Can a non JW attend JW Weddings?

camicia

Hi all, I've posted here before about my daughter's desire to get baptized as a JW and me attempting to prevent that, and the worst has happened: she's fallen in love and going full steam ahead with this thing. I won't bore you with my feelings on the matter, if she's happy, I'm happy (and I really hope she's happy) but it just crossed my mind: If my daughter and her husband are JW's, will her family be able to go to the wedding? What about socializing in general? The answer I get from punching it into google is always NO, NO, JW'S ASSOCIATE WITH NO ONE WHO ISN'T A JW but surely thats not true, if my daughter WANTS me to be there? Who decides these things?

finallysomepride

the answer is yes, I have been to many jdub weddings & in all cases non jws have been in attendance for both the ceremony & the breakfast/celebration afterwards

fsp

nugget

Yes you would be able to attend the wedding. The only restrictions are if you were a witness yourself and had subsequently been DF'd. Then it is extremely likely that you wouldn't be invited.

After she marries and is baptised she will most likely withdraw from family celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas etc and may choose not to attend family weddings of non JWs. It is also likely that most of her socialising will be with other JWs at events to which you would not be invited. It is part of the seperating process that occurs which isolates someone from their support network outside the faith and replaces it with the conditional friendships of JWs. This is designed to make it extremely difficult to leave since your friendships become dependent on your beliefs.

As you daughter is currently in love she will not listen to anyone else the more you try to tell her the closer she will cling to the man in her life. Just be there for her whatever happens she is lucky to have someone able to offer unconditional love should she ever need it.

wha happened?

I don't know of any wedding where 100% of the relatives and friends are JW's so...........

alanv

I went to my JW son's wedding two years ago. I helped pay for it so there was no question of me not going. I actually looked forward to it and had great fun telling some witnesses why I had left the organisation years ago. The only slightly strange thing was at the wedding itself. When the bridal party came into the hall, everyone just stayed sat down. I asked the speaker why the congregation stayed seated, and he said 'well it's a bit like giving her worship isn't it?'

I said to him ' of course no,t it is just showing respect. Couldn't believe anyone could be that stupid.

J. Hofer

yes, non-JWs may attend JW weddings without causing them trouble. however JWs are "encouraged" to not invite disfellowshipped or "marked" friends and family. if they still do, they plus every other JW who also attended gets problems with the elders and may risk being "marked" too.

finallysomepride

alanv

dumb ars'

in a court of law one stands, out of respect of the law, for the judge, why should a wedding be any different, respect of the marriage bond

it's not worship of the person dumbars'

blondie

non-jws (or df'd or da'd jws) cannot be part of the jw bridal party, e.g. best man, maid/matron of honor, groomsmen, bridesmaids, etc.

finallysomepride

blondie

while that is true, I have seen otherwise, even where the ceremony has take place in the kh, but I'm talkin about 70-80s time period, & not so conservative congregations

blondie

That rule is strongly enforced now......a few smalll congregations in the boonies might slip it by. If the CO finds out the elders in that congregation have allowed this they can get in big doodoo. There were a lot of things that slipped by in the 70's and 80's but this is the 2010's the era of absolute obedience to the WTS means obedience to God.

Can a non JW attend JW Weddings?

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