Mother-in-law sends some reasoning on wedding anniversaries vs birthdays...

by garyneal 26 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  BluesBrother

  One could say :-

  The only Instances of people taking a crap of Biblical record are of pagans and linked to instances of cruelty. Hence, the Scriptures clearly place Taking a crap in a negative light, a fact that sincere Christians do not disregard.

  I was thinking of Judges 3 :24

  "And his servants came and began looking, and there the doors of the roof chamber were locked. So they said: “He is just easing nature in the cool interior room.” 25 And they kept waiting until they were ashamed, and, look! there was no one opening the doors of the roof chamber. At this they took the key and opened them, and, look! their lord was fallen to the earth dead!"

  Of course I grew up without birthday celebrations , it did not do me any harm....but now as a grown up it annoys me when the WT says they object because it will "bestow undue importance on the individual" ..I ask you, what is wrong with making a little girl feel like a Princess for just one day??

  Has it done anybody any harm?
• 

  sabastious

  This is such a dead horse.

  It's just another way to separate the Witnesses from the outside world. It's a sales technique. Birthday's are one of the first things that come to mind for people when they think of Witnesses and some of those people want to know why they take such a staunch position.

  "I wonder why those Witnesses are so rigid about birthdays" - this will sometimes incite curiosity and sometimes that curiosity is what leads them to the organization. Anything can be sold and the Witnesses are expert salesmen.

  Most people just rightly call it religious craziness, but every now and then you get someone who thinks they may be on to something.

  -Sab
• 

  Leolaia

  So, if they were wrong for christians - then why doesn't the new testament come out and say so?

  OTOH this is what the NT does say:

  "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day....Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!'? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence" (Colossians 2:16, 20-23).
• 

  PSacramento

  Leo, that passage and the one in Romans, is the one I use often and to this day I have yet to get a decent reply from any witness.
• 

  sir82

  Somewhere on this forum, man many years ago, there was a post paralleling the celebration of birthdays to the wearing of makeup by women.

  Every...single...reason that JWs give as "scriptural" reason not to celebrate birthdays, applied to makeup as well.

  E.g., in the Bible, only wicked women (Jezebel, idolatrous Egyptians or Canaanites) wore makeup....every time makeup was mentioned in the Bible, someone died (Jezebel, Egyptians / Canaanites again)....both birthdays and makeup draw attention to the individual rather than the creator...

  There were like a dozen parallels - every one spot on.

  I've never been able to find that thread though.

  Anyone here remember it?
• 

  moshe

  When you read about Gotcha- day in the WT, we will know where the writing dept first read about it.

  Makes sense to me, too!

  Somewhere on this forum, man many years ago, there was a post paralleling the celebration of birthdays to the wearing of makeup by women.
• 

  bennyk

  (Recycled old post [29.04.05]):

  If the celebration of birthdays is wrong BECAUSE in the scriptural accounts ONE person died at each of two such celebrations, would it not be forbidden to give (wedding) presents???

  (1 Kings 9:16NWT: "(Pharaoh the king of Egypt himself had come up and then captured Ge'zer and burned it with fire, and the Ca'naanites dwelling in the city he had killed. So he gave it as a parting gift to his daughter, the wife of Solomon.)")

  To which tijkmo commented:

  this is what the insight book had to say: "Just when this unidentified Pharaoh had conquered Gezer, which he now gave to his daughter as a farewell wedding gift, or dowry, is not stated." so its not as if wts explain that scripture any other way.