Since this blog is essentially written for "Jehovah's Witnesses" and those who formally considered themselves the same; Those who send me questions are usually from that demographic.
Members of both groups were indoctrinated to avoid participation in what was classified as a "worldly holiday". Such days include Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, birthdays, etc. To participate in such an occasion was considered blasphemous and worthy of the judgment of expulsion, along with the shunning that followed. (more info: disfellowshipping-and-shunning.html )
This introduction gives a background to the question I received, and my reply.
For those English speaking readers who would like to listen to the meetings we had, where we read and discussed this material, here is a recording of that first meeting, so that you can use this link to follow along:
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Question Received:
Hi Pearl. There are a few 'frivolous' questions that I wonder about - perhaps you can touch on sometime regarding day to day:
Xmas and Easter are obviously pagan.
What about:
-Birthdays
Toasting - are they still a no no....? Or is it a conscience matter?
My Reply:
Thank you for your question. They are all of value.
According to my perspective, all matters should be decided on the basis of each person's individual conscience. We all as individuals, must render an account to God (Rom.14:12-13; 2Cor.5:10) and not to men (Gal.1:10; Rom.2:29).
(more info. https://pearl-obeymen.blogspot.com )
It is true that we were able to research and learn that many holiday practices find their origin in pagan worship of idol gods. Once we are no longer ignorant, it is not fitting to continue in such practices.
As with all the questions I receive, I strive to offer what the scriptures convey. I always hope that readers will read the cited scriptures, wherein the substance of my reply will be found. I will also take that approach as regards your holiday traditions in question.
Starting with Titus 1:15 :
"To the pure, all things are pure"
Whether the occasion calls for certain food, decorations, the calendar, ceremony, tradition, etc. ...what does each person see in the meaning of those things? If we see only pure things... closeness with family, beauty to the senses, God's generosity and bounteous gifts, remembrance of a joyous event, celebrating the accomplishments, dignity, or integrity of a person... then the occasion is pure.
If we see a connection to what is not pure... false religion, condoning of falsehood, idolatry and spiritual harm, ...then the occasion will not be viewed as pure. Then we need to be concerned, because it is what is coming from inside us... our actions and words, that is lending support to that impure occasion.
As an example...
I used to have wind chimes on my porch. They were a gift from a client. The chord they produced was a beautiful chord, and the sound was very relaxing and tranquil. One day following field service, another publisher took great offense at the wind chime. She told me that they were used by ancient people to ward off demons, and by our having a wind chime, we are actually summoning the demons.
In my own conscience, I see a wind chime as metal and wood, designed to accentuate a lovely breeze. Just as we cannot look to wood and stone as having the power of a god (Deut.4:28; Isa.37:19; Hab.2:18-19), I do not view wood and metal as a legitimate spiritual power to control the proximity of dark forces, either to repel or draw them. In my conscience, a wind chime is simply a wind chime.
(Col.2:16,20-23)
Every person who is seeking the path of Christ, is on their own path from infancy to maturity. That growth is between God and them (1Cor.3:6-7). It is the same with the conscience. It is rightly trained by scripture, but obedience is from the heart. Obedience is not to be imposed externally by men, or else the obedience is not toward God (Rom.6:16; 1Cor.7:23).
It is the desire in our heart for doing bad, that summons the darkness. A wind chime has no power over me because I see if for what it is. Yet I respected the right of the other publisher to refrain from having a wind chime, since having one would be a sin, for her, due to it being impure to her. If she were to compromise her conscience, it would be sin for her.
The sin is found in the compromise of her own conscience.
Another example...
is the suspicion that heavy metal music is demonic and listening to it will cause one to become possessed. I am not saying that this result is impossible under any circumstance. But I know of heavy metal that was created to express the agony of a man who was horribly abused as a young boy. The sound of the music indeed matches the emotions that the artist is trying to express and purge himself of. I don't appraise such art as offensive or destructive, anymore than I would view the outcry of a victim of a violent crime, as offensive or destructive. I actually found the music comforting, because it eased the loneliness of my own past abuse.
The superstitions that are integral to falsely called "godliness", paint a broad stroke over the surface of so many things... only to puff themselves up by means of rules that are not found in scripture (1Tim.6:20; 2Tim.3:5; 1Cor.4:6). Ironically, many such people are often blind to the real spiritual threats that they face.
Anything can be misused, including music. Those who are mature can see the difference between agony and aggression, love and hate, good and evil, truth and lies. That distinction is often too simple for the wise to grasp... and too complicated for the proud to accept.
As both Jesus and Paul said, it's not the food, etc. that goes into us that defiles us. What defiles us is the compromised relationship between our conscience and our decisions. The actions and words that result, condemn us. Are we being disloyal to our source beliefs and perception/conscience? If we hypocritically violate our conscience by our speech or actions, and what we believe deep in our own heart;
That violation is what defiles us (Mark 7:14-15; Matt.15:18-20).
James 1:14-15Recording to follow along with the second half of this post:
[(The recorded consideration of the material below, comes after my response to a question.)
Here is a link to the scriptures that are being discussed at the start of the recording:
Link: Click Here ]
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1 Timothy 4:4-5 :
Of course we can use many of the things that God created, for a bad purpose (sex, food, tools, etc.). That would be wrong. According to Titus above, if we are not using a blessing for a bad purpose according to our Bible-sourced conscience, we can be thankful for the pleasure of that blessing. God created food, family, light, color, music, etc. We can enjoy such things, if we do not associate them with, or use them to support, what we feel is impure.
James 4:17; 1:22 :
Important warning against deceiving ourselves. If we know God's standard and choose to ignore it, perhaps talking our way out of what we know is right, we are lying to ourselves. We need to speak the truth in our heart, and then follow that truth (Ps.15:1-2). If we know what's right and ignore that knowledge, that is sin.
Does all this mean that we can do whatever we wish, simply because we don't see anything wrong with it? No, we are not to become our own god. (Gal.5:13,17,19-20,21-23; James 4:7; Jer.10:23; Gal.5:16)
**Hebrews 5:14 :
This one is really important, because it adjusts our goal. It's telling us that the priority is our spiritual maturation, through an acquisition of deep spiritual knowledge, from which, we develop a powerful, insightful conscience upon which we can depend for righteous direction (Eph.4:13; 1Cor.2:16; Phil.1:9-11). After that acquisition, we must practice using what we've learned... because it is through the use and application of wisdom, that we affirm our maturity, wisdom, and spiritual lucidity. If we are pursuing those things, All our personal decisions will be easier to make from self-sufficiency, independent of another human's opinion, but dependent on the Laws of God (Ecc.12:13; Jer.31:33; Matt.22:36-39).
Galatians 6:7 :
Our decisions do have consequences and so in sober fear of God, we choose accordingly.
1 Corinthians 8:7-8,9-10,11-12,13 :
After maturation, we may come to see the distinct difference between violating God's Laws,
and ignorant superstitions and fears over meaningless things. Many still fear a particular material food, decoration, or tradition, as possessing evil power. It is our heart within us that is judged by God... not a food, decoration, or tradition. God looks at what those material things mean to a person, and not the item itself. To the mature, those material things are merely a food, decoration, or tradition. They hold no spiritual power for evil or for good.
Yet we must be aware of those people who do still believe that those material things are evil, ...because to them, association becomes sin. For them and their present conscience, it IS sin. We do not want to provoke another person into what is sin for them. If our decision or action is known by another person whose conscience will be offended... then it is better for us to heed the other person's conscience, rather than our own (1Cor.8:13; Phil.2:3-4).
