Trącanie się kielichami wina opisano kiedyś jako metodę odstraszania demonów.
Dlatego ponoć ŚJ się nie trącają.
W latach 50. XX w. poruszano też kwestię trącania się kielichami przy piciu wina i mówieniu „na zdrowie”.
*** w52 5/15 p. 319 Questions From Readers ***
Is it proper to propose or to drink toasts to God or Christ or the Kingdom?—J. S., Pennsylvania.
Sometimes toasts are proposed, and members of the group feel obliged to join in. This practice is rooted far back in paganism. The Babylonians drank toasts to their gods, and ended up drunk. The Bible gives an account of one such instance. In 539 B.C. Belshazzar ordered the holy vessels of the Hebrews’ temple service brought out, and from them he and his party of revelers “drank wine, and praised the gods”. (Dan. 5:1-4) Such toast-drinking is in no way comparable with the drink offerings Jehovah God prescribed for his temple service. When the Greeks gave entertainments and got tipsy thereat, it was for pious reasons: they were drinking deeply in honor of their pagan gods. After the Greeks, the Romans followed similar pagan religious customs of drinking toasts to the gods. Of course, they had so many gods that everyone was drunk before the ritual ended. Also, human heroes were toasted as well.
The Scandinavians before conversion to Christ gathered for drinking bouts, and toasted Odin, Njord and Frey. Christian missionaries were unable to abolish these customs, but the toasts were shifted to “honor” God and Christ and various patron saints, and to gain salvation for their souls. The future state of bliss was associated with constant drinking and much intoxication. Jehovah God and Christ Jesus are not honored by having pagan customs of toasting switched to them, or to humans. God’s Word the Bible instructs us in the way to honor him, and we do not add to his Word on this point, and especially not when the addition comes from pagan customs. 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.