Birthdays

I recall when I was a new witness my only response was " I don't celebrate birthdays " and that was about it. It wasn't that I couldn't explain more it's just that I was nervous on how to explain.

Even if I did explain, would anyone really listen as to why? One ear and out the other. The celebration of the anniversary of an individual’s birth, though customary among the ancients, was originally frowned upon by the Christians.

In the Bible there is no instance of birthday celebrations among the Jews themselves. In fact, many viewed birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship.

Early Christians had reasons of their own for not celebrating birthdays. Back then birthdays had strong connections with pagan religion that are less noticeable today. The custom of commemorating the day of birth is connected in its content, with certain primitive religious principles. You might ask what?

Spiritism, for one. The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea. They called the spirit the genius. This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint.

Another reason for early Christians to avoid birthdays was the connection with astrology. The keeping of birthday records was important in ancient times principally because a birth date was essential for the casting of a horoscope. To early Christians astrology was associated with Eastern religions, Roman Stoicism and the twisted thinking of the Gnostics. Christians wanted no part of that!

Eventually the nominal church’s opinion of birthdays changed. Why? Because the overall attitude of the church toward the Roman world changed, not surprisingly, when persecution ceased under Emperor Constantine. Nominal Christianity, much corrupted from the apostolic version, became the state religion. Now what happened to her previous hostility to anything pagan?

As the church emerged from the storm of persecution into the sunshine of imperial favor, the Church passed from the lower conception of a church saved out of the world, to the higher conception of a world to be saved through the ministry of the church.

What was the result of such un-scriptural reasoning? If Jesus’ birthday could be celebrated, what about other birthdays? All of this happened many hundreds of years ago. Why should it affect birthday celebrations today? Well, if first-century Christians celebrated neither their own birthdays nor Jesus’ birthday, why should not sincere Christians today follow their example?

You might ask, But isn’t that an extreme position to take, even fanatical?’ After all, what harm is there in a birthday party? No spiritism or astrology is involved today.

Interestingly, much that is taken for granted in birthday celebrations today retains the flavor of ancient religious rites. The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greeks.

What do the candles mean? Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes. Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune.

How about the traditional greeting Happy Birthday? The Lore of Birthdays: Birthday greetings and wishes for happiness are an intrinsic part of this holiday, originally the idea was rooted in magic. The working of spells for good and evil is the chief usage of witchcraft.

One is especially susceptible to such spells on his birthday, as one’s personal spirits are about at the time. Birthday greetings have power for good or ill because one is closer to the spirit world on this day.

Does that mean that Christians cannot have anything to do with any custom that might have originated in false religious rites? No. A great many common practices may have had such origins. But when features of the custom, as carried over into modern-day practice, go contrary to Bible principles, then true Christians must conscientiously refuse to participate.

But why pick on a little thing like birthdays?. Because Christians believe that the Bible principle “the person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much” applies here. Luke 16:10.

Although childbirth is a joyful occasion, the Bible puts it in perspective with this interesting comment: “A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born.” (Eccl. 7:1) How can that be?

At birth all of us have inherited imperfection and sin from our ancestors, Adam and Eve. We are born outside of God’s favor with the prospect of a brief, trouble-filled life and then death.

Although we are all born in sin, the situation is not hopeless. The Bible writer John put it this way: “He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. John 3:36.

So the imperfect life we have at birth is not really life at all from God’s point of view. That is why a good name with God is so important! If one’s life has been spent acquiring such a name, then, at the end of such a worthwhile life, it can truly be said that the day of death is better than the day of one’s being born.

Such a person has the sure hope of a resurrection to live again. Would it not be better to seek and rejoice in a good relationship with God than to celebrate a birth date?

Our refusal to celebrate birthdays stems from a sincere desire to please God. We cannot help but note, as Christians have noted since the time of Origen, that the only two birthday celebrations mentioned in the Bible were those of an Egyptian pharaoh and Herod Antipas, a Roman ruler, neither of whom was a servant of God. It is also significant that both celebrations were associated with an execution.

Yet we enjoy life. We enjoy sharing with one another in healthful periods of relaxation. We look forward together to the hope of everlasting life that comes under God’s kingdom. We believe that the time is coming when babies will no longer be born with a painful inheritance of human imperfection and death.

At that time, everyone who is born will be able to look forward confidently to a life so long that counting birthdays will be pointless.

True Christians today are not preoccupied with the roots and possible ancient religious connections of every practice or custom, but neither are they inclined to ignore pointed indications that do exist in God’s Word. This includes as mentioned that the only birthday celebrations of Biblical record are of pagans and linked to instances of cruelty. Hence, the Scriptures clearly place birthday celebrations in a negative light, a fact that sincere Christians do not disregard.

Matt. 14:6-10: When Herod’s birthday was being celebrated the daughter of Herodias danced at it and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Then she, under her mother’s coaching, said: Give me here upon a platter the head of John the Baptist. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

Gen. 40:20-22: Now on the third day it turned out to be Pharaoh’s birthday, and he proceeded to make a feast. Accordingly he returned the chief of the cupbearers to his post of cupbearer.But the chief of the bakers he hung up.

So hopefully this explains why we do not celebrate birthdays