By using our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Everyone has a birthday with millions of Christians celebrating this momentous occasions each year. If you actually research the history of the movement, though, they did at one point, celebrate Christmas but stopped doing it. The origin of birthday celebrations can be traced back to ancient civilizations that worshipped the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies. But life has to be lived His way, according to His rules. This brief explanation is vital. The truth is it ultimately comes down to personal preference. God gave Joseph special understanding of a dream by Pharaohs butler and baker, that the baker would lose his life three days after Joseph interpreted the dream. Their Sabbath is on Saturday Seventh Day Adventists believe that the Sabbath begins at the end of the sixth day, which is considered Friday and lasts one day, which is Saturday. Joseph understood that Pharaoh would use this occasionhis own birthday partyto put his baker to death. Watchtower uses four predominant lines of reasoning to prevent Jehovah's Witnesses celebrating birthdays: I've had very conservative friends in the past who preach about the pagan origins of Christmas and are adamantly against Christmas trees and all that. There are a few religions that dont celebrate birthdays, most notably Jehovahs Witnesses. Privacy Policy | The Bible never states birthday celebrations are wrong, and Watchtower reasoning against birthdays is invalid. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born., The book continues: The Romans also subscribed to this ideaThis notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saintThe custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greekshoney cakes round as the moon and lit with tapers were placed on the temple altars of [the god Artemis]Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishesLighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods. (Read our booklets The True Origin of Christmas, The True Origin of Easter and Christs Resurrection Was Not on Sunday to learn more about these pagan holidays and why the Bible states we are to remember Christs death instead of His birth.). The days were not named but numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and Calends. In ancient Greece, wealthy males joined birthday clubs composed exclusively of men who shared their birth date. Even today, many pagans celebrate what is known as The Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year and marks the beginning of the winter season. Some who are familiar with these accounts attempt to explain them away by saying that there is no statement contained within them that directly prohibits birthday celebrations. Buddhists believe that the cycle of life and death goes on and on, and that there is no such thing as a permanent self. While widely known for their hate speech and their picketing activity, particularly towards the LGBTQ+ community, they've also done this toward other Christians, soldiers and veterans, Muslims, Jews, politicians and well, America herself. They are based upon the moonnot manmade calculations that include leap years. As a result, a great servant of God lost his life. Verse 6 mentions when Herods birthday party, in which he got carried away and made a promise that he later regretted but couldnt back down from. Remember, it's a celebration of your existence! From what I've read, the only holiday that the Jehovah's Witnesses do celebrate, or anything remotely close to a "holiday" to our understanding, is Jesus' death, which they celebrate on Nisan 14 of the Hebrew calendar. They presented unto him gifts. Yet, Solomon was inspired to write, A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of ones birth (Ecc. Highlight that it is a special day, the day your child was born into God's family of faith in Jesus. something like that. According to Scripture, it is not a time to express joy, sing and expect gifts, simply because one is born into the world on a specific date. Though the church itself, was actually a church plant of the East Side Baptist Church in Topeka under the same name as today. Islam does not celebrate Christmas because it is not part of their religious tradition. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made aliveThe first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [living] spiritThe first man is of the earth, earthy: the second Man is the Lord from heaven. For example, there's a Facebook page named "Christians Who Don't Celebrate Christmas". For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men (Mark 7:6-8). Buddhism does not celebrate Christmas because it is not a part of their religious tradition. This is out of about 2 billion Christians worldwide. . Whats the difference between Catholic and Baptist? Baptism: While some Christian faiths perform Baptism on infants, for Baptists this ritual is only performed after a person professes Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The Bible does not tell us when he was born either. Does it even matter? His words make plain that there is nothing good about the day of a mans birth. Believe it or not, you also came with an instruction manualthe Bible! The apostle Paul was inspired to write, For the wages of sin [that you earn by breaking Gods laws] is death (Rom. There are two specific mentions in the Scriptures, and one Strong suggestion: - Herod's birthday party where John the Baptist ended up dead, at the request of his promiscuous step daughter ( Matthew 14 ). Jehovahs Witnesses also point to the fact that nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians should celebrate birthdays. A yearly celebration is proper for yourself or . What is the meaning of The Shield of Zeta Phi Beta sorority Incorporated? Read a passage of Scripture (we focused on Matthew 1, Luke 2, Prophecies from the OT, and the "I AM . Celebrating it certainly does seem and feel like the right thing to do. I'm not going to get into all that here. Phelps eventually broke away from the East Side Baptist Church to begin his own group. In fact, the UCG even has videos on why Christians shouldn't celebrate Christmas. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide whether or not to celebrate their birthday within their religious beliefs. Judaism does not celebrate Christmas because it is not a part of their religious tradition. In all our activities, our emphasis should be on honoring God, rather than ourselves. One-third of the Bible is prophecy history written in advance. Additionally, baptist typically believe that repentance should be a continuous, ongoing process rather than a specific event or season. Regardless, there's nothing in the scriptures banning the celebration of birthdays, and members should feel free to celebrate them (even if celebrated in secret). As a person who enjoys learning about other religions, I've come to learn that there are actually a lot of Christians who don't celebrate Christmas. Some of these religions include Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. Do Adventists Celebrate Birthdays? While these three incidences resulted in murderous executions, they dont show or prove that the proper observance of a birthday is displeasing to God. Truth to be told, MANY Atheists and non-Christians celebrate Christmas, they take part in all the holiday fun without buying into the religious aspect of it. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. For the customs of the people are vain (Jer. Other holidays include Christmas, which celebrates Jesus birth, and Thanksgiving, which celebrates the harvest and the Pilgrims first Thanksgiving feast. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The UCG is actually one of many break-away groups from a larger Christian group known as Grace Communion International, at that time, known as the Worldwide Church of God. These idol worshippers held pagan festivals to celebrate the rebirth of the sun when the days began to lengthen. Singing Happy Birthday. Receiving gifts. Here is what God commands: Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed by them. Finally, notice what the Adam Clarke Commentary, volume 5, page 46, states about what really happened on this occasion: Verse 11. In Persia, noblemen observed their birthdays by barbecuing an ox, a camel and a donkey and serving hundreds of small cakes to the celebrants. This custom is common today when ambassadors or others come into the presence of a world leader. Manage Settings Yet, they still see family while not agreeing with their relatives' decisions to erect Christmas trees and all that. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. What religion does not celebrate Christmas or birthdays. Keep in mind that the Bible still says this day is better than the day of birth. The people were very happy, and we can be sure that God was happy too. Baptist Holidays Dates 2023, 2024 and . Then, there's the entire controversy about Christmas and the festivities associated with it, being recycled Pagan holidays and traditions during the winter. Birthday celebrations are originally of pagan origin, and came about through the practice of astrology. Exodus 15:1, 20, 21. Below are five beliefs that set apart Baptists from other Protestant Christians. Job spends much time cursing every aspect of the day of his birth. The first account is in Genesis. But what about those who reach age 80, 90 or 100 years oldshould we ignore altogether the many years of life experiences they have gained? He has questions and knows that other people do too. Several years ago a former BB member stated: This coming Sunday, a lot of Bible believing Churches are going to be recognizing Palm Sunday, to their own shame. Some religions, such as Islam and Judaism, do not recognize Christmas as a religious holiday. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Can you say happy birthday to a jehovas. When Adam has questions or answers about Christianity, he now researches and posts about it here on TheWitness.org to share with the world. But just because something is of pagan origin doesnt mean we agree with their belief system or it shouldnt be observed for this reason. Another significant difference is their understanding of salvation. The Governing Body, which sets these restrictions, is, by their own admission neither inspired or infallible. It descends directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12 month year, 365 day system. O death, where is your sting? This includes all ten of the official days of observance 5. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate either birthdays or Christmas and have various other restrictions. Another reason that baptist do not celebrate lent is that they do not believe in the Catholic tradition of confession. 6:23). Many Jews also celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday. Gods expressed will and purpose is written throughout its pages. While the Bible does not directly address the issue of birthday celebrations, there are a number of principles that can help us to understand what Gods attitude towards them might be. It is not wrong to acknowledge that one has reached a milestone in a long life. They also ignore Jobs comments described in the previous paragraph. I have several friends, family, coworkers, and other acquaintances of varied faiths who do celebrate their birthdays, and I have no problem with that - I just don't celebrate my own. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas. It is in the Bible, isnt it? 9:27). The loss of all his children left him in a state of shock, while also sobering him, bringing him to a place where he cursed the day he was born, acknowledging there was nothing good about his own birth. Have various other restrictions Governing Body, which celebrates the harvest and the Pilgrims first feast! Ides, Nones, and other celestial bodies good about the day observes... 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