Is Watchtower a Funeral Society?

by cameo-d 3 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  cameo-d

  I don't know of any other religion that makes such a discussion of entitlement over funerals---who is entitled to come and who will be asked to leave, who is entitled to have a funeral and who is not.

  I ran across this info on another website and it reminded me of the way JWs are so ill behaved and cold about funerals.

  In the premodern world of ancient Rome, the earliest Christians organized themselves into funeral societies. These organizations helped the poor and middle classes combine their resources to bury their dead friends and family members in a manner honoring their religious beliefs and cultural practices. Just as in our contemporary postmodern world, death was big business. Many people could simply not afford an appropriate funeral.

  Registering a “funeral society” in the Roman empire also provided a way to legitimize the church with a government dominated by a state religion, just as in the American empire today, registering a “charitable status” gives churches a way to legitimize themselves with a government dominated by a civil religion.

  They also knew that there was no better opportunity to share the gospel than a funeral service and no better gift to give than real, genuine, concrete HOPE.

  In this new, pagan, postmodern world of the American empire, the church needs once again to organize itself as a “funeral society.” Funerals are second only to baptisms as occasions for self-identification and proclamation in the pagan world. Here’s how to make the change:

  Proclaim hope -- not harmony.
  Stop rationalizing death. Death is awful. Deal with it. Death is meaningless. Get over it. Focus on hope. Talk about God’s victory. Stop trying to hold everyone’s hand. Stop focusing on putting a smile on everyone’s lips and building harmony. Any pagan can talk about mutual support.

  Eulogize the fruits of the Spirit. Stop reminiscing the lives of the deceased. If they were Christians, they wouldn’t want that anyway --

  Warning: If you recreate the “Funeral Society” ministry of the earliest church, two things will probably happen. First, you will do fewer funerals.

  Funny that they would even admit that funerals are a great marketing tool for religion.
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  cameo-d

  Well, I have heard that a JW wedding and a JW funeral is basically the same thing.
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  3Mozzies

  Well, I have heard that a JW wedding and a JW funeral is basically the same thing.

  . . . and they are both info commercials for The Watchtower $ociety™

  3Mozzies
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  Cold Steel

  Stop rationalizing death. Death is awful. Deal with it. Death is meaningless. Get over it. Focus on hope. Talk about God’s victory.

  Why would you say "death is awful"? Or that it's "meaningless"? Those who have experienced it (if they've led decent lives) describe it as a beautiful and enlightening experience. Many talk about life reviews, where they relive parts of their lives in learning experiences. Peter, too, talks about the gospel being preached to those who didn't have the chance to accept it here: "For for this cause was the gospel preached to them that are dead; that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." (1 Peter 4:6)

  The JWs believe death is where the spirit sleeps until resurrected, but the early Christians didn't hold this view. I know the JWs scared the living daylights out of my grandmother by telling her she would essentially be worm food after death. Of course someone with that kind of view would not be comfortable with "the grave." But there are thousands of "after death" experiences documented from various parts of the world and unless you've lived a horrible life, death can be a wonderful experience.

  Most people who have had these experiences, in fact, come away saying they'll no longer be afraid of death.

  I'm not aware that JWs exert a lot of control over funerals. Do they? I want to hear more.