I am an atheist/pseudo-Buddhist. I am dating an Advent Christian (very similar to Baptist). I went to church with him for the first time yesterday. I was pleased that he wanted me there because it's nice to be included in things that are meaningful to him. My only other church experience was at a Universalist Unitarian service. I found the two to be very similar. Doctrine is the only substantial difference.
We arrived a few minutes late and the first thing that struck me was the way the minister was directly interacting with the audience. In discussing a few matters about the church and congregation he spoke directly to and about particular members. Everyone was laughing at some humor I didn't pick up on. I can't say I've never seen that in a KH, but it was exceedingly rare.
The minister used peoples first names or even nicknames; Bob, Jimbo. The JWs call each other brother or sister. This fools the person into feeling like part of a family while effectively removing their individuality. Specific individuals who were going through hardships were mentioned and we were asked to pray for them or offer aid.
The most obvious difference was the format. The audience sang hymns (that were very similar in tone to the kingdom melodies). In addition we listened to a song from the choir and two performances from individual women. One performance was to a more modern song with a pop rock sound.
Four prayers were said, throughout. My boyfriend had his arm around me the entire time. Before one prayer, the minister asked people to hold hands with their loved ones. I looked around and saw not just husbands and wives but parents and children, siblings and friends holding hands. Quite a contrast from the JWs who have been counseled against such displays of affection.
The padded pews were comfortable and allowed for sitting closely with family. The church was decorated in a very simple and dignified manner. Nothing like the hideous décor that KHs are designed with. There were Bibles and hymnals available at all the seats. I don't think anyone would mind if someone just sat and read from the Bible throughout the service. There was no need to feel left out or go to a special service counter to get the materials needed for the service. There was no need to purchase materials (through donation or otherwise) and lug them back and forth from your home.
The sermon was much more brief than the sessions the JWs have but it puts the lie to the claim that the churches are all entertainment and no teaching. I am in college and the teachers do not teach anything like the JW style. They lecture for an hour at most. Much of it involves student interaction and group work. Students must be interested and actively engaged in order to learn. The droning repetition of the JWs serves only to hypnotize and indoctrinate.
The sermon was about "the cross." This is apparently their term for Jesus sacrificial death. He talked about how the disciples didn't want to accept that Jesus needed to do this. That they, like people today, had an attitude of, "no I'd rather you not have to do that. Don't go to all that trouble; I'll take care of it myself." The point was that this attitude was unnecessary because Jesus had taken care of it (whatever it is) so there is nothing we need to do in order to earn salvation. The JWs pay lip service to this, but are quick to point out the many, many things you need to do in order to earn that salvation. It's all academic to me, since I believe the Bible to be a work of fiction, but interesting nonetheless.
The minister spoke from the Bible and invited others to follow along or read it in their own time. A few outside publications were quoted from but there was no book or magazine that was held remotely as prominent as the Bible.
A collections plate was passed around. I had the same experience at the UU church and I came to the conclusion then that passing the plate was more loving than having the box at the back of the KH. Most people put in a couple of dollars. About $2 per person. If I go to church every weekend, I'll end up paying $8-10 per month. At my poorest, I never put less than $20 a month in the KH. I knew others, also financially strapped, who put in much more. When you know everyone else is putting their $2 in you don't feel guilted into putting in more. There may be some churches out there that guilt their members into giving more but this is hardly the case at all, or I would guess even most churches.
The people were friendly. This is not my BF's usual church (he lives out of town) and several people welcomed us and asked us to return. Everyone was dressed casually but dignified. They do their own church maintenance like the JWs.
All in all it was a pleasant enough experience. I am happy to support my wonderful BF in his beliefs. And it really shows the JWs to be slanderous liars about other religions.