I just have to work on my informal witnessing confidence. he asked me why we don't celebrate birthdays and why we would celebrate anniversaries, and i was a little shakey on that. i said i could ...
That's a tough one. I STILL don't think I really understand that. Share with me whatever understanding you come to.
are you serious...wow. birthday = pagan - (see bible under "DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST") anniversaries = celebration of WEDDINGS, something instituted by Jehovah. Commemorating an anniversary ...
hm, well then how would you respond to this: But Jehovah instituted birth and life, so why not celebrate that as well? Same reasoning as your reasoning on wedding anniversaries.
you think you're really clever, don't you. well. let's see. no one faithful in the bible is mentioned as celebrating their birthdays. EVER. no one from moses to jesus to any of the apostles. ...
Page 68, Reasoning Book:
Birthday Definition: The day of one's birth or the anniversary of that day. In some places the anniversary of one's birth, especially that of a child, is celebrated with a party and the giving of gifts.
Do Bible references to birthday celebrations put them in a favorable light? The Bible makes only two references to such celebrations:
Gen. 40:20-22- Pharaoh's birthday
Matt. 14:6-10- Herod's Birthday
Everything that is in the Bible is there for a reason. Jehovah's witnesses take not that God's Word reports unfavorably about birthday celebrations and so shun these.
What is the origin of popular customs associated with birthday celebrations:
... (don't feel like typing out both)
The greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea..This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother, and the patron saint..The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greeks..Honey cakes as round as the moon and lit with tapers were placed on the temple altars of Artemis..Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes..Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a sprecial mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune...Birthday greetings and wished for happiness are an intrinsic part of this holiday...Originally the idea was rooted in the magic...Birthday greetings have power for good or ill because one is closer to the spirit world on this day- THe Lore of Birthdays
Of course..that makes anniversary celebrations (at least the definition does) seem evil.
yeah but - the Oct 15, 1998 Watchtower Questions from Readers had this VERY question (don't think no one else would find it, Ian) -
Many of Jehovah's Witnesses observe wedding anniversaries. A birthday is an anniversary of when you were born. So why celebrate wedding anniversaries and not birthday anniversaries?
"The Bible directs us to commemorate the date of Jesus? death, not the anniversary of his or anyone else?s birth. Doing so accords with Ecclesiastes 7:1 and the fact that how a faithful person?s life turns out is more important than the day of his birth. The Bible has no record that any faithful servant celebrated his birthday. It records birthday celebrations of pagans, linking these occasions with cruel acts."
and also-
What about wedding anniversaries? In some lands it is common for husband and wife to take note of the anniversary of their entering the marital state, an arrangement that God originated. (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6) Certainly, the Bible does not put marriage in a bad light. Jesus both attended a marriage celebration and contributed to the pleasure of the occasion.?John 2:1-11.
It thus would not be strange that a couple might on their wedding anniversary take time to reflect on the joyfulness of that event and on their resolve to work for success as a couple. Whether they focus on this happy occasion in private, just as a couple, or they have a few relatives or close friends with them would be for them to decide. The occasion should not become a mere excuse for a large social gathering. On this occasion Christians would want to be guided by the principles that apply every day of their lives. So whether one takes note of a wedding anniversary or not is a personal matter.?Romans 13:13, 14.
good job guys : )
my work here is done.
you didn't do any work! i did all the work! (and malibu helped)
that's right, young padawan. you have performed well.
he he he... you said "performed" he he he
hahaha...
Dude, Beavis and Butthead went out with the 90s.
come to butthead
uhhhhhh... some people are stupid... huhuhhhuhuhh heheheehe
ehhh YYYYEEEEAAAHHHH!
this is the one i meant at comment #23.