Is it true that celebrating birthdays is bad?

We can ask ourselves, directly and without anesthesia: does the Bible prohibit the celebration of birthdays? No. And this can not be identified except as a mere commandment of men about a specific question. But, although it can be banned (as it actually is), they nevertheless restrict people from something very important to their lives. We'll see why.

What do you support for not celebrating them?

Jehovah's Witnesses go to the Bible not to support the celebration of birthdays, but of situations where we are not strictly prohibited from celebrating birthdays. There are two occasions where such parties are mentioned, and in both a disastrous incident occurs. The first is the following:

"On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, the king made a feast to all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer, and the head of the head of the bakers, among his servants. And he brought back to his office the chief cupbearer, and he gave the cup into the hand of Pharaoh. But he hanged the chief bakers, as Joseph had interpreted. "(Gen 40: 20-22)

On his birthday, Faraon sent someone to execute. Who was Pharaoh? Was he part of God's people? No, he was pagan. Let's see the other example in the following text:

"But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced in the middle, and pleased Herod, for which he promised him with oath to give him whatever he asked. She, instructed first by her mother, said: Give me here on a plate the head of John the Baptist. Then the king was sad; but because of the oath, and of those who were with him at the table, he ordered that they give it to him, and he ordered John to be beheaded in prison. And his head was brought on a plate, and given to the girl; and she presented it to her mother. "(Mat 14: 6-11)

Here the same thing happens: A bad king; a birthday, and a beheaded. Can we conclude then that at each birthday party there must be a beheaded? It would be absurd to think about it, but it seems to be the position of Jehovah's Witnesses. On the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses, we read: "The first Christians did not celebrate birthdays. That custom comes from the false religions of antiquity. "And in the book" Reasoning from the Scriptures, edited by Jehovah's Witnesses, it says:

"Jehovah's Witnesses take note of the fact that the Word of God presents an unfavorable report about birthday messages and, therefore, avoids them."Let's see then what the Bible says or does not say.

The silence of the Bible

There are things that are not mentioned in the Bible, perhaps because in the context of what God wants, it is indifferent. For example, the Bible tells us that Jesus, being God, was human as much as any of us, to what we ask, was Jesus ever going to the bathroom? Did you have physiological needs? The Bible does not say it, not because it did not happen, but because it does not matter (although it is obvious that it did have needs like us, undoubtedly). So, if Jesus never celebrated his birthday, should we believe that it is because he is not good in the eyes of God? Absolutely. In fact, when it comes to something relevant, God condemns or orders it. I say this because there are people who ask themselves: If birthdays are good, why does not the Bible order or encourage us to celebrate it? For example, in the pentateuch there are thousands of rules for everyday life, from the first day of birth until the day of the death of people and how they should live. God rejected the lack of hygiene, the food, the rest, the sexual laws, the coexistence, the offerings, the priesthood, etc. But of birthday, why did not he say anything? Why did not he forbid it? Simply because it is not important, and celebrate or not does not affect our faith or less salvation.

But, although he does not order to celebrate it, he does not order not to do so either. Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes wrote a book called Answers to Cults, and they say about Matthew 14: 6-10 that the interpretation of witnesses is, in this text, "a case of guilt by association. The only thing that this verse shows is that Herod was bad, not that birthdays are bad ».

The great secret: Isaac's Birthday

Many people do not know that Abraham, the father of faith, celebrated his son's birthday. The Bible says: "And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day when Isaac was weaned. "(Gen 21: 8)

What does this mean? When was it weaned? We see Abraham celebrating and having a party for his son Isaac. Anyone can say that it was not birthday because it does not say it, but because it was weaned. But when we realize that he was weaned on his birthday, optics change. To know this more accurately, we must see when Samuel was weaned, in order to know the time in his life when these things happen: "As for Anna, she did not go up, because she had said to her husband:" As soon as the boy is weaned, I have to take him, and he must appear before Jehovah and dwell there indefinitely "(1Sam 1:22)

The above text tells us that it is weaned when it is presented in the temple of Jehovah. This is just the clue, that we can locate it with another passage: "apart from his genealogical record of the males from three years old up, of all those who came to the house of Jehovah as a matter of routine every day, for his service according to their obligations according to their divisions "(2 Chron 3:16).

Here is the moment: when the children turn three they are taken to the temple of Jehovah to be weaned. So when Abraham celebrates, it's because Isaac is three years old. And there is celebration! This is a strong argument against the belief that only pagans or impious celebrate birthdays.

The party children of Job

The sons of Job held their parties. Although the word "birthday" is not mentioned, the text nevertheless suggests it: "His sons went and feasted in their houses, each in his day; and they sent for their three sisters to eat and drink with them "(Job 1: 4). The text suggests that everyone celebrated their day, that is, their birthday. However, there are commentators who claim that this text does not give the idea of??birthday parties, but sporadic parties that each son of Job did in his own home when it was his turn. But, the same word that means "day" (and although it does not mean "birthday"), is the one used by Job himself as his own day of birth: "After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day" (Job 3: 1). What are we talking about? Remember that Job's sons were celebrating each one in their day? For Job now curses his day, what day? Let Job himself speak to us: "Job exclaimed, and said:" Perish the day I was born and the night it was said, 'A man has been conceived!' (Job 3: 2,3) So when they talk about "their day," they are talking about the day of their birth. Therefore, when the sons of Job celebrated each one in "their day", they were celebrating their birthday!

But that is not all. Birthday parties celebrate the birth of people. What is this? Is not the celebration by birth? If the Jehovah's Witness does not celebrate birthdays and does not want to do so, he can wield the reasons he wants, but he would be lying if he said that the Bible forbids them.