Jehovah's Witness: Serena Williams refuses to celebrate daughter's birthday because of her faith

Members of this particular religious group do not believe in celebrating birthdays.

As a Jehovah's Witness, Serena Williams refuses to celebrate daughter's birthday because of her faith.

When asked, "Is there a birthday party planned?" at a press conference at the US Open, the 36-year-old explained to the reporter that birthdays are against her faith.

In her words, "Olympia doesn't celebrate birthdays. We're Jehovah's Witnesses, so we don't do that."

 

The official website for Jehovah's Witnesses further explains that the religious group is against  birthdays "because we believe that such celebrations displease God."

"Although the Bible does not explicitly forbid celebrating birthdays, it does help us to reason on key features of these events and understand God's view of them," the website adds.

Serena's daughter Alexis Olympia, turned one on Saturday, September 1, 2018.

ALSO READ: Why Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays

Serena Williams discusses her faith

The Washington Post reports that the tennis star and her siblings became Jehovah's Witnesses in the early '80s. They were raised as members of the religious group by their mother Oracene Price.

Over the years, she has opened up about her faith revealing that she has participated in the door-to-door evangelism Jehovah's Witnesses are known for. On several occasions, she has thanked "Jehovah God" for her success as a tennis player.

In 2017, she told Vogue that her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is not against her beliefs. She said, "Being a Jehovah's Witness is important to me, but I've never really practiced it and have been wanting to get into it."

 

"Alexis didn't grow up going to any church, but he's really receptive and even takes the lead. He puts my needs first," she added.

Jehovah's Witness started in the 1870s in the US.