DISCLAIMER--I will, by no means, exhaustively write about each and every error in each and every chapter of this book—that would require a book several times the size of this WT book. I will pick out a topic or two from each chapter to write about. Some will be a “mole hill” in the landscape of Bible doctrine and others will be a “Mt. Everest.”
Chapter 16 “Take Your Stand for True Worship” I took a look at the WT stance on holidays and birthdays in particular.
The WT states, “The only two birthday celebrations spoken of in the Bible were held by persons who did not worship Jehovah and killed people on their birthdays. The Pharaoh of Egypt killed his baker (Gen 40:20) and King Herod killed John the Baptist. (Matt 14:6).”
However, it should be pointed out that the inspired authors of the Bible were not writing unfavorably about birthdays, they were showing the evil acts of men.
What the WT neglects to mention!
There are other celebrations talked about in the Bible but these are overlooked because they do not prove the WT’s point.
Job’s Sons. Job 3:4 says, “His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.”(Amplified Bible)
John the Baptist. Luke 1:13-14 says, “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.’”
Jesus. John 2:10-18. Verses 13 and 14 the angel says, “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’"
What does the WT allow?
The WT allows two people to celebrate their wedding anniversary, i.e. the birth of a marriage. The WT had no problem with celebrating their own 100th anniversary—the birth of their organization. Yet at the same time they disfellowship and condemn to eternal death those who celebrate the anniversary of someone’s birth.
How can one celebrate the birth of an organization but not celebrate the birth of one's spouse or child? Surely if the Watchtower is right, the same God who destroys people forever for celebrating the anniversary of their birth would not think lightly of people who celebrate the anniversary of their wedding or the anniversary of an organization's birth.
However, it needs to be pointed out that it is the Governing Body that has determined that celebrating holidays is wrong. Individual JW’s are not allowed to read the Bible and come up with this conclusion on their own.
JW’s are told to “meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to them and proceed to quibble and mouth their criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not be so foolish as to put against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings." WT, February 1, 1952, pgs. 79-80.
As a matter of fact, the Bible does not directly comment about birthdays at all. Thus we should conclude that birthdays, etc. should come under the jurisdiction of Romans 14:4-6 and Colossians 2:16-17.
Romans 14:4-6 "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."
Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
These two verses teach that we have the freedom to celebrate any day or celebrate no special days as long as we are convinced in our own mind about the correctness of our celebrating. We also should not judge one another in celebrating or not celebrating.
Chapter 16 “Take Your Stand for True Worship” I took a look at the WT stance on holidays and birthdays in particular.
The WT states, “The only two birthday celebrations spoken of in the Bible were held by persons who did not worship Jehovah and killed people on their birthdays. The Pharaoh of Egypt killed his baker (Gen 40:20) and King Herod killed John the Baptist. (Matt 14:6).”
However, it should be pointed out that the inspired authors of the Bible were not writing unfavorably about birthdays, they were showing the evil acts of men.
What the WT neglects to mention!
There are other celebrations talked about in the Bible but these are overlooked because they do not prove the WT’s point.
Job’s Sons. Job 3:4 says, “His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.”(Amplified Bible)
John the Baptist. Luke 1:13-14 says, “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.’”
Jesus. John 2:10-18. Verses 13 and 14 the angel says, “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’"
What does the WT allow?
The WT allows two people to celebrate their wedding anniversary, i.e. the birth of a marriage. The WT had no problem with celebrating their own 100th anniversary—the birth of their organization. Yet at the same time they disfellowship and condemn to eternal death those who celebrate the anniversary of someone’s birth.
How can one celebrate the birth of an organization but not celebrate the birth of one's spouse or child? Surely if the Watchtower is right, the same God who destroys people forever for celebrating the anniversary of their birth would not think lightly of people who celebrate the anniversary of their wedding or the anniversary of an organization's birth.
However, it needs to be pointed out that it is the Governing Body that has determined that celebrating holidays is wrong. Individual JW’s are not allowed to read the Bible and come up with this conclusion on their own.
JW’s are told to “meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to them and proceed to quibble and mouth their criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not be so foolish as to put against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings." WT, February 1, 1952, pgs. 79-80.
As a matter of fact, the Bible does not directly comment about birthdays at all. Thus we should conclude that birthdays, etc. should come under the jurisdiction of Romans 14:4-6 and Colossians 2:16-17.
Romans 14:4-6 "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."
Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
These two verses teach that we have the freedom to celebrate any day or celebrate no special days as long as we are convinced in our own mind about the correctness of our celebrating. We also should not judge one another in celebrating or not celebrating.
What Does the Bible Really Teach--A WT Book Chap. 17 is here.
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