by Swan 25 Replies latest jw experiences
: Re: What's Wrong With Mother's Day? I Forgot.
This one's easy: all worship must go to Watchtower leaders. Only Watchtower leaders must be honored. Remember, the commandment to honor your father and mother was abolished by the Watchtower Printing and Magazine Selling Corporation.
Farkel
If I recall from a publication several years ago, the issue regarding Mothers's Day is tied to pagan nations.
It seems that mothers made up a large percentage of the pagan population. In fact, the publication mentioned that approximately 50% of the population in Babyon either was a mother or would likely become a mother.
Even secular history agrees that mothers made up about half the populations of the Assyrian, Greek and Roman World Powers.
Obviously, the celebration of Mother's Day is not for Christians.
***** Rub a Dub
....the issue regarding Mothers's Day is tied to pagan nations.It seems that mothers made up a large percentage of the pagan population. In fact, the publication mentioned that approximately 50% of the population in Babyon either was a mother or would likely become a mother.
Well, um, what does that have to do with anything?
If a culture/nation was made up mostly of children, would it be wrong to have a baby? If the majority of people in a culture/nation are married, would it be wrong for single people to marry?
Personally, I do not beleive that the woman who established what we currently observe as Mother's day meant it to be in any way associated with any ancient pagan ritual. She simply felt that Mother's should be honored, and I wholeheartedly agree.
As far as the witness reasoning, the went straight to the fact that there were some ancient pagan celebrations to do with mothers in which babies were sacrificed, and therefore any "good christian witness" would want nothing to do with anything related to such a barbaric ritual. They as usual compared apples to oranges, told us all they were one and the same and in order to "stand out" as different, determined that Mother's day was inappropriate for christians.
Of course anniversaries and wedding bands pagan connections could be overlooked as custom, and their pagan connections overlooked. Never made sense to me AT ALL even when I was young that they could pick and choose their pagan connections and what was good or bad on that faulty logic.
It seems that mothers made up a large percentage of the pagan population. In fact, the publication mentioned that approximately 50% of the population in Babyon either was a mother or would likely become a mother.Even secular history agrees that mothers made up about half the populations of the Assyrian, Greek and Roman World Powers.
Obviously, the celebration of Mother's Day is not for Christians.
Clever boy. I've been laughing for the last five minutes. Very cute.
Undercover,
Well, um, what does that have to do with anything?
Rubadub was saying that in jest! (I hope so, anyway!)
Spanner
Mothers' Day is pagan. But interestingly the marriage rituals such as the ring, the veil, the whole deal, is pagan too. But they allow THAT. Remember folks, whatever the 'Faithful Steward" says is directly from God. You people should know better than to question the Mother Organization, who gives us this fine 'Meat in Due Season".
Thanks for your posts (even the smart alec ones), but...
Now I'm really confused. I heard about the babies in Carthage sacrificed to Astarte (Easter) so I understand that connection (kind of) to Easter, but I didn't know about Mother's Day sacrifices. If that's the case, why don't they celebrate Father's Day? Was that pagan too? Were babies sacrificed on Father's Day?
I also remember (vaguely) a book study (thick book) that went on for months ad naseum about the secretary and his inkhorn. So is Secretary's day okay for JW's to celebrate?
So I'm really wondering if I should send a card or a letter to my Mom on Mother's Day. It's been ten years, after all. Is there a Wt article that actually forbids Mother's Day, or was it just one of those things that no one knew why they didn't celebrate it.
Tammy
Historians claim that the holiday of Mother's Day emerged from the ancient festivals dedicated to mother goddess.
In the ancient Greek empire, Rhea, the wife of Cronus, and mother of Gods and Goddesses, was worshipped.
In Rome too, Cybele, a mother Goddesses, was worshipped, as early as 250 BC. It was known as Hilaria, and it lasted for three days, called the Ides of March, that is from March 15 to March 18.
However, neither of them meant for the honoring of our immediate mothers, as is done in our Mother's Day.
Rather more closely aligned to our Mother's Day, is the "Mothering Sunday". England observed "Mothering Sunday", or the "Mid-Lent-Sunday, on the fourth Sunday in Lent.
In the United States, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) is credited with bringing in the celebration of Mother's day.
Mothers Day SHOULD be celebrated by JWs because of its connection with 1914.
In the United States, Julia Ward Howe suggested the idea of Mother's Day in 1872. Howe, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, saw Mother's Day as being dedicated to peace.
However, it was Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia who is credited with bringing about the official observance of ‘Mother's Day’. She campaigned towards establishing the holiday as a remembrance of her own mother who died in 1905. Jarvis’ mother had, in the late 19th century, tried to establish a similar holiday (Mother's Friendship Days) as a way to heal the scars of the Civil War.
Two years after her mother’s death, Jarvis held a ceremony in Grafton, W. VA., to honor her. Jarvis was so moved by the ceremony that she began a massive campaign to adopt a formal holiday honoring mothers. West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother's Day, in 1910. A year later, nearly every state officially took up the holiday. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson (aka King of the North) officially proclaimed ‘Mother's Day’ a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May.
So there you have it, it is settled. Mothers day should be celebrated because it is in fact linked to the pivotal year 1914 and we all know how important that date is to a JW.
Freeman
