by cedars 89 Replies latest jw friends
Undercover: Did you bother to pay attention to the talk? Any different than years past? (I'd like to see someone do a count on how many times they say "Jesus" vs "anointed" or "144,000")
Did they mention the number of partakers from last year?
The 144,000 barely got a mention and yes to the numbers.. but too much said about Paradise and the 'other sheep
is the word "Emblems" used in this context an exclusively JWism?
Or, do other religions call the bread and the wine this?
In the Catholic Church we called the emblems communion hosts. Catholics are offered "holy communion" at every mass throughout the year (and mass is said every day of the year). I understand why JWs wouldn't refer to it the same way; afterall, how can you be in communion with God if you don't partake of the host?
Thank you, Poppers - I was hoping somebody with Catholic knowledge would answer this.
Now - does anybody else know of ANY christian religion that uses the word "emblems"?
As far as I know - it is not even in the JW bible...
Cofty: I seem to remember there was a letter at some point on how to do the memorial dance.
Yes, it's similar to the Hokey-Pokey but one is not allowed to laugh out loud!
You pass the Emblems left,
You pass the Emblems right,
Then you pick 'em up with no Partakers in sight!
You do the Memo-Dancey and you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about!
Yeah, that moment of emblem-passing stupidity is something I never got. My wife has even commented about how ritualistic it looks. . . Well. . . That's because its a ritual!
I had always attended the memorial where there were partakers. The first time I went where there was no-one who partook for me to observe was weird and felt silly and wrong.
The procedure described is mandated by the Society. Like you said, it is distressingly ritualistic. To what extent each congregation follows the ritual might depend on the COBOE or brother giving the talk. I used to give the talk every other year and this ritual passing used to bother me very much. It wasn't enough that the speaker gave the emblems to each attendant. He had to sit down afterwards and be handed them by one of the attendants.
Rant starts here: Its not enough to just come and "observe" like the Society says. Its as if the Society is adamant that you accept their superiority by your physically refusing the emblems (knowing that they do partake). It is also dishonest to the outsiders who accept the invite to attend. They are invited to observe and then find themselves having to make a choice. Imagine going to some other function 'just to see what is going on,' and then finding yourself being somewhat forced to participate. I could see how this might bother someone who thought partaking was the norm and then finding themselves having to decide what to do with everyone else turning down the emblems and the speaker encouraging the same.
I figured out a few years ago that all Christians were to partake. I was intending to go to a different congregation but the other elders volunteered me to give the talk. I could 'feel' every eye on me as I was the last to be handed the emblems. I told the brother who was going to hand them to me just before the meeting so he wouldn't have a stroke.
The real shame of it all is the Society's 'published' view that many who partake are 'mentally unstable' or 'influenced by past beliefs.' But they won't say the real reason the number is going up. People are figuring out that they are lying about who should partake. And its a shame also that if you came out and said you partook because all Christians should, you would be put out for apostasy. I seem to remember 'Narkissos' saying something about this very thing. I wish I could talk to him about it.
Here is another way you can see that the WT doesn't see things correctly: In the Bible, the reason for partaking is to 'remember Jesus,' to 'keep proclaiming the death of the Lord.' In the Kingdom Hall if you partake, the immediate and only response is: 'So you think you are going to heaven.'
Cedars you sound like my Dad, he only goes to appease my Mom and Sister.
I usually find a good excuse to why I can't ride with them so that afterwards, when everyone (including my Mom) is bullsnitting and love-bombing, my Dad and I hop in my car and make a quick retreat; I take him home and we usually pick up some desert on the way. (Yeah they actually suggest carpooling like were gonna fill our ginormous parking lot.)
As for the confused dance of the dogs, I laugh too. They take it so seriously I swear one of them is going to have an aneurysm.
The whole thing evoked memories of memorials of years gone by where the talk-giver actually seats himself on the front row to receive each of the emblems before getting back up on his feet to continue with his talk. Absolute certifiable madness.
Yep I saw this all the time. I used to call it memorial leapfrog.
The last memorial I attended was packed. Standing room only. Well for whatever reason, we got passed over, the passing of the emblems. My wife looked lost, but out loud, I said, "it's symbolic. We're here so it's fine, it's not like someone is going to live or die touching the glass as if it's the ark of the covenant. Well one of the elders heard, and he ran over and had us pass them. Even my wife smiled at that one
@wha happened: Too funny
Memorial Leapfrog
AWSOME!
