Memorial Invite - new focus?

by jws 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  jws

  I got the latest memorial invite on my door sometime today. I work from home. Between the time I drop the kids at school and pick them up, I was here. But when I left to go get them, there was a tract. These cowards don't even knock anymore. It's as if they don't want to talk to people.

  Anyway, I noticed that it was worded:

  Please join us for the annual commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ.

  Is this new? I always though the focus was on the Lord's Evening Meal. ie the Passover supper. I never remember the focus being on commemorating Jesus' death before. Of course, with people partaking year after year, it's kind of hard to justify the 144,000. I mean, how good were God's choices if they have to keep getting replaced. Are they trying to downplay the emblem stuff? Is this message meant to play more to the masses than the complex ceremony they are all going to observe?
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  smiddy3

  As you well know jws they do present one side of their face to worldly people and another side of their face to the rank & file,that they do speak with a forked tongue .

  What they (JW`s) said yesterday is not the same as to what they say today and certainly won`t be the same as to what they will say tomorrow .

  So it wouldn`t surprise me if the message is different to what it was before .

  You have to be an Einstein to keep up with the flip flops of this mob
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  moreconfusedthanever

  Do you think it may be because they now say the memorial and taking of emblems is only for the anointed? This therefore means that the rest in attendance are just respectful observers. So the invitation to commemorate the death does not give the impression they are to be actively involved?
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  The Fall Guy

  Same old same old - nothing radically different.

  The org is still following the direction Jesus gave to his followers at Matthew 43:39 where he told them to invite as many unbelieving spectators - as well as every second-class Christian - to an annual event which only anointed Christians were to celebrate. Pretty reasonable - considering the the Bible's instructions.
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  carla

  Weird that they celebrate the death of Christ and at the same time people are getting fliers in the mail (postage paid by the churches) to come to their celebrations of the Resurrection of Christ. I must have gotten at least 4 fliers/postcards already from different churches in the area in the mail for Easter services. Not to mention the signs all over town also inviting people to come to Easter services and afterwards stay for a (free) pancake breakfast!
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  OrphanCrow

  carla: Weird that they celebrate the death of Christ and at the same time people are getting fliers in the mail (postage paid by the churches) to come to their celebrations of the Resurrection of Christ.

  I noticed this a few years ago. I thought it was odd. But not really considering the source.

  The JWs are the only (or one of few) "Christian" group that celebrate the death of Christ but don't celebrate his resurrection like other Christian religions do.

  JWs have a strange relationship with death. They don't understand death, and because of that, they don't understand life.

  The one and only celebration that the JWs are allowed to participate in and that celebration is a celebration of...death. Celebrating dying.

  I guess that comes in handy when the org requires their followers to lay down their life for the blood doctrine. Jesus died so they can too. Only thing is, Jesus was supposed to shed his blood so all could live - he gave his blood but the JWs won't give theirs so others can live.

  The memorial is all about death and dying, not about living. The r&f JW is denied the right to share in Jesus' resurrection.

  So, I guess it makes sense in a WT kind of way - don't drink the wine or eat the bread. Don't celebrate the resurrection of Christ - celebrate death.
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  dozy

  The invitation is the usual vanilla "teaser" - Jehovah's witnesses aren't even mentioned in it.

  I always got an impression the Memorial was something of an embarrassment for the Org - they don't really know how to play it , because basically Jesus is deliberately downplayed - the basis for JW beliefs is all very much about worshipping the Society and Jehovah which are kind of molded into one. I haven't seen the outline but I do wonder if the long standing rumours that eventually the Society will ditch the idea of a literal 144,000 will eventually come to pass.

  When you start looking at the Memorial at any detail from a biblical / doctrinal point of view- it's a bit of a mess. Its not even celebrated on the right day and the bizarre variant of "pass the parcel" with the bread and wine is a piece of ritual so weird I have seen people literally burst out laughing at the silliness of it all.

  In recent times , it has kind of morphed into something of an advertorial with annual invitation "campaigns" and a 30 hour pioneer month to encourage distribution. Yet again the few extra attendees ( in the West , at least ) will be the henpecked non-JW spouses , the occasional route calls and the usual suspects who come and go and the very marginal JWs. We termed them "spiritual submarines" - they bob up for the Memorial and sink , apparently without trace , for another year.
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  EverApostate

  Memorial or Holy communion or whatever they call.....

  A Cannibalistic Ritual, Instigated by the supposed Jesus and observed by WT in a more ridiculous manner.
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  FadeToBlack

  I don't think my wife is even going to ask me to go this year. She recently apologized for her remarks/screed last year when I said I wasn't going.
  
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  OrphanCrow

  dozy: it has kind of morphed into something of an advertorial with annual invitation "campaigns" and a 30 hour pioneer month to encourage distribution.

  Yeah. It is the org's "volunteer campaigning" that is allowed under charity law.

  The Memorial is a "fundraising" event