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IMO, the principles have always been clear. It's their application that raises doubts. I mean, every Christian understands we don't celebrate Christmas, and no Christian has a problem with covering his mouth when yawning, even if they both originate with false religion, because those are extremes. It's more difficult to understand, and to some degree arbitrary, why some practices that have lost their religious meaning are acceptable while others are not. Wedding rings are ok but toasting is not (well, until now). Piñatas are acceptable but throwing rice to the newlyweds is not. What is the reasoning? I don't know. Some decades ago we were unbearably strict. We were a stick in the mud, looking at everything with suspicion and finding traces of false religion everywhere. The same as a child matures until he becomes a man, our organization is constantly maturing and learning to apply Bible principles better. When I went to pioneer school at 16 my mind exploded with the chapter about Bible principles. I remember chess being avoided by Witnesses because it was a war game. I remember articles quoting Christendom fundamentalists saying rock was Satanic and an article quoting an idiot claiming E.T. was a parody of Jesus. As an organization we have come a long way from then. We recently understood that we cannot tell Jehovah who should be saved and who shouldn't. We understood a more logical, loving and Christ-like way of treating those who were removed from the congregation. We understood beards. I'm sure our application of Bible principles will continue to be refined in the future.

Today I'm having one of those desperate days, waiting for the Kingdom. That feeling of anguish, that deep longing for everything bad to come to an end. I feel heartbroken, I feel sad. How I wish I were already in the New World with my brothers, with all of you... picking strawberries, cooking, singing, building, welcoming resurrected friends, praising Jehovah even more. How much longer will we have to wait? I love you guys!

I think it's important to review those three principles again, because it seems like some are not remembering them. The update didn't say all toasting is now okay. They just said they don't see a reason to prohibit it and instead want us to use principles for when it would be okay. If that's true for something as simple as toasting, wouldn't you have to apply these principles for everything? The slave is not saying all celebrations are okay now. This is from the transcript: 3.1. [Principle 1of3] Would Jehovah Be Offended by This? At 2 Corinthians 6:17, Jehovah gives us clear direction: “‘Therefore, get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’; ‘and I will take you in.’” This principle emphasizes that Christians must stay far away from any symbol or custom related to false religion or spiritism. 3.2. [Principle 2of3] How Would This Affect Others in the Congregation? Romans 14:19 and 21 remind us: “So, then, let us pursue the things making for peace and the things that build one another up.” “It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything over which your brother stumbles.” Even if a symbol or custom isn’t wrong in itself, we need to consider how others in the congregation might view it. We would never want our actions to offend others needlessly. At the same time, as mature Christians we respect the right that others have to make their own decisions based on their Bible-trained conscience. 3.3. [Principle 3of3] How Is This Symbol or Custom Viewed by People in My Culture or Community? The Bible principle at 1 Corinthians 9:20, 21, and 23 is: “To the Jews I became as a Jew in order to gain Jews; to those under law I became as under law, though I myself am not under law, in order to gain those under law. To those without law I became as without law, although I am not without law toward God but under law toward Christ, in order to gain those without law.” “But I do all things for the sake of the good news, in order to share it with others.” The principle here is that we take into account how others feel about and view matters. Knowing how a certain symbol or custom is viewed in our own country or community is very important. Something that is very offensive in our land or culture may be viewed as completely innocent in another land or culture. --------------------------- Let's use these for birthdays as an example: 1. Do we think Jehovah would be offended if we participated in a celebration that elevated one person over another, used astrological symbols as part of the celebration (i.e. cake in the shape of a moon/ round with twinkling stars/, making a wish while blowing on those stars/ candles), etc.. 2. How would this affect our brothers and sisters - especially ones and the truth for a long time? How will this affect our children and then doing their best to remain no part of this world? If it's a slippery slope to stop a prohibition on toasting, how slippery of a slope would it be to stop a Prohibition on birthdays? Is that really the slippery slope we want to ride down? 3. It's not judging to remember that our brothers and sisters who've been in the truth for a very long time would clearly be offended by birthdays. You can count me in as one of those who thinks a celebration set based an astrological time and based on astrology while using astrological symbols and that the day of one's birth has some significance that needs celebrating! 2 Corinthians 6:17 says "quit touching the unclean thing". We must avoid unclean/spiritistic practices. Jehovah says we have to be holy as he is holy. We wouldn't even want to touch this unholy thing IMO. Edit: seeing these principles tells you this is not just the thing between you and Jehovah. This is a thing that affects the entire congregation and that has to be taken into consideration as well.

A few weeks ago my husband was telling our children that when we toast we are calling upon demons. Not sure how we're going to back track on that one 😆

I know this to be true. It will be 2 years July 23 since Rick died. I would not want to loose power over the remote control. I am getting stronger. I can now make a joke I know he would like.

Unlike toasting, that isn't found in the Bible, all the occurrences of birthdays in the Bible are negative. I would not expect that.

I don't know why, Sister @LeolaRootStew, I have the feeling that we will always have something of them visible, in the New World. I don't know what. What is certain (but deep down, what do we know?): we will no longer see the wonderful smile of Brother Lett, the twinkling eyes of Brothers Herd and Jackson, the serious look of Brother Splane, we will no longer hear talks from Brother Lösch on the theme of 'time', and all the others, with the characteristics that we have learned to love so much. It will be something else, and never mind if I am mistaken❤️

2025 GB Update #4 Transcript

There are several interesting posts in this thread, some of which resonate with me. As to those who have known Brother Lett, and his personality, I cannot claim that privilege. BUT - his father served as our CO before he got too old to move every week. I found his father to be a very loving and considerate person, especially level headed. When he "came off the road" he settled in a small town in the next county west of us, and in the same circuit as our congregation. I appreciate the comments by JWHESS about age. I was born 7/24/1944. So, I will be 81 years old the end of this month. I can appreciate the difficulty these GB members have caring for all of thier responsibilities at close to my age. In some ways I am still the 19 year old kid who got married to a girl from Pensacola, and moved here to pioneer in 1963. BUT in many other ways (especially when I try to physically move around) I am brutally reminded I cannot do the things I could 60 years ago. Even my mental acuity is not what it was years ago. It is good to see the younger members of the GB. Not that they are any "better" than the older ones, but because at my age a lot of things a MUCH harder to do, and it is good to see younger members of the GB to use their energy to advance Kingdom Interests. It is a little discouraging to read all of the speculation about "what will change next." A couple of posters have commented on having seen changes over the years. I started talking at doors and reporting field service time in Ocober, 1949 (at age 5 - yes I could read by then and was able to do magazine work - other things came later). In the 75 years since then, I have seen a lot of changes. Yes, in the 1950s many things were more strictly defined than they are now. This can be understood by remembering the strength of belief of many people 60 years ago about heaven, hell, soul, trinity, etc. These were common things we had to discuss in field service back then. Now, it seems that most people do not care about them. This can really be seen if we compare the Let Good Be True book (that we used in the 1950s) with the publications we use to start studies now. The clarification on "toasts" is part of (as one poster called it) the "maturing" of Jehovah's organization. What is important is not how some (but not all) ethnic groups viewed something 500 years ago, but how is it viewed now, provided it is not something clearly addressed in the Scriptures. People of the world now do not care about theology the way the did 60 years ago. Now, they want to know how to deal with the problems they have. Just because clarification has been made about one thing should not make us speculate about what will change next. We just need to be thankful that Jehovah's organization is clarifying things for us when it is Jehovah's time for that particular item. Thanks, Jim

A lot of people are hurting here this weekend, but I hope that this will be another occasion when the hope that only the truth can bring will bring comfort to the survivors. Brothers and sisters in the Kerrville area will be busy, I am sure.

This clarification was said to be made to promote the unity of our brotherhood. This might seem to be counterintuitive, saying that the more Christian freedom we have, the more united we are. I suppose it's in the sense that this new-found freedom will contribute to less disagreements and arguments in these, what are now grey areas. It just goes to show, once again, that unity doesn't always mean uniformity.

I live in central Texas where all of this is going on. This much rain is not normal for us , I live 1.5 hours from Kerrville and the Guadalupe River that was the most affected. My small town river flooded as well, but it wasn't near as bad as Kerrville. I have not "heard" of any brothers and sister with major devastation but that doesnt mean there hasnt been . I had convention this past weekend and it rained the entire weekend , one of the conventions entrances got closed because of flooding ,so it was 1 way in 1 way out. The parking brothers worked hard in the rain to keep it flowing smoothly . Some congregations advised to use the provision to live stream convention and not travel on roads... what a wonderful new provision that worked great! Many brothers and sisters in this area live in the country. dirt roads, and low water crossings that get flooded. They got to watch the convention just like they were there. I have heard that some brothers in Kerrville did get their homes flooded but not washed away. You really had to be living on the banks of a river for the major damage to be done. I have a childhood witness friend ( inactive now ) that lived close to the Guadalupe River and he and his family had to climb on their roof to escape the water. All of his vehicles and work trailers washed away. Another sister in the area affected said the river is going down now and has the smell of death. Horses , cows , deer , corpses all in the banks of river along with cars trucks and all manner of debris . She said it is heartbreaking to see childrens clothes 30 feet up in trees. My town is full of emergency responders from all over the state staying in the local motels. Times like this make one long for when Jehovah balances out our earth to not have such weather extremes.

I left home when I was 18 years old to serve as a pioneer where the need was greater. I am the oldest child and the first to leave home. My mother would call me on my birthday to say she was thinking about me and when I was born. She never sent presents, she never sang any songs, she never made me a cake (at least not on that day) and she never sent a Birthday card. She just called to say that I was on her mind and she was reflecting on the experience of my birth. She continued to do that until we gave her grandchildren.

I received a text today from my brother-in-law asking, “You ready to make a toast?” Not knowing the context, I immediately checked the app and saw the new Governing Body update. Before even reading it, I had a feeling it might touch on how we’ve traditionally interpreted the idea of toasting. As I considered the direction the update might take, two possibilities came to mind: either a move away from former associations with questionable origins (like certain symbols linked to demonic influences), as an example such as the dollar sign which I found out from a past District Overseer talk is actually a mockery on the copper snake Moses used to heal those who looked at it), or a recognition that such practices are now conscience matters, similar to other recent adjustments. It seems the update is leaning toward interpreting actions based on present-day context rather than historical associations, unless the original belief is still prominent in that region. That makes sense, given how many customs (e.g. wedding rings, covering the mouth when you yawn, wedding veils, bonfires - bonefires, bridesmaids and groomsmen, gift giving, etc.) have origins that could be linked to pagan or demonic traditions. Even mentioning the names of the days of the week. They have origins (e.g., Sunday = honoring the Sun, Monday “Moon’s day”, Tuesday “Norse God”., etc). Personally, I find it refreshing that doctrine is being more clearly separated from opinions or cultural traditions. Just like how Paul occasionally inserted his personal views into scripture, and those aren’t considered doctrine. Likewise, circuit overseers sometimes offer preferences that reflect individual interpretation rather than spiritual instruction. One of our CO's once said that Sunday field service should be as busy as Saturday field service and really pushed the hall to do it. I mean, it's a nice goal, but still an opinion. Some might view this as becoming lenient, but I believe it's about focusing on what truly matters. With everything going on in the world and being in the last days, it's important that we keep our attention on meaningful spiritual guidance and not let the small, less relevant things weigh us down (e.g. worrying about whether beards or ok, or we should be wearing suits/ties, or women wearing dress pants, etc.). While we don't want change for the sake of change, these changes definitely make sense and I welcome them with open arms.

Toasting...

The admonition to refrain from "toasting" goes as far back as my association with Jehovah's people. Here is a 1952 QFR. *** w52 5/15 p. 319 Questions From Readers *** In shunning this custom of toasting, along with many other objectionable customs, we may appear narrow-minded to worldlings. So we are. But never forget for a moment that our Christian narrowness is our salvation, just as the world’s broadness is its destruction.—Matt. 7:13, 14. That was the year my father began studying. He was baptized in 1954. Change is upon us...♥️ Oh my. That emoji is a former religious symbol...😁

Brother Lett and I are approximately the same age, 78. He was our CO some years back. He even gave our Memorial Talk one year when he was here.

We all like the GB members we know. But what about the 'other' 143,970 Kings and Priests we don't know personally? They are (or will be) just as important.

I wanted to share some thoughts on this matter that has come up recently — a topic that touches on personal conscience and my relationship with Jehovah. It is very important to me. This may be the first time some of us are hearing that a few people may engage in birthday anniversaries or other social customs without consciously connecting them to their original meanings. But when we reflect on such practices, we’re reminded of a vital principle shared in the recent update: “Does this practice honor Jehovah? And does it show love and consideration for our brothers and sisters?” That question has stuck with me. It helps us view our decisions not only through the lens of personal freedom but through the lens of love. Because in this spiritual family, our decisions don’t stand alone. They ripple outward — touching hearts, memories, and sometimes, old wounds. For many of us who came into the truth, refusing to celebrate birthdays was one of the earliest — and most difficult — changes we made. Some of us faced mockery, emotional pressure, or even rejection from our families. And yet, we made that decision because we came to love Jehovah’s standards more than our own comfort. Why do we take such a clear stand? Because birthdays are rooted in paganism and linked to astrology, false gods, and spiritistic ideas about guardian spirits. Because the Bible’s two mentions of birthdays are both tied to violent, ungodly events: the execution of Pharaoh’s baker and the beheading of John the Baptist. Because no faithful servant of Jehovah in the Bible is shown celebrating a birthday — not Jesus, not the apostles, not the prophets. And, most of all, because birthdays often place emphasis on exalting the self. The focus becomes “my day,” “my gifts,” “my wishes,” rather than glorifying Jehovah or drawing attention to him. So for Jehovah’s people, the choice has been clear. We don’t celebrate birthdays — not because we want to be different for the sake of it, but because we want to be different for Jehovah’s sake. Today, however, toasting has largely lost those overt spiritual connotations. In many settings, it’s just a casual gesture — a way of saying “Cheers,” “Congratulations,” or “To your success.” The update helped me see why toasting is treated as a matter of conscience — not a congregational rule. But here’s where we have to be very careful. Just because something isn’t “forbidden” doesn’t make it spiritually wise. Some toasts still exalt human pride, wealth, or achievement, things Jehovah has warned us not to glorify. So the question is not simply: “Is this allowed?” But rather: “Does this bring peace?” “Does this build others up?” “Does this reflect my love for Jehovah and my brothers?” That’s the spiritual maturity Jehovah is drawing out of us — not blind rule-following, but discernment driven by love. Brother Lett used a powerful illustration of a child who needs to hold the hand of his mother before crossing the street. A mature adult would not need his mother’s hand to cross the street. What I got from that illustration is this: If the mother, while crossing the street, has an accident that kills the child due to negligence, she will answer to Jehovah. But for an adult, if he dies through his own negligence, he will answer to Jehovah. This is one of those situations where our actions now are being observed by Jehovah, and He will be keenly interested in how we display love and make decisions. With more freedom comes greater responsibility before Jehovah.

I don't see birthdays coming. I would much rather celebrate my faithful service to Jehovah on my date of baptism. One more year in the truth ❤️ I wish the organisation would make more out of the end of a service year and/or the beginning of a new one. Time for reflection, and time for setting new goals. Like a kick-off Year-planning. It's been a personal ambition of mine, but it sort of runs out of steam to be a one-woman kick-off team. Please no shoot-down, ok? Please try to understand what I mean. I wish we could form work-groups where we discussed our personal goals (without a spirit of competition) Maybe because I don't have family in the truth.

My last comment on this update is this, and for everyone to remember. Obedience to the direction to the appointed FDS is the most important thing, not to run ahead of them. Like the days of Moses and other appointed men, we respect the position they have been given. Some may mock us and say, now you can wear a beard or now you can say cheers, but by following direction we have been obedient the whole time and that’s most precious to Jehovah.

Think of it as you being loyal right up until the end (at least the end of the prohibition). That said, it still might not have been appropriate. Just because the GB is giving us principles instead of a rule doesn't mean we don't have to consider the principles. There still might be times we'd avoid participating in a toast. So, well done good and faithful servant.

I remember when we first received Brother Lett at Bethel in Brazil, about thirty years ago... it was a privilege... at the time the brothers of the Governing Body did not have much visibility due to JW Broadcasting. I remember being impressed with his teaching art. I hope the story of his life comes out before he receives his reward.

JWB July 2025 transcript

I concur. I keep my family’s baptism dates on the calendar and wish them a happy baptism anniversary. Also, when my son was at bethel I wished him a Happy Bethelversary on the date he reported. Sent him a box of goodies. Those are the types of things I can see celebrating even on into the new world. Even in Israelite times, the women would go up each year to celebrate and encourage the daughter of Jephthah for her sacrifice of serving at the tabernacle for the rest of her life.

The number of deaths in the Texas floods has now reached 81, with 40 still missing. As much as our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters who may be affected, we also remember that Jehovah loves everyone caught in this tragedy. Let’s pray that our spiritual family can be a source of comfort — not just for one another, but also for the wider community — at just the right time and in just the right way. After all, “how good is a word at the right time!” (Proverbs 15:23)

It almost seems that some feel the desire for many things we don’t do. Every time an understanding is adjusted to allow for something small ie beards, slacks for sisters and now toasting, there is a big discussion of all the things people think we may soon be allowed to do. Things like tattoos, birthdays, thanksgiving and yes even Christmas, etc. Is there a feeling every day of our standards being too restrictive? Do we feel hemmed in by what we see as “too many rules”? Do we have secret desires to be more like the rest of the world? Do we just want to make all decisions ourselves without having to see what the direction is? These are questions that would be good for self reflection to see why we go to the idea of “maybe we can…next” as soon as a minor adjustment is made. Instead of looking for how close we can get before we are participating in pagan things, should we not be looking for ways to stay separate from the world so there is a noticeable difference?

I’ve used that before for something like: ”I opened the fridge door, and out came this cheesecake!”

I love this update[emoji3590] Not because all of a sudden, we are "allowed" (even if that's how you want to call it..) to toast, but because the very simple reasoning is clear and based on principles. The organization is maturing more and more, and it teaches us to mature with it by really thinking in principles, using our God-given thinking ability. Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk

Honestly, we can also find it 'useless' to toast when we are among ourselves, I don't know, we may not find any meaning in the gesture, but what is certain is that from now on, we will avoid moments of embarrassment when, surrounded by those who do not share our faith, we were until now obliged to show our reserve and sometimes explain why we did not participate. In any case, a question of conscience to be respected.

I was just thinking last week about toasting, how it is viewed in my community and nothing unscriptural came to my mind so I was wondering if there’s going to be an adjustment and voila! The chariot: https://tenor.com/bES1f.gif

I like to reflect on the way the sheep acts… when I meditate on it and its relationship with the shepherd —its total dependence on the shepherd—it helps me to understand my place in relation to Jehovah’s purpose. Then I reflect that before obeying His commandments, we first need to understand that whether we live or die, we depend on Him... And just like the sheep, when it is grazing, walking and eating, it always has its head down (unlike the goat, which always eats from the branches of trees, looking upward), the path of the sheep is calm in its daily routine because its instinct knows that its life depends on the shepherd. So then I understand that I don’t need to see or ask when or how— I just let the days pass, following the Shepherd, obeying His voice. Without worrying, without rushing... That reflection fills me with peace. It really helps me to think about the sheep and the shepherd. Thank you, Jehovah, for the example you’ve given us—so simple that even a child can reflect on it. So take heart, my dear little sheep brothers and sisters—don’t be afraid! Our Shepherd is ahead of us. Don’t stray, just keep going, with your head down, not looking at what’s around you.

"They say peace, but there is no peace"

What a lovely update….As for me I’ve always loved fairy lights as we call them here in the UK…(string lights) I have plenty in my garden and really love it as it gets dark and they start to shine and twinkle. It was interesting what bro Lett said that the bethelites that have these string lights on their balcony won’t light them up in November and December because of Xmas, I will have to remember to turn mine off at that time too… Great advice….

That's why at the dentist's, two doctors are trying to open my mouth. 🤣

A couple months ago, I did some research on birthdays. I came up to about 5 references and all stipulated that has PAGAN backgrounds.

Octoberfest?

As we know, the original meaning of the Latin "crux" included the upright pole or stake as we show it. So if the Catholics hadn't commandeered the word to use for a '2-beamed' device, we could have correctly used the words cross or crucify. Like the the English word "rapture", we don't use it because of the misinformation Evangelicals have attached to it. So it is not the word that is wrong, it is the false religionists using it in a wrong way that has given them a bad flavor with us.

True. I want a wind chime of bearded men toasting...

Maybe the certain aspect part of birthdays, but I don't think this will happen personally. Someone already mentioned that birthdays from the Bible all have a negative connotation. On top of that, it would be a day to "glorify" yourself, or another person, which is not in line with good qualities. Eccl 7:1 focuses on the importance of building a good name/reputation everyday while we live, and not just celebrating the day we were born on. Lastly, I think if anything, mother and fathers day would come before birthdays. But because of similar reasonings (glorying a person, having other days in the year to respect your parents) idk if we would make any changes about those either.

I have had a privilege of meeting brother Lett twice, the first time he visited Zambia in 2004 for the branch extension dedication in December and I was one of the few privileged publishers to be assigned as an attendant from the platform. The second time he came back in 2014 for the release of the NWT Bible and I was privileged to be his interpreter

Funny you should express yourself that way....that's exactly how I feel most mornings. I too have this longing to be in the NW. It must be so close my brother when we feel this way. Hang tight......go out in service, read the scriptures or, do research on a topic. I think we are all tired but, Jehovah knows.

▶ Introduction of panelists, including Jehovah's Witnesses representative from World HQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEFVHsCcdgA&t=480s ▶ Fellow panelist mentions—among other faiths—persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEFVHsCcdgA&t=795s ▶ Our Brother from World HQ begins his presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEFVHsCcdgA&t=2200s Commission Hosts: Vicky Hartzler, USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood, USCIRF Vice Chair Panelist: Stephen Capus • President and CEO, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Willy Fautré • Director and Co-Founder, Human Rights Without Frontiers Jarrod Lopes • Regional Director of Communications, World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses Dan Storyev • English Managing Editor, OVD-Info Halyna Coynash • Journalist, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group

Are we suddenly looking for reasons to celebrate things we never did? Have we truly missed out on anything good because we do not partake in such celebrations?

My aunt was regularl pioneer yet she always celebrated bday anniversaries without the pagan stuff ( song candles wish gifts) she understood that it was a nice way to show appreciation towards her husband and employers family

Many people use their date of birth to define their personality, destiny, and relationships—all ideas rooted in astrology, which the Bible strongly condemns (Deuteronomy 18:10–12).

He was at our convention two weeks ago… He delivered the talk seated

Our time here has changed shorter and we have to go on July 5th because recently my husband's dad/ my father in law has been diagnosed with Cancer And so since he is also of course old we have to take care of him. This means 2 more topics until we leave.😭

The Faithful Slave is ever reliable. They’re helping us to keep on the watch, stay in tune with what the scriptures are saying, and to keep calm and trust Jehovah. 🙏🙏

Let's get back to the topic 😅😅😅😅