pennycandy
How about this comment occasionally heard during wedding talks . . . "Though wedding rings did have a pagan origin, today they have a different meaning so are acceptable to Christians."
Birthdays may have had pagan origins, but I don't personally know anyone who practices pagan religious rites at their birthday celebrations. And although I've asked everyone I know, I haven't found anyone, ANYONE who has been beheaded at one.
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Sushi Crow
Rayvin,
I could see how we would have similar experiences. After all, we are from the same family of birds. Caw, caw! :)
Sushi Crow
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Mary
I would love it if someone out there could clarify for my stubborn brain just why birthdays are forbidden??
Because they're fun.......and under NO circumstances do the goombas in Brooklyn want you to have any fun. Ask an elder why you can't celebrate birthdays and they'll tell you it's because it's from pagan origin. Then ask them why they're wearing a wedding ring, because that originated in ancient Egypt and is also a pagan symbol. You'll be given a dirty look and invited into the back room for a "little chat" to try and "readjust your thinking".
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LouBelle
(Taken from g81 - I have no Idea what reference is g, but it's off their cd)
"The celebration of the anniversary of an individual’s birth, though customary among the ancients, was originally frowned upon by the Christians," notes William S. Walsh in his book Curiosities of Popular Customs. Historian Walsh goes on to quote from early Christian writings on the subject, saying: "Thus Origen, in a homily on Leviticus xii 2, assures his hearers that ‘none of the saints can be found who ever held a feast or a banquet upon his birthday, or rejoiced on the day when his son or his daughter was born. But sinners rejoice and make merry on such days."’ Actually if you read the book of Job you will notice that Job & his sons & daughters held feasts on "their OWN" day, then they would go to Job for a blessing....(mine)
Where did early Christians get their distaste for birthdays? Partly from the Jews. "In the Bible there is no instance of birthday celebrations among the Jews themselves," points out M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia, adding: "In fact, the later Jews at least regarded birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship."
Birthdays
and Astrology
Of course, early Christians had reasons of their own for not celebrating birthdays. Back then birthdays had strong connections with pagan religion that are less noticeable today. "The custom of commemorating the day of birth is connected . . . in its content, with certain primitive religious principles," points out the Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics. What principles?
Spiritism, for one. "The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea. They called the spirit the genius. This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint."—The Lore of Birthdays, Ralph and Adelin Linton.
Another reason for early Christians to avoid birthdays was the connection with astrology. "The keeping of birthday records was important in ancient times principally because a birth date was essential for the casting of a horoscope," say the Lintons. To early Christians astrology was associated with Eastern religions, Roman Stoicism and the twisted thinking of the Gnostics. Christians wanted no part of that!
Are not anniversaries also based on pagan origins, but the WTBTS was allowed to celebrated it's 100th Anniversary (sounds like a birthday to me)
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googlemagoogle
to completely understand our biblical stance on birthdays, let's first have a look at the greek word for birthday, birsdaios. a dictionary states, that birsdaios can be translated as "birthday", however also has the meaning of "orgy", "premarital sexual relations" and in some cases even is used in the context of porneia.
as we all know, the inspired bible writers were using koine greek (2. timotheus 3:16). a widely accepted linguist says the following: "... the original greek word, birsdaios, in koine [actually] has the meaning of [beheading, idolatry, satanism]".
if we see birthdays in this light, we will let our eyes go by what is worthless to see (job 0:00). let's continue to please our god, jehovah, who will bring a paradise on this earth, as active publishers of "the king and the kingdom" (rutherford 3:2).