Jehovah's Witnesses work through holidays
Yanné Givens/Contributing Writer
Issue date: 7/5/09 Section: Divine Intervention
For some, July 4th represents food, fun, fireworks and, of course, America's independence. For others, July 4th is just another day.
The latter is true of Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), who don't celebrate Independence Day because according to their website, www.watchtower.org, "…holidays that exalt humans or human organizations are not acceptable to Jehovah."
"There's really no actual celebration of the 4th of July by Witnesses," Jeff Love, a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in College Park, said.
JWs believe the United States government is one of many human organizations that should not be exalted. "That's pretty much what July 4th is, it's glorifying the country on that day," said a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Rockville, Kelisha, who chose not to reveal her last name. "As Christians we believe that only Jehovah God receives our devotion," she said, citing chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus as the basis for her beliefs.
Love agreed, saying that God does not want His people to take part in things "of this world" because His Kingdom is no part of this world.
"The position that we take is kind of in harmony with what Jesus said," Love said. "That's where our allegiance is…not to any nation, putting one above the other."
According to Kelisha and Love, Jehovah's Witnesses are happy to be here, as they would be happy to be in any other country. "We respect the country in which we live, very much so," Love said. "It's not of any disrespect at all, in any way."
However, JWs do not acknowledge customs praising man-made entities. This is why JWs do not say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing national anthems. "Nothing is higher than Jehovah," Kelisha said.
So, what did JWs do this July 4th? Laughing, Kelisha simply said, "I worked."
Love said he did not do anything out of the ordinary. He reports that many of his "brothers and sisters" spent time with loved ones and enjoyed time off from work, but did not participate in anything traditional, such as fireworks.
Perhaps some JWs watched the final rounds of Wimbledon. Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, and claim to still practice the tenets of the religion now, as adults. A 2007 article in "The Observer" claims that the Williams sisters "remain devoted to their faith."
So, after a very successful day of tennis, with Serena beating Venus in the final match of the singles division and the sisters defending their title as doubles champions, what did they do? Did they grill hot dogs and hamburgers with their family and watch fireworks light up the sky? Well, if they are like most other Jehovah's Witnesses, one could speculate that they went on with their lives as if it were any other day.
The latter is true of Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), who don't celebrate Independence Day because according to their website, www.watchtower.org, "…holidays that exalt humans or human organizations are not acceptable to Jehovah."
"There's really no actual celebration of the 4th of July by Witnesses," Jeff Love, a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in College Park, said.
JWs believe the United States government is one of many human organizations that should not be exalted. "That's pretty much what July 4th is, it's glorifying the country on that day," said a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Rockville, Kelisha, who chose not to reveal her last name. "As Christians we believe that only Jehovah God receives our devotion," she said, citing chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus as the basis for her beliefs.
Love agreed, saying that God does not want His people to take part in things "of this world" because His Kingdom is no part of this world.
"The position that we take is kind of in harmony with what Jesus said," Love said. "That's where our allegiance is…not to any nation, putting one above the other."
According to Kelisha and Love, Jehovah's Witnesses are happy to be here, as they would be happy to be in any other country. "We respect the country in which we live, very much so," Love said. "It's not of any disrespect at all, in any way."
However, JWs do not acknowledge customs praising man-made entities. This is why JWs do not say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing national anthems. "Nothing is higher than Jehovah," Kelisha said.
So, what did JWs do this July 4th? Laughing, Kelisha simply said, "I worked."
Love said he did not do anything out of the ordinary. He reports that many of his "brothers and sisters" spent time with loved ones and enjoyed time off from work, but did not participate in anything traditional, such as fireworks.
Perhaps some JWs watched the final rounds of Wimbledon. Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, and claim to still practice the tenets of the religion now, as adults. A 2007 article in "The Observer" claims that the Williams sisters "remain devoted to their faith."
So, after a very successful day of tennis, with Serena beating Venus in the final match of the singles division and the sisters defending their title as doubles champions, what did they do? Did they grill hot dogs and hamburgers with their family and watch fireworks light up the sky? Well, if they are like most other Jehovah's Witnesses, one could speculate that they went on with their lives as if it were any other day.
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