My thoughts on the 2013 Memorial

by BU2B 6 Replies latest jw friends

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  BU2B

  I went to what I hope will be my last memorial last night, and my thoughts are similiar to what many have expressed here already but here is what I took away. I can tell from previous reviews that all the speakers seem to be sticking pretty close to the outline, so it dosent matter much who gives it, you cant diverge from what "mother" says.

  1. No time was given to really appreciate the suffering Jesus endured all for the sake of forgiving our sins.

  2. All thanks was given to Jehovah for Jesus sacrifice. While I apprecite what the father went through here, on the Memorial of Christs death, shouldnt the appreciation and honor be given directly to him?

  3. The GB was mentioned in the closing prayer and thanking Jehovah for them because if it wasnt for them, we wouldnt be able to understand the Bible, thats why we need to keep in step with current teachings from Gods spirit directed visible organization, we cant understand what the Bible says without their explanation.

  4. The whole thing seems more and more cold every year. The speaker robotically went through the universal soverignty doctrine, 2 Adams, and spent the bulk of the time with going on and on about 2 classes of christians, why we shouldnt partake, if you are annointed you should be 100% sure you have been called. You cant choose to be born again, Jehovah has to choose you. We only observe the ceremony. Emblems roboticaly passed around and passed over by everyone there.

  5. I really feel the GB is trying to combat the rising number of partakers by spending upwards of 50% of time explaining why very few if not none of the people there should partake.

  6. I kept thinking of matthew 23:13 where Jesus told the Pharisees, that they shut out the kingdom of the heavens in mens faces, you do not go in and you do not permit those on their way to go in

  7. He went on about how we are obeying Jesus command to the letter. Oh yea? How about the part where he says to EAT THE BREAD AND DRINK THE WINE! I see nothing in scripture about just observing

  To me the whole thing is so classless. Honor was not given to Christ in true appreciation of what he has done for mankind, it was so souless. When any credit was given it was all to Jehovah for allowing Jesus to come, none to Jesus, no honor to him that all the NT writers gave him. Even if they were right about the 2 hopes thing, its so wrong on that day to focus all on doctrine. Full attention should be given to Jesus sacrifice, what he went through, what it means for us individually. Good lessons can be drawn about the mercy of God and how we should all show mercy to others and not judge, so we are not judged. That should not be the time to push unique doctrine. Its so sad to see so many sincere people be hoodwinked. I saw many visitors, why dont they research this cult? Why dont they look into this? I pray they do.
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  punkofnice

  The whole thing seems more and more cold every year.

  Austere and clinical too. More like a business seminar minus any humour.

  I was born into the abusive cult and I could NEVER understand where Jehovah(TM) ended and Jesus started (if that makes sense).

  The whole Jehovah(TM) and Jesus thing was so scrambled for me I thought it was me being an 'immature(TM)' clot. I now realise the WBT$ makes any old crap up to support their income and power.

  A Church communion is so much more dignified and although I no longer believe in god I'd vote Church communion over WBT$ mock the Christ memorial(TM) anyday.

  I'd be interested to see where EXACTLY in the Bible the Kingdum Hell mock the Christ memorial(TM) is set out above the mantra that 'evidently(TM)' this is how it happened.

  .............actually, I'm not interested because I know the Kingdum Hell ritual ISN'T in the Bible.
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  DATA-DOG

  Amen Bro! I recorded it, and it was terrible. A complete bait and switch. Partaking is definately forbidden. I just read my bible and prayed to be shown what to do. My family is not ready. I partook at home. I feel that if I had partook at the KH, it would have been to spite the Elders, which is not a valid reason for me.
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  snare&racket

  As discussed here recently...

  The people that broke bread and drank wine with jesus that night were not anointed, jesus said keep doing this....

  I don't believe in god or the bible, but if I was at a memorial nowadays, I would have to stand up and state the obvious!
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  CaptainSchmideo

  Spot on, BU2B. Same analysis over here. No real feeling of inspiration or thankfulness, just a rote recital, emphasis on not partaking, "the number of partakers is very small!" (and growing every year), mechanized passing around of the emblems, same bon mots I have heard over the years "unleavened, because in the Bible, leaven represents leaven, I mean, sin" (actual quote, by the way), and "it's real wine, not grape juice, because they didn't have refrigeration (this is a big point in my region of the US, because of the Dry Baptists and their feelings against alcohol)". Another waste of an evening, but I did get to make contact with a friend I hadn't seen in years, so it wasn't a total waste. I feel sorriest for my kids; since we don't go, they have no social ties to any of the teens in that hall, and no one talks to them. As far as I am concerned, my kids have more on the ball, brains and talent wise, than that cliquish bunch, anyway. I have much more regard for the friends they have from school than any of those phony-baloneys.
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  jgnat

  I've done some deep thinking the last week on this. The pressure to pass and not partake is very strong. To partake while everyone else passes also feels so very wrong. There is no unity, no sharing, no communion with the brothers and sisters or anyone else.

  

  There is a dynamic in sharing food and drink as a group. That is what gives this ritual it's power. Do it around a table where you can see each other's faces; not in regimented rows.

  The only way to honor the memorial of Jesus' death is to stay away from this sham and find another time, people, and place to share it with.
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  Honeybucket

  In the hall I am forced to attend, the elder talked alot about what the witnesses are doing around the world this memorial and the sacrifices they have made over the years and how in many lands the preaching work and witnesses are banned and prosecuted. All of the attention was witnesses, GB and Jehover. We didn't even read the account about jesus's death or the passover.. nada.. it was referenced but he told us to not turn there.

  On another note:

  My husband on the way there (we were late, he was mad) fumed how because of me we probably wont be able to find seats because it will be so packed, and we will have to park down the street. When we got there only 40% of the parking lot was full and when we got inside there may have been 50-60 people max. I explained to my husband that this religion is out the door dying and that they shouldn't even bother passing out invitations door to door since nobody EVER comes to it. It's a waste of time, paper, gas, energy, ect. He had no comment on these things since he saw what little attendace there was.

  He mentioned to me when we got home that he over heard someone saying that there was 100 people at the memorial, "my ass 100 people were there, it was empty" I was so proud at that moment; he noticed the cognitive dissonance, even though he doesn't know what that term means.

  HB