Still dont get the friggin birthdays (page 4)

carla

What is the current thought on a jw who may have gone to a birthday party? is it still a df-ing offense? or could they just use the 'keeping peace with the non jw spouse thing'? not that that happened or anything, yeah, just asking for a friend.....wink, wink

Prester John

Yeh, I also wouldn't mind some clarification on the birthday issue.

Is it a DF offence? That would mean that you could be expelled on the basis of having attended one birthday party but were 'unrepentant' of your gross sin.

I should have thought that it was more of a 'marking' issue, where the person is engaged on an dangerous path but does not actually commit a gross sin.

It may seem like splitting hairs, but being marked means that you can still access a support network to a degree, but without the hassle of having to socialise with JWs.

I am not up to date with current non thinking on the issue, so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Room 215

The only two scriptures have have remotely any relevance to birthdays are:

Job 1:4: "His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on HIS DAY, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them."

and Romans 14:5,6: " 5One man regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.…"

dozy

Even when a believing JW , I could never understand why birthdays were a complete no-no , but baby showers & anniversaries were fine. The justifications always seemed pretty lame. The Mosaic Law contained huge numbers of often intricate , minor regulations , but nothing on birthdays at all ( which we are told by the Society were common amongst "pagan" worshipers at that time ). Surely if it was so important for a true worshiper not to mark that day , it would have made the list. If anything , Job would seem to have celebrated his children's birthdays and he was regarded as being a righteous man.

JW Facts has a good article on it pointing out the inconsistencies etc.

https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/birthdays.php

In addition to what has already posted , much I think is because the religious leaders of the Society ( generally ) have been childless ( Rutherford / Knorr / FW Franz etc ) so the concept didn't / doesn't really mean much to them so it is a celebration that is easily prohibited. I couldn't care less about my birthday as an adult - sadly it is just a somewhat painful reminder that I am one year older. But for kids and parents - it is a big thing.

stillin

The having of fun, outside of congregation activities, is strictly prohibited.

UnshackleTheChains

Watchtower is a killjoy organisation

Finkelstein

In reflection its ironic that men who were engaged in unrighteous sinning apostasy (false Prophesying) are designated to others what is spiritual and righteous, placing judgment and condemnation onto those who went against their own created doctrines .

Organized religions are usually a self endeavoring ploy by men to create self empowerment unto themselves and this can be seen by the men who created the WTS/JWS.

Pete Zahut

They used to use the account from the Bible where John the Baptist was beheaded and his head was presented on a serving platter at the birthday celebration of Pharaoh's Daughter.

I never saw how that account meant that we shouldn't celebrate birthdays. What I took away from it was that we should never behead anyone at a birthday celebration and we probably shouldn't use serving platters since the Pagans apparently used them.

For that reason, we always used to acknowledge our boys birthdays by recanting the story of the day they were born and getting them a little something special even if it was only a special dessert at dinner, just for them.

Now that they're grown up and the Watchtower is a thing of the past, I'm glad that we went with our gut on that one (a few others as well) and we weren't robbed of yet another harmless life experience.

BluesBrother

I do not believe it to be a d/f offence although I would not broadcast it or speak out against the doctrine.

Who knows what they would twist it into?

The dubs love the scripture that says Christ's followers were " no part of the world" . So if the world does it , they don't!

Finkelstein

The power of god in men's hands can many times prove to be human folly of sorts to those who are placed underneath that power.

Still dont get the friggin birthdays

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