The new children's book.

by l3gi0n 11 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  l3gi0n

  I was reading through the new kids book released at the assembly, and couldn't help but notice the chapter on birthdays. It went on to explain that people were beheaded at birthdays, and that god never said to celebrate them. It then quoted the catholic encyclopedia as stating

  "Only sinners... make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born"

  So I looked in the catholic encyclopedia and it sure said that, kinda.

  "of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod

  who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below"

  The point being that the only two recorded birthdays in the bible were those of sinners, not that only sinners celebrate birthdays.
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  Maverick

  Good catch, I wonder just how many little creative editing we just sucked up and took as truths from Gods "slave"....Lying scum that they are! Maverick
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  AnnOMaly

  This is the full quote from the 'offending' paragraph on p.155.

  "It is true that at such parties today, people do not chop off someone's head. But the whole idea of celebrating birthdays started with people who did not worship the true God. The Catholic Encyclopedia says about the birthday celebrations mentioned in the Bible: 'Only sinners...make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born.' Do we want to be like them?"

  I thought it only fair to point out that the writer did qualify that the 'sinners' were referring to the participants of the Bible celebrations. But even so, the use of the quotation is misleading.
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  Swan

  It went on to explain that people were beheaded at birthdays,

  Last year two people were beheaded in the preaching work selling Avon but you haven't heard the WTBTS prohibit preaching Avon yet. Why is that?

  Tammy
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  Stan Conroy

  Here is a little more information on that quote.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/55660/1.ashx

  Stan
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  AnnOMaly

  Thanks Stan. That thread provided a wealth of information.
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  thetruthaboutjws

  My question is the watchtower is always slamming catholics and all christianity for that matter why support what you say with "evil christianity's" quotes. If i where a canodate running for office I wouln't say "quoting from what i seletivley agree with about my competition becuase i can't come up with my own proof" see it just doesn't fit
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  jwsons

  Mature Duckling, You're beautiful, well said, my dear. jwsons
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  AnnOMaly

  Where else can they get their quotes but from the 'evil world'? It would be 'incestuous' to quote themselves for support (I know they often do anyway).

  Wasn't it St. Augustine who said, "Whatever man may have learned from other sources, if it is hurtful, it is condemned there; if it is useful, it is contained therein."?
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  Euphemism

  I think that the issue, as far as quoting the Catholic church, is that the WTS has generally singled them (and other Christian religions) out for special condemnation, even above and beyond the rest of the world.

  It also just seems particularly odd to quote them in a publication for children. As far as I'm aware, in fact, it's the only quote of an external source in the whole book! It's also appealed to as an authority, not merely for historical facts, but for moral judgment. (Even though the original quote is merely factual, the way that it is edited turns it into a moral judgment.) For the JWs to appeal to the Catholic Encyclopedia for a moral judgment is simply perverse.