amberlea wrote:
Ohh Genesis I love how you applied Romans 14:5,6 here. I feel that is so true, Jesus didnt come out and say no this no that... the only thing he did say reguarding celebrating anything was in Luke 22:19:

. . .Also, he took a loaf, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: "This means my body which is to be given in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me."

Besides that, just like it says in Romans, it is up to our conscience how we "judge one day as above another" or "as all others"

Thanx for the comment Genesis, I look forward to more of your comments!

AMber








Amber,
I'm not sure about how the quote thing works yet-
hopefully this will print out right.


This is a really informative site-
at least it has been for me.
http://www.4witness.org/jw_topics.php








Taken from there:


God's people were faced with complete annihilation shortly after Esther became Queen.
Without regard for her life Esther approached the king and and made a plea for the life of her people.
But the law that called for the death of the Jews had been signed with the king's name and signet ring and could not be revoked.
In order to save the Jews, Queen Esther was given the king's signet ring and permission granted for her to write a law that would protect them. The new law allowed the Jews to gather together to protect their lives.

Esther 9:1 says, "...On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them."

The Jews instituted their OWN HOLY DAY or "holiday", calling it "Purim".

"Therefore the Jews...celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another...And Mordecai wrote these things...to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.


So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun...they called these days Purim...the Jews established...that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year...they had decreed for themselves." Esther 9:19-31.



What was meant for evil was turned around as a victorious celebration for the Jews!

Nowhere did Jehovah ever condemn the Jews for creating the celebration of Purim.
Neither did Jesus condemn the celebration when he was here on earth.
And Purim is still celebrated even to this day.



In the same way Christians have the FREEDOM to chose to celebrate the marvellous gift of God's Son.




The Christians who originally instituted the celebration of the birth of our Saviour believed that it was right to honor Jesus on any day, and Christians throughout the centuries have agreed.

As a result December 25th the day that pagans worshipped the sun in the sky, was victoriously taken back for God in order to honor and adore God's gift of His own Son.

The victory of light over darkness has been so outstanding that the pagan worship of the sun on December 25th has long disappeared.




Although Jehovah's Witnesses do not now celebrate Christmas, they did at an important time in their history.
In 1919 the Watchtower claims that they were approved BY GOD as the only religion teaching the truth.
But this was the very time that the Watchtower was celebrating Christmas!!!!

Even the Watchtower of
Dec. 15, 1926 page 371 taught that Christmas is so important, regardless of the date.


If God accepted the Watchtower's practice of celebrating Christmas in 1919,
how can the Watchtower justify their practice of disfellowshipping anyone who celebrates Christmas today?

Who changed your mind about Christmas, the God of the Bible or the Watchtower?