JW superstitions about the memorial -

by james_woods 51 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  james_woods

  Now that we are all thinking about JW memorial - I was just remembering all the silly superstitions the JWs have put around this - their only holiday. As far as I can tell, none of these are actually biblical:

  1) - It must be held only once per year.

  2) - It must be held on "Nisan 14".

  3) - It must be held after sundown.

  4) - The bread must be unleavened.

  5) - The wine must be plain (not fortified) red wine. It must be real wine (alcoholic wine) - not grape juice.

  6) - If you partake of the emblems unworthily, you will be drinking death to yourself.

  7) - However, you can eat the bread and drink the wine without harm after the final song of the event has been sung.

  8) - The number of people partaking must be carefully counted and reported to the watchtower society.

  9) - If someone of the annointed is sick and cannot be at the KH on the real day (Nisan 14), a makeup memorial can be held on the very next full moon.

  10) - And, of course, none of the "Great Crowd" can partake - but it is absolutely mandatory that they attend.

  Can anybody think of any more silly witness traditions about their memorial?
• 

  SweetBabyCheezits

  Great list! When I was a kid, my dad was very much opposed to going out to a restaurant with other dubs after the Memorial. I think he felt it was too "worldly" to start such a tradition on a sacred night.

  Did anyone else notice a friendly unspoken competition among area congregations to see who had the most in attendance? Or was that just our area?
• 

  cantleave

  Probably not universal - but all the sisters in our congregation wore new dresses.
• 

  undercover

  Unsanctioned traditions (not written on stone tablets by the GB):

  The Sisters in the congregation must wear a new spring dress. Some even adorn themselves with headcoverings, similar to the Easter bonnet, yet different enough so as to not attract attention from elders (who have radar for such things). The brothers can wear the same threadbare suit they've been for 5 years now. Maybe a new tie though.

  Thy automobile must be clean. Even if you're in the late meeting (for multiple Memorials held at a single location) and it will be dark and no one can tell that you drove through the north forty to get to the main paved highway, one must present a clean automotive offering to the Lord.

  Thou shalt not speak of 'worldly' matters at the Memorial. Even if you're a big UConn fan, one must shun jubilationn over their recent NCAA championship. It is a somber occasion. Jesus is dead y'all, remember that.

  Ministerial servants are to position themselves by the main entrance in order to trap greet non-JW newcomers and offer them Bible Studies.

  When the crackers and wine are passed, thou must touch the vessel it is carried in. Even if you're the last person on a dead end row, you must grap the glass/plate, hold it for a split second and then hand it back. And I'm serious on this one. I got in trouble one year for just shaking my head 'no thanks' and waving it off when I was at the end of the dead end row.
• 

  unshackled

  Good stuff, woods. My mother would sometimes make the unleavened bread. It was treated with such reverence but put on a plate with a paper doily. After the memorial we'd munch on it and the rest unceremoniously dumped in the trash.

  Also, always found it strange when the brothers who passed the bread and wine around, would then pass to eachother. Like they had yet to have it passed to them. Didn't they just do that, like 20 times or so?
• 

  BluesBrother

  Holiday????

  I wish it was a real holiday....in the sense of providing pleasure instead of just a date to commemorate J C death.

  Can you imagine. .....

  Giving gifts

  exchanging cards

  coming home to a slap up meal....

  Families and friends getting together to have FUN!

  (sigh......)
• 

  undercover

  Like they had yet to have it passed to them. Didn't they just do that, like 20 times or so?

  And then one brother would take it up on stage and hand it to the speaker, who then handed it back. Which goes back to my getting in trouble. You had to touch the damn thing. You couldn't just say, "no thank you". You had to show your rejection of Christ's blood/body by physical action, not just words.
• 

  charlie brown jr.

  I always wondered why the Brothers who were passing the Crackers (Bread) and Wine.... why they had to sit after handling the Emblems and pass them again...Haven't they already passed them???

  Very Pagan like and Unchristian acting like False Religion Having an Obvious Ceremonial Practice.

  Damn I'm repeating and I did read all Posts.......

  See what can happen while your collecting your thoughts while posting LOL

  Sorry about that
• 

  unshackled

  Right...forgot about the speaker plate pass. What an odd display.

  You couldn't just say, "no thank you". You had to show your rejection of Christ's blood/body by physical action, not just words.

  Touch the plate dammit! Touch it and hold for a "one mississippi, two mississippi"!
• 

  blondie

  I can remember the brothers serving had to have a napkin draped over their arm. They had to have pre-meeting lessons how to serve the emblems.

  The brothers had to wear a suit with a jacket matching the pants. Only black shoes were allowed.

  --------

  Farkel vision

  We only have one celebration a year. This is the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal, held on Nissan 300ZX-turbo of each year. To prepare for this grand celebration, our congregations around the world purchase approximately 80,000 bottles of wine and then assemble together in our Kingdom Halls. No one is allowed to smile at this celebration because it is a “serious celebration.” At the meeting, we fill up glasses with wine, and pass them around so that everyone can look at those glasses of wine. After everyone has had a chance to look at those glasses of wine, the celebration concludes with a prayer. You might be wondering what happens to these 80,000 bottles of wine that everyone had to look at. Well, it is customary to end the evening by purchasing another 2 MILLION bottles of wine and drinking all that wine in various gatherings after the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal.

  http://ex-jw.com/dubs-for-dummies

  --------------

  Although the "great crowd" were identified without any doubt in 1935, they were not invited to the "memorial" until 1938.

  Meetings for Worship, Instruction, and Encouragement
  For the first time, in its issue of February 15, 1938, The Watchtower specifically invited them to be present at the Memorial, saying: “After six p.m. on April 15 let each company of the anointed assemble and celebrate the Memorial, their companions the Jonadabs also being present.” They did attend, not as partakers, but as observers. Their presence began to swell the number of those on hand at the time of the Memorial of Christ’s death. In 1938 the total attendance was 73,420, while those who partook of the emblematic bread and wine numbered 39,225. -- Anonymous, Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, Inc. 1993: 243