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This message will take the form
of a simulated discussion between a Jehovah's Witness
named Joe and a Christian named Chris.
Chris:
Joe, the Watchtower does not want their followers to
honor the birth of Christ. Can you tell me why?
Joe:
Chris, the Watchtower says in the Dec. 15, 1994 issue,
"If you are now an adult, have
you ever felt embarrassed when, in your presence, people
showed photographs of you as a baby? True, such pictures
remind your parents of their joy at your birth. But now
that you have an identity of your own, do you not usually
prefer others to see you as your are? In a similar vein,
think how disrespectful it is toward Christ Jesus when
those who claim to be his followers become so engrossed
each year in the pagan traditions of Christmas and in
honoring an infant that they fail to honor him as King."
Chris:
That is a serious charge! The Watchtower seems to imply
that one cannot honor the birth of Christ as well as
honor Jesus as King. Yet Christians around the world
honor Jesus both for his birth and for being King. Is it
really a serious matter for a Jehovah's Witnesses to
choose to celebrate Christmas?
Joe: The
Watchtower Dec. 15, 1984 says that the most serious
danger of celebrating Christmas is that it could lead to
losing God's favor and we as Jehovah's Witnesses realize
that to celebrate Christmas would mean being brought
before a judicial committee and then kicked out.
Chris:
When did celebrating Christmas become such a serious
matter that one could lose God's favor and thus lose
eternal life?
Joe:
Well the Watchtower says that God never intended that
Christians should celebrate the birth of His Son. In
their eyes it has always been wrong.
Chris:
Didn't the Watchtower celebrate Christmas many years ago?
Joe: Yes.
When the Watchtower was first formed, the founder Charles
T. Russell and the early Jehovah's Witnesses all
celebrated Christmas.
Chris:
Was the Watchtower required to stop celebrating
Christmas before Jehovah God approved of them?
Joe: No.
The Watchtower still celebrated Christmas for many years
after Jesus picked them in 1919 as the only organization
on earth that was worthy of being the faithful slave.
Chris:
Doesn't that sound hypocritical? The Watchtower condemns
others for celebrating Christ's birth yet they say that
they found God's favor at the time when they were still
celebrating Christmas. If Jehovah did not condemn them
then, why would his standards change now?
Joe: I
don't think Jehovah's standards changed.
Chris:
Then the Watchtower's standards changed. When the
Watchtower celebrated Christmas did they celebrate in a
different way then we do today?
Joe: No,
they celebrated Christmas in much the same way that
Christians celebrate today. They gave gifts, had
Christmas decorations, sang Christmas carols. The
Watchtower even agreed with Christendom that although Dec.
25 was not the day that Jesus was born, it most likely
was the date of conception, and it was as good a day as
any to join in with the rest of the world to celebrate
his birth.
Chris:
What changed their minds about Christmas?
Joe:
Sometime after Rutherford became president he decided
that too much emphasis was put on Jesus and not enough on
Jehovah and the kingdom. He outlawed Christmas saying
that it was a pagan celebration.
Chris:
Did he ban everything that had pagan roots like the Roman
calender, wedding anniversaries and wedding rings?
Joe: No
he allowed those things. They are no longer looked on as
pagan today so they are okay.
Chris:
But Joe, no one worships the sun in the sky on Dec. 25
anymore. Why did Rutherford still ban Christmas?
Joe:
Rutherford felt that at Christmas time, people gave honor
and worship to Jesus and this took away from the worship
of Jehovah.
Chris:
What does the Bible say about how the Son is to be
honored? Look at John 5:23.
Joe: It
says "in order that all may honor the Son just as
they honor the Father. He that does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him."
Chris: So we are to honor the Son just as we honor the Father. Giving honor to Jesus at any time of year does not take away from honoring the Father. In fact John 5:23 says that giving honor to Jesus honors the Father.
Joe:
I've never seen that verse before.
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Go back to Part One: Is Christmas pagan? |
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