White Stone
Well-known member
Do you celebrate wedding anniversary?
Birthdays. Biblical proof they should be celebrated.
- Thread starter Nomex
- Start date
Charming Primrose
Well-known member
I totally agree
Charming Primrose
Well-known member
I do. Ok, now I'm thinking of my reasons.....well, it's because as JW that was allowed.
But with that being said, my own Personal reasons for celebration of my wedding anniversary is that Jehovah created this union between Adam & Eve. It's something approved by God.
Just my $0.02 😃
White Stone
Well-known member
Jehovah wants us to enjoy life, that is why he created us. There is the bread and wine that makes the heart rejoice.
My parents seldomly celebrated their wedding anniversary, so it must have also shaped my way of thinking.
What just concerns me is how the brothers or sisters celebrate their anniversary, similar to how the world celebrates it. With cakes and shiny displays, like how children’s birthdays were celebrated.
But as I said earlier, we should be mindful of how we celebrate something, that it should bring honor and glory to our God.
I’ve researched a bit about wedding anniversary and this is what I found.
Charming Primrose
Well-known member
I was not raised as a JW, so yes I can see how that may effect your views for things you do or don't do.
For us it's always been celebrated with our kids. Usually a nice dinner or a movie out. Our bigger milestones, 10, 15, 20+ our kids liked to organize a dinner. We always agreed that we didn't need to give gifts to each other. That's not what the celebration was about for us.
Although, for our 30th he did surprise me with an anniversary ring 😍 Trust me I earned that ring !!! 🤣
Nov 2033 will be 34 yrs 💞
White Stone
Well-known member
You indeed deserved that, your name suggest it.😄 You have a loving husband @Charming Primrose . Our mother do the same to us when its our birthday. We go eat a meal, travel or watch movies in cinemas when we were kids. We seldomly go out now.
I’m still not married yet but in a relationship. Gift-giving done in right motive can honor Jehovah. I’m happy for you with the anniversary ring. Your husband must be happier when you received it.
Charming Primrose
Well-known member
Thank you ❤️
Nomex
Well-known member
@Soul Sage ... I'll read the rest of this thread later, but I think it's obvious I lost my temper. I was talking with my wife earlier yesterday about the way I was raised and she commented that I was abused. Now that is a different matter and up for debate, but my parents by no means "spared the rod." I was thinking about that and my kids, and for whatever reason your comment set me off. I sincerely apologize. It was uncalled for, and I make no excuses. I think it's obvious I acted out emotionally.
@Watchman you're right I was out on line and I apologize to you too. Next time I get angry like that, I'll just shut down my PC and come back later.
A lot has happened these last three years and I think we all have a lot to be angry about, but I know better than to take it out on people here. That is I should know better! Again I am sorry!
@Watchman you're right I was out on line and I apologize to you too. Next time I get angry like that, I'll just shut down my PC and come back later.
A lot has happened these last three years and I think we all have a lot to be angry about, but I know better than to take it out on people here. That is I should know better! Again I am sorry!
I could tell you be dealing with some hard times. I don't know anything about your family and my post was more of a self reflective post as I was thinking about birthdays from earlier in the week, thinking it's not some big celebratory thing but a milestone achievement and we should reward ourselves with something good. I pray that Jehovah gives you some peace of mind, Nomex.
Ms_ladyblue
Well-known member
Nah…I think Nomex will be ok…we’re all just having a rough time these last three years and each of us react in different ways. Don’t you think?
Seadog
Well-known member
Nomex in my opinion your anger was way deeper than 3 years. It was visceral and reminded me of my own struggles growing up in the "truth"
and clashing with Elders on power trips. That extended through my married life where I attracted attention as a tall poppy which reflected on my family. The anger from myself was explosive.
I thought I was over it all but I feel much relief resigning. The control was pervasive and still evoked response from myself.The trick is to dissociate those memories from the present and don't ever react in hot blood without allowing time-------- like the next day.
BARNABY THE DOG.
Well-known member
The mark of a true Christian struggling with his self. I have been there many times - I’m sure we all have. It is the keeping on going that’s important. I’m glad you are feeling better Nomex. ❤️👍
Revvzone
Well-known member
Nothing wrong with birthdays, the WT criminalizes it, Job visited each and every one of his children " On His or Her Day..even bringing gifts..
kenmuldoon55
Well-known member
Excellent application Mick
PJ54
Well-known member
Hang in there! This world is getting crazier by the hour & we all have to hang in there. Give enough time & the clown sightings will begin again with the nude edition to come!
This is interesting from Rolf Furuli My Beloved Religion on the subject of birthdays
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are not celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Awake! of July 8, 1976, pages 27 and 28 shows the reason for this:In view of the historical data above, it seems clear that birthdays in ancient Greece and Rome had a pagan origin, and there are also some instances where magic was connected with birthday celebrations. It appears that the first Christians did not celebrate birthdays, and Origen spoke negatively about birthdays some two hundred years later. But persons today do not view birthdays as having a bad (pagan) origin or believe that real magic in any form is connected with birthday celebrations. But the arguments from Awake! quoted above presents evidence that gives some substance to the view of Jehovah’s Witnesses that birthdays should not be celebrated.
However, the arguments against birthday celebrations are not conclusive, and both in the 19th century in the days of C.T. Russell, and in the 1920s, in the days of J.F. Rutherford, birthdays were celebrated by the Bible Students. I am not arguing in favor of celebrating birthdays. Rather, the focus of my discussion is the situation where a Witness finds that the arguments against celebrating birthdays are inconclusive, and so he starts to celebrate birthdays in the same way he celebrates wedding anniversaries. In such cases, is the Witness liable for disfellowshipping in the same way as one celebrating false religious holidays by taking part in idolatrous customs?
Suppose that a Witness who has several children argues in the following way: “The fact that birthdays were celebrated by pagans and not by the first Christians does not mean that Christians today must refrain from birthday celebrations. I have not found any material that conclusively shows that birthday celebrations are wrong for Christians. The way birthdays are celebrated today does not seem to violate any biblical principles. Friends of the one whose birthday it is are being invited in the same way friends are invited to a wedding anniversary party. They bring gifts, they eat good food, and everyone has a good time exactly as is done at a wedding anniversary party. I do not even think that the song “Happy birthday to you” gives improper honor to the one having the birthday, any more than songs to the bridal couple at a wedding or at their wedding anniversary, gives improper honor to them. In fact, some couples actually have a dedicated song commemorating their wedding and that is played or sung at their anniversary party—they even call it, “our song”. There is also cake at a birthday party, just like the cake at a wedding anniversary party. Therefore, I don’t see any substantive difference between a birthday celebration and an anniversary celebration. Because of this, I will let my children celebrate their birthdays.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses have some good arguments against birthday celebration, but these are not exactly ironclad arguments. The arguments of the brother in favor of birthday celebrations also appear to have some merit, especially with the backdrop of the aforementioned 2000 Awake! article mitigating how much weight the origins of certain customs actually have in connection with their modern-day counterparts. However, the standpoint of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that birthdays should not be celebrated, and in view of this, the words of Paul, about not becoming a stumbling block to fellow Christians, that I quoted above would strongly weigh against birthday celebrations by the brother. If he did that, unrest could result in the congregation. And so the principle in Romans 12:18, “If possible, as long as it depends on you, be peaceable with all men.” should be applied.
But what would happen if the brother continues with his plan and arranges birthday celebrations for his children? He has not violated any biblical principle or biblical law, and his arguments cannot be countered by the Bible or by history. However, his actions may cause some unrest in the congregation.
But from a biblical point of view, no law given by Jehovah is violated by a person who lets his children celebrate birthdays. And the person is absolutely not guilty of “celebrating a false religious holiday.” So, if the elders of the congregation disfellowship the brother, they are violating several biblical principles.
CONCLUSION
The discussion has shown that “celebrating religious holidays” is not, in itself, a disfellowshipping offense, according to the Bible. But the Governing Body has made this a disfellowshipping offense.The word “celebrating” is subjective and ambiguous, and different elders will apply it differently in relation to different holidays. The basic point in my discussion is that only when actions performed in connection with a holiday are idolatrous in nature can judicial action rightly be taken and the person be disfellowshipped because of idolatry, according to 1 Corinthians 6:9is a disfellowshipping offense.
I also discussed birthday celebrations and showed that Jehovah1s Witnesses have some noteworthy arguments against birthday celebrations, but these are not ironclad. This means that if a brother starts celebrating birthdays because he says that there are no clear biblical reasons against it, his arguments also have some validity.
However, I can reasonably assume that if the brother continues celebrating birthdays, and it becomes known and causes some unrest in the congregation, he will be disfellowshipped under the pretext of “causing divisions.” But since “causing divisions” is scripturally limited in its application and does not include these kinds of divisions, disfellowshipping on these grounds is an invention of the Governing Body and has no basis in the Bible.
This reminds me of a sister in our congregation who had been in the truth her whole life and decided to hang wind chimes on her tree in the front of her house, another sister who had stopped by to visit told her the wind chimes had a pagan origin and were used to scare demons away, the elderly sister replied, (who was in her 90s) "Well that's not what I'm using them for! they are pretty and I like the sound of them!" Lol end of story.
Love it!!