Look people,
I'm not follower of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I have a serious question, and I expect serious answers to the following:
I have a co-worker who is a Jehovah's Witness.
In more than one occasion, he was invited to a birthday celebration. Around here were we are (in Guatemala), those birthdays are a rare and welcome opportunity to reunite friends, co-workers, family of co-workers, and customers. We eat and drink and discuss all those things that are important in our lives. It is not that much celebrating a "birthday", but to have an opportunity and a chance to get aquainted with related people, families, and to get to know each other better.
However: My Jehovah's Witness co-worker is bailing out EVERY TIME when the word "birthday" is mentioned.
In fact, it went so far that I considered to call it a "business lunch" when in fact we were celebrating a birthday for a friend of mine. In order not to freeze my co-worker out of a social event. But then I decided that I should call an Apple for an Apple and an Orange for an Orange, and not to pull a smoke screen just to please a peculiar religious taste.
And that describes my conflict...!
My point of view is: If I whole-heartedly invite someone to participate in a social invent, which happens to be a birthday party, and the invitee responds that he will not participate in a birthday because of his religion - then my question is:
How Squared-headed can things become? How many hard religious lines (including birthday celebrations) have to be drawn before we wind up in World War between religions because they all claim to have the key to the truth and incomprehensible positions and attitudes?
Needless to say, I'm not so pleased by that "we-stay-away-from-birthday-celebrations" attitude.
Please respond to [email protected] , I might not check back with this Forum.