Question about jw burials

by damselfly 11 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  undercover

  Is it true that witnessses that commit suicide cannot have a memorial at the Kingdom Hall??

  I don't think there is a definite yes or no answer to that one.

  There have been instances where funerals for a suicide victim were not allowed and instances where it was allowed. I think it comes down to the local body of elders and how they feel about it and the circumstances surrounding what happened.

  A JW friend of mine committed suicide. The funeral was a private affair, family only, at the graveside, but a memorial service was held at the hall a week later for others to pay their respect. But there will be people on this board who can tell you horror stories at how their family was treated when a family member committed suicide and how they weren't allowed to use the hall for services.
• 

  undercover

  I think some JW's have a very unnatural n onchalant view when it comes to the loss of a loved one, its almost like they look around to others in the hall and “Better not grieve for too long Might show little faith in the resurrection” meanwhile to non-JW’s family members it appears to be very cold, almost like they really don’t care about the loss of that loved one.

  I've noticed that as well.

  Back when I was "in", I used to watch non-JWs grieve much more than JWs. But I felt sorry for them not having the resurrection hope. If they had that hope then they wouldn't be so upset. They'd know that death is only sleep and they'll be seeing them again soon in the New System. Back then, I thought worldly people got much too worked up over death.

  Of course, that was all bunk. And now when I see JWs lose a loved one, I see that they never really grieve the loss because they're living under the delusion of being able to see them again. They shut it out and pretend that it will all be better one day. It's not that they didn't care, it's that they haven't come to grips with it. They have not accepted that they will never see that person again, ever.