First of all, I pray you all have a happy and blessed 2011!
I called my sister. She knew by caller ID who was calling. When she answered the phone, the very first thing she said (even before hello) was, "Happy New Year, [genny]!"
Have you noticed that, although a WMSCOG member will not say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Easter," they are very quick to wish you a "Happy New Year" for January 1st?
But look closer into January 1st as New Years Day, and you'll notice they are inconsistent with their teachings. The same reasons they will not celebrate Christmas or Easter should also prevent them from acknowledging January 1st as New Years Day.
It is not in the Bible.
January 1st is not the the first day of the Biblical calendar. The Biblical new year begins with the month that contains the Passover.
Ex. 12:2 This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
Lev. 23:5 The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Any other date celebrated as a "New Years Day" can be considered "unbiblical," including dates like Chinese New Year or Korean New Year.
The source of our calendar is...
A Catholic Pope (Gregory XIII). Our Gregorian calendar was a reform of the Julian calendar, which was established by Julius Caesar. The Julian calendar was a reform of previous Roman calendars. January first appeared in the Roman calendar of Numa. The month of "January" has nothing to do with the Bible. It's a tradition of men.
It commemorates a pagan god.
January was named after the Roman god Janus, the god of doorways and beginnings.
I'm not against celebrating January 1st. It's significant to the society we live in. Even though it's really just another day, there is something intriguing about watching the calendar dates change... kind of like watching the car's odometer roll to 100,000. (I remember seeing that happen on our old truck, and it had the dial type of odometer, not one of those new electronic ones. Pretty fun to watch!)
But a WMSCOG member celebrating and wishing you a Happy New Year? No, that would contradict their own teachings.
I'm redirecting a reader's comment here:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
"Have you ever thought about... that maybe those guys at that church use only the jew calendar for the passover and stuff and that in the ordinary world they need to use the normal calendar that we use?"
January 3, 2011 6:07 PM
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Yes, I have thought of that, and I don't see a problem of celebrating the New Year January 1st. But with all the talk from the WMSCOG of "We only follow what's in the Bible. We don't follow man's traditions or anything that's not in the Bible." -- Doesn't it seem contradictory to you?
The WMSCOG will tell you that new year is okay to celebrate because it is not a biblical feast/celebration.It is not related to Jesus in any way as christmas and easter are.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had asked about which holidays they considered ok for celebrating I was told only the ones that have no pagan/religious roots. So holidays like Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, and even Thanksgiving were out. Although after this last Thanksgiving, I'm unsure about that one...
Maybe we should all compare with each other--which non-Biblical-Feast holidays will your WMSCOG loved ones celebrate/acknowledge?
My other half (6 months in WMSCoG) put up with Xmas this year, for the sake of our 1yr old son. She said Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to everyone - but I am pretty sure it was for appearances sake..... We haven't got as far as those other holidays/celebrations you mentioned - so will be interesting to see....
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your wife. I'm surprised that she would say "Merry Christmas" and allow your family to celebrate it for your son. Maybe that's a good sign for you? Thanks for writing. I hope you'll keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteHi Geeny,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes I would like to stay in touch - I need this level of discussion/support to help me cope with my partners involvement with this church - I am really struggling with it. What is the best way to maintain a 'constant profile' within your blog? Is there a way to become a member ?
Hi Nathan,
ReplyDeleteJust above the 'Recent Comments' section on the right is a link where you can subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email.
And at the top of the page you can click on "About Me" to find my email address. Feel free to write anytime. It has been a real blessing and encouragement to me to communicate with others who are also affected by this organization.
Hope to hear from you soon.
1 Corinthians 9:20-21 NIV
ReplyDeleteTo the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.
Ok, so how do you decide which 'pagan' things are acceptable to take part in and which are not?
ReplyDelete