What are the current rules to have a JW funeral?

by JWoods 10 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  JWoods

  In light of the MJ debacle clogging up almost all channels of communications today, I began wondering: What does it take to be told that you cannot have a proper JW burial service?

  In the case of Jackson, we suspect that he was either DA'd or Dissasociated at some point in the late 80s. I can remember rumors before I left in the early 80s of a rift with the elders over that Thriller album...and that he was either privately or publicly reproved over it.

  He is known to have married a Scientologist, divorced her, and later married another woman to have kids by arrangement, then divorcing her, and possibly getting into a third marriage.

  He is known to have dabbled in both Islam, the Kabala, and possibly other religions. He is known to have been a serious drug abuser. He is known to have had highly questionable relations with young boys. While not specifically proven, just the admission that he was sleeping with young boys overnight in private might have been enough for committee action if the elders felt like they wanted to do so.

  And yet rumors persist that there was a private JW ceremony for the family - can this really be so?
• 

  SallySue

  If you have enough money anything can be so.
• 

  Black Sheep

  How funeral arrangements for a disfellowshipped person
  may be handled :
  If the disfellowshipped person had been giving evidence
  of repentance, some brother's conscience might allow him
  to give a Bible talk at the funeral home or grave site .
  However, the Kingdom Hall should not be used . (w81
  9/15 p . 31 ; w77 6/1 pp. 347-8)
  If the deceased still advocated false teachings or ungodly
  conduct, it would not be appropriate to give a
  funeral talk for him . (2 John 9-11)
  Keep in mind that all the related hardships and tests
  generated in this regard are an outgrowth of the wrong
  conduct of the disfellowshipped person .

  Flock book
• 

  sir82

  There's a "Questions From Readers" somewhere on this. Maybe Blondie or someone with access to the WT-CD can look it up.

  Basically, to have a funeral / memorial service in a Kingdom Hall, you have to be a baptized JW "in good standing" or a minor child of same. Disfellowhipped / disassociated persons, such as MJ, are right out.

  If I recall correctly, the QFR says that if a DF'ed person was making clearly evident steps to return at the time of his demise, "some brother might" find it acceptable to say a "few words" at the gravesite, talking about the resurrection or something like that.

  I'm 99.9% certain there would have been nothing for MJ at a Kingdom Hall. If his mother is still in good standing, maybe some JW elder might have spoken for a few minutes at the private family service, or even at a separate service, but even that seems quite iffy.
• 

  blondie

  *** km 3/97 p. 7 Question Box ***

  What if the deceased was disfellowshipped?The congregation would generally not be involved. The Kingdom Hall would not be used. If the person had been giving evidence of repentance and manifesting a desire to be reinstated, a brother’s conscience might allow him to give a Bible talk at the funeral home or graveside, to give a witness to unbelievers and to comfort the relatives. Before making this decision, however, it would be wise for the brother to consult with the body of elders and give consideration to what they may recommend. In situations where it would not be wise for that brother to be involved, it may be appropriate for a brother who is a member of the deceased person’s familyto give a talk to console the relatives.
• 

  sir82

  Keep in mind that all the related hardships and tests
  generated in this regard are an outgrowth of the wrong
  conduct of the disfellowshipped person .

  Ya just gotta love it!

  "Even after you are dead, it's all your fault."
• 

  JWoods

  I'm 99.9% certain there would have been nothing for MJ at a Kingdom Hall. If his mother is still in good standing, maybe some JW elder might have spoken for a few minutes at the private family service, or even at a separate service, but even that seems quite iffy.

  I agree, provided that they actually followed their own rules...at least, rules I remember from over 25 years ago. However, I have seen this group bend their own rules in a cynically dogged manner in the case of celebrity or being a JW higher-up yourself...

  Take the cases of Rutherford, Mickey Spillane, Hayden Covington, the "artist known as Prince", the Williams tennis girls - it seems pretty clear to me that they are/were NOT being held to the same strict rules of conduct as an ordinary JW.

  And now I am hearing Jesse Jackson and others practically confirming that a private JW ceremony was held, and saying that MJ was himself a JW.
• 

  Farkel

  The most important requirement is first, someone needs to die.

  This requirement is Bible-Based, too.

  Farkel
• 

  Pandoras cat11

  I don't think any of the brothers would give up any chance of indoctrinating anyone who attended a funeral who was not a witness. The funeral talks are the most impersonal talks I have ever heard. It's about 7-10 minutes speaking about the deceased (where he was born, what he did for a living) and the 15-20 of doctrine. They do touch on the resurrection hope. Barely. At one of the funerals my mom told me there was a table by the door and all the literature was there for anyone who wanted it. She thought it was great. A known drug addict died recently and had his funeral at the hall. Strange huh?
• 

  Scarred for life

  I don't know what kind of service the private family service was but there was absolutely no indication at the public memorial that anyone within 200 miles was a JW. That was a combination of a nonreligious service and a Christian/Protestant service.

  I find it very difficult to believe that anyone in that family is an active JW.