Jehovah’s Witnesses—The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society do not celebrate Christmas due to, at least, two reasons:
1) Not celebrating Christmas makes them stand out, makes them special, makes them unique, makes them separate themselves from the crowd.
2) Some odd manmade doctrine about not celebrating birthdays.
A lot could be said on these two issues yet, the bottom line is the bottom line and there is a very simple way to bottom line the issue of celebrating Christmas.
Firstly, of the very many reasons why people celebrate Christmas one has nothing to do with Paganism, the ruling of Church councils, tradition, food, capitalism, etc. Some, shocking as it may sound, celebrate Christmas as a day set aside and apart to remember the birth of the Messiah Jesus—not His birth “date” but his birth.
Note Paul the Apostle’s condemnation of the trappings, literal traps, of manmade doctrines gleaned from Colossians ch. 2 (all quotations which follow are from the Jehovah’s Witness New World Translation):
This I am saying that no man may delude YOU with persuasive arguments…Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry YOU off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men…Therefore let no man judge YOU in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ. Let no man deprive YOU of the prize who takes delight in a [mock] humility…
If YOU died together with Christ toward the elementary things of the world, why do YOU, as if living in the world, further subject yourselves to the decrees: “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch,” respecting things that are all destined to destruction by being used up, in accordance with the commands and teachings of men?
Those very things are, indeed, possessed of an appearance of wisdom in a self-imposed form of worship and [mock] humility, a severe treatment of the body; but they are of no value in combating the satisfying of the flesh.
No, he was not referring to Christmas but the guidance, the spirit, applies.
Furthermore, consider Colossians 2:16-17 (emphasis added):
Therefore let no man judge YOU in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.
Also, Romans 14:5-10 (emphasis added):
One [man] judges one day as above another; another [man] judges one day as all others; let each [man] be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day observes it to Jehovah…But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God
If you are fully convinced that you can celebrate the birth of the Messiah Jesus, do so and Jehovah’s Witnesses have no right to judge you. Conversely, if they are fully convinced that they should not then you have no right to judge them. However, the rub comes when they are not simply fully convinced but when they have been placed in the position to not celebrate it due to false manmade tradition, in which case they are to be encouraged to abandon the authoritative and hierarchical religious structure which placed such non-, un- and anti-biblical demands upon them.
Ultimately, celebrating Jesus centered Christmas is biblical because:
God celebrated Jesus’ birth and sent the declaration via the angels.
The angels celebrated Jesus’ birth and sent the declaration via the shepherds.
The shepherds celebrated Jesus’ birth by visiting Jesus at the manger.
Mary and Joseph obviously celebrated Jesus’ birth and did so with the shepherds.
Later on, a few years after Jesus’ birth, the wise men celebrated Jesus’ birth by visiting Him.
Also later, Simeon and Anna the prophetess celebrated Jesus’ birth when He was circumcised at the Temple.
And on it goes.
Thus, since God, the angels, the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, the wise men, Simeon and Anna celebrated Jesus’ birth you may feel free and biblical in doing likewise.
Moreover, gift giving is biblical because:
God gave us Jesus as a gift, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16) “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Much, much later on St. Nick (270-346 AD) gave gifts due to his Christian sense of charity and came to be associated with Santa Claus.
And on it goes.
Certainly, there are various issues related to the date, the trees, the snowmen, Santa, the reindeer, the commercialization, etc. but overall we can celebrate a perfectly biblical Christmas by focusing on celebrating Jesus’ birth.
So, in 2011 AD know that you can have yourself a very merry biblical CHRISTmas:
Find further elucidation of Christmas at this link
Find further info on Jehovah’s Witnesses here:
Do Jehovah's Witnesses worship Jesus?
Jehovah's Witnesses - The Eschaton Strikes Again
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Physical Resurrection - Objections and Responses, part 1 of 2
Jeff Durbin debates two Jehovah’s Witnesses
True Christianity and the Cults
Apologetics Books About Jehovah's Witnesses / Watchtower / Bible and Tract Society
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