Are JWs allowed to go to wedding of disfellowshiped child?

by freetosee 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • jamiebowers
    jamiebowers

    My experience as a disfellowshipped person for the past 20 years is that the JW parents will have hell to pay if the elders find out that they went to their df'd child's wedding for two reasons:1. the child is disfellowshipped and 2. the wedding is worldly. I've heard that in my old congregation a woman was advised against attending her son's wedding by the elders. He was never baptized and therefore not disfellowshipped. He also arranged it so his wedding wouldn't be held in a church or the ceremony performed by a minister. That still wasn't good enough. She was not to attend, because it was a worldly function.

    My mother and all of our JW relatives did not attend a family reunion last fall, because I and some of my disfellowshipped cousins were there. It was a sure thing that none of the JW's in our family would be there, because my mother turned her JW sister in for having her disfellowshipped kids to the wake held at her house for a fleshly brother (who wasn't a JW). She got in BIG TROUBLE for that. If death doesn't transcend the bounds of the WTB&T's rigid rules, I don't see where a wedding would. It's a real shame, but that's how it is when your relatives remain Watchtower slaves.

  • Dagney
    Dagney

    A well known and liked elder was removed for attending his DF'd child's wedding. No favortism was shown there. Sheesh.

  • sir82
    sir82

    Blondie got it right.

    Parents would be "allowed" * to attend, but any and all "privileges of service" would be removed.

    If however there was an element of "Babylon the Great" in the wedding ceremony (e.g., parents participating in a wedding rite in a Catholic church) it would become "judicial" due to interfaith activity.

    * Doesn't that kind of stick in your craw? Parents "allowed" to attend the wedding of their own son or daughter.

  • babygirl75
    babygirl75

    I think it's more of a conscience issue, unless the wedding is being held in a church and then they should not attend according to JW law.

    My sister that was df'd had her wedding at one of the plantations in Charleston, SC and my parents still would not attend and would not let me either. I lived at home at the time, think I was 15.

    My second wedding, I was df'd, and my parents did not attend. We actually eloped and didn't tell anybody. It was so special!!!!!!! Just me & him and two of our closest friends. It meant more to me than the big, extravagent wedding I had the first time around. The wedding was great, just had the wrong guy at the first one!!

  • Frequent_Fader_Miles
    Frequent_Fader_Miles

    Parents would be "allowed" * to attend, but any and all "privileges of service" would be removed.

    Yep, that's what happened with my wedding. My JW mom was threatened with the removal of "privileges" if she attended my wedding. I'm not DF or DA .... just fading. Eventually she did attend because her PO "allowed" her to since I was not DF.

  • llbh
    llbh
    Yep, that's what happened with my wedding. My JW mom was threatened with the removal of "privileges" if she attended my wedding. I'm not DF or DA .... just fading. Eventually she did attend because her PO "allowed" her to since I was not DF.

    This is all so sad and one my pet hates. I am so sorry about your experiences These situations are precisely the reasons i give to my Jw wife and duaghter that thier beiefa are wrong

    David

  • freetosee
    freetosee

    Sorry I answer so late...Thanks again to all! It is surly helpful to hear what others have experienced at weddings and how the elders handle matters. The infomation the bride was given, namely that it is a df'ing offence turns out to be false...thats good news!

    I would have thought the more important question would be, "Why on earth would a disfellowshipped child want their JW parents at their wedding?" Unless you're into keeping company with sodden wet blankets, surely that magical day should be kept JW-free.

    Yes Steve, that's a good question and it would definitely be wonderful to have a JW-free wedding and world. But as I explained earlier, the situation is complicated, as it is for most who have lived their lives as jws. The bride and bridegroom both love their parents. In fact, the bride's mother is not df, but has faded about seven years ago. The mother wants her husband (the jw former elder) to be at the wedding together with the family. (Personally I wouldn't want that father to be there.) It is not a JW-wedding, but a EXJW-wedding, since the couple both come out of large witness families with uncles, ants, parents, nephews and nieces either JW or EXJW.

    fts

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