Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate Easter?

[Evacuated]

3 hours ago, Ann O'Maly said:

Why do you need someone to decide for you, Eoin?

I don't in this case, as I have made my own decision on this matter. (Rom.12:1). 

However, I was responding to your comment:

On 4/8/2016 at 19:38, Ann O'Maly said:

it doesn't necessarily mean

As a synonym for "necessarily" is "undoubted", this could be written as "it does not undoubtedly mean". This to me means that you are saying that the evidence is not conclusive as to whether there is a connection between paganism and Easter customs. 

On that basis, the decision to participate becomes a matter of personal choice, or, as I would term it, a matter of conscience. My question was to clarify your intended meaning on the basis of that choice of expression.

This further suggestion on  http://www.koshabq.org/2012/03/09/celebrating-eostre/  is relevant for me, 

"This Ostarâ, like the AS. Eástre, must in the heathen religion have denoted a higher being, whose worship was so firmly rooted, that the christian teachers tolerated the name, and applied it to one of their own grandest anniversaries."

For me, that insight is sufficient for me to reject the whole    _ _ _ _ _ _*    parade!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    *(Please fill in the blanks)

 

[Ann O'Maly]

On 4/11/2016 at 8:23 PM, Eoin Joyce said:

As a synonym for "necessarily" is "undoubted", this could be written as "it does not undoubtedly mean". This to me means that you are saying that the evidence is not conclusive as to whether there is a connection between paganism and Easter customs. 

I'm saying that people see symbols and meanings in similar things. It doesn't necessarily mean that those artefacts or analogies and symbolisms are wrong. Pagans believed the stars were manifestations of the gods. Jesus ('a god') calls himself 'the bright morning star' in Revelation. Is it wrong to associate Jesus with the planet Venus, then? Pagans sometimes found religious meaning in cross shapes (e.g. the ankh which meant life). Ezekiel had a vision where a 'man' put a mark (literally a tau or cross shape) on the foreheads of those who would be spared death. Is it wrong for Bible believers to associate cross shapes with salvation? Do you get my point?

On 4/11/2016 at 8:23 PM, Eoin Joyce said:

This further suggestion on  http://www.koshabq.org/2012/03/09/celebrating-eostre/  is relevant for me, 

"This Ostarâ, like the AS. Eástre, must in the heathen religion have denoted a higher being, whose worship was so firmly rooted, that the christian teachers tolerated the name, and applied it to one of their own grandest anniversaries."

Is your argument that, due to a linguistic quirk of how the English language developed so that an ancient Germanic goddess's name was retained for a Christian festival, the whole Christian festival is now bad?

How do you cope with using month and day names in the Gregorian calendar? 

[Evacuated]

20 hours ago, Ann O'Maly said:

Do you get my point?

Think so. But what makes legislated matters right or wrong is how we feel about them isn't it That's how I understand part of the excercise of conscience and my freedom to do so?

 

20 hours ago, Ann O'Maly said:

How do you cope with using month and day names in the Gregorian calendar? 

My conscience can tolerate this as part of "Ceasar's" administrative structure of the day. After all I don't try to alter the calendar systems of other countries when I travel abroad. However, compliance with the fact that an "ancient Germanic goddess's name was retained for a Christian festival" is a bridge too far for me.

 

 

[Ann O'Maly]

Well, Eoin, you are entitled to act in accord with your conscience. Quite right too. However, the original question was, 'why don't JWs celebrate Easter' so we're talking about a collective or organization's conscience rather than an individual's. If a JW researched and found the the argumentation* for not celebrating Easter as a Christian (or alternatively, a modern, secular) festival was flimsy, then he would still have to abide by the collective conscience of the Org. or risk an ecclesiastical slap.

As was argued before, just because a pagan used it/ did it/ invented it/ worshipped it, it doesn't necessitate that the thing itself is inherently bad.**

* Bad Company fallacy

** E.g. http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102003687

[Evacuated]

5 hours ago, Ann O'Maly said:

collective conscience

Thanks for the links. Most interesting. And I agree with your point about inherent badness (or not). 

I think the other point you made about collective conscience is a valid one also.

As for the "risk of" an " ecclesiastical slap " ? Well, that doesn't bother me too much. (Why does this remind me of Confirmation, RC style?). However, conscience of others is an important issue for anyone professing to be a Christian. Paul makes this clear in his discussions in 1 Cor.8-9.

So I am quite happy to adopt a course of conduct that avoids offending others even if I do not share their scruples as long as the principle expressed at Acts 5:29 is not violated (according to my conscience). There are many substitutions that can be made for the words "food" and "eat" at 1 Cor 8:9, and I take seriously the words at 1 Cor 8:11-13 (with appropriate additional substitutions also).

[The Librarian]

 

[JW Insider]

On 3/26/2016 at 9:30 PM, Jay Witness said:

Could it be said that our "Memorial" is our "Easter"?

In a sense, YES. Originally the Watchtower tied it more strictly to the Jewish calendar, and under Russell and Rutherford, it only landed near Easter Sunday on those particular times when the Jewish calendar coincided with the "catholic" method of defining Easter on the calendar. After Rutherford, the calendar choice the Watchtower has assigned ALWAYS coincides with the "catholic" method of defining Easter, so that we are always celebrating Memorial within a week of Easter, and therefore in the same season.

This makes it much easier to explain "the reason for the season" to interested persons. For several years, under Rutherford, interested persons were not invited. Not even the "great crowd" was invited. It was only attended by those who claimed to be part of the 144,000.

[Evacuated]

51 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

On 3/27/2016 at 2:30 AM, Jay Witness said:

Could it be said that our "Memorial" is our "Easter"?

In a sense, YES

Why do we even want to find common ground on this?  I could tolerate that "Easter", (or more specifically, "Good Friday"), could be viewed as Christendom's version of the Memorial.   But really....which came first? The (true) Christians or the Egg?? 

[JW Insider]

3 hours ago, Eoin Joyce said:

But really....which came first? The (true) Christians or the Egg?? 

"Omelette" you have that one.

On 4/20/2016 at 7:00 AM, Eoin Joyce said:

However, compliance with the fact that an "ancient Germanic goddess's name was retained for a Christian festival" is a bridge too far for me.

It spoils it for me too. Although during the Memorial season, I still celebrate Easter in the sense that with the family, I have always tried to get them to meditate on the events over the following weekend to imagine what probably happened on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday. And Sunday is a day to reflect on the awe and wonder and celebratory mood that Jesus' first followers must have had. When Memorial lands earlier in the week this is a perfect opportunity to extend the event into a "teachable moment" that lasts for several more days.

[Anna]

2 hours ago, JW Insider said:

I still celebrate Easter in the sense that with the family, I have always tried to get them to meditate on the events over the following weekend to imagine what probably happened on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday. And Sunday is a day to reflect on the awe and wonder and celebratory mood that Jesus' first followers must have had. When Memorial lands earlier in the week this is a perfect opportunity to extend the event into a "teachable moment" that lasts for several more days.

Yes, but that's not how most people celebrate Easter do they?

Especially not those with children.

[Witness]

3 hours ago, JW Insider said:

In a sense, YES. Originally the Watchtower tied it more strictly to the Jewish calendar, and under Russell and Rutherford, it only landed near Easter Sunday on those particular times when the Jewish calendar coincided with the "catholic" method of defining Easter on the calendar. After Rutherford, the calendar choice the Watchtower has assigned ALWAYS coincides with the "catholic" method of defining Easter, so that we are always celebrating Memorial within a week of Easter, and therefore in the same season.

I appreciate not being guided by any other method than that of scriptural reasoning:

"I have realized, that the geographical location of Jerusalem, no longer holds any significance to God. The previous Temple in Jerusalem did reap the very consequences foretold by Christ (Mark 13:1-2; Matt.23:37-38). God's dwelling is no longer there.
He now abides within the hearts of His Temple stones (1Cor.6:19; 3:16; 1Pet.2:5,9; Eph.2:21-22). God's Temple is now located, in the members of NEW Jerusalem (Rev.21:9,2; Eph.5:23; Rev.21:22). 

God knew from the beginning, that his Chosen Ones would come to reside all around the globe (Acts 1:8; Mark 13:27; Rev.5:9-10; 7:9). 
Why then, I asked in prayer, would the city responsible for the death of God's Son (Acts 7:52; John 8:40; Mark 10:33) whom Jesus declared as "abandoned" by God (Matt.23:38), be the basis for any worship which the faithful perform, today? (Eph.5:10-11; 2Cor.6:17; Job 14:4)

My resulting decision then, is that each person should partake on the equivalent of Nisan 13, in their own locale. I expect that this will be during the same 24 hour period around the globe, after each person's sunset.

The way in which Nisan is calculated, is to find out when the Spring Equinox occurs. 
Then go to the schedule of the new moon for each month in your area, 
and find the new moon that occurred BEFORE the Spring Equinox.
That new moon, is the start of the last month of the Jewish calendar that Jesus followed. 
Then find the next new moon. That is the first day of the first month of the new year (Nisan). If the new moon occurs at an hour, after the partakers sun has already set, then that 24 hour period (sunset to sunset) is still the last day of the last month. The fresh day, would start the following sunset.
Next, is to count 13 days from the starting evening of Nisan 1.
For my location, that brings the start of Nisan 13, to after sunset, on April 9th.
This is when I intend to partake. It is up to each individual, to decide what they will choose to do.

For those who may be wondering why I plan to observe the Memorial on Nisan 13 instead of 14;
it is because Jesus did not institute the Memorial of his death, nor die, on Nisan 14.
He did so, the day before, on the "Day of Preparation", the first day of unfermented cakes. Pearl Doxsey

From this point we can calculate when Christ was resurrected and "celebrate" it purely through scripture. 
 

[JW Insider]

51 minutes ago, Anna said:

Yes, but that's not how most people celebrate Easter do they?

I don't know. But every single Easter Sermon that I have read, from modern times going back to the 1700's --and I've read about 20-- appears to revolve around this exact idea. And so did the separate lessons for children. Of course, in the 1600's through the early 1800's a majority of Protestants in this country also thought that celebrating Christmas was wrong.