Challenge from Planti Different Religion Stap

INSAED long Middle Ages, pipol bilong sem kantri they garem sem religion. Long end bilong mek-19 century, Europe garem fewfela main religion nomoa: long olketa kantri long west hem olketa Catholic and Protestant, Orthodox and Islam long east, and Judaism. Distaem planti different kaen religion stap long Europe and everywea long world. Maet samfela bilong datfela kantri or from narafela kantri, olsem olketa refugee, they startim olketa niu religion hia.

So distaem, long olketa kantri olsem Australia, Britain, France, Germany, and United States, planti Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu they stap. Long sem taem, olketa Jehovah’s Witness, olsem olketa Kristian, they go ahed for minister long 239 kantri. Insaed long 14-fela kantri, namba bilong olketa Witness wea duim work bilong them hem winim 150,000.—Lukim box “Olketa Jehovah’s Witness—Religion Everywea long World.

Way wea planti different kaen religion they stap savvy mekem olketa challenge kamap for olketa teacher. For example, samfela important kwestin maet kamap long saed bilong olketa celebration wea planti pipol keepim: Waswe, hem fitim for mekem every student keepim every celebration hia—nomata wanem kaen religion nao bilong hem? Planti maet ting say no any samting hem rong withim olketa celebration olsem. But waswe, fitim yumi for respectim tu tingting bilong olketa famili wea part long wanfela smallfela sekson? And narafela samting for tingim tu: Long olketa kantri wea law hem separate-im religion from Gavman and they no savvy teachim religious instruction long skul, waswe, yu ting hem stret for mekem every student mas joinim olketa celebration olsem?

Olketa Birthday

Way for meanim samting long rong way savvy kamap long saed bilong olketa celebration wea luk olsem they nating join withim religion. Diswan hem tru long saed bilong olketa birthday, wea planti skul they celebrate-im. Nomata olketa Jehovah’s Witness respectim way wea otherfela pipol celebrate-im olketa birthday, maet yu savvy hao they no share long olketa celebration olsem. But maet yu no savvy long olketa reason why they, and olketa pikinini bilong them, decide for no tek part long olketa celebration olsem.

Le livre des religions (Buk bilong olketa Religion), wanfela encyclopedia wea they givim aot long planti ples long France, hem kolem disfela kastom wanfela ceremony and hem listim diswan insaed olketa “ceremony bilong world.” Nomata planti ting long diswan olsem wanfela gudfela kastom distaem, way for celebrate-im birthday hem start kam from olketa heathen.

The Encyclopedia Americana (1991 edition) say: “Pipol bilong Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia bifor they celebrate-im birthday bilong olketa god, king, and bigman.” Wanfela man and woman wea savvy raetem buk, Ralph and Adelin Linton showim aot main reason for diswan. Insaed long buk bilong them The Lore of Birthdays, they raet olsem: “Mesopotamia and Egypt, ples wea civilization hem start, they tu firstfela ples wea olketa man rememberim and keepim birthday bilong them. Way for keepim record bilong birthday hem important long bifor bikos they savvy use-im day wea man born for talem samting wea bae happen long future bilong hem.” From diswan join withim way for studyim olketa star for savvy long future, hem important for samwan wea ting hae long Bible for stap klia long hem.—Isaiah 47:13-15.

Dastawe yumi no sapraes for readim insaed long The World Book Encyclopedia: “Olketa firstfela Kristian nating celebrate-im birthday bilong Hem [bilong Kraest] bikos they tingim way for celebrate-im birthday bilong anywan hem wanfela heathen kastom.”—Volume 3, page 416.

From diswan, olketa Jehovah’s Witness they choose for no share long olketa birthday party. Hem tru, taem wea pikinini born hem wanfela hapi and nambawan samting. Every dadi and mami savvy hapi taem olketa pikinini bilong them grow and kamap big each year. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness they hapi tu for showim aot love bilong them for famili and olketa fren bilong them taem they givim present and havem hapitaem tugeta. But, from way wea birthday celebration hem start, they want for duim olsem long samfela different taem insaed long year.—Luke 15:22-25; Acts 20:35.

Krismas

Krismas hem samting wea pipol everywea long world celebrate-im, and long olketa kantri wea no Kristian tu. From disfela holiday hem samting wea planti religion bilong Kristendom they acceptim, maet hem mekem yu sapraes for savvy hao olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebrate-im. Why nao olsem?

Olsem planti encyclopedia they talem klia, pipol nomoa choosim December 25 for birthday bilong Jesus so hem semsem withim wanfela heathen festival bilong Rome. Lukim samting wea olketa different reference buk hia they talem:

“No anywan savvy long day wea Kraest hem born. Olketa Gospel no talem any day or month.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III, page 656.

“Planti kastom bilong Krismas wea pipol followim distaem long Europe, or they raetem from taem bifor, they no really kastom bilong olketa Kristian, but they heathen kastom wea Church hem use-im. . . . They tekem olketa kastom for hapi wea they duim long Krismas from festival wea they kolem Saturnalia long Rome.”—Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics (Edinburgh, 1910), wea James Hastings hem editim, Volume III, page 608-9.

“Every Kristian church they celebrate-im Krismas long December 25 start kam long mek-foa century. Long datfela taem, hem date bilong heathen festival wea they kolem ‘Birthday (Latin, natale) bilong Sun,’ bikos luk olsem sun hem born moa taem olketa day kamap longfela. Long Rome, Church hem start for keepim disfela kastom wea planti pipol followim . . . and hem givim niufela meaning long hem.”—Encyclopædia Universalis, 1968, (French) Volume 19, page 1375.

“Way wea Krismas festival hem start hem kam from olketa heathen celebration bilong Sol Invictus (Mithra). Long narafela saed, December 25, day bilong winter solstice, hem samting wea they joinim withim laet wea shine long world thru long Kraest, and samting wea markem Sol Invictus they change-im go long Kraest.”—⁠Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, (German) Volume 20, page 125.

Taem they learnim olketa trufela samting abaotem Krismas, wanem nao samfela duim? The Encyclopædia Britannica say: “Long year 1644 olketa puritan from England they mekem wanfela law long Parliament for stopem any way for hapi or service bilong religion, from they say hem [Krismas] wanfela heathen festival and pipol mas keepim diswan olsem wanfela taem for no kaikai. Charles II hem startim back datfela festival, but olketa from Scotland they followim tingting bilong olketa Puritan.” Olketa firstfela Kristian no celebrate-im Krismas, and olketa Jehovah’s Witness tu no celebrate-im distaem or tek part long olketa samting wea join withim Krismas.

But, Bible hem tok gud abaotem way for givim present or invite-im olketa famili and fren for kaikai tugeta long olketa otherfela taem. Hem encouragim dadi and mami for trainim pikinini bilong them for garem fashion for really want for givim samting, and no givim samting nomoa long taem wea they mas duim diswan. (Matthew 6:2, 3) Olketa pikinini bilong olketa Jehovah’s Witness they learn for stap gud withim pipol and respectim them, and diswan hem way for luksavvy tu hao otherfela pipol savvy celebrate-im Krismas. So, they tu ting hae long pipol wea respectim decision bilong them for no join insaed Krismas celebration.

Otherfela Celebration

Olketa Jehovah’s Witness garem sem kaen tingting long otherfela holiday bilong religion wea kamap insaed long skul year long samfela kantri, olsem June festival long Brazil, Epiphany long France, Carnival long Germany, Setsubun long Japan, and Halloween long United States. Long saed bilong olketa hia and otherfela celebration, dadi and mami wea Witness or pikinini bilong them bae hapi for ansarem any kwestin wea yu maet garem.