Why Jehovah's Witnesses Don't Celebrate Holidays
The fact that they do not celebrate holidays is a bit off. According to their own website, The Watchtower, they do not celebrate any holidays that have a non-Christian basis. Whether or not they are Christian is a debate for theologians. Their doctrine, like the Mormons, puts them outside of Catholicism or Protestantism but that does not exclude them from Christianity as a whole. They do in fact have their own equivalent of Easter, which commemorates the birth and resurrection of Jehovah. The date does not exactly coincide with the date it is celebrated with the rest of the Christian world.
Their official FAQ says that they are not opposed to other types of celebrations or the exchange of gifts, merely holidays that promote nationalism or have a non-Christian basis in origin. The ban on holidays that promote Nationalism and patriotism has to do with a strict policy of national neutrality on the part of the Watchtower, the organization that leads the groups according to Yahoo answers. This may make them the Switzerland or Religions.
As for the religious holidays, celebrating them is not required for true worship and may become a distraction for people who try to follow the faith. Another website took time out to affirm that Jehovah's Witnesses are not weird because they choose not to celebrate such observances, but a reader has to wonder why the author felt that particular assertion needed to be made. Still, for people like me who like regular observances that are possibly Pagan in origin like Christmas, it will be enough to learn why such holidays are not celebrated belong to the Watchtower or claim to be Jehovah's Witnesses. Now, if anyone knows how to just to get them to give me copies of Awake with bits of their teachings cut out without the need to be preached at by them. The magazine is good even if their religion is not for me.
Sources:
http://www.jw-media.org/beliefs/beliefsfaq.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061102031138AAZswKs
Published by S. Landis
Born early in one February morning in 1977, the world has since graced me with its presence View profile
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25 Comments
Post a CommentLook up Matthew 28:19, 20. That is why they come to your door.
Look up Psalm 83:18 (in an unedited, torn apart, modernized bible) and you'll see why they call their God Jehovah.
And the only thing they celebrate is the DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST! NOT THE RESURRECTION OF JEHOVAH! (GOD CANNOT RESURRECT GOD LOL)
But Jesus even said to keep that in remembrance of him. So..... your little lies are just that...lies.
Actually, Lily and others, if you look up the meaning of Halloween, it has nothing to do with the devil. It is actually a celebration of the Fall harvest. People used to were masks and celebrate the harvest to scare aways the bad spirits. People really need to take advantage of the internet before judging.
Is'nt Halloween bad because it's a whole day dedicated to the Devil?
Delores is incorrect. No one is told which "church" to go to, nor is anyone paraded in front of the "church." I am not here to debate, just as Jesus refrained from doing. As Christians, we are not here to argue. I just wanted to clarify that post. Like I said in my previous post, a lot of what you read is untrue.
We share our faith with our local and global neighbors, just as Jesus' and his followers. We do not keep to ourselves. We do not participate any anything that puts government ahead of Jehovah, neither did Jesus. He never put government ahead of Jehovah. In fact, when Satan offered all of the kingdoms of the world to him, he rejected the offer. In addition, he had nothing to do with politics of his day. Our allegiance solely belongs to Jehovah. Might I add, we abstain from holidays due to the fact that they ALL have pagan origins. We cannot mix Satan and Jehovah. We must choose which side we want to be on.
If you wish to receive information, call your local Kingdom Hall. Someone would be more than happy to bring literature to you. The "Awake!" and "The Watchtower" are timely pieces with great information.
Please correct the information within your article.
~Fellow writer, also one of Jehovah's Witnesses
Dear S. Landis:
I wanted to clarify something in your article. You wrote: "They do in fact have their own equivalent of Easter, which commemorates the birth and resurrection of Jehovah."
Fact: We do not have an equivalent of Easter whatsoever. We do not commemorate Jesus' birth or resurrection. (You had mentioned that we commemorated Jehovah's "birth and resurrection." Jehovah had never been born or resurrected. It was his Son, Jesus.) We observe the Memorial of Jesus' death or "the Lord's Evening Meal." We base the date of this observance by the Jewish calendar. and that he (Jesus) died for us. We are to recognize that. Here is a source for you to look into: http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_06.htm
Jehovah's Witnesses have often been frowned upon, and there is much false information out there in the media. The truth is is that we are a loving people, following the first century Christians. We share our faith with our local and global neighbors, just as Jesus' a
xxxx we dont celebrate halloween bcuz halloween is something dat people usted to do bac den each pumkin head represent a head of some person dat r killed n satan get stronger!!
rosalida we jehovah witness pay more attention to god more then other stuff because each holiday represent something and jehova dont lik dat n we r call jehovah witness b-cuz we witness wat happen research n people we know from generations
i am a jehova witness n thier is stories 4 each holiday n explains why we dont celebrate them!!!
um well i tink that they dont celebrate holidayscouse theyre concentrating on more minor things and less of their god