by xjw_b12 62 Replies latest watchtower bible
"A main concern is not what the practice meant hundreds of years ago, but how it is viewed today in your area."
Well, in my area, blood transfusions are not related to eating blood, a practice that is hundreds of years old. In my area, X-mas means demonstrating love through giving, and it's not associated with the Roman festivals of hundreds of years ago. And birthdays and voting and all that in my area are OK
Too bad there seems to be no JW's in my area.
I've never been to a JW costume party because I know a few people who organized one and they got pulled before the elders because it was considered worldly...too close of a resemblence to halloween.
The Luao and Pinanta thing is totally nuts.....I've also got a thread going on the YMCA which I am thinking of using for daycare.....If confronted I'll pull out the Awake and quote the paragraph where it states to consider the situation and present day view in the local community and tell them not to make a big issue out of it like the Awake states.
peckers
What about throwing rice at weddings?
What about Birthdays? There is no proof that it is wrong to begin with and today it has NO pagan connections.
What about toasting and clinking glasses?
What about saying "bless you" or "geshundheit" or something similar when one sneezes?
What about costume parties?
What about wind chimes?
The argument used to okay pinatas can be used in all of these practices/customs that had pagan origins/influences and many more that I can't think of at the moment.
The thinking on this has DEFINITELY changed. The only dedicated article from the CD on pinatas:
*** g71 6/22 pp. 23-24 The Piñata and Its Use ***
"HIT it, hit it, hit it! To the right! Lower! Now higher!"
What’s happening? Why so much shouting by children and adults? Why so much excitement?
As we approach the group, we see two men from two adjacent roofs holding a cord from which an object that looks like a three-pointed star is suspended. "What is that?" we ask.
"It’s a piñata," the children shout.
A number of blindfolded children have taken turns in trying to break the piñata with a stick. But the men have prevented it by pulling the cord to move the piñata away. Finally, a blindfolded boy strikes the piñata a tremendous blow. It breaks open, and its contents spill onto the floor. There are all kinds of fruit, pieces of sugarcane, oranges, peanuts, tejocotes (a sloe-like fruit), and so forth.
The children scramble to see how much each one can pick up. After a few minutes nothing is left on the floor except broken pottery and scraps of crepe paper. The cones, which had given the piñata the appearance of a three-pointed star, are taken by the children as trophies.
Our curiosity is aroused. We want to know more about the piñata. What is its origin? Why is it used in Mexico and other Latin-American countries? Is there any significance to breaking it?
Religious
ConnectionsThe origin of piñatas is not definitely known. But it is believed that the famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo brought them from the Orient to his native city in Italy. Later, in Spain, their use became a part of religious celebrations. Following the Spanish conquest in the western hemisphere they were introduced in Mexico. The materials used to make piñatas are a clay pot, crepe paper, a little glue and cardboard to give form to the figure.
Catholic teachers employed piñatas in giving the Indian natives religious instruction. They were used, for instance, in connection with Lent, which is observed from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. Even today they are used in some places. On the day before Easter a piñata figure of Judas Iscariot is broken, scattering candies that children scamper to pick up.
Piñatas
also came to be used in connection with Christmas. A modern writer notes: "Indians were very fond of theatrical representations in the development of rituals. The friars started to put on theatrical representations in connection with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ." Breaking the piñata came to be the final part of such a theatrical representation.It was around the year 1587 C.E. that an Augustinian friar by the name of Diego de Doria received authorization from the Pope to hold Masses during nine days before Christmas. The tradition was taught to the natives that before the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary searched for nine days to find lodging. The Bible, however, does not say this. It is just a man-made tradition.
The Posada was the celebration introduced to teach this tradition. It enacted the supposed nine-day search of Mary and Joseph. A young man and young woman were chosen to represent Joseph and Mary. It became the custom to form a group that would sing and pray as they went around pretending to look for lodging. People would gather in church for this theatrical representation.
Later, the celebration was also carried on in the homes of the people, who organized their own Posada. With the passing of time, clay, plaster of Paris and wooden figures of Joseph and Mary were substituted for human representations of them. It became the custom for two children to lead the procession carrying the figures of Joseph and Mary.
Families in Mexico look forward to the Posada on each of the nine nights before Christmas day. Children leading the procession go from room to room, being refused admittance until they come to the room where a nacimiento or nativity scene has been constructed with a miniature well-adorned stable. Here they are admitted and they place the figures of Joseph and Mary in the stable. It is not until the last night of the Posada that a figure representing the babe Jesus is placed there.
The celebration comes to its end with the breaking of the piñata. These piñatas may have many different forms—ships, clowns, devils, three-pointed stars, rabbits, radishes, watermelons, and so forth. Nowadays the host may invite everyone into his courtyard. There blindfolded persons take turns in trying to strike the piñata, which may be suspended by a cord from the porch roof or a branch of a tree.
Catholic teachers have placed great significance on the use of the piñata in this religious celebration. They have taught that the piñata represents the Devil or a bad spirit. The fact that the person who tries to break the piñata has his eyes covered indicates that he should have blind faith that will overcome the Devil. The articles that are put in the piñata represent the temptations that man has during his life. And breaking the piñata means that he has gained eternal life.
Modern
TrendNowadays the Posada in Mexico features disorder, drunkenness and criminal activity. The celebrations are used as an excuse for wild and immoral living. Persons frequently are killed, and others are robbed and injured. Police are kept extra busy during these celebrations.
One is reminded by the Posada of the early mid-December Roman festival of the Saturnalia. The fact is that encyclopedias say that this pagan festival provided the model for many merrymaking customs of Christmas, of which Posada and the use of the piñata are closely linked.
Today, however, many give little thought to the religious aspects of Posada and the breaking of the piñata. All some businessmen know about it is that selling piñatas is profitable. They may sell for as much as sixteen dollars or so apiece, and during Posada celebrations their cost goes up. Piñatas today are also used extensively for entertainment at social occasions, such as children’s parties and birthday celebrations.
But even though the use of the piñata is quite popular in some places, there are those who have serious misgivings about the false religious practices connected with it.
While never coming out and outright banning the use of pinatas, the Society uses their famous KEYWORDS in demonizing the use of them altogether. The entire article reeks of negative connotations. No where in this article can be found a positive mention on the use of pinatas. Of course, a spiritually mature brother or sister would never use them.
I'm ambivalent about this one. On the one hand, I'm glad they have-- in this one instance at least (will other examples follow?) -- of their backing away and allowing an individual's conscience dictate what's appropriate for him/her? On the other hand, their arbitraryness and inconsistency is astonishing.
Winston Smith writes:
Who today get's together for Christmas to worship Satunalia on 12/25?
Actually, if you can get a Watchtower from December 15, 2001 and check out the Questions from Readers article, they have softened their position on Christmas (actually they say "holiday") for JW wives who have an unbelieving spouse. The JW wife of an unbelieving husband can now buy gifts on her husband's behalf, buy gift wrap on her husband's behalf, wrap gifts on her husband's behalf, prepare a special meal that he requests, visit his non-JW relatives and enjoy their company, etc etc, provided she does not participate in anything that would be considered an act of false worship.
I know I posted the entire article before, I just can't find it at the moment.
Love, Scully
Unbelievable Scully considering that they class living with an apostate spiritual endangerment!
Oh my.... what are they going to change next?
Here's the link, I transcribed the entire Questions From Readers article.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/14/43076/601685/post.ashx#601685
Love, ScullyWT 12/15/2001
Questions from Readers
How can a Christian wife balance loyalty to God with submission to her unbelieving husband if he shares in religious holiday activities?
Her doing so will require wisdom and tact. But she is doing the right thing in striving to balance her two obligations. Jesus gave counsel about a parallel situation: "Pay back, therefore, Caesar's things to Caesar, but God's things to God." (Matthew 22:21) Granted, he was dealing with obligations to governments, to which Christians were later told to be in submission. (Romans 13:1) Yet, his counsel finds a parallel in a wife's balancing her obligation to her husband, even if he is an unbeliever.
No one familiar with the Bible would deny that it stresses that a Christian's first obligation is to Almighty God, to be loyal to him at all times. (Acts 5:29) Still, in many situations a true worshiper can accommodate the requests or demands of an unbeliever in authority while not sharing in a violation of God's elevated laws.
We find an instructive example in the three Hebrews, as related in Daniel chapter 3. Their governmental superior, Nebuchadnezzar, decreed that they and others present themselves on the plain of Dura. Realizing that false worship was scheduled, the three Hebrews would likely have preferred to avoid being there. Perhaps Daniel was able to excuse himself, but these three could not. So they complied to the extent of appearing, but they would not - and did not - share in any wrong act. --Daniel 3:1-18.
Similarly, around holiday times an unbelieving husband might request or demand that his Christian wife do something she would like to avoid. Consider some examples: He tells her to cook a certain food on the day he and others will celebrate a holiday. Or he demands that the family (including the wife) visit his relatives on that day for a meal or simply as a social call. Or even prior to the holiday, he might say that while his wife is out shopping, she must make some purchases for him - foods unique to the holiday, items to use as presents, or wrapping paper and cards to use with his gifts.
Again, the Christian wife ought to be determined not to share in false religious acts, but what about such requests? He is the family head, and God's Word says: "You wives, continue in subjection to your husbands, as it is becoming in the Lord." (Colossians 3:18) In these cases, can she show wifely subjection while being loyal to God? She must decide how to balance obedience to her husband with her overriding obedience to Jehovah.
At other times, her husband may ask her to cook a certain food, whether it is because it is his favorite or because he is used to having that meal in a particular season. She will desire to show love for him and recognition of his headship. Could she do so even if he made the request on the occasion of a holiday? Some Christian wives might be able to do so with a good conscience, simply considering it as a normal task of preparing the daily meal. Certainly no loyal Christian would attach any holiday significance to it, even if her husband did. Similarly, he might require her to be with him when he visits his relatives at various times each month or year. Could she do so even if it was the day of a holiday? Or would she normally be willing to purchase things at his request, without judging what he intends to do with the items she buys for him while doing her shopping?
Of course, the Christian wife should think of others - the effect on them. (Philippians 2:4) She would like to avoid giving any impression that she is linked to the holiday, just as the three Hebrews may likely have preferred that others not see them travelling to the plain of Dura. So she might tactfully try to reason with her husband to see if, out of consideration for her feelings, he might do certain holiday-related things for himself to accommodate a wife who loves and respects him. He might see the wisdom of not putting both of them in a potentially embarrassing situation if she would have to refuse to engage in false religious acts. Yes, calm discussion beforehand might lead to a peaceful solution. - Proverbs 22:3.
In the final analysis, the faithful Christian wife must weigh the facts and then decide what to do. Obedience to God must come first, as it did with the three Hebrews. (1 Corinthians 10:31) But with that in mind, the individual Christian has to decide what non-compromising things can be done at the request of one having authority in the family or in the community.
pinatas are great...I remember my mother letting me have one when I had a JW party, but it couldn't be a symbol so I just tied up a bunch of grocery bags and colored it...*LOL* sheesh....if JWs really understood cultural relativism their lives would be a whole lot better and a lot let crazy and hypocritical.
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
