Expert: Brenda Martin - 9/1/2006

Question
So if i choose to still be a baptist will i not be let in heaven because im not a jehova? i see nothing wrong celebrating birthdays and chritmas its not hurting anyone. i know its not in the bible but it doesnt say its wrong either. please help im so confused i dont no which way to go my babies father and family are jehova and i am baptist i dont want to raise him the wrong way and i keep getting mad at his father for trying to over rule my religion HELP I DONT NO WHATS RIGHT.

Answer
HI there Camilla, you asked--"I WILL NOT BE LET IN HEAVEN BECAUSE I’M NOT A JEHOVAH’ WITNESS?"

The majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses are not going to heaven either, that is not the hope set out in the bible for the majority of faithful mankind.

Those going to heaven are spoken of as a “little flock”, those receiving the reward of everlasting life on a paradise EARTH are spoken of as a “great crowd”, to receive the reward of heavenly life, firstly; we must be “chosen” by God, then secondly, we must be “doing the will of God” as set out in the bible.

To receive the reward of everlasting life on earth we also must be; “doing the will of God” without going into too much detail it is evident that the Baptist religion is NOT doing the will of God.

For instance, I quote—“Nearly all churches of Christendom teach that God is a Trinity. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls the Trinity teaching “the central doctrine of the Christian religion,” defining it this way:

“In the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another. Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: ‘the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God.’ . . . The Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent.”

The BAPTIST Encyclopædia gives a similar definition. It says: “[Jesus] is . . . the eternal Jehovah . . . The Holy Spirit is Jehovah . . . The Son and Spirit are placed on an exact equality with the Father. If he is Jehovah so are they.”

This teaching is in direct conflict with the scriptures, so as a religion it cannot possiblY be approved by God when it doesn’t even teach the truth about him.

I SEE NOTHING WRONG CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS AND CHRISTMAS, ITS NOT HURTING ANYONE.

Oh yes it is, it is hurting Jehovah & his son Jesus Christ—

Illustration:--- Suppose a crowd come to a gentleman’s home saying they are there to celebrate his birthday. He does not favour the celebration of birthdays. He does not like to see people overeat or get drunk or engage in loose conduct. But some of them do all those things, and they bring presents for everyone there except him! On top of all that, they pick the birthday of one of the man’s enemies as the date for the celebration. How would the man feel? Would you want to be a party to it? This is exactly what is being done by Christmas celebrations.

1. Jesus doesn’t favour the celebrations of birthdays.
2. He doesn’t like to see people overeat and get drunk etc.
3. At Christmas people give to one another not Jesus.
4. The date Dec.25th is not the date Jesus was born on.
5. Worse still, it is the date of a pagan who worshipped the SUN.

Now as for birthdays—

Everything that is in the Bible is there for a reason. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) Jehovah’s Witnesses take note that God’s Word reports unfavorably about birthday celebrations and so shun these.

How did early Christians and Jews of Bible times view birthday celebrations?

“The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”—The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries (New York, 1848), Augustus Neander (translated by Henry John Rose), p. 190.

“The later Hebrews looked on the celebration of birthdays as a part of IDOLATROUS WORSHIP, a view which would be abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with these days.”—The Imperial Bible-Dictionary (London, 1874), edited by Patrick Fairbairn, Vol. I, p. 225.

Obviously God is deeply offended by anyone taking part in “idolatrous worship”

I KNOW ITS NOT IN THE BIBLE BUT IT DOESNT SAY ITS WRONG EITHER

If that were true, then why was this the case---“The early Baptist and Congregationalist churches found no Scriptural grounds for celebrating Christ’s birth. One source notes that it was not until December 25, 1772, that the Baptist Church of Newport [Rhode Island] observed Christmas for the first time. This was approximately 130 years after the founding of the first Baptist church in New England.”

"MY BABIES FATHER AND FAMILY ARE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND I AM BAPTIST,I DONT WANT TO RAISE HIM THE WRONG WAY AND I KEEP GETTING MAD AT HIS FATHER FOR TRYING TO OVER RULE MY RELIGION"

What a shame it must be stressfull in your house just now :¬) you’ve said yourself; “you don’t want to raise him the wrong way” then why not study the bible with someone from the Kingdom Hall, then you will know for sure at least one way or the other. There is nothing to be feared from an examination of the scriptures, I’m sure you will agree, so why not pick their brains, ask questions galore, until you are satisfied which religion is; “doing God’s will”

All the best
Brenda