Curiousity about current JW Views on going into churches

Brymichmom

I've been following a thread on another forum where JW's are insisting that it is ok for them to go inside churches for weddings, funerals, etc. They say it's quite ok to go inside any church just as long as they don't participate in the service by singing, praying, kneeling...etc...Some of them say that they have seen "guest speakers" in churches who came as Watchtower representatives.

When did this ever change? My experience (and I've been out 24 years) has always been that JW's do not enter a church for any reason, no if's ands or buts. In my family, those who are still JW's definitely WILL NOT go inside a church. In fact, when my grandmother died (she was not JW), my JW brother was supposed to be a pall bearer. Well he did the pall bearer job as far as the church steps and then "handed off" to another cousin because he couldn't go inside the church. This was just in 1999. My mother and aunt refuse to go to family weddings that are inside any kind of church. Yet these JW's on this other forum say it's perfectly permissible for them to go inside churches just as long as they are not participating in the service.

Are these real changes, or are these JW's just practicing so-called "theocratic warfare"? I'm assuming that these JW's are elders and not the average JW.

I would appreciate any of your input. Thank you very much.

bernie

In the area I grew up it was up to each person how they felt, we went to funerals and weddings in churches and my oldman was a elder.

Sara Annie

My JW relatives always (and those still in continue to) attend family functions held in churches. They remained non-participatory (though at a recent catholic wedding, they did sit and stand with everyone else...)

Brymichmom

That's really interesting Sara. In my family, every time a family member who was a non JW got married, none of the JW's would go into the church, period. I asked my mother to go in one time, and she just said, "You KNOW we CAN'T go in there! It's Babylon!" So they just stand outside on the church steps waiting for the wedding to be over with.

blondie

brychimom, I've was an active JW for over 40 years. This is one of those things, it depends. It is a conscience matter, yours and others. Some JWs over the years have felt they could attend but not participate. Others felt that even going inside was wrong for them. Many JWs find it necessary to impose their conscience on others. Sounds like your family was like that. The WTS cautions that you might stumble non-JWs and JWs. That is the hook some JWs use. But I think more damage is caused by not going. When we were still attending, my husband chose not to go to his grandmother's funeral. I didn't agree and said there would be repercussions. There were and he had to go and smooth it over with his family letting them know that I had chewed him out too. Since JWs don't celebrate birthdays, Xmas and other holidays, this would eliminate the last 2 occasions that allow them to see family and be supportive. The idea supposedly is to gain your family.

Blondie

Brymichmom

Bernie, it seems that elders and their families lead a much different life from the JW's who don't have and elder for a dad. My dad was never an elder; he became a JW after I actually left the WT and years after my mother had become baptized. My brother had been an elder, but he behaved also like he couldn't enter the church for my grandmother's funeral.

stillajwexelder

Definitely a conscience matter. Many go in for funerals and weddings of "worldly" relatives. I personally feel VERY STRONGLY about the matter -- when I was a dieghard dub, I strongly felt that especially in the case of a relatives funeral, that I should (and did) go into church just to be there to comfort the relatives. I also wanted to share in the joy at happy occasions when relatives got married. I hated being Pharasaical. However, I know some witnesses who will not even step inside a church. It is their choice I suppose, but I think it is going a bit far to deliberately not go into a church -- especially when comforting peopel at a funeral -- just my 2 cents worth.

Euphemism

I always remember hearing, as I was growing up, that it was a matter of conscience.

The only Watchtower comment that I can find is w70 3/15, which concludes:

Thus there is no need for a Christian to feel obligated to go to a church funeral of another religious organization, where there may be the temptation to give in to pressure and follow the crowd when everyone else is performing some false religious act. Thus also the danger of performing an act of apostasy and displeasing Jehovah God can be avoided. But each one must decide for oneself on the basis of circumstances and one?s own conscience.

So while it is technically a matter of conscience, the implication is pretty strong that it should be avoided if possible.

Elsewhere

I've been following a thread on another forum where JW's are insisting that it is ok for them to go inside churches for weddings, funerals, etc. They say it's quite ok to go inside any church just as long as they don't participate in the service by singing, praying, kneeling...etc...Some of them say that they have seen "guest speakers" in churches who came as Watchtower representatives.

I find it amazing that anyone would debate such silly little things.

Now that Christmas is over, can I now buy and eat the candies that are on sale? (YES, I do recall JWs asking that)

Brymichmom

Hey stillajwexelder, do you have a quote from the WT that says it's a "conscience matter"? I'd like to write to my brother and my parents and ask them if they knows about this, or if they just do this because of their "conscience". Maybe my family would start going to funerals and weddings if they knew this was just a "conscience matter". It was so sad when my grandmother died because there my father was, outside on the church steps, he couldn't even go in to give his sister a hug and comfort her.

Curiousity about current JW Views on going into churches

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