JW funerals

Phil

Would someone describe the traditional JW funeral?

OnTheWayOut

I will start. Someone can give more details.

It contains just a few minutes of detail about the person who is dead.
Next, they say what the person believed. He believed that his death
is not all there is- he believes in the resurrection.

Adam and Eve, blah blah blah. The first prophecy in the Bible, blah blah.
Law code, blah blah....pointed the way for a better sacrifice with Christ.

It's a short outline 30-40 minutes, has a few scriptures, and is meaningless
to the friends and family, JW and non-JW. If you want to eulogize the
person, you would need to write it out on a handbill, or have the entire process
held at a funeral home instead of a kingdom hall- so you can have someone else
in charge of what's done.

Gopher

This topic was discussed about a week ago in this thread: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/127893/1.ashx

Go to page 2 of the thread -- see Mary's post which contains the Society's funeral talk outline which is to be used at funerals and memorial services for JW's.

This outline is the one I heard used at my grandmother's funeral several weeks ago. (Geez, it made things even more depressing if that is even possible.)

mia_b

My husband (non jw, never been a jw) went to my nan's funeral with me when we were going out, we'd been to his nan's funeral 3 months before.

he was impressed that the elder giving the talk knew my nan

the funeral of his nan was done by a vicar who had been passed information by his horrid aunts who claimed they'd looked after her in her old age when it was actually him.

but my nan was cremated and the talk was held at the crematorium and that means u only get a 20min slot so they didn't have much time to waffle, so it was half her and half her beliefs.

at least the dubs dont say that god has taken the person who died - so sad when its a child and parents are told that god wanted the kid so took them.

Vinny

Onthewayout pretty much nailed it. VERY generic. I did a couple and hated how much my hands were tied. I did push the envelope though... : )

I was at one a year and a half ago. The PO/Pioneer of another cong gave it at a rented auditorium. This was a VERY respected brother giving the talk. Used as chairman for different assemblies, committees etc. It was over an hour long funeral talk, no joking. He eulogized the JW like nothing I've ever heard before (it was his best friend, who'd died of a brain tumor). Story after story after story. We were all laughing. Anyway, the C.O. came to this funeral and was sitting right in front of my wife and I. It was baseball season and this C.O was a devout S.F. Giants fan. ESPN was on I guess... After 45 minutes, with this CO shaking his head most of the way through in disgust, he just got up and walked out right in front of everybody. That next Circuit Assembly, about three mos later, that brother had no parts at all.

We all knew he was in trouble.

heh...