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== Jehovah's Witnesses and Holidays ==

== Jehovah's Witnesses and Holidays ==

Jehovah's Witnesses base their refraining from celebrating many popular religious holidays on II Corinthians 6:14, 17 which states: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... Therefore, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord. 'And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" ([[King James Version]]) <ref>The Watchtower, December 15, 1974 (p. 740).</ref>   

Jehovah's Witnesses base their refraining from celebrating many popular religious holidays on II Corinthians 6:14, 17 which states: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... Therefore, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord. 'And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" ([[King James Version]]) <ref>The Watchtower, December 15, 1974 (p. 740).</ref>   

Although Jehovah's Witnesses, then known as International Bible Students, celebrated Christmas during the early 1900s, this practice stopped in 1926.<ref>Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom(p. 198)</ref>  Since that time they have published information regarding the allegedly "pagan" origins of other holidays such as Easter, New Year's, Halloween, and others.  Their sources have been varied, drawing upon ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', ''The Encyclopedia Americana'', and similar publicly available resources.

Although Jehovah's Witnesses, then known as International Bible Students, celebrated Christmas during the early 1900s, this practice stopped in 1926.<ref>Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom(p. 198)</ref>  Since that time they have published information regarding the allegedly "pagan" origins of other holidays such as Easter, New Year's, Halloween, and others.  Their sources have been varied, drawing upon ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', ''The Encyclopedia Americana'', and similar publicly available resources.