I remember one year I was in my late teens and living away from home and needed a ride to the memorial. I was invited to go with a couple from the hall and on the way they picked up a Bible study they invited, this Bible study ended up being a person I worked with who I knew was studying. We did the memorial thing, and dropped off the study and went home. The next day I was working and I see this study laughing with some people, I asked what it was about and they mentioned that they thought the memorial was odd and basically stupid. They mentioned how the whole thing was just a recruiting effort and not much celebration or even the feeling of appreciation for what it was suppose to be about. More important, they thought the passing of the wine and that cracker we called bread was odd as hell. For about a week or so, they would laugh about it and brought it up in jokes a lot. I thought it was kind of insulting, and to no shock, this person stopped studying. Over the years though, as a Witness, I saw a lot of people at memorials that were nonbelievers and I just know that those ones found this odd too. A kind of "this is it?" or "what is the big deal with this night?" kind of reaction. Also, it gave new people such a wrong impression of what a typical meeting would be. The Kingdom Halls were never this crowded and the people were never this nice. I wonder, how many people actually became Witnesses from attending a memorial? I don't think I would expect it to be to high of a number. Either way, ever know someone who attended and made fun of it?
You take someone new to the memorial, and they make fun of it.
by free2beme 16 Replies latest jw friends
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barry
The only memorial l attended was with my pastor and at the end he also thought it was odd the way the elder aput out the position only the 144000 should be partakers of the elements.I rember that clearly was his concern.
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chok
Looking back, when I took someone new I didnt have an overwhelming feeling of pride about the whole process. I was actually quite embarrassed by how sickly sweet everyone was, it was quite un-natural.
The worse bit was always the little speech at the end to all interested person to attend the special talk on the following sunday and to have a bible study.
I didnt realise at the time just how much of a recruiting campaign it really was.
What they should have said was "And those people sat at the back who no-one is talking too...well thats whats happen if you dare to think for yourself!"
Tash
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free2beme
So true! Isn't it amazing how long it takes in a bible study to learn what it means to be disfellowshiped?
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PoppyR
I always curled my toes at the memorial to see all the new ones and wonder what they were thinking, I once invited a friend from school, who was very polite but the whole way through I couldn't help thinking how whacky this all sounded from an outsiders perspective, of course now I AM an outsider it does sound totally whacky!!
Poppy
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barry
i dont think outsiders would think it wacky they may not agree with the 144000 bit and they may agree with most of the rest of the memorial.Imagine if you were to go to an SDA memorial service everyone can partake but in the SDA tradition there is also the ordinance of humility or footwashing. Imaginme haveing to wash someones feet. Also some churches have the ordinance of humility at the beginning and some have it at the end of th eservice. Some people are very dogmatic on weather it should be at the beginning or the end.
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luna2
The only non-JW that ever came to the Mem with us was my son's girlfriend (at the time). I don't believe she ever made fun of it, but I know she was confused by it. I never thought that the Memorial was a good time to introduce friends or relatives to my faith. Its such a stilted, stiff, weird ceremony...and I, too, hate the recruitment pitch at the end. Ugh.
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jschwehm
A few years ago this man contacted me for help because his girlfriend had gotten involved with the JWs. The girlfriend had been invited to the Memorial and was very excited about it. She kept inviting her boyfriend to come with her to the service. The boyfriend asked me if he should go. I told him that it was up to him and that if he felt comfortable with it that he could go.
Well, they both went to the Memorial and after it was over the girlfriend was so underwhelmed by it all that she cried. I think she found it to be very unfulfilling and mostly a recruiting pitch as others have described on this thread. She eventually stopped her study with the JWs I believe. The boyfriend was overjoyed and this development.
Jeff S.
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Undecided
I remember inviting the guy across the road from our old home in the country, he was probably 50 or so years old. We were teens(my brother and I), and when we picked him up to go with us, he was drunk. At the memorial my brother introduced him to a JW bro. and he shook my brothers hand. We laughed about this for years.
Ken P.