Birthdays & Christmas

Rattigan350

What is the deal with people criticizing JWs because they don't celebrate birthdays or Christmas?

It is as if when someone is born, from a baby, to a child, teen, adult; that one has a responsiblity to celebrate Christmas (and I thought it was a free country); and others have a responsiblity to celebrate others' anniversary of one's birth.

I don't get the criticisms as if celebrating either is a great thing and the not celebrating is a bad thing.

Data on Star Trek said that he does not understand why people celebrate their birthdays - a day one can not possibly remember.

What are you actually celebrating? The fact that you made it another year? Sure with all of the shooting and drunk driving and other deaths, surving another years is an accomplishment, but not an activity one would celebrate. Anniversaries are celebrated because half end up in divorce.

Doing a search on here for birthday gives 7730 results. Some are "Can anyone prove that birthday celebrations are forbidden by "
" Friend's Birthday Is Coming Up. Should I Say Happy ..." "What should I give to my girlfriend for her birthday next month? (1 ..." (Why giver her anything?),"My sons first real birthday celebration... - Jehovahs-Witness.Net"

So reading "In search of Christians freedom" has given no one freedom.

My response to either celebration is: Why bother.

Ding

I think such things are covered by Romans 14:4-10:

"4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God."

dazed but not confused

You seem bitter. I just celebrated my son's 4th Bday and he LOVED it. It was my first time celebrating anyone's birthday. Lots of gifts and fun. The dumbass JW's want to stand out as different. Thats why no BDays. Theres really no good reason not to celebrate them. What because someone got BEHEADED in the bible we shouldnt celebrate them? What about anniversaries? I understand their reasoning for the other holidays but I don;t agree. We will be celebrating everything from here on. "To each their own..."

mrsjones5

I celebrate my children's birthdays because I love them. They are very important to me. I tell them so everyday and on their special day when I brought into this world out of my body.

If you don't like birthdays why talk about it?

Xanthippe

Rattigan on an episode of Voyager the other day Tuvok was desperately trying to fight being assimilated by the Borg. He was using his date and place of birth to remember who he was. Our birthday is such a personal thing, it makes us an individual. We can either celebrate it or not we are free to decide.

It is when someone tells us that we are forbidden from celebrating our own bith and we accept it without question that we have truly been assimilated.

I suggest you fight it.

dazed but not confused

Data from Startrek? Nerd alert!!!... Just kidding. Im a bit of a Trekkie.

JW's are criticized because they are soooooooooo unbelievably stupid in most every aspect of their lifes. I would know. Born and raised and out after 28 years. I didn;t know any better until I left.

dazed but not confused

If you not like birthdays why talk about it?

Clearly it bothers you that no one bothered to show you the fun of.... oh nevermind. Have fun with your pitty party

J. Hofer

rattigan, you're a bit confused. people don't critizise JWs for not celebrating birthdays and holidays, people critizise JWs for not allowing their members to celebrate anything like that. i don't care for xmas either, as i grew up a JW and just never got into it and i can to some extent follow their line of reasoning regarding xmas. but the ban of birthday celebrations is utter nonsense, i never understood it and it's something i did miss out on. even when still a JW, me and the other youngsters would start celebrating birthdays in some form. of course noone of the elders knew about this.

celebrating something is nice. it's fun. it's social. try it.

joyfulfader

You have obviously not had child diagnosed with a terminal illness so that each passing year is a celebration of an immense milestone. There are some people who can't take those birthdays for granted.

finally awake

Well why bother doing anything? You are just going to die eventually anyway. It's all pointless and futile in the long run.

*OR* you can decide to enjoy yourself while you are here, and try to make life enjoyable for the people around you as well. Even if it's ultimately pointless, you might as well enjoy it.

Birthdays & Christmas

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